My Entire Overnight Hiking Kit Cost $322 – This Is How I Saved Thousands

Jordan knows how to pinch pennies with the best of them, so he set himself a challenge: an overnight hiking kit that’s as cheap as possible while still being safe.

Sometimes I stand in an outdoor store and get this burning pain in my chest. Why can’t I just have everything in here? It would make hiking so much easier.

A wave of shame at the desire to buy a five-in-one survival whistle with an electric marshmallow roaster reminds me that this is not, in fact, the point.

With hiking’s meteoric rise as an influencer activity, it’s easy to get caught up chasing the perfect photo and the latest trendy gear. But one mustn’t lose sight of the fact that a major appeal of getting outside is leaving all of that stuff behind!

Of course, it’s nice to look good and be comfortable, but embracing versatility and resourcefulness should surely sit at the core of the hiking mindset.

In honour of that, here’s my mid-twenties angry bushwalker manifesto. Stuff the style; stuff the Dolomites fit. I shook my future old-man fist at the thousands spent chasing the curated outdoor aesthetic and set myself a mission: how cheaply, but safely, could I get outside?

From the clothes on my back, to my pack, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, Trangia stove, headtorch, food, PLB, transport, and even the post-trail beer, I spent $322 fulfilling this dream.

The $322 setup in all its not-really-that-chunky glory

Where This Idea Began

The idea began about eight months ago when I lost a rain jacket just before heading overseas. Prioritising my hard-earned cash for the trip itself, a new jacket was out of my budget.

My solution was a lightweight rain jacket from Facebook Marketplace, priced at $20. You get what you pay for. It was still breathable but no longer kept the rain out. Alone, it wouldn’t do, but paired with a $13 reusable poncho, I stayed mostly dry. The rain jacket functioned underneath as a windbreak. In short, a breathable, functioning rain system for $33.

I have since bought a proper rain jacket. It’s better suited to bush bashing and doesn’t leave me blowing away like Mary Poppins in windy gullies. Nevertheless, being short on cash didn’t stop me from getting outdoors. It did, however, force me to think about hiking-gear in a more practical and resourceful way.

Then a cultural phenomenon occurred. An explosion of fit-check hiking reels, which has no doubt inundated your own feeds. Importantly, there’s nothing wrong with a fit check. Go off. Slay. More alarming to me was that these ‘checks’ almost never seemed to include the most important one: the safety and practicality check!

One of thousands of Dolomites ‘gorpcore fit-checks’

Despite the temptation to grumble and join in on a reactive pile-on, I thought I could better contribute to the conversation by showcasing a solution: gear can be safe, affordable, and still cool. My proof is that Mum said I looked handsome wearing the kit.

How I Found My Cheap Overnight Hiking Kit

It took me all of four weeks to pull it together. It began with a $5 thrifted Trangia. You know, the simple stove you run with a bit of methylated spirits. It was clean, and almost unused. Exciting! This was when the idea really got legs.

I spent the following weeks scouring op shops on weekends. Here I found most of my hiking clothes, including actual hiking pants, a merino tee, a fleece jumper and even a working rain jacket (I tested it in the shower!). I also snagged my pack here, a 70L One Planet hiking bag for $20.

Castlemaine public toilet fit check!

The op shop method is what I call wholesome gambling. It’s down to chance, but the net result is money donated and items recycled! Still, it can be a little slow; hence, I turned my attention towards Facebook Marketplace.

One only needs to spend a few minutes searching for a ‘hiking tent’ before the algorithm starts recommending tents in your area that fit the bill. I checked my recommended items every morning, and this was where I found important things: tents, sleeping bags, mats. The stuff that really matters when push comes to shove.

I was prepared to pay a little more for these. Most of the items were barely used, good quality, and still affordable.

By the end of the month, I’d secured a three-season tent, a Fairy Down sleeping bag, a self-inflating mat with an R-value of 5, and a headlamp, for $120, total! You can see the full kit breakdown below.

Total cost, $322!

What I Prioritised

A cheap tent isn’t really a bargain if it doesn’t keep you dry. Hence, I was fine with spending a little bit extra on gear that would keep me safe. Plus, all the money you saved on the less important stuff leaves more purchasing power for the things that really matter.

Going hiking with the wrong gear, in remote locations, just because they look good on Instagram, can lead to outcomes we don’t want.

I organised my priorities when buying gear like this; safety, practicality, cost, then aesthetic.

Keep this at the forefront of your mind when you really want to pick the limited edition colourway over the standard collab. I’m a hypocrite and sometimes go for slightly more expensive options because I like the look. But the majority of your gear needs to be safe and practical.

Even on a simple budget hike Jordan prioritised renting a PLB

The best example of this was bringing a personal locator beacon (PLB), an item that can cost over $400 to buy. I wasn’t prepared to fork out that much upfront, so I settled for hiring one for three days for $30. This meant I could have peace of mind without the financial commitment of buying one outright.

Of course, all of this advice applies to new gear too because, critically, gear does not equal preparedness. With new or second-hand gear, there is no substitute for smart decision-making and solid trail management.

Read more: The Hidden Dangers of Modern Trail Technology

Other Ways to Save

I didn’t just save money on gear either. I also cut down the cost of the trip by picking a hike accessible by public transport.

I was able to walk from my front door to the train station, catch the train to the starting point and catch it all the way home again at the other end.

You can get so much done on the V-Line! Or, you know, nap

Finding door-to-door adventures is a great way to save money and feel like a tourist in your own city. It’s also a way to avoid the long drive to and from the trail. This leaves you free to get some stuff done while you sit on the train!

Other ideas include making your own dehydrated meals, increasing mat insulation with another lighter mat, and of course, asking friends to borrow gear.

Read more: Hiking Gear: What’s Worth Carrying and What’s Not?

The Trail Test

So, how did the gear actually stack up? Well, for my weekend adventure, great!

I tested it on the Dry Diggings Track, walking 58km across two days between Castlemaine and Daylesford. I was warm and dry overnight and able to cover a decent distance during the day. Was it the most comfortable setup I’ve ever used? No. Was it the lightest? Absolutely not. But it was perfectly fine.

Conditions were pretty tame, but Jordan knew his gear could hold up to worse

While I think this kit would fare pretty well even in the winter, I wasn’t out in conditions that tested every item to its limits. What I can undoubtedly say is that it did the job for the trip I had planned. My usual kit is more comfortable, but I’ve curated that over a number of years. Given time, I could gradually improve this setup, reduce the weight and make it more comfortable without spending a fortune all at once.

Importantly, I didn’t have to wait around for the perfect gear to get outside.

More Hiking, Less Gatekeeping

On the surface, this is a tight-arse hiker’s opinion on how to save money outdoors. But at the centre of this piece is actually a debate on the accessibility of hiking. Who gets to access the outdoors and share in its whimsy, and how do we go about sharing it and embracing it?

While the polarised internet might try and lump you into the granola, approach-shoe-wearing nature lover or the hiking-as-an-aesthetic rookie, we have to get out of these groupings to see a more nuanced truth.

Read more: Gatekeeping the Outdoors: We Asked Our Writers Their Thoughts on Keeping the Outdoors a Secret

Jordan’s brother has now been roped in – it’s not like it’s expensive!

That is, there’s nothing inherently wrong with more people getting outside. In fact, I’m stoked about it. We just need to remember accessibility must exist alongside responsibility.

If you’re an experienced hiker, this might mean helping others find their feet rather than grumbling at newbies. If you’re new to hiking, if you’re waiting until you can afford the perfect kit before you get outside, you’ve already missed the point.

Also, you have to at least do some of the hike if you’re going to post it online… that might be just my opinion, though.

I’m not abandoning my favourite gear brands; but what I do know is buying the best gear is not a prerequisite to going outdoors. Getting outside, even if it’s in some daggy old gear, is going to make your day a lot better. It’s also only a matter of time before those daggy clothes once again resurface as the hottest gorpcore going around.

Read more: I Tested All of ALDI’s Cheap Hiking Gear Over 100km