Can you afford to hike?

[peakbagger]

Go with the latest and greatest gear, from 3 or 4 years ago. Sierra Trading Post generally has great gear that is old stock. I don't know if Hiltons Tent City still exists in Boston, but they used to buy out inventory from other stores. They had great deals.

Learn how to do basic repairs, its amazing what gets sold as off quality that just needs some stitches or some hardware. In the whites Ragged Mountain Equipment has a downstairs gear room with just about every piece of hardware you might need to fix something. They also sell some superheavy duty thread and a hand sewing awl to use with it.

Like skiing and a lot of other sports, gear is a very minor aid compared to ability and conditioning. Why pay $100 extra dollars to save 3 ounces in pack weight rather than losing a couple of pounds getting in shape for a hike. I hiked with stock new balance trail runners for years without moldable insoles. I survived and was able to section most of the AT.

Where a lot of folks blow it is at Mountain Crossings or Mt Roger Outfitters. Neither place is putting a gun to a hikers ribs to sell them new gear at retail but many folks are vulnerable as they see other folks setting a faster pace and they think that they can buy their way to faster pace. Sometimes the hiker just blew it and didn't do the research and brought gear that just didn't match the weather.

As others have discussed town days can ruin a budget especially if you are hiking with a bunch of folks who either have a much larger budget or are just overspending. If you can just do an in and out and avoid spending the night at a motel or a hostel you probably have saved enough for two weeks food.

If you can find an old copy of the Complete Backpacker or look for older backpacking guides. You will see folks with far more and far heavier gear who routinely hiked the AT.

[HooKooDooKu]

The cost of gear is also related to have fast you have to have it and whether you are looking for a particular brand/model or not.

A terrific example for me recently was tents. Back in October, I got a hankering to get my sons their own tent. But I didn't need the tent last October, I need it now that weather is warming up. But I spent all winter watching for sales, deal, and clearances. Sometime in early February, I felt like the right deal had come along and I bought a quality Marmot tent that in October retailed for about $220. But because I was patient and didn't have to have a specific brand/model of tent, I bought that tent for about $125.

[Slo-go'en]

The thing is, gear is a relatively minor expense compared to what a thru hike can cost. As others have noted you don't have to buy everything at once which spreads the cost out over time and you can look for deals. But you still have to rise 4-5 grand for the hike, plus what ever is needed to pay ongoing bills at home, plus have a reserve fund for when you get back.

So the question is not if you can afford the gear, but can you afford the actual hike?

[TOW]

I've section hiked the states of CT, MA and Vt. I've wanted to thru hike since I was a high schooler. An opportunity has arisen recently that presents me with the time to do it now in my 57 year of life. So I've been doing a lot research on the WB and other sites reading threads and journals. One thing always seems to come to the fore front to me...how expensive it is going to be! I'm almost floored by it! I just a read thread about insoles - just insoles - which like most other gear threads seems to state that you need to be prepared to spend $$$ testing out packs, bags, pads, shoes, stoves, fuels, foods to find what best works for you! I used to be a skier many years ago until it became vogue and lift tickets like the cost of living just kept sky rocketing until it became unaffordable any more.
Now it's looking like hiking has gone the same way, something out of the reach of the blue collar common man.
Anyone else seeing this trend?

Yeah there is a trend goin on only for the trend setters. There are every year countless folks that hike the trail that just want to go do it, you do not need to have the best gear but you do need to have gear that works. you can do the trail with at least half or less of what the norm cost as long as you are willing to forgo some expenses like hostels, motels, drinking, eating out and so forth. But every now and then you will want to experience these niceties just to get refreshed......

[nuknees]

.....But you still have to rise 4-5 grand for the hike, plus what ever is needed to pay ongoing bills at home, plus have a reserve fund for when you get back.

So the question is not if you can afford the gear, but can you afford the actual hike?

