What is the average price of camping gear?

Answer 1

Free. Your first time should always be free, especially for kids. In other words, you should go with an experienced camper(s) or a camping organization who will let you borrow their gear, since almost all campers have extra gear, the very thing you're trying to avoid by first borrowing.

After a couple of "free" camping trips under your belt you'll start to get an idea of what kind of gear you might want to purchase, and start to research materials, quality, prices, and reviews to determine the right choice for you, your camping style, level of comfort, camping plans, and budget. Reading books about camping and backpacking at your local library is a good start along with popular camping websites.

A mistake some people make is to try to buy the biggest and most expensive gear, which is usually overkill. Similarly, don't expect Wal-Mart gear to get you through more than a weekend or two. Somewhere in the middle is where I aim, in size, quality, weight and price.

Answer 2

This really depends on the exact gear you plan on getting, and which brands you plan on buying. Definitely do some research beforehand because you wouldn't want a tent that isn't All Weather if you plan on tent-camping in the rain or snow. Also, sleeping bags often come with a temperature rating that they will keep you warm in (i.e. a 0 degree bag is suitable for camping in 0 degree weather, etc.).

For the best deals, become an REI member (one time fee of $15) and find out when they have their Saturday used gear sales. Get at least 1 other person to go with you, and make a list of what you want/need beforehand. Get there early, and be ready to find some really good deals.

I got like $200 sleeping bags for $70. The best brands are really cheap, and usually its only because someone used something once, and returned it. Maybe a zipper is broken on a $75 backpack, and the new price is $18. You can take broken zippers to tailors, and they can fix them quite easily for you. You will and can save hundreds of dollars by going to REI sales.

Answer 3

A small 2-3 person tent should run an average of $80-$125 depending on what brand you buy. Skip the $30 Wal-Mart specials...they suck. If you want a bigger tent that you can stand up in you'll pay about $300 for a good tent. The tent I use the most is a Eureka! Aspen (no longer made) but similar models go for about $90.

Good sleeping bags are a bit more expensive. I suggest one with a 20F rating or better. 0F bags are overkill unless you plan to camp in the middle of winter. Plan on $150 for a good sleeping bag.

Foam sleeping pads are cheap. About $35-$50. A semi-inflatable one will go between $50-$90. I think my Therma-Rest had an MSRP of $85. They start around $40 and get more expensive as they get lighter.

Stoves are another subject all together. A 2-burner Coleman stove should go for about $50. Good for car camping. Backpacking stoves start around $65 and go up from there. I use a JetBoil stove mostly. One burner with the pot. Good for heating water for my dehydrated food and making coffee, Not good for cooking large meals. They go for about $85.

If you are car camping, you can get by using your household pots and pans until you get camp cookware. I think I paid about $20 for my camp cook kit at Wal-Mart about 7 years ago. Has 3 pots and a fry pan. Although you can pay $45 for one Titanium cook pot if you really want to cut weight and have $$$ to burn.

Those are the biggies. For starting out you can get by on the stuff you probably already have at home. I don't see blowing a bunch of cash on an activity you don't know you will like. In fact, a lot of specialty gear stores will rent you all of the above mentioned stuff, except maybe the stove.

A good backpack will run you between $200-$400. Unless you are serious about backpacking, then this is a purchase you should hold off on. If you are just going car camping, use a duffle bag to haul your clothes.

A few other things:

Plastic tarp for under the tent: $10
Cooler for food: $25-$35 maybe cheaper
Plastic washbasin: $5
Bandanas: $3 a pack
Emergency rain poncho: $5 (A good rain coat will run you about $100)

Grab a flashlight, some band-aids, eating utensils, pillow, frisbee, clothes, and food from home.

If you are going to hike while camping:
Compass: $20
Guidebook for hiking area: Usually $15-20

There are a lot of things I have that I've accumulated over the past 20 years. I've never gone out in one shot and blew a wad of cash...lucky me. I was lucky enough to be in a well-stocked scout troop when I was a kid, so I didn't even buy my first tent until I was 20. I already had the sleeping bag, backpack, stove, etc because I accumulated them for birthday presents, christmas gifts, and by saving $$$ from summer jobs. The next best thing to that is renting gear if you can. Find out if you like camping first before you go dropping mad cash. Even if you do like it, but a sleeping bag first and maybe rent tents until you find one you like and can afford.

Answer 4

It depends on if you want the top of the line or the low end stuff, it also depends on how you like to cook and or sleep. Just starting out you could spend anywhere from $400 to $1000 just on the stuff you need to go.

Answer 5

Tent