My Favorite BUDGET Hiking Gear (Full Gear List)

Backpacking and hiking gear can be really expensive, but it doesn't have to be! You can get extremely nice things for extremely cheap if you would like to. In a lot of cases I choose the cheap gear instead of the really expensive gear! So all of what I am recommending here, I personally have used for hundreds or thousands of miles and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

My Favorite Budget Gear:
Bandana -

Cold Soak - Talenti Jar or Peanut Butter Jar
Bottles - Smart Water Bottles

Tent Stakes - Walmart

Ziplocs - Instead of stuff sacks

Backpacks - Granite Gear or ULA

This is a two part video series about budget gear!

Keep in mind when looking at this gear above, what we talked about in the last video. You don't need all of this! Even if you've never backpacked before. You likely already own a lot of things that would work perfectly fine for hiking. Even if you plan on doing a thru hike like the Pacific Crest Trail or the Appalachian Trail. So I encourage you to dig through your home first, and ask yourself, 'is this gear?'

We also talked about researching your planned hike environment, and weather. Some hikes just require more gear than others! A desert vs a rain forest for example. The wetter environment will require more. Some seasons require more or less as well. Winter hiking vs summer hiking. I will need a lot less gear (not having to spend so much money) in the summer for instance. So research can save you money! Knowing what to expect and what is needed, OR not needed!

So I hope you enjoyed my cheap gear breakdown! This is all of my favorite gear for thru hiking on a budget. This is what I personally would get if I was starting over, and looking to thru hike cheaply. I hope my two part series saves you money on your planned next trips!

It's almost thru hiking season, and many of you are prepping things now! Maybe this has come at a good time before setting off and hitting the trail

00:00 - Favorite Budget Gear
00:53 - Clothing
07:01 - Food & Water
12:00 - Camping & Sleeping
15:38 - Miscellaneous Gear
18:44 - Backpacks

THE BACKPACKING GEAR I USE:

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Some of the links above are affiliate links, when you purchase an item through one of these I get a small percentage of the sale at zero extra cost to you. It very much so helps to support these videos, guides, and adventures. Thank you for using them!

[JupiterHikes]

Let me (and others!) know what your favorite budget hiking gear would be! And remember this is part 2! The first video talked about how to get gear for free or very cheap

[SophieReimer-Epp]

I love that he’s just sitting calmly through like a snowstorm at the end there

[RC-qfmp]

Bandana— to keep your neck warm, to clean your legs, and to rob a bank! Kind of makes you wonder why you’d need budget gear if you’ve got a banana. 🤔

[heathervecchio]

Love how you dispel the myths that all gear has to be this or that brand name. Hard to debate your recommendations after thousands of miles

[bensimonian]

Looking forward to your cold soak recipes.

[skurke]

hey man don't know if anyone has told you this but you're pretty cool

[glazierd]

The dedication to sticking with this video in the snow is next level commitment to your followers! Great review and suggestions.

[Truth-Seeker]

I think I look most forward to your videos because you have such a great depth of practical experience, your comments are no-nonsense, and you seem like a genuine dude. But more than anything, I think you’re a magician because your pack is always so small and you pull out so much. One of these days you’re going to pull out a kayak and I won’t be surprised. On the other hand, I put my food bag in my pack and there is no more room for anything else.

[misterbuckets]

Consistently reliable and honest reviews and tips from a realistic point of view. These are all great recommendations. Thanks!

[jonniemills]

Perfect timing!! Would love a cold soaking recipes video 🙏

[DarthVirtus]

Bald eagle flying in the background at 3:12!

[zuLess]

There is a neat trick when you have a neck gaiter that you can make it into a beanie by putting the "tube" on your head and twisting the fabric left over ontop, making the whole thing kinda look like a hourglass, and then threading it over your head once more. This way you will be wearing the neck gaiter over your head twice and the hole ontop will be closed from the twisting of the fabric.

[samsmith]

Bug nets are also useful for keeping critters out of your shoes at night. Yea, they get dirty but they're easy to clean.

[xmetal]

Super solid recommendations across the board. This is the kind of video that you hope all brand new backpackers stumble upon before they make a ton of dumb gear mistakes and have to rebuy a bunch of items.

[peterjohnson]

Always interesting, Jupiter. Your attitude towards hiking, gear, attitude on the trail, and your sheer joy of being out there, make your videos so worth while. Thanks.

[jackvoss]

Carrying duct tape: Cut a flat strip from the side of a plastic milk carton. Size ranges from about 4” to 6” long, and 2” wide. Wind a long strip (10’-30’?) around the strip. Flexible, and packs flat.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying

[insertname]

For a lot of the cold / wet weather gear military surplus is a great option. Depending what you get, it might not be the most lightweight, but is super cheap and rugged.

[MichaelBruceTaos]

Nice man. I am a hiker and i dont care about gear. I use Fun-park plastic ponchos. I take 3 for a total weight of about 4OZ. Entirely wind proof/ water proof, and I don't do long hikes, just massive 24 hour ones.

[paulgallagher]

I really like the way weight is displayed. Also in metric as Oz I have to translate in my head and it's too slow.

[frstesiste]

Finally! Someone recommends a plastic spoon. I actually have one of the long handle metal spoons that everyone else buy, but it mostly stay home. I see it's useful if you mostly use freeze dried meals directly from the packaging. For me who basically use cheaper meals I eat from a pot a plastic spoon just works equally well while being smaller and lighter.