My point confirmed...thank you.
I do have my base gear - acquiring it over several years and it's tried and true.
The thread was started in the context of a single 57 yr old making very modest pay.
Over the years I've noticed my feet taking a pounding. Common sense says look to footwear issues first. So I thought maybe the time has come to start looking at upgrading inserts from the stock ones foot gear comes with. So I found a thread about inserts here and I looked up some of the brands/models folks were writing about. Holy Smokies! $50.00 a pop (Superfeet)...and you will more than likely purchase a few pair before finding the ones that work best for you right? Yes. So lets say it takes you 3 pair before finding the ones for you...3rd times a charm right. That's $150 investment JUST IN A SHOE INSERT! Holy Smokies!
General impression any of these threads seems to say is 'what works best for you.' So maybe my subtitle should have been...'Can you afford to find out what works best for you.'
Please don't doubt my attitude or determination...I'm going as far as my traveling budget will take me! The insert incident just really got me taking a long hard look at the cost. In all honesty I didn't think walking and sleeping in the dirt actually cost this much! lol

But my real underlying intention was to bring this to the fore front for other people especially new comers.

[Cheyou]

U don't need no stinking inserts .

Thom

[Mountain Bluebird]

I've been buying secondhand gear of excellent quality at this website, and saving 20-40%. I plan to hike in 2016. When you have got lead time, you also have time to pick up what you need at a decent price.

[Walkintom]

It's all about expectations. If you expect to eat well, hike in comfort (relatively so), get dry and warm when you feel like it, and have a place sitting idle just waiting for you to come back to it - there's a price to be paid and monetarily it isn't cheap.

Change your expectations towards more what our grandparents would have done and you'll find that the cost plummets. Do you really need a place to live that you won't be living in for the time it takes to hike the AT? Get rid of everything that generates a bill that you won't be using on the hike, if possible.

Make a decision about cost/benefit and see if that helps. As was stated, 'You don't need no stinkin inserts' So, do you? Re-assess every single expenditure, whether it's part of the hike or not.

We spend spend spend in this country but often it's not really necessary. We just feel entitled and often compelled to do so.

[RockDoc]

Once you have a basic kit your expenses for gear pretty much stop, except for consumables like fuel canisters and batteries.
This is not an expensive sport, unless you want it to be.

[4eyedbuzzard]

You can buy serviceable gear for around $500 if you shop and are willing to buy used. Really good gear for $1000 - $1500. And great gear for $1500 - $2000. Transportation, food, lodging, etc. even for a frugal thru-hike would exceed even the "great gear" costs.

[Lone Wolf]

it's just walkin'. high dollar gear ain't gonna get you there. you can't buy a thru-hike just like ya can't buy a par round of golf

[Uriah]

Thru-hiking can be very inexpensive. I'm living, hiking proof, as are so many of those I've met on trail. Gear can certainly be costly, but there's no need to carry the expensive stuff. A $5 Harbor Freight tarp strung between two trees will keep the rain off better than some fancier contraptions. Some mosquito netting will keep the bugs at bay. And so on. My 2013 kit, in its entirety, ran $370, much of which had been used on other long hikes (PCT, CDT, Hayduke, Camino, CO Trail, GR8, etc) and includes some pretty decent carbon-fiber hiking poles from Costco. If you care for your gear, it will last. Traipse gently, use zippers gently and avoid prickly plants!

