Budget friendly backpacking gear
Discussion
Does such a thing exist or am i better saving for decent kit? Seems a bit of a minefield for backing gear and that side of camping is alient to me. Tents seem to go from £60 to £600, airbeds from £35 to £350 etc.
I've sold my car so to get a camping trip it will be via coach and/or train. Don't fancy taking an inflatable tent and my luxury Outwell self-inflated-mattress on my back
I've sold my car so to get a camping trip it will be via coach and/or train. Don't fancy taking an inflatable tent and my luxury Outwell self-inflated-mattress on my back
I have always found some of the own brand stuff at Mountain Warehouse, Blacks etc to be pretty good.
However, I did have a 'cheap' four man tent which lasted about three years on family trips. (All the seams started falling apart). The Vango tent which has replaced it seems far more robust......
IME airbeds will only ever last one season, before they start leaking somewhere. This include many different brands, but nothing too epxensive. So either buy cheap and replace frequently..... Or try a really expensive one instead.....????
However, I did have a 'cheap' four man tent which lasted about three years on family trips. (All the seams started falling apart). The Vango tent which has replaced it seems far more robust......
IME airbeds will only ever last one season, before they start leaking somewhere. This include many different brands, but nothing too epxensive. So either buy cheap and replace frequently..... Or try a really expensive one instead.....????
Edited by mike9009 on Tuesday 10th May 22:30
Trekology stuff is reasonable.
On the tent front: depends how important weight is!
Alpkit do some decent stuff - https://alpkit.com/products/polestar-trekking-pole... is an interesting backpacking design (I'm not an owner)
Same goes for sleeping bags: I've seen our explorer scouts doing Gold DofE in some horrendous conditions using relatively low-rating bags - add a liner for extra warmth at little extra weight.
GoOutdoors, Blacks, Mountain Warehouse are all stores to get decent kit at a fair price: look for sale items!
On the tent front: depends how important weight is!
Alpkit do some decent stuff - https://alpkit.com/products/polestar-trekking-pole... is an interesting backpacking design (I'm not an owner)
Same goes for sleeping bags: I've seen our explorer scouts doing Gold DofE in some horrendous conditions using relatively low-rating bags - add a liner for extra warmth at little extra weight.
GoOutdoors, Blacks, Mountain Warehouse are all stores to get decent kit at a fair price: look for sale items!
Everything I've bought from Decathlon has been decent to great quality and good value.
On the airbed front I've got a 30+ year old thermarest that's had a couple of repairs but is still going strong, and the wife's (bought as she kept trying to punch mine is at least 20-y-o and has never needed a patch. At the cheap end of the market I suspect you're better off with a foam mat.
On the airbed front I've got a 30+ year old thermarest that's had a couple of repairs but is still going strong, and the wife's (bought as she kept trying to punch mine is at least 20-y-o and has never needed a patch. At the cheap end of the market I suspect you're better off with a foam mat.
t nights sleep any trip turns miserable very quickly.Don't dismiss second hand kit, I've had some bargains over the years. Outdoor types are like magpies and can't help themselves sometimes and are always buying new stuff. Boots are always nice from new but bags, jackets and all that type of stuff is fine second hand and you can get better quality stuff for less
I've always found vango stuff good value. I've had a few of their tents over the years, my sleeping bag is of their £30 jobs, I've got a self inflating mattress which cost maybe £20.
To be honest, more important than the brand is a bit more detail about how you'll use it - what kind of weather, will you be cooking in the tent or going to the pub, will you be walking 10 miles with it or just half mile from the bus stop...
To be honest, more important than the brand is a bit more detail about how you'll use it - what kind of weather, will you be cooking in the tent or going to the pub, will you be walking 10 miles with it or just half mile from the bus stop...
Thanks for the replies guys i'll check out some of the stores and brands.
@Mave - for all i'd love to do a West Highland Way type thing, i'll mostly be doing a couple of nights in summer (at a push maybe end of start spring and start of autumn) and probably walking a few miles max from a train or bus stop to a campsite.
Not fussed about cooking in it - pub/chippy/cafe/bowl of cereal/pack of sandwich's would do
@Mave - for all i'd love to do a West Highland Way type thing, i'll mostly be doing a couple of nights in summer (at a push maybe end of start spring and start of autumn) and probably walking a few miles max from a train or bus stop to a campsite.
Not fussed about cooking in it - pub/chippy/cafe/bowl of cereal/pack of sandwich's would do
There are bargains to be had, but sometimes you just can't save without compromise. I got most of my tips from the YouTube channels mentioned above, and many others which you'll find if you start with those and follow the the people they follow.
I think there's no substitute for a Thermarest NeoAir XLite or XTherm. I've got 4 or 5 cheaper sleep mats, and the XTherm is the only one that I sleep soundly on without fail. Don't try to save money on a good night's kip. I'm not a snob about these things, it's just decades of personal experience. This weekend I'm testing the Aldi sleep mat (£12.99) to see if that's any good. I can already tell it's too heavy/bulky for backpacking though. Get a good sleep mat with a high R value, and cheap out on everything else if you have to.
