Backpacking Gear – absolute noob – what will it all cost?

What is a reasonable budget for gear to do some Backpacking and wild camping in Scotland?

Was thinking of the West Highland Way first but other than some trail running shoes and a Garmin Fenix I haven’t really got any other gear. What sort of budget should I allocate?

I’ve done some rudimentary research and can see as with everything their is diminishing returns in terms of weight v price v performance.

There’s stuff for occasional use, then for regular use, then a bit lighter, then super spendy lightweight stuff for competition use.

Decathlon’s always a reasonable place to start IMO.

Also if you’re just getting into it, it’s not really worth spending too much money until you know what does and doesn’t work for you, and whether you actually enjoy it.

Watching thread with interest.

I’ve just bought a tent, and I’m about to buy a sleeping bag and mat.
of particular interest: how to keep devices charged.

Not quite the same, but when thinking about the cost of a campervan I calculated how many nights in a b&b (and flights to warm places) that equated to.

it doesnt need to cost much relatively.

Go Outdoors/decathlon etc have kit that is light enough, you can get lighter but youre spending for it

Tricky and most important bit is the tent/sleeping/mat/rucsac. These are the items that weigh the most individually, and also where the most weight can be saved. Its easy to save 500g on a rucsac for example. So I would try and focus my spend on these 4 items and get as light as you can for your budget, they are also the items youll have for a long time, so it makes sense to buy good quality/lighter kit

Other stuff is lighter, so weight savings are much much less and you can end up spending 50 quid extra to save 50g.

The cheapest way to save weight is to take less, so experience and confidence will help you decide what to take or leave behind.

If you are doing the West Highland Way and similar you can use the baggage transfer services.

It means you can use cheaper, heavier kit and get someone else to carry it for you.

Anker battery from Amazon will do you on the West Highland Way as there’s plenty of places to recharge it. The hotel half way along Loch Lomond on the worst bit of the trail has got a hikers room with plug sockets and there’s sockets at campsites, cafes etc. Get a fast USB C charger to speed the process up.

As others have said, Decathlon is a great place to start. Also, you don’t need as many clothes as you think, you only need a bit of water up there because the place is covered in it and there’s plenty of places to resupply for food.

Get used to walking for several hours a day before you go.

So far I’ve kept my kit cheap. Got a second hand tent and air bed. I’ll be re-purposing a spare pannier rack and using my commuting panniers. I’ve already got a bar bag and dry bags (Planet X) and Planet x’s sleeping bag.

There’s a lot of things like big rucksack and tent available second hand. I currently use a 1990’s Lowe Alpine 60l which was £20.

See if you can borrow thing like stoves.

Cheap fleeces and biking base layers ftw.

Get some half decent waterproofs.

Print off maps.

@fossy I think you may have misread the OP. It says BACKpacking, not BIKEpacking 🙂. Obviously there’s quite a lot of crossover in general kit, of course.

Ah, missed the back packing ! OEX tents get decent reviews.

Lots of good advice. I assume you own the clothes you’ll need? Nothing flash but synthetic stuff. Water proofs?

My opinion it’s worth spending on a down bag. They last so well and are a big weight and bulk saving.

Going from zero to wild camping the West Highland way is pretty ambitious. I would strongly recommend starting with a few one-nighters particularly if you’re not used to camping.

Budget depends on aims and how often you anticipate doing this. A decent rucksack is worth spending a bit on. Tent you get what you pay for in terms of weight and also seasonal performance. Footwear depends on the terrain you’re going on (WHW would be fine in trail running shoes in summer, wilder/hillier/wetter terrain would not). Sleeping bag budget again depends on your needs, it’s the weight vs performance vs price triangle, you can have any two…getting a decent sleeping mat is arguably more important than a decent bag. I presume you have waterproofs and general clothing. Don’t go nuts on cooking stuff, not worth it at this stage. A few little extras (dry bags) are well worth the feeling extra quid.

I would spend most of the budget on decent boots and waterproofs, they will make a big difference and will be specific to you, size wise.