...Find a cheap way to get to and from the trail, before and after. I flew from Denver to Atlanta for $178 and then hitchhiked home from ME, which was far cheaper and much more adventurous and fun. It's also quite possible you'll meet other hikers en route who will help defray any costs.
...Eat cheap grains often (most hikers do anyway). Ramen, oatmeal, rice, beans (et al) are all quite cheap. Avoid restaurants and convenience stores. Shop dollar stores along the way (many towns have them).
...But steer clear of towns as often as possible; they'll run you dry. The woods are much cheaper.
...Consider sending your own food to you, when practical. It can help save some bucks at times.
...Wash your clothes along the trail. They are plenty of places to do this. There's no need to spend in this regard.
...Before the trip shop at your local thrift store for synthetic lightweight clothing and perhaps lightly used shoes; a visit to my local shops always offer surprises, but then CO is an active state on the whole. I haven't paid retail for anything gear-oriented for years, and I don't ever plan to.
...Learn to make more of the stuff yourself. Sewing a quilt can be difficult, but it can help you save a bundle. To save even more, buy a cheap used synthetic bag on Ebay.
...Dig through hiker boxes at every chance. They're often filled with plenty of edible goods that the original owner quickly grew tired of.
...Wal-Mart and Army surplus can be helpful before and during your trip, as someone already made mention of.
...For the AT you really don't need a number of items you might otherwise benefit from: maps, guidebook, compass, hiking poles [unless they're needed to put the cheapie tarp up!], a pocket knife, sunscreen(!), and so forth. I found it the easiest trail in terms of logistics and route-finding, but so very difficult physically. Luckily, I didn't have to carry much.
...You can always travel faster and be out there for a shorter period of time, which always helps you save. A six-month hike almost always costs more than a four-month hike, despite the increased need for calories.

And there are plenty of other ways to save.

I think not doing an adventure you've dreamed of since high school is too costly. You're in your late 50's now, so it's best not to procrastinate. I witnessed far too many old guys struggle and be forced to quit their hikes. That's a HUGE expense, emotionally. No regrets.

[Another Kevin]

Over the years I've noticed my feet taking a pounding. Common sense says look to footwear issues first. So I thought maybe the time has come to start looking at upgrading inserts from the stock ones foot gear comes with. So I found a thread about inserts here and I looked up some of the brands/models folks were writing about. Holy Smokies! $50.00 a pop (Superfeet)...and you will more than likely purchase a few pair before finding the ones that work best for you right? Yes. So lets say it takes you 3 pair before finding the ones for you...3rd times a charm right. That's $150 investment JUST IN A SHOE INSERT! Holy Smokies!

As a dirtbagger who weighed in on the previous thread, and a weekender who can't justify the budget for high-end gear, let me comment.

I commented that you need the pair of insoles that are right for your feet. But that's mostly a matter of a few questions. Do you have high or low arches? Does your heel or forefoot take most of the shock when you walk? Do your ankles roll inward or outward when your foot hits the ground? The Superfeet people put on the web site what you need for the various combinations. In my case it was, I have a very high arch, I'm a heel striker, I pronate some, and I don't really feel I need a heavy rock plate. (I switch to Big Clunky Boots when I need one.) Looking it up, that said, 'green,' and indeed I find the green ones quite comfortable indeed. I'm on my first pair. But if you have flat feet, strike on the forefoot, or roll outward, they'll be all wrong for you!

And the $45 green Superfeet are what let me get away with the trail runners that I just picked up for $42 after the 20% discount at the REI outlet. $87 together for a pair of hiking shoes isn't too horrible, as far as I see such things going, and I can hike through a couple pair of trail runners by the time the Superfeet have to be replaced. I don't think I could spend much less and stay safe and comfortable on the Catskill Crud (the same geologic formation as the Pennsylvania Rocks, but we have several times Pennsylvania's elevation change).

Further examples: My usual hiking attire when it isn't winter is Duo-Dri skivvies from Target (what are they, $14 or so?), a pair of nylon convertible pants (bought on clearance at EMS a while back, probably about $40), a polyester golf shirt that I got as a gimme from a booth babe at a conference ($free), a fleece with a company logo from the Salvation Army ($5), Athletech sock liners from XYZ-Mart ($9 for 6 pair, I think) and Darn Tough socks ($20ish). A Dri-Ducks rainsuit if I need one ($20ish). I think you could replicate the whole outfit for less than $100, if you don't already have most of it lying around the house.

