Restless Wilderness' End of 2015 Budget Gear List

Backpack: Jansport Klamath 55R
Store: REI Outlet $107.73 
Weight: 57oz

My previous gear list had a phenomenal deal on the Katahdin 50L pack. The Klamath is the katahdin's external frame brother. Yes. Let me be clear. the Jansport Klamath packs are External Frame. As always the BEST things you can do for a backpack are to try them on with a load before you buy, and check the REI Garage Sales, but I can't really link to that on a blog.

The Klamath 55R is twice the price that the Katahdin 50, and since it's a 2014 closeout, I'm surprised that it's still so pricy. But, it's the cheapest pack I've been able to find at the moment. If you MUST buy a pack right now and you're on a budget, this looks like one of your best options. Yes, I did see smaller packs for lower prices, but I'm loathe to recommend lower than 50 liters for multi-day trips.

If you can hold out until say, Late Febuary, you might be able to get a better deal on things, or a newer revision. Personally, since it's winter, I feel like I can afford to wait. But, if you're gift shopping or looking to outfit yourself before spring rolls around, you could do worse than this.


Trekking Poles: Cascade Mountain Cork/Flip Locks
Store: Amazon $47
Like I said here Trekking Poles are a must. Cork is good. Flip-locks a must. $47 is hard to beat.

Tent: Stansport "Scout" Tent
Store: Amazon $23.88 
Weight: 60.8 oz

I'm just enamored with the idea of this tent. It's remarkably cheap and weighs less than my Passage2, and it reminds me of the LL Bean backpacking tent that my dad bought decades ago. You could shave off even more of the weight by leaving the poles at home, and using your trekking poles in their place. I think I'd rather be in my Passage2 if it were raining cats and dogs out, but this should keep the raccons from cuddling with you and hopefully keep you dry outside of monsoon season.

This is the same tent that was on the last iteration of my list, and I don't think you're going to find a tent cheaper than this. If you want to go cheaper and lighter, we start talking make-your-own gear shelters out of Tyvek and Dropcloths. which IS an option, there are ultralighters who do entire scenic trails with little more shelter than that.



Sleeping Bag: Kelty Cosmic Down 41 Long
Store: Amazon $87.17
Weight: 35oz

Same essential bag I recommended last time, but now for cheaper!  Where weight and warmth are a premium, Down is a must. Kelty's Cosmic Down line is a great entry level option, and my own hiking bag is a 2014 closeout Cosmic Down 20 Long I picked up at Scheels Sports in the local mall. I can vouch for these bags, and the 20 is almost TOO warm for me, particularly in the summer. the 41  ought to cover most people's three-season camping/hiking needs.



Sleeping Pad: Blue Closed Cell Foam Pad
Store: Wal-mart for roughly $10
Notes: Cannot find online
Weight: 7.5 oz

For whatever reason, Wal-Mart's online selection and their camping section at every store I've been to, have been in no way similar. I can't in good conscience recommend any of the ones I see on Amazon. I use one of these myself. My car camping self inflating insulation pad is a lot nicer to sleep on, but it's far far more bulky.



Item:  Bacon Grease Strainer used as Cooking Pot
Store: Amazon $9.69 
Weight: 3 oz (w/o strainer part)
Notes: Lightweight and Inexpensive, I keep seeing this popping up in people's gear lists. Up a few cents from before, but still quite affordable. Bring a pot lifter


Item:  Pot Lifter
Store: REI $1.93
Notes: Goes with the Grease Strainer. Needs a handle. Marked down since last time! (might be clearance now)


Item:  Canister Stove
Store: Amazon $7
Notes: Same stove I'm using. Wholly endorse this. Highest price to satisfaction ratio of almost anything I own.
Weight: 3.7 oz
Weight: 2 oz


Item:  Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Store: Amazon $19
Notes: Save on shipping by buying locally if you can find it for a comparable price. If you're in appleton, try the east side wal-mart. Consider pairing with Aquamira or Potable Aqua for thorough purification.
Weight: 6.4 oz


Item:  10L Food Bag
Store: REI $9
Notes: Combine with Paracord, Carabiner and Stick and you can use the PCT Hang on the bag and prevent Yogi from getting into your pick-a-nick basket.
Weight: 1.7 oz