Trekology pillow on the other hand, bargain at £16.99 on Amazon. No need to buy anything more pricey.
The famous cheap Chinese made tents from 3F UL (particularly the back packer's favourite, the Lanshan 2 Pro) way outperform their price. These are well reviewed on Youtube. Watch out for VAT at the border if ordering from ebay sellers, which is pretty much the only way to do it since they became popular.
An alternative to tents is hammock+tarp camping, which I thought might be lightweight for backpacking, but actually works out heavier than a Lanshan 2!
Decathlon's Forclaz brand merino base layer is great value, maybe not required for light summer use. Decathlon's Forclaz down jacket at £50 is another favourite. As are the £5 sunglasses which can be treated as roughly as you like. I keep a pair of those stashed in every car, rucksack, pocket, boat, etc. Saves trashing another pair of Oakleys. Live and learn.
Alpkit was mentioned above, they do great stuff for the money. I have a 3 season sleeping bag from Alpkit which is one of my favourite bags.
Favourite bit of kit is a £10 Shemagh from Amazon. It's a scarf, towel, hat, sunshade, midge mask, shopping bag, first aid sling, ... so many uses.
I guess if you were putting together an entire kit from scratch, you're going to need a reasonable budget. But adding individual bits of kit, bargains can be found for sure. Mostly by buying 20 expensive things, then finding that 1 cheap one you like best. That's man maths for you!
I think there's no substitute for a Thermarest NeoAir XLite or XTherm. I've got 4 or 5 cheaper sleep mats, and the XTherm is the only one that I sleep soundly on without fail. Don't try to save money on a good night's kip. I'm not a snob about these things, it's just decades of personal experience. This weekend I'm testing the Aldi sleep mat (£12.99) to see if that's any good. I can already tell it's too heavy/bulky for backpacking though. Get a good sleep mat with a high R value, and cheap out on everything else if you have to.
Trekology pillow on the other hand, bargain at £16.99 on Amazon. No need to buy anything more pricey.
The famous cheap Chinese made tents from 3F UL (particularly the back packer's favourite, the Lanshan 2 Pro) way outperform their price. These are well reviewed on Youtube. Watch out for VAT at the border if ordering from ebay sellers, which is pretty much the only way to do it since they became popular.
An alternative to tents is hammock+tarp camping, which I thought might be lightweight for backpacking, but actually works out heavier than a Lanshan 2!
Decathlon's Forclaz brand merino base layer is great value, maybe not required for light summer use. Decathlon's Forclaz down jacket at £50 is another favourite. As are the £5 sunglasses which can be treated as roughly as you like. I keep a pair of those stashed in every car, rucksack, pocket, boat, etc. Saves trashing another pair of Oakleys. Live and learn.
Alpkit was mentioned above, they do great stuff for the money. I have a 3 season sleeping bag from Alpkit which is one of my favourite bags.
Favourite bit of kit is a £10 Shemagh from Amazon. It's a scarf, towel, hat, sunshade, midge mask, shopping bag, first aid sling, ... so many uses.
I guess if you were putting together an entire kit from scratch, you're going to need a reasonable budget. But adding individual bits of kit, bargains can be found for sure. Mostly by buying 20 expensive things, then finding that 1 cheap one you like best. That's man maths for you!
sbarclay62 said:
Thanks for the replies guys i'll check out some of the stores and brands.
@Mave - for all i'd love to do a West Highland Way type thing, i'll mostly be doing a couple of nights in summer (at a push maybe end of start spring and start of autumn) and probably walking a few miles max from a train or bus stop to a campsite.
Not fussed about cooking in it - pub/chippy/cafe/bowl of cereal/pack of sandwich's would do
I'd be looking at something like a vango banshee for a tent - good enough for 2-3 seasons, £120. Packs small and light, small porch for making a brew and putting wet kit overnight. I've used one for years of I'm on my own and need to carry the tent! @Mave - for all i'd love to do a West Highland Way type thing, i'll mostly be doing a couple of nights in summer (at a push maybe end of start spring and start of autumn) and probably walking a few miles max from a train or bus stop to a campsite.
Not fussed about cooking in it - pub/chippy/cafe/bowl of cereal/pack of sandwich's would do
I use a jetboil to make coffee, simple pasta etc. but I've also used something like a coleman fyrepower in the past - you can get similar for under £20, you can take small gas canisters for a weekend trip or larger canisters for longer trips.
You should be able to get a reasonable 3 season sleeping bag for £30-40 if you go for synthetic down (which is the right choice if there's a risk of getting wet) and don't mind a bag which is a bit bulky when packed. If you're over 6' make sure it fits properly - no point getting a warm bag if your shoulders stick out.
I used a simple £5 roll mat for years and it was fine. Someone bought me a self inflating job one year and it certainly adds comfort, but i ended up painting on stripes of silicon to avoid sliding downhill on sloped fields - if you get one, I'd recommend getting one which already has strips on it.
Quick tip re breakfast - on some trips I use mini boxes of cereal so you can put milk into the box directly - and filtered milk normally lasts a weekend without a fridge.
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