My cook set is a Grease Pot (they're about $15 at XYZ-Mart), a Penny Stove 2.0 (homemade from soda cans - say $0.20 for the deposit and of course $0.01 for the penny), a plastic spork ($free), a cozy made from Reflectix pipe insulation and flue tape (pennies worth of both), a pot stand made from aluminum rod stock that I found in a scrap barrel ($free), and a windscreen and Fauxbaker made from a dollar store cookie sheet ($1). Oh, and a plastic coffee mug and a Melitta coffee filter, less than $20 together.

I have an REI Radiant down bag (the Kelty Cosmic is similar, and often less expensive depending on what's on sale). Less than $150 if you're willing to wait and watch the sales. I used to use an REI Half Dome tent that I got off Craigslist for about $100, but now I use a Tarptent Notch (under $200). I used to use a foam pad from XYZ-Mart, but I upgraded to a Therm-a-Rest Backpacker Lite that I got for about $70 on clearance when they replaced it with the Prolite. This year's upgrade is a Granite Gear pack, replacing the Alps Mountaineering one that I got at the REI garage sale for $70.

There's no way that I have even $1000 in gear in my summer pack. And I have what I need to stay warm, keep dry, sleep like a rock on one, and eat well.

My winter pack is another story, because some of the winter stuff, I've cut no corners on. Ascent snowshoes, microspikes, crampons, ice axe, winter-weight down bag, winter boots, puffy coat, facemask, goggles, naphtha stove, and so on - all are pricey by my standards. But winter up here is very unforgiving. If I'm going to go out in it, I need gear that can keep me safe. A thru-hiker won't encounter those sorts of conditions.

[brancher]

Thru-hiking can be very inexpensive. I'm living, hiking proof, as are so many of those I've met on trail. Gear can certainly be costly, but there's no need to carry the expensive stuff. A $5 Harbor Freight tarp strung between two trees will keep the rain off better than some fancier contraptions. Some mosquito netting will keep the bugs at bay. And so on. My 2013 kit, in its entirety, ran $370, much of which had been used on other long hikes (PCT, CDT, Hayduke, Camino, CO Trail, GR8, etc) and includes some pretty decent carbon-fiber hiking poles from Costco. If you care for your gear, it will last. Traipse gently, use zippers gently and avoid prickly plants!

...Find a cheap way to get to and from the trail, before and after. I flew from Denver to Atlanta for $178 and then hitchhiked home from ME, which was far cheaper and much more adventurous and fun. It's also quite possible you'll meet other hikers en route who will help defray any costs.
...Eat cheap grains often (most hikers do anyway). Ramen, oatmeal, rice, beans (et al) are all quite cheap. Avoid restaurants and convenience stores. Shop dollar stores along the way (many towns have them).
...But steer clear of towns as often as possible; they'll run you dry. The woods are much cheaper.
...Consider sending your own food to you, when practical. It can help save some bucks at times.
...Wash your clothes along the trail. They are plenty of places to do this. There's no need to spend in this regard.
...Before the trip shop at your local thrift store for synthetic lightweight clothing and perhaps lightly used shoes; a visit to my local shops always offer surprises, but then CO is an active state on the whole. I haven't paid retail for anything gear-oriented for years, and I don't ever plan to.
...Learn to make more of the stuff yourself. Sewing a quilt can be difficult, but it can help you save a bundle. To save even more, buy a cheap used synthetic bag on Ebay.
...Dig through hiker boxes at every chance. They're often filled with plenty of edible goods that the original owner quickly grew tired of.
...Wal-Mart and Army surplus can be helpful before and during your trip, as someone already made mention of.
...For the AT you really don't need a number of items you might otherwise benefit from: maps, guidebook, compass, hiking poles [unless they're needed to put the cheapie tarp up!], a pocket knife, sunscreen(!), and so forth. I found it the easiest trail in terms of logistics and route-finding, but so very difficult physically. Luckily, I didn't have to carry much.
...You can always travel faster and be out there for a shorter period of time, which always helps you save. A six-month hike almost always costs more than a four-month hike, despite the increased need for calories.

And there are plenty of other ways to save.

