Camping can be quite an expensive outdoor activity if you try to buy all the things required for it. However, you can get some equipment at a relatively low price or for free if you are a bit more creative.
10 of the ways you can save money on camping gear:
- Share your equipment with others in your group
- Borrow from your friends and neighbors at the campsite
- Buy old gear
- Search at a thrift shop
- Browse in buy/sell Facebook groups
- Share/buy together with your friends and colleagues
- Sign-up for giveaways
- Sell your old gear
- Search on Sports Pursuits
- Buy second hand from outdoor equipment rental stores
Let us explore all of them in detail in this article.
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10 ways you can Save Money on Camping Gear
1. Share your gear with others
If you have a willing group, you can co-operate and share most of the gear for your camping. Except for personal things such as clothes and boots, you can share the rest of the camping gear.
If you are going to camp with your friends, try to share things like a tent, bear canister, sleeping bag (if possible), etc. There are some necessities such as water filters, stoves, and utensils that serve better when shared.
2. Borrow from your friends and neighbors at the campsite
In case if you have some outdoors enthusiastic friends who are not part of your current trip, you can borrow their unused gear for your trip.
There are some hyper-local neighborhood websites where you can get help and borrow a few things without getting money involved. You can also buy stuff relatively inexpensively on these websites. A good example is NextDoor.com.
3. Buy some old gear
There are always people willing to sell their gear at the end of the season. You can find them online, or you can check with your camping group if someone is interested in selling their stuff.
Some people are avid buyers, and they frequently replace gears with the latest ones. You may be able to buy gear in relatively good condition from them.
4. Buy from a thrift shops
You can go to one of the thrift stores near your camping site and look for stuff there. You may be surprised what you may find. These stores are the best place to buy non-branded items.
Thrift shops can be dicey, however. It can be a tedious process to search through a thrift store, and there is still a chance that you may not get your desired product.
5. Browse in buy/sell Facebook groups
Facebook is a good source for buying and selling used and discounted items. Facebook can connect you directly with the local people and discuss things you require.
The only thing you should be wary of is sending over money before you have received the item. Please double-check the credibility of the seller before making any payments online.
Ensure that the product you are receiving is genuine and of acceptable quality, if you meet the seller in person.
6. Share/buy together with your friends and colleagues
As they say, sharing is caring. One way to reduce the cost of your gear is to share stuff with your friends. If you are going on a group trip, not everyone needs to purchase every piece of equipment.
You can also combine your resources and buy gear with your friends. Granted, you will have to come up with a schedule to use it.
However, it works wonderfully well for costly items that are not needed on every single trip, such as backpacks in different sizes, tents, etc. Just make sure your group is honest and has a sense of responsibility.
7. Sign up for giveaways
Some brands offer daily giveaways on their social media platforms and via email to their subscribers. Usually, you have to “follow” or “like” a page, tag a friend, and share – it is that simple.
Other brands may require you to exercise a little more creativity to win – like writing a short story on your experience with their product or gear.
Check your spam and other folders in your mail, as many branded emails often find their way out of your inbox, and you might miss a deal.
The downside is that you may have to enter many giveaways, and there is no certainty of winning even still. However, this requires minimal effort, and it is certainly worth a try!
8. Sell your old gear
Another way of getting cheap gear is to sell your old one and use that money to buy new ones. It will reduce the burden on your pocket and will cut your bill to a certain extent.
Use Facebook groups, online auction sites, and mobile apps to sell your old equipment.
9. Seach on SportPursuit.com
Sport Pursuit is an online warehouse with a decent selection of discounted goods. You can get last-season gear almost as soon as it is off the shelves and find some good deals.
They give a ‘Price Guarantee’ that they are the lowest in the market. They also claim that they will offer double the difference if you find the product cheaper elsewhere.
You will need to sign-up and create an account with them to browse their products. However, it is free.
10. Buy second hand from outdoor equipment rental stores
Now, if you are looking to purchase off-season or, better yet, camping gear of the previous season, then checking out a few local outdoor equipment rental stores could be a great option.
Many times, outdoor equipment rental stores replace their equipment, either because it is damaged and needs repairs or because new equipment arrives.
In either case, you can maneuver a good deal on the items up for sale because the sale is time-sensitive, and you can take perfect advantage of this.
So, when in doubt, call a few stores (or show up in person) and ask if they have any old rental equipment that they would be willing to sell.
Conclusion
Camping is fun, but do not let money be a dampener to it. If you are creative enough, you can find plenty of ways to spend your money in the best possible way.
Of course, the ways we have provided are not the only ones, but they are a good start.
Hope this was helpful. Happy Camping!
References:
Hi, I’m Vineet. Creator of DivinioWorld. I am an outdoor enthusiast and absolutely love researching, learning, and applying skills and knowledge in the real world. I started DivinioWorld to share everything I know so that even a beginner can follow the ropes and master the subtle art of outdoors adventure and survival.
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