Item:  Morakniv Companion
Store: Amazon $16
Notes: a basic, reliable, inexpensive knife. If you want something heavier duty, I recommend the Buck 110 folding or Buck Pathfinder 105 fixed blade knife.
Weight: 4.1 oz


Item:  Sea to Summit Alphalight Spork
Store: REI $9
Notes: I'm still quite happy with mine. Puts up with a good deal of my abuse with nary a sign of wear.
Weight: 0.4 oz

Gear Research: Inexpensive Trekking Poles

So, if you saw my last post, you can see one of the many reasons why I'm a fan of trekking poles. I also like my ankles to stay unbroken and functional. Those of you who know me offline know that this is a battle I do not always win. Those of you just tuning in, take my word for it, it's hard being my ankles. Certain Tent Designs, like the A-shape tent I link in my Cheap Gear List (which I intend to update for next season!) can actually replace it's poles with trekking poles. So, I really am a believer in trekking poles, and I don't regret a single cent I spent on my REI Traverse Poles, but at the same time I can see how someone might balk at $90 for a pair.

I've been thinking of pestering some friends with Costco memberships to sneak me into their walled garden, to get a look at the fabled $30 trekking poles reputedly sold there. But, I did a little research, and you can get them just as cheap on Amazon. Woah, woah, slow your roll, the $30 pair is basically a no-go. $30 gets you foam rubber grips, and twist locks. The handgrips are fine if you're snowshoeing or something where you're wearing gloves, and I suppose they'd do in a pinch, but take my word on it, you want cork grips. Meanwhile, twist-locks are just a cardinal sin and no mitigating circumstances exist to justify them other than "they cost less." But if I'm spending good money on poles to keep me upright, they damn well better keep me upright.

So, all is not lost, but they'll cost you a little more than that initial $30 pricetag. $48 on amazon will get you a set of Cascade Mountain Tech Flip-lock Trekking Poles. They have cork grips, for which your hands will thank you. They're carbon fiber, so they're possibly even lighter than mine. You get carbide tips inside of rubber stoppers, so you can choose what's appropriate for your use-case. Flip-locks are that much less likely to betray you when you need them most, and they're half of what I paid for my entirely reasonable REI branded poles. Especially at the entry level there's no need to lay out the $160+ that some of the brands can run.

The only thing I can think of that'd be cheaper, and still worth using, is to find some used ski poles at a garage sale. But then you don't get the cork grips.

This isn't exactly an endorsement per-se, but it is a heads up on something that I've heard other people endorse. If you pick some of these up, I'd love to hear how they work out for you. I'd be glad to link to, or include your review of them here.

Make Your Own Gear: "Super Cat" stove

I'll bet you guys haven't seen enough stoves yet, have you? If $6-8 and 3.7oz is too decadent for you, then find a cat to feed, pick up a 3.5oz can of cat food, a hole punch and a bottle of HEET. Should run about $3-4 total at wal-mart. I followed the directions here, which really couldn't be simpler. Just punch a ring of holes spaced about the size of a hole apart below the lip, and then punch a second ring of them offset

And that's pretty much... it. the stove is ready. Fill it to just below your second line of holes with alcohol. I picked up a bottle of HEET to be my fuel, but you can use other alcohol sources if you find them cheaper. 

I lit it with a match, and it was hard to tell, at first, if it was lit at all. This is not a stove for the careless, clumsy or uncautious. The page that I was following directions from suggested keeping your pot off until it warms up, but I found that it seemed to work better if I had the pot on top from the start. It boiled water in an acceptable amount of time, filling it to the second line of punches seemed to be enough fuel to get the water to a rolling boil, and it was almost out of fuel when I took the pot off. 

Now, it might just be the bottom of my pot, or that this was the first burn from the stove, but the stove didn't want to let go of the pot when I first went to take it off. Second, this also seems to be a case where you'd want a pot, and a separate pot lifter, the integrated handles on my titanium pot got pretty hot from the flames licking them. Third, if you were preparing a knorr meal with this, you'd probably find yourself having to refuel at least once, if not twice. If all you're doing is boiling water for a bag meal though, you'll be fine. Fourth, I made the mistake of testing it on the barbeque grill. Figured if anything went wrong it could burn safely in there. Well, I couldn't use my 5oz can to snuff it out at the end since it was on the bars. Fortunately it burned itsself out in short order. One good thing about the limited fuel supply. You'll also benefit from using a lighter rather than a box of matches.