I think not doing an adventure you've dreamed of since high school is too costly. You're in your late 50's now, so it's best not to procrastinate. I witnessed far too many old guys struggle and be forced to quit their hikes. That's a HUGE expense, emotionally. No regrets.

Very Well Articulated!

[4shot]

As a dirtbagger who weighed in on the previous thread, and a weekender who can't justify the budget for high-end gear, let me comment.



There's no way that I have even $1000 in gear in my summer pack. And I have what I need to stay warm, keep dry, sleep like a rock on one, and eat well.

My winter pack is another story, because some of the winter stuff, I've cut no corners on. Ascent snowshoes, microspikes, crampons, ice axe, winter-weight down bag, winter boots, puffy coat, facemask, goggles, naphtha stove, and so on - all are pricey by my standards. But winter up here is very unforgiving. If I'm going to go out in it, I need gear that can keep me safe. A thru-hiker won't encounter those sorts of conditions.

Kevin...nice post and I agree. However, even a rig "under $1,000' is still expensive (at least to some of us). Put it differently, i sort of agree with the OP...the start up costs of long distance hiking is steep. One can get outfitted for bass fishing, big (or small) game hunting, or even golf for less $. However, as someone else said, the ongoing costs of hiking are a lot less. So, after you "bite the bullet" and the gear is acquired and paid for, I cannot imagine a cheaper endeavor.

[mattjv89]

A lot said already but I'll try to give a meaningful $.02. All these threads that come up about the elusive "best" piece of particular gear can really get to scaring you as the costs rack up but there really is no best anything as it comes down to preference. Case in point rain shells, a commonly asked about item. You could spend thousands testing them out and finding the one that is just perfect for you, Event vs. Gore, pit zips or no, etc. etc. but in reality just about all of them are waterproof and breathe a little better than your average trash bag. You absolutely don't have to have the best of anything to do a thru hike. 200 something miles in there's a few things I would tweak but it all works and I am not throwing any more big $$ at my pack for the duration of the hike barring equipment failure that needs replacing. I would prioritize finding the right footwear for yourself far beyond any of the other "best" things as that is highly personal and can be a make or break item for your hike. I and probably many others have spent a bit learning footwear lessons. It's just like the saying that what's under the hood of a car doesn't mean a thing if the tires suck, if your shoes are tearing up your feet anything on your back is a moot point because you aren't going far.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Kevin...nice post and I agree. However, even a rig "under $1,000' is still expensive (at least to some of us). Put it differently, i sort of agree with the OP...the start up costs of long distance hiking is steep. One can get outfitted for bass fishing, big (or small) game hunting, or even golf for less $. However, as someone else said, the ongoing costs of hiking are a lot less. So, after you "bite the bullet" and the gear is acquired and paid for, I cannot imagine a cheaper endeavor.

I'd strongly debate the big game hunting and golf clubs cost comparisons. They are right up there in price. Fishing can be somewhat less, but even that can be pretty expensive. These days, though, the reality is that $1000 just isn't all that much money when it comes down to purchasing goods. Hiking remains a relatively cheap pastime due to the lack of activity fees and ongoing costs and such.

[BirdBrain]

I think hiking gear costs should be measure in cost per mile. If you look at it in those terms, spending a bit more to always carry a little less weight makes more sense. I regret not biting the bullet a bit more on a couple things.

[Lyle]

Gear will neither make or break your hike. Research and buy the best gear you can afford (and still have money for the hike), keep light weight as a goal, but you do not NEED the absolute lightest of each item.

FAR more important than gear is attitude and determination.

[fiddlehead]

Hiking is the cheapest way possible to spend your time (and money)
Name a different sport that costs less.

I've hiked with people who sewed straps on a gymbag for a pack.
I've hiked with people who did the whole trail without a: knife, flashlight, stove, cookit, underwear, sock liners, sunglasses, first aid kit, camera, tent, shoes (they hiked in sandals. No I didn't hike with, but have met the barefoot sisters), maps, compass, or watch.

All you really need is a sleeping bag and some food.
Yes, you need a shower once in a while.