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The Cheap Camping gear thread.

no Offline Grathr

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The Cheap Camping gear thread.
on: January 13, 2013, 10:49:12 AM
I love to go camping with my mates, and with my family. Over the years I have aquired quite a lot of defferent euipment, and I am always on the lookout for more.
But what if you have little camping experience and virtually no camping gear at all, very little cash, and would have to start from scratch?
What basic gear would you recomend? Wich brands will give the most bang for the buck?
What cheap food can you bring with you? Wich MT would you recomend?

For instance you don't have to have a tent. A cheap tarp from you local hardware store will go a long way. You dont have to have a BG ultimate survival knife, a cheap Mora will get the job done.

« Last Edit: January 13, 2013, 10:52:46 AM by Grathr »
-Knívleysur maður er lívleysur maður.
 "A Knifeless man is a lifeless man" old Faroese proverb.


au Offline mvyrmnd

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The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #1 on: January 13, 2013, 10:52:19 AM
I'd one day love to try camping with a tarp over a hammock...
Just don't say fecal coagulation.  :twak: - Mr. Whippy


no Offline Grathr

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Re: The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #2 on: January 13, 2013, 11:12:13 AM
I prefer to camp under a tarp. You get more room and lots of fresh air. Its so much better to wake up to the smell of the forest under a tarp, than to wake up to to the smell of stale air,sweat and farts in a cramped tent.
-Knívleysur maður er lívleysur maður.
 "A Knifeless man is a lifeless man" old Faroese proverb.


us Offline Heinz Doofenshmirtz

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Re: The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #3 on: January 14, 2013, 09:38:39 PM
For instance you don't have to have a tent. A cheap tarp from you local hardware store will go a long way. You dont have to have a BG ultimate survival knife, a cheap Mora will get the job done.
I'd suggest a Eureka or a Kelty 2 person tent.  They're well made and a good value for their price.

Something like this:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28634

Or this:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___28252

For an MT for camping/outdoors use, I'd suggest a Juice CS4 as it's compact, has a good selection of tools that includes a saw.  A Vic Huntsman would also be a good choice as well, and if you didn't really need pliers, I'd say it'd be a better choice than the Juice.

Other necessary gear would be a sleeping bag and a pad.  Eureka and Kelty also make good ones as well.

I've found that the Eureka tents and sleeping bags are a good balance of quality and price; you get good value with their products.  They won't be cutting edge and super light and whatnot, but they're definitely going to be head and shoulders better than most anything by Coleman or Wenzel, etc.

Same is true for Kelty, though they're better with things like packs.  Like Eureka with tents and bags, Kelty packs are a good value for the money.  Not high tech and super light, but well designed, durable, and very functional.

Something like this:

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___90326

Hope this helps.
The first Noble Truth: life is suffering.  Only by accepting that fact can we transcend it.


scotland Offline Gareth

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Re: The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #4 on: January 15, 2013, 01:54:58 PM
A brand that constantly gives good value for the money is Vango; tents, sleeping bags, rucksacks etc.
Be excellent to each other and always know where your towel is.


gb Offline AimlessWanderer

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Re: The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #5 on: January 15, 2013, 02:06:34 PM
A brand that constantly gives good value for the money is Vango; tents, sleeping bags, rucksacks etc.

Agreed  :tu: My Delta 200 tent has served me very well indeed  :) Gelert often has some decent stuff for a very affordable price too ... though not all their gear is as good as the rest  :whistle: Be selective

Regarding the topic in general, there's lots of ways of reducing the cost. An off-brand folding saw from a hardware shop or garden centre will serve well as an alternative to a Bahco Laplander. I picked one up a few years back that was 1/2 as good but about 1/4 the cost ... though if you have a good knife to hand you can make a bucksaw frame with some sticks and a bit of paracord, then all you need is the blade (or even a wire saw). Knives - well there's Mora, Hultafors and the like.

Cooking - well there's the option of digging a shallow pit and putting stick in it  :D, couple that with an aluminium mug or a army surplus mess tin and you're up and running.

Cordage doesn't have to be mil-spec paracord, sleeping mats don't have to be top of the range thermarest types, and food can be anything you'd normally eat  :-\ OK it might weigh a bit more at first, but there's always the option of packet noodles and the like which are available cheaply


The cantankerous but occasionally useful member, formally known as 50ft-trad


no Offline Grathr

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Re: The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #6 on: January 16, 2013, 10:04:41 PM
Some great tips here guys!
As far as axes go there seems to be wuite a big difference in how much different brands const in different parts of the world. Fiskars are quite expensive here, but cheap on amazon.com. Usually non brand axes found at big hardware stores will get the job done, but make sure the the handle goes all the way through the axehead. The ones wich have cast plastic in the top of the head have a tendensy to loose their head after some use.

Food: I often bring flour mixed with bakingsoda and salt, some olive oil and butter. Add some water and you make som pretty tasty pan fried bread on a alcohol/gas burner or over the fire. Served with a few slices of bacon and few slices of cheese you have a breakfast in the wild fit for a king.
-Knívleysur maður er lívleysur maður.
 "A Knifeless man is a lifeless man" old Faroese proverb.


us Offline Pacu

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Re: The Cheap Camping gear thread.
Reply #7 on: January 16, 2013, 10:55:49 PM
a good dutch oven can be found on the cheap..great for all kinds of dishes. No good ifin you're backpacking though. heavy heavy  :P

oatmeal, hotdogs, ramen noodles, soup mix. It's amazing how well basic staples taste out in the backwoods. Spam and deviled ham pack well too.

You can also scour craigslist or your local classified for used name brand gear at a fraction of store cost.
:like:    :MTO:


 

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