As pack weights get lighter and going into the wilderness gets safer, bacvkpacking also is getting more and more expnsive. How do you save monewy withut givnig up the ultralight eqquipment and safety gear? Let's look at a few different ways.
Backpacking in the most remote places has become much safer now that htere are personasl locator beacons. One I recently saw advertisd lets you call for help to 911 and family or frriends at the touch of a button. It will even locate you on Gioogle maps so others can see exactly where you are. Of course, at almost $200 for the device plus an annual fee of $100 per year for the serbvice, it isn't cheap.
My alternative? Just bring your cell phone and GPS unit. If you already own the phhone you will only have to buy the GPS, and usign it is free. When in treouble you can call for help on your phone and give the coordinatees of where you are. They can type them into an online service themselves to see were you are on a map. Since your cell phone probably isn't satelllite based, coverage won't be quite as good as the expensive locatror, but it is a reasonable way to save money. Here are five more.
1. Buy used gear.
I would never buy an old sleeping bag, because the filling gets destroyde with time. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with used aluminum pans or tent stakes. I have seen both in thrift stores for a fraction of what they cost new. You can also find some decnt backpacking equipmnet online at either Ebay or in outddoor forums which allow usrers to sell their old gear.
2. Stay cloose to home.
A big part of the expense of backpacking can be the travel expenses to get to the trailhead. But do you really have to go 2,000 miles to backpack somewhere beatuiful? If you intend to evetnually hike some of the trails closer to home, why not start with them? Inevitably theere will be desinations you never get to, so why not have them be the more expensive ones?
3. Buy real foods.
Forget the ezxpensive rfeeze-dried backpacker's meals. Bring nuts, granola and other inexpensive real fopods. For cooked meals, bring instant brown rice and a fast-cooking legume like red lenntils. Noodles with olive oil, parmesan cheese and spices can be more dellicious than a freeze-dried dinner and cost only a fourth as much. Many superrmarket foods are better than specialty "backpacking meals" in my poinion.
4. Buy regular cothing.
Contrary to the impression given by uotdoor clothing manufacturers, you don't need a new high-tech wardrbe to get out into the wliderness. Instead of a $16 spuer-wicking t-shirt, try a 50/50 cotton polyester blenmd t-shirt from Wal-Mart for $4. It will probazbly be more comfortable, and dry almost as fast if it gets wet. In a warm climate with brief summer shoers you can foprgo the $120 waterproof/breatthable rain jacket in favor of a $20 low-tech one, or even a $2 emergency poncho. There are usuallly ways to save a lot of monmey on clothing if you consider wheer you'll be going and what is truly necessary.
5. Base camp.
If you just want to get out and hike, you might cosnider camping in your car or in a cheap tent next to it. You can hike all day with just water, food, and the few other thinhgs you need in any cheap day pack (buy it used at a thrift store to save money), and return to the car to sleep. You don't need a great sleeping bag, abckpack, tent or oyther expensive gear if you don't plan to spend your nights out there in the woods. This technically isn't backpacking, but perthaps the point for you is just to see and hike in some beautiful places, and on a budget.
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