5 Ways to Find Cheap Camping Gear for First Time Campers
It was Labor Day Weekend back in 2016. My girlfriend, Tristy, and I loaded up her Nissan Pathfinder and headed to Grants Pass, Oregon to go camping for the weekend. We had a buddy of ours, JJ, who was going to be participating in his first Hydroplane Boat race and we wanted to cheer him on.
We went down on Saturday and planned to stay 2 nights at the campsite we rented in Schroeder Park. Well, we we got there, we realized the only thing we brought was a tent and blankets. No food. No chairs. Not even pillows.
We survived, but we learned our lesson. When Memorial Day weekend rolled around a few months later, we came prepared. However, we were still broke kids so we spent all year preparing for that next camping trip. During that time, we learned some valuable tips that I’m going to pass along to you guys today.
These camping tips are great for budget campers, first time campers, family campouts, just about any kind of camping you can think of.
1. Garage/Yard Sales
This one might be obvious, but I wanted to bring it up anyways. Garage sales are a great place to snag camping supplies for CHEAP. For example, need to repair your tent but don’t want to buy a small kit from Amazon? Pick one up at a garage sale and have extra pieces after you complete the repair. I wouldn’t recommend buying a tent to actually use from a Garage Sale cause its probably missing pieces.
Other things you want to look for specifically at garage sales are hatchets, axes, campstoves, cast iron skillets, games, etc. Cast Iron is expensive and isn’t made the same way as it used to be. If you can find an older cast iron skillet at a garage sale, its like gold.
2. Second-Hand Stores
This one really goes with the first one so I’m not going to spend too much time here. I would recommend hitting the second-hand stores in the fall or winter months when people are getting rid of the stuff they used that summer to make room for Christmas gifts. This is also a great place to buy cheap tools.
3. The Dollar Store
This one is my absolute favorite. Majority of your cookware will end up coming from the Dollar Store outside of skillets. I make a run to the dollar store before every camping trip to buy the essentials, but most importantly, I buy a cookie sheet. That cookie sheet fits perfectly over both burners of my tabletop camp stove, making cooking super easy. Don’t have a campstove? Through it on the metal grate over your fire and then at the end of the trip, just throw it away.
Dollar Store Shopping List: Trash Bags, Paper Towels, Plastic Silverware, Paper Plates & Bowls, Cookie Sheet, Cooking Utensils, Tin Foil, Dish Soap, Sponge, Plastic Totes for Storage, Baby Wipes, Plastic Sandwich Bags, matches/lighter, and?
You can also buy things like zip ties, bungie cords, shampoo & condtioner, food, etc at the Dollar Store.
4. Older Relatives
The older they get, the less often they are going to go camping. They are also likely to switch to an RV if they do. If you have a relative that used to camp a lot, talk to them. My uncle had probably a hundred lanterns in his garage and at least 20 campstoves. Now I have 4 lanterns and a kerosene camp stove that all work great, they are just older. In my opinion, the older stuff is better quality anyways.
P.S. If that doesnt work, I’ve had great luck with the electric lanterns on Amazon.
5. Clearance & Sales
Around August each year, stores start marking down the prices on all of their outdoor equipment. They need it gone so they can make room for the Christmas inventory. It’s a great time to buy new camping gear for the following summer.
Camping doesn’t have to be expensive. You can do it for relatively cheap, even cheaper if you go with friends. You’re biggest expenses will be a tent, sleeping bags, campstove/bbq, and then if you decide to buy an air mattress, a pump or foam pad to sleep on. (P.S. I love my dark room tent. It is super easy to set up and I don’t wake up as soon as the soon comes up.)
Where do you find cheap camping gear? Let me know in the comments!
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