Cheapest possible gear lilst

[Ryan Grayson]

I have a feeling this might be criticized, but here goes lol: I have a friend who has never backpacked, but wants to try it out for a long weekend or a week-long trip without spending a lot of money. She asked how cheaply she could get everything she needs. This made me start wondering, how cheaply could you do it? I have so much extra gear that honestly, she wouldn't have to buy anything, but I wanted to ask you all as a general question. This interests me because I think I could get more people to give it a try if it wasn't much of an initial investment.

Used gear might be a way to go, but it's not always easy to find exactly what you need. Also, my first set of gear only cost about $500 and my first trip cost $80, including the cost of gas, permits, and a boat to take me to North Manitou Island in Michigan, so my usual answer is a week vacation for under $600 is worth it even if you don't go backpacking again.

But just because this is fun to me, and hopefully to someone else on here, let's say you had $300. Could you put together a sub-30 pound gear list together that would be sufficient for a week on the trail in the summer, that would not be so uncomfortable as to backfire and make them less likely to go backpacking again?

Some thoughts for the big four:

Pack: Golite Jam 50 or similar (30 oz.) … $110
Shelter: DIY Tyvek Rain Tarp and Groundcloth (17 oz.)… $0 if you're lucky enough to find it for free
or Grand Trunk Hammock and Tyvek Rain Tarp, which I have used several nights myself (23 oz)… $20
Sleeping bag: 45 degree bag, maybe Marmot NanoWave (29 oz) … $70
Sleeping Pad: Blue foam Mat (8 oz.) … $6

Weight: 5 lbs. 4 oz. … $186
With hammock: 5 lbs. 10 oz. $206

Uncomfortable sleeping and bugs might keep them from ever wanting to try it again, but a bug net and better sleeping pad wouldn't be too much more. I don't know if this interests anyone else, but I frequently have people telling me they want to try backpacking for a weekend, but don't have gear. I thought it would be nice to have an idea of cost and a gear list ready made for them.

[Link .]

pmags Lightweight Backpacking 101 and The Frugal Backpacker – The $300 Gear Challenge
Backpacking for Cheap: Gear for the Gearless

Cheap Ultralight Gear List
Lightweight Backpacking, Wal-Mart Style
Mark Henley's Ultra CHEAP LIST 10.1 lb $200
Make a Hooded Tyvek Rain Jacket and Chaps for Under $10
MYOG: 3mil Plastic Tarps
Polycryo Tarp
Cat Food Can Stove

There are a number of other challenges and threads on BPL if you do a search but here are a few.

[Justin Baker]

It's easy to go cheap and light with almost everything expect for a sleeping bag.

[Gordon Gray]

When I bought my first setup a couple years ago, I think I got away with spending approximately $300ish. It wasn't good lightweight stuff at all but definitely got the job done.

New Teton Sports 75 liter pack $100 – plenty of cheaper options on CL, ebay, ect…
New Wenzel Current tent $35
Suisse Sport 0 degree(liars) mummy bag from Big5 $35
Blue camp pad $10
Coleman Peak 1 stove off Ebay $15
Stansport Cook set $10
Katadyn Water Filter $65 – cheaper options here as well.

$270 plus butane, food, ect….

The rest of the needed items were already lying around the house.

I have zero regrets with those purchases. It is nice to have loaner gear for family and friends that want to check it out.

[David Drake]

Conventional wisdom is Light/High Quality/Low cost: choose any two. MYOG can give you all three (assuming you don't count your labor in the cost).

University rec. programs often rent gear for the weekend. Not the lightest by any stretch, but anyone should be able to get around 15# BW for summer on-trail hiking, just by leaving unnecessary, pack-you-fears stuff behind.

[Tim Marshall]

If the goal is a low cost set of gear for entry level hikers then MYOG has to be out. If you don't know anything about hiking or if you will like it you can't count on your ability to design functional gear for an activity you have no experience with nor can you expect the time investment from someone who has yet to catch the bug for hiking and gear building.

MYOG is a valuable way to save money and get great gear made just for you but I don't think its reasonable to expect most novices to be able or willing to build their own gear.

Focus on low cost products that can provide a comfortable entry experience and last long enough for them to catch the bug to build their own or the desire for higher quality cottage gear. Base weight goal should be 8-12lbs as getting bellow this point typically means a higher cost or time investment

-Tim

[Morgan Rucks]

+1
on renting from an University Rec Program,

my school has sil tarps and megalights, nice backpacks, thermarests, raingear, headlamps, stoves, pots, sleeping bags,

pretty much everything you need to get out and it will cost you 25 bucks or so.

[J Dos]

Here's a thread I started a few months ago. I received 4-5 pages worth of great ideas. It's definitely worth reading.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=85566

[David Drake]

Hi Tim,
Good points, and I certainly didn't mean to imply beginners should be *designing* their own stuff. And of course, renting or borrowing gear the first few times makes far more sense than investing time and money either in making gear OR buying cheap, heavy stuff you'll want to replace the next year.

But two- or three-night summer trips on established trails really isn't that demanding in terms of the gear required (especially pack and shelter). There are plenty of patterns/instructions available–maybe not quite as simple as following a pattern from JoAnn's Fabrics, but not much more difficult. No doubt, first results will be a little crude, but I don't think the learning curve for achieving basic, functional gear is too steep.

If nothing else, having a little experience with making might go a long way toward appreciating the hard work (and much greater experience) of designers and manufacturers like you.

[Tim Marshall]

No worries, I have seen MYOG mentioned a few times in threads like this and it just turned out this was the time I chose to put in my 2c;)

-Tim

[Link .]

Intense Angler:
This is my four season, lightweight to ultra-light backpacking system that I put together for the low cost of under $100. The majority of the backpacking gear that I show was obtained either through smart shopping, bargain hunting (thrift stores, craigslist, etc), or was homemade.
With a little creativity, time, and ingenuity, you can get geared-up, get out, and have just as good of a time as the person with all of the "latest and greatest" in gear and equipment. It is, after all, about getting out and enjoying the amazing experiences to be found in the wild.
Low cost, lightweight backpacking system – Part 1
Low cost, lightweight backpacking system – Part 2
Saving Money On Outdoor Gear – Tip Of The Week

I have known several beginners who made some of their own gear and had a better time because of it , just because they were beginners didn't mean they were stupid or went out into dangerous situations or alone the first few times.They Sew professionally and using a pattern to make a wind shirt or tarp ect. really was no challenge . Try sewing and designing costumes for the Seattle Opera or Ballet , sewing a tarp or wind shirt is a joke . But they asked many questions about what they should make and out of what materials and had a blast doing it . Using these items on trips with friends that backpack all the time was great fun for them and us , I should take sewing lessons from them , I could really learn a lot and they would never discourage me in doing so even though I have never done it .

[J Mag]

Honestly if you're talking cheapest long term… gear swap is very hard to beat.

Everything I have bought off of there I have gotten a fair deal on and would have no problem selling it for no loss other than maybe shipping.

I understand people don't want to spend money, but I started out cheap and now that gear sits in my closet doing nothing while I essentially "rent" top notch gear for free.

P.S. If the only sleeping pad I had brought on my first trip was a ccf pad I KNOW I would have never wanted to go again lol.

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