So what's the verdict? This stove is as light and as cheap as you can practically get. The fuel is abundant and inexpensive, and you can even use everclear/moonshine if you want your fuel supply to double as a luxury item (though that'll cost a lot more) (also, don't drink HEET). It gets the job done with a minimum of cost and weight. I can see why the toothbrush-drilling crowd loves them. Personally, I think I'm going to stick with my $6 canister stove or my biolite as my first choice in stoves. I might try doing a version of this on the 5oz can, using a wider pot, see if that burns longer.

Cheap & Light Gear List Suggestion

Sample Light and Cheap Base Gear List:

Item:  Jansport Katahdin 50L Backpack
Store: Campmor: $50
Notes: This is as inexpensive as you're going to get brand new. The Jansport pack seems a serviceable pack for someone who doesn't want to invest in a high-end pack.As always, the most important factor with a pack is that it fits *you*. Consider checking out the REI Garage Sale instead. Last time I was there, I saw a bunch of packs.
Weight: 33 oz

Item:  Alpika Taiga3 Tent
Store: Ali Express: $61 shipped. 
Notes: Untested chinese made tent aimed at the russian camping market. Remove the included poles, Replace with adjustable length Trekking Poles. Picked this one as it reminds me of Bob's old tent. Or go prowl the next REI Garage Sale and hope you find a good deal on a tent. Seriously, you're probably much better off trying for a deal at REI.
Weight: 77.6 oz

Edit: Forget that!
Item: Stansport "Scout" Tent
Store: Amazon $23.88
Weight: 60.8 oz

Item:  Kelty Cosmic Down 40 Sleeping Bag
Store: Amazon: $104
Notes: You can spend a little more to get the Kelty Cosmic Down 20, which worked quite well for me, but you can shave off a little money by going with the Cosmic Down 40.
Weight: 31 oz

Item:  Closed Cell Foam Pad
Store: Wal-mart $10
Notes: Cannot find online
Weight: 7.5 oz

Item:  Bacon Grease Strainer used as Cooking Pot
Store: Amazon $9.41
Notes: Lightweight and Inexpensive, I keep seeing this popping up in people's gear lists.
Weight: 3 oz (w/o strainer part)

Item:  Pot Lifter
Store: REI $4
Notes: Goes with the Grease Strainer. Needs a handle.
Weight: 2 oz

Item:  Canister Stove
Store: Amazon $8
Notes: Same stove I'm using. Wholly endorse this.
Weight: 3.7 oz

Item:  Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Store: Amazon $17
Notes: Save on shipping by buying for $19 if in appleton. Consider pairing with Aquamira or Potable Aqua for thorough purification.
Weight: 6.4 oz

Item:  10L Food Bag
Store: REI $9
Notes: Combine with Paracord, Carabiner and Stick to hang the bag and prevent Yogi from getting into your pick-a-nick basket.
Weight: 1.7 oz

Item:  Morakniv Companion
Store: Amazon $16
Notes: a basic, reliable, inexpensive knife. If you want something heavier duty, I recommend the Buck 110 folding or Buck Pathfinder 105 fixed blade knife.
Weight: 4.1 oz

Item:  Sea to Summit Alphalight Spork
Store: Amazon $12
Notes: good for getting to the bottom of mountain house bags without slopping all over your knuckles.
Weight: 0.4 oz

Base Gear Weight/Cost: 157.2oz / $263.88

You will also need:

Simple First Aid Kit - Recommend something basic, small bandages and anibiotic ointment. Ducttape, Painkiller, and Allergy pills

Clothing & Storage -  Recommend among other things a cooling shirt, convertible pants, lightweight wool socks, compression bag. Stay away from cotton.

Expendables such as Food & Gas - Recommend Mountain House Entrees, Backpacker's Pantry Desserts, Knorr Rice and Salmon Packets. Also obtain some energy or candy bars, trail mix or other snack food to keep energy and morale up. Other expendables include gas canisters for around $5 each.

Boots or Trailrunners - Footwear is an intensely personal choice, Personally I prefer a boot, but there is a growing school of thought that prefers the lightest footwear they can field.

Trekking Poles - If you're not using them as tent poles, try grabbing ski poles from a garage sale. If you are and need them adjustable I recommend the REI Traverse series.

Headlamp - Just pick up a $10-20 headlamp from wal-mart or a hardware store.

Compass and Map

This is not a comprehensive list to give you everything you'll need. But starting with all this would get you out on the trail for a minimum of cost.

Advice/Musings: Getting outfitted for backpacking

If you're here, I'm sure you've noticed how much of what I post is about my gear. In part, this is due to the fact that I've started the blog in what is still (for Wisconsin) the off-season. In part this is also due to the fact that I am all about being well equipped. That's one thing that stuck with me from my boy scout days, is a drive for preparedness. Just ask my friends, I've got everything we need for most of our adventures. Whether it's heading north for a car camping trip, holding a LAN party, or trying our hand at EVP Recordings in an asylum graveyard I'm the guy with the gear. And while I've been researching gear, I've not only been looking out for top of the line equipment to outfit myself with, but also frugal options to try and help my friends get equipped. It's just not practical for me to bring everything the way I do in car camping, backpacking is going to require them to invest in a bit of gear.

I don't want to make that an extreme burden though.  You can invest any given sum of money and then some in gear like this. But you don't have to to have a great time in the wilderness. With a combination of savvy shopping and a bit of research you can build nearly your entire kit for a little more than I invested in a backpack. I went with a high end Gregory Baltoro 65. The 2014 version is what I bought, but the 2015 version sounds even better. And they're great packs, but you don't need all the bells and whistles. You can get a closeout Jansport Katahdin 50 liter or 60 liter for way less. And I've handled the 50L at fleet farm, it's a decent pack for the price. CampSaver has them too! a 50L pack means having to think a little more carefully about your gear, but it'll help you keep things light. There are some interesting military surplus packs, and inexpensive external frame packs out there too. The most important thing with your pack is to try it on, try it with a load in it, and make sure it fits YOU.

Rather than a MSR Pocket Rocket you can go with the $6 Cannister Stove I reviewed here. I couldn't be happier with that purchase. Or, if you want to go extremely frugal/hardcore/lightweight, there's always the Cat Can Stove. If you're one of my friends reading this, I know several of you already have cats. And those of you who don't have cats also know the ones who DO have cats. So there should be cans available. I might have to see about getting some cans and trying my hand at this.

Instead of going with a MSR Sweetwater Purification system, most through hikers seem to rely on the Sawyer Mini. Those who don't mind the taste of iodine or other treatment chemicals can get by even cheaper and lighter with Portable Aqua or Aquamira. Really wouldn't be all that big a burden to bring both a mini and some purification drops/tabs.

I LOVE my Titanium Pot more each time I use it. But it's far from the only option. This GSI Pot/Mug was on my radar before I went with the titanium pot. It's a little smaller so some of the recipes, like the Knorr Rice sides I've been doing might need to be adjusted, or cooked in two batches, but it's a perfectly serviceable size for doing something like boiling water for a mountain house meal, or making hot chocolate at the end of the day.

Sleeping-wise, if you can find a Kelty Cosmic Down 20 for $160 or less (and with closeouts on 2014 models, that's entirely feasible. If you've got one like we do at the Fox River Mall, check Scheel's Sports to see if they have any left. Anyhow, if you can find a deal like that, it's going to be hard to beat. This is going to be more important for camping in the "shoulder" seasons or in terrain where you can expect varying temperatures. If you're going places where you don't expect the temperature to get down below 40 degrees at night, you might be able to get away with nothing more than a Polar Fleece Sleeping Bag. I spent the night at Flint Ridge in one, and it got down into the 40s. With the tarp coocoon around my hammock, I was toasty warm all night! Just make sure to get a closed cell foam pad like this or the sort that you can buy at wal-mart for $10 to insulate you from the ground.

Shelter-wise, I've already spoken on the dangers of buying a cheap hammock but entirely affordable options still exist there. You can also get some rather inexpensive one person tents. I can't make any particular recommendations in this area but...

I've been reading other gear lists and blogs like this $300 Gear Challenge and this lytw8 gear list which echo some of the things I've already said, and provide some good suggestions/starting points for sundries that I haven't covered. Depending on what route you're willing to go, there are a variety of solutions available. Want trekking poles without spending trekking pole money? Grab some garage sale ski poles and a roll of hockey tape (or similar) to improve the grip. Don't want to spend $100+ on a tent? Try a tarp and a dropcloth.

Gear is great, and gear that works for you, is one of the best things. But people have been surviving in the wild with far less than what I've been detailing here for a long time. There's no reason you can't get out there and be comfortable on the cheap.

GEAR REVIEW: Ozark Trail Screen Hexagon

There's a school of thought that aims to "buy it for life" that aims to buy the most durable, longest lasting gear regardless of price. If you're looking for a screen tent that fits that ethos, abandon ship now. Infact, flee any time you see the words "ozark trail" as the brand. Ozark Trail is Camping for "Wal-mart." and any prejudice you have on the matter of quality as regards their products is mostly justified. Now, while I talk a lot of trash here, I have made use of a number of things from the wal-mart camping aisle. If nothing else, their ubiquity is somewhat useful. I tend to buy things that are not something I expect to last forever. There's no need to pay more than $10 for a foam roll, nor am I likely to get a significantly better can of bug spray from elsewhere on short notice.

When my friends and I started out doing regular summer camping trips, I mostly used the old family equipment. We had an old screen tent from K-Mart that has lasted remarkably well save for a few flaws. First and foremost is the entirely nonfunctional zipper on it. Does not exactly do very well for keeping bugs out. Second of all, it's been around longer than I can recall and I doubt the waterproofing is all that potent any longer. Third, it's a nightmare to transport. Takes twice the room of either of the tents I own, or the aforementioned screen hexagon. That said, it is sturdy as all get-out. I will be shocked if the titular hexagon is still in service as long as this has been. This is the "circus tent" as Jim and I dubbed it.

So, when I saw for all of $40, a screen tent that I could bring along in place of the Circus Tent, I jumped at it. I figured for $40, if it lasted me 3 camping trips, I'd be plenty happy. Well... it lasted me 3 camping trips, and then some... but I don't know that "plenty happy" was the right term to assume I'd be. First off we were off to a great start, when the first time I deployed the tent the shock-cord in one of the three main poles snapped. Rather than run to the store for a new cord, I just duct taped the pole segments together. Kept doing that for a long while, actually. Until i had spare parts for tent pole repair around, and I got around to rebuilding the pole. Second of all, the hexagon tapers a little, like a thimble. Given the generous size of most Wisconsin State Park picnic tables, and the generous height of the blog's author, that means that if I'm standing in the tent working the stove or even moving in and out of it, I spend a lot of time brushing the walls. Shorter people, or smaller picnic tables might change this dynamic a bit, but it's an awkward fit for me.

So, what's nice about it? Well, it has outlasted my expectations. Cost to own this thing has been about $3-4 per year so far, since I've had it for over a decade. it does a decent job of keeping its contents low-bug and low-moisture. I've seen it go through some mildly gnarly weather without crumpling (a surprise given the cheap quality of the top poles) and it's not so hard to pack up. if you take one of the ceiling poles out, the remaining poles hold a rectangle shape that makes it easy to tuck things into and fold up, and the lower half poles, the ones with metal chains inside those are pretty sturdy.

Would I recommend it? Not without disclaimers. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I haven't seen its like in stores since. I haven't seen them cheaper than $100 even. So long as you know what you're getting into, and keep your expectations low, I say go ahead. It's not like you're going to be spending the night in it, and if something happens to it, well, for $40, it's pretty much disposable.Camp stove has some sort of flare up, or somebody backs the car into it, you've probably already got your money's worth out of it. I sure wouldn't pay any more than that for it though. And if you can suggest a better one that's worth the money (preferrably one that's square/cube-like, and not a canopy with add-on walls) I'm looking for better.

In Action, at Firefly Lake: