By Michael Lanza
My first tent cost about 75 bucks. It was a bit heavy and bulky for backpacking. I called it the Wind Sock because it snapped loudly in the slightest breeze, and its poles bowed disturbingly in moderate gusts. (I learned to choose protected campsites.) But at a time when I could not afford good gear and was developing a passion for hiking, backpacking, and climbing, it sheltered me for about 150 nights in the backcountry and in campgrounds. It ultimately cost me about 50 cents a night.
When I started dayhiking and backpacking, I needed gear and clothing that was cheap. And you usually get what you pay for. But I’ve learned the strategies for getting decent or even very good gear cheaply over four decades of backpacking and hiking—including the 10 years I spent as a field editor and lead gear reviewer for Backpacker magazine and even longer running this blog.
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If you’re much shorter on cash than on eagerness to get outdoors—or you just prefer paying less for your gear so you can afford more of it or better stuff—these tips will help you get out there without emptying your checking account. Like many stories at The Big Outside, this one is partially free for anyone to read, but reading all of the tips below is an exclusive benefit of a paid subscription to The Big Outside.
You can begin finding excellent bargains—and help support my work on this blog—by making gear purchases through the affiliate links in this story and any other stories and gear reviews at The Big Outside. Thanks for your support.
If you have comments or questions for me, or tips of your own to suggest, please share them in the comments section below this story. I try to respond to all comments.
No. 1 Shop Discount Online Sites
Anyone shopping for new gear or apparel would be wise to begin by visiting sites like backcountry.com, cotopaxi.com, the REI outlet store, and campsaver.com. This is the best way to score higher-quality gear and apparel from top brands for bargain prices. These sites offer deep discounts on product that has perhaps been discontinued—replaced in a company’s line by something similar, newer, and improved, or simply in a color that sells better. This discounted stuff went on sale new at higher prices just months earlier—it’s current technology, not ancient crap.
If you’re looking for a specific product, you may not find it; and sizes available are sometimes limited. But if you’re on a more general quest for a rain jacket, a backpack, or something else, you may well find something of high quality at a price you can afford.
NOTE: In most blog posts and pages at The Big Outside, including the Gear Reviews page, I share links to some of the best gear bargains on the Web, where you can find deep discounts on good-quality gear.
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No. 2 Wait For Sales
Consumers spend top dollar when they buy impetuously or wait until the last second, when they absolutely need something. Most of the time, product prices are set at full retail.
But several times during the year—usually spring, late summer, and the holidays, plus clearance sales in fall and late winter—websites and brick-and-mortar stores offer major sales with product as much as half off the usual price.
Wait for seasonal sales at sites like backcountry.com and rei.com. Follow these sites through the social media you use.
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No. 3 Join Email Lists of Your Favorite Brands
Visit the websites of brands you like and you may see an offer of a discount code worth something on the order of 10 to 20 percent off full price simply for joining their email list. Go right now to ospreypacks.com, patagonia.com, blackdiamondequipment.com, outdoorresearch.com, featheredfriends.com, hyperlitemountaingear.com, msrgear.com, seatosummitusa.com, beyondclothing.com, mysteryranch.com, himali.com, and hellyhansen.com and join their email lists. These offers may pop up only at certain times of year, or maybe after you’ve clicked at least one internal link, or only once you move your cursor toward the URL bar.
Sign up for their email list. You get something that you wanted at a lower price, and you will be among the first to hear about new products and future sales from a brand you already like. What’s not to like?
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No. 4 Buy Used Gear
When my teenage son said he wanted to upgrade from the old whitewater kayak that he had received on semi-permanent loan from a friend of ours, I told him we could split the cost and he should start aggressively shopping around for a good used boat. He found a nearly new Jackson kayak for half its usual retail price on Craig’s List. He put in numerous days on rivers over a few years, grew out of that boat, and then sold it for nearly what he originally paid for it—and used that money to cover most of the cost of the newer (but still used) next boat he bought.
Cruise Facebook Marketplace, eBay and Craig’s List for used gear. Look into whether there’s a used-gear exchange near where you live. Some local outdoor-gear stores may hold used-gear sales or garage sales, where people can bring stuff they want to sell cheap.
Some REI stores host garage sales occasionally for members; go to rei.com/promotions/garage-sale. Local and regional hiking and outdoor clubs may do the same thing. Check the websites of some favorite brands for whether they have anything similar to Patagonia’s Worn Well program, where you can buy—and trade in—used Patagonia gear.
It can take time and you should jump on any good deal as soon as you see it, or someone else will beat you to it. But many people buy gear they think they’ll use, and end up selling it months later after hardly using it. Plus, you even get to inspect it before buying if the seller is local.
There are actually few better ways to get good gear cheap—if you’re willing to put time and effort into the search.
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NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker Magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See categorized menus of all of my reviews at my Gear Reviews page.
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Great article but nix the boots. Over the past year, I halved my base weight from 25 year old equipment thanks to the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 tent that demystified the process, and I was able to build around that. Then a Feathered Friends sleeping bag. Even after growing stronger, my footwear is still Hoka! I can replace my existing boots when a trip demands it, but I’m in no hurry because Hoka has worked in 3+ seasons so far.
Hi Arlene,
I share your enthusiasm for the Big Agnes Copper Spur tent series and just about everything made by Featured Friends. And Hoka One One is often my go-to brand for hiking and trail-running footwear.
Thanks for sharing your experiences.
Great suggestions and post as always. Spending money on boots is definitely a good investment. I love all your great photos…inspirational.
Thanks, Mark, I appreciate the comments. And we’re definitely entering a time to buy gear at really good prices. A good place to start is my Gear Reviews page: https://thebigoutside.com/gear-reviews/.
It’s interesting that you mentioned having a good pair of boots is more important than anything else. My wife suggested the idea that we go camping for our next family trip, and so I want to be prepared and make sure we’ll have everything we need when we go! Thanks for the tips, I’ll be sure to keep them in mind while we plan our camping trip.
Yes, Oscar, it’s true. Other mediocre gear doesn’t necessarily kill your plans, but boots that fit and function well are most important because bad footwear can ruin a hike quickly and completely.
Inspecting the gear closely seems like a smart tip when you are choosing camping equipment. I would imagine that you would want to find some equipment that you inspect for any problems before you buy it. My sister is looking for new camping gear so she’ll have to find some that she inspects.
You’re right, Gloria. Even for someone with little experience buying gear, inspecting it closely to assess durability and even how well it appears to be made (pitching a tent in the store, lighting a stove, checking stitching on packs and bags, etc.) will give you a sense of whether it’s what you want.
Thank you for the helpful tips. I believe that the tips you’ve mentioned above are what a backpacker should focus on when it comes to shelling out a little more money — the rest is important, but can be spared some expense.
Thanks, Megan.
Great article. VERY useful too! I’ve been looking around lots of travel blogs recently to inspire me on my next trip and this is making me wanna go on an adventure more and more. Cheers Michael!
Thanks, Will, glad to provide some inspiration. We all need it! Have fun.
Great article! Thanks for the detail and including so many links. Must have been a great experience hiking and backpacking for three months! Inspiring, one of these days my wife and I will have to do something like that 🙂
-Nick
https://bluemesaoutfitters.com/
Thanks Nick. Yes, a summer outdoors was a very special experience. We’re planning to do something similar in the next couple of years. You just have to make it happen.
Thank You! This post was just perfect. To tell you the truth, the vast majority of clothing I wear on the trail comes from the thrift store. I scored an awesome rain jacket from a guy in San Francisco having a garage sale who just gave me the jacket because it had a small tear on the inside liner. Thank you for sending the message that you don’t have to have the latest and greatest. Cam.
Of course no one needs expensive gear to enjoy the outdoors. Like many people, I started out years ago using just whatever I could afford. I prefer gear that performs well, and it’s often more expensive; and I always tell people that, if you can afford it, there’s no reason to settle for something inferior. But if you can’t afford the best, that shouldn’t stop you from getting outdoors.
Great article on buying inexpensive gear. Never thought to look on Craigslist or Overstock.com.
My three kids and I car camp and hike frequently but purchasing all the gear for the four of us to to go on a multi day backpacking trip is quite daunting.
Thanks Jeff, glad these tips were helpful to you.