Backpacking Kit
Beginner / Budget
Trail-ready gear that won’t break the bank.
This kit hits a key zone of backpackers: those new to the activity, and those who don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on their gear (often it’s both). While we certainly appreciate high-end gear, especially for those who get out frequently and really put it to the test, we are big fans of inclusivity, finding value, and saving whenever we can. Here we match low prices with good enough quality, because buying junk won’t be smart in the long (or short) run.
REI Co-op Trailmade 2 ($199)
REI Co-op Trailmade 60 ($189)
Kelty Cosmic Down 20 ($190)
Nemo Switchback ($60)
Adidas Terrex Skychaser AX5 Mid ($140)
REI Co-op Trailmade ($80)
REI Co-op 650 Down Hoodie ($149)
Columbia Watertight II ($90)
REI Co-op Trailmade ($80)
Soto Amicus Stove Cookset ($50)
LifeStraw Peak Series Solo ($30)
Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 ($65)
The Trailmade offers a lot of value for new and occasional backpackers. You get a surprisingly durable build, an easy-to-set-up layout, and enough floor space to comfortably fit two sleeping pads. The tent is heavy and offers limited headroom, but it’s a great option for those on a budget.
Interior Space
Weight & Packed Size
Weather Protection
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Specifically designed for beginner backpackers, the Trailmade 60 is easy to adjust, offers decent organization, and is comfortable enough for short trips. Its build quality and overly squishy foam raise a few red flags, but it’s hard to knock the value.
Comfort
Organization
Weight
Durability
Water Resistance
Sustainability
With some of the best price-to-performance on the market, the Cosmic Down is a solid value bag for backpackers. But with a higher-than-average weight and packed size compared to other down options, it’s not a great fit for longer routes.
Warmth / Weight
Comfort
Features
Durability
Water Resistance
Sustainability
The Switchback is one of our favorite closed-cell foam pads. It’s not as cushy as a pricier air pad, but it gets the job done on warm nights and has no shortage of around-camp use cases.
Comfort
Warmth / Weight
Packed Size
Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Not many boots come in at just $140, but that’s the going rate for the Skychaser. Adidas still managed to pack in modern styling and premium Gore-Tex waterproofing, making it an impressive value.
The Trailmade’s low price isn’t its only strong suit—it’s also stylish, lightweight, and available in an impressive range of sizes. The result is one of our favorite pants for warm-weather hiking.
Comfort & Mobility
Durability
Breathability
Weather Resistance
Features
Sustainability
For just $149, REI’s 650 offers incredible value for those looking for a casual down jacket that can tackle the odd mild-weathered backcountry adventure. That said, you won’t want to push the temperature range too far, and the boxy fit isn’t for everyone.
Warmth
Weight & Packability
Comfort
Durability
Weather Resistance
Sustainability
Ideally, a rain jacket will spend most of its time in your pack, but for short stints in the wet, the Watertight will do just fine. You don’t get the premium feel and performance of higher-end models, but we love the price, and it’s decently light and packable to boot.
REI’s budget trekking pole, the Trailmade is lightweight for an entry-level model and has a large range of adjustability. However, the build isn’t as strong as other aluminum options, and the plastic lever locks are prone to loosening.
Comfort
Durability
Weight
Packed Size
Features
Sustainability
Sure, you can spend $180 for a premium cooking system like the Jetboil MiniMo, but Soto has put together a nice set for a bargain basement price. Expect slightly longer boiling times, and the build quality can’t match more premium offerings, but we love the value here.
The Peak Series Solo turns nearly any lake or stream into a drinkable water source. You’ll have to supply your own compatible bottle or reservoir, but its pocket-sized shape and wallet-friendly price make it a no-brainer addition to your hiking setup.
There are a slew of modern backpacking chairs on the market with high-tech designs and materials, but the Hex has stood the test of time. Take this to the backcountry, on your car camping trip, or even use it to save money on living room furniture.
How We Built the Beginner / Budget Kit
In backpacking lingo, your shelter (tent), sleep system (sleeping bag and pad), and backpack are referred to as “The Big Three” (this really could be “The Big Four” but that’s neither here nor there). These core items represent a significant portion of the cost and weight of your backpacking kit, and they directly impact how successful your trip is, so that’s where we’ll start.
REI Co-op’s in-house line of gear is an excellent place to find value, so you’ll see it featured prominently in this kit. It makes sense: REI does huge volume, and unlike other brands that get stocked at REI stores and online but have to pay for the privilege, REI can invest in quality products while keeping the price down. At the budget end of the spectrum, the REI Co-op Trailmade 2P tent is an attractive option, coming in at around $200 with a footprint. This tent is well-built, durable, reasonably roomy—and if you swap to aluminum stakes you can cut almost a pound off the weight. The Trailmade 2P sits at the top of our guide to the Best Budget Backpacking Tents, but there are some other fun options depending on your priorities.
In terms of your sleep system, the Kelty Cosmic is one of the only down sleeping bags that costs less than $200 (down is expensive). Bargain hunters can keep things simple and light with a closed-cell foam pad like the Nemo Switchback—it’s not anything to write home about in terms of comfort, but it’s cheap and will never ever pop on you. Last but not least, back to the Co-op for the Trailmade 60 Backpack, which gets the job done on shorter backpacking excursions at a great price point ($179).
That’s about $620 total for The Big Three. For reference, in our Editor’s Picks Backpacking Kit, where price is much less of a consideration, the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2P tent is $550 on its own, and the Sea to Summit Spark 15 is the same price. This means you are well over $1,000 just for those items alone. Add in another $300 for the pack and $200 for the pad, and it’s a whopping $1,600 for a premium set-up (more than 2.5 times the price of our budget kit). Wow.
It’s worth noting that these big-ticket items are a great place to bargain hunt. A few times a year, REI and other sites offer 20% off one full-price item, and we love to use this coupon on our most expensive purchases, which might very well include a tent, backpack, or sleeping bag. You can either reduce the price of your budget items even further, or if you plan on backpacking more in the future, consider stepping up to a mid-range product at a discount.
Footwear doesn’t have nearly as dramatic a price spread as other gear categories. For example, a budget backpacking tent like the aforementioned REI Co-op Trailmade costs $200, while a top-end ultralight model from Samaya can run a whopping $1,200. Footwear, on the other hand, has a much smaller price range: our budget pick, the Adidas Terrex Skychaser AX5 Mid, costs $140, while some of the priciest hiking boots edge up toward $300. Most boots land in the $175 to $250 zone.
We encourage you to shop for deals in the hiking boot space, but we’ll also encourage you not to compromise on comfort. Comfortable, well-fitting footwear can make or break a trip, so getting the cheapest of the cheapest will not age well if your feet are throbbing throughout your hike.
We have good news: You can get surprisingly good jackets at the budget end of the spectrum. REI does it again with their 650 Down, which is crazy cheap at $129 but should get the job done for mild-weather backpacking trips. It’s far from the warmest down jacket out there, but it’s a superb value.
For budget-seekers looking for a bit more warmth and more premium insulation, Patagonia often has sales on the venerable Down Sweater during the off-seasons. Their website also features a “Shop Used” zone on the main product listing, which is a very fun feature that yields incredible deals. At the time of publishing this kit, they had used various Down Sweaters in “Great Condition” for $151 or “Excellent” for $168, which is just a tad more expensive than a new REI Co-op 650 Down.
On the rain jacket front, we live in Colorado in a high-mountain desert, so we don’t use our shell often, but it’s still an essential item on any backpacking trip. For short to medium exposure to the elements, an inexpensive model like the Columbia Watertight II should do just fine. Compared to pricier designs