Things like a tent, stove, even a sleeping bag, borrow if you can, that way you get to try them before committing, see what works for you in terms of, for example, weight Vs size of tent, how warm a sleeping bag do you actually need, etc

You’ll get some ideas from this about what you’ll need.

Thanks for the replies so far. I’n the past I’ve done many nights fishing so have quite a bit of experience in camping in minus temps, albeit with a comfier camp bed but often open fronted shelter. I run about 30 miles a week at the moment and around 50 miles a week when I’m training for races so I’m hoping that fitness will help with all day hiking.

I’m hoping that fitness will help with all day hiking

It’s not about fitness, it’s about hours on your feet carrying a load. You’ll be fine either way, but a bit of prep will make it slightly more enjoyable.

Have a look at Outdoor Gear Exchange UK on Facebook, thousands of members selling used kit.

if you want new, been impressed with Alpkit tents (own 3) and they do “bundles” with mat etc

OP I think it’s a good thing to aim for, especially if you’re reasonably fit and have some “camping” experience.

Wot Kormoran says really.

Juice / cola bottles are light for their capacity – think how much water you need to carry?  Backpacking in Scotland I generally only carry one small bottle full and another couple of l capacity empty for camping.I have expensive lightweight water carrriers but juice bottles are only a few grammes heavier

Cooking kit  How much cooking do you want to do?  I like my jetboil but its both expensive and not that light – but so easy to use and makes good coffee.  cheaper versions are out there.  You cannot really cook properly with these but porage and pasta is possible.

Or you can eff about with tiny little meths burners and a ti mug and save half a kilo.

Or a pocket rocket gas stove and post and pans and cook properly?

I also have a foam underlay for the tent which I love.  300 g extra weight for a warm comfy well protected tent floor but its very bulky.  You need some sort of footprint for the tent

Silk liners are nice to have as well for your sleeping bag

You can save a lot of weight with marginal gains but it comes at a cost! but keep an eye on the weight and spend carefully and it shouldn’t cost too much

You need this – its what I have used for making up routes to wander all over scotland

https://scotways.com/scottish-hill-tracks/

west highland way I think is reasonable aim – plenty of opportunity to bail out and loads of facilities. A trial night out first might be a good idea tho and you can start a bit further north by train

kormoranFree Member
it doesnt need to cost much relatively.

Go Outdoors/decathlon etc have kit that is light enough, you can get lighter but youre spending for it

Tricky and most important bit is the tent/sleeping/mat/rucsac. These are the items that weigh the most individually, and also where the most weight can be saved. Its easy to save 500g on a rucsac for example. So I would try and focus my spend on these 4 items and get as light as you can for your budget, they are also the items youll have for a long time, so it makes sense to buy good quality/lighter kit

Other stuff is lighter, so weight savings are much much less and you can end up spending 50 quid extra to save 50g.

The cheapest way to save weight is to take less, so experience and confidence will help you decide what to take or leave behind.

+1

2nd hand kit can be few and far between as it’s more likely to be sold on some obscure forum, but if you find some then you can try things out and buy/sell without losing much more than the postage cost.

Taking less is always cheaper and lighter, and if you don’t spend enough you can afford even better / lighter stuff that is essential.

I love my lightwave rucsac.  comfy light and waterproof.  Reassuringly expensive 🙂
https://www.lightwave.uk.com/products/rucksacks/wildtrek

As has been said above heading out into any long distance walk from scratch is a big ask.

Camping or staying in digs is a huge game changer.

Thus a pack size will depend on what you are carrying (tent or no tent for example as well as sleeping systems, down v synthetic sleeping bag)

Are you carrying food for the whole trip or topping up on the way, all these any many more issues will dictate what you carry.

Then factor in the time of year, for instance walking in scotland in winter is a world away from summer (dont forget the midges)

Go outdoors and Decathlon have good kit but you have got to decide what the walk is, are you in a tent or not and the time of year as well as the location. With every 100 metres, the temperature drops by an average of 0.65°C and add to that wind chill factor as well.

There are many good walking groups that can help out with kit lists and face to face advise, this would be my advise.

My kit has been made up over 50 years of being in the Scouts, walking groups heading into the Lakes, then the Highlands of Scotland in Winter then to trips in Morroco, The Alps and Pyrenees.

On every single trip there is kit that has never been out of the bag but times when it you might have needed it, it would have been there.

It you want any one to one advise there are some great folks on here and I would like many would be pleased to help.

Happy trails

Mark

I resisted from commenting earlier (I think I’ve grown as a person) but what eoghan said was my initial reaction, if you’re an “absolute noob” then go to a campsite.  But you’ve later qualified that so…

I’m no seasoned expert but I’ve done a few solo wild camping trips.  The overriding thing is, if it goes sideways then you’re on your own, potentially in Very Suddenly adverse conditions and potentially miles away from **** all.  I was once badly caught out and thank the stars I wasn’t on my own that time, I could abandon the remnants of my tent and run across to bunk in my mate’s.  Without that option I would have had a very bad time.

The balance of weight / bulk / cost / comfort is something only you can decide.  If you think bikers are weight weenies, they’re amateur hour compared with wild campers.  There is a (fair) argument that savings are cumulative, shave 20g here, 50g there, before you know it you’ve half a kilo less on your back, that could be the difference between a 1- and a 2-man tent.  Do you carry a lightweight toothbrush / saw the handle off it / have bad breath for two days, who will know?

With apologies to Maslow, you need water, food, warmth and shelter.  I carry enough water to get me between planned freshwater sources where I can restock.  I add chlorine dioxide tablets to stream-sourced water, they’re like five times the price of chlorine tabs but don’t taste of chlorine.  Food, anything dehydrated can be rehydrated.  Camping stores will sell specialised expedition food for a price but a packet of Pasta ‘n’ Sauce is viable for an overnighter.

Afford yourself a luxury.  A nip of whisky, a magazine… I have a GSI Java Drip which is essentially a coffee filter on legs, it weighs nothing and fits inside the cookset (along with gas and burner), nothing like a proper coffee as the night is turning in.

Hope this helps.  Have fun!

I have a GSI Java Drip which is essentially a coffee filter on legs, it weighs nothing and fits inside the cookset (along with gas and burner), nothing like a proper coffee as the night is turning in.

Obviously an essential, and only 14g IIRC.

Thanks for the replies so far, some great advice.

Putting prices on your kit is hard as there are so many different manufacturers and offers, it can be mind boggling

From my own experience of putting together light enough kit that I use for 3 season long distance walks and scottish hiil trips less than a week, these are the sort of target weights for the 4 main items, so you could compare items/weight/cost across the options you can afford. Im a bit out of touch on prices these days but im fairly confident you will achieve the weights ive got below without spending a fortune

Rucsac less than 1500g max – mine is 1300g and is a stripped down 50l pack.

Tent less than 2kg – mine is 1800g for a 2 person. There are lots of lighter options nowadays though

Sleeping bag – 800g will get you a 2-3 season bag. Mine is 650g but was my only extravagance, I expect it to last 30 years.

Mat – 500g max. Theres a bewildering amount of choice under that, check the insulation levels. Mine is currently 400g but insulated and full length

My total weight comes in around 5.5kg without food and water, and it’s a nice weight to be carrying. You can see from the weights of my main items, I could lose a kilo off that , which would be lovely but I don’t have the money! Also there is a moral question around replacing perfectly good equipment just because its a bit too heavy. If you bought kit at the top end of my suggestions, youd add just over a kilo to my pack.

There is a sort of general view often thrown around that your total kit weight should be 10% or less of your bodyweight. Its a bit vague as it never seems to say if that includes food and water, but as a rough guide its quite useful. I’m 74kg ish, so I get 7.4kg to play with, and by and large that feels good. Work out your 10%, then see how your potential kit list fits into that weight allowance.

At the end of the day, backpacking is brilliant fun and I doubt you will regret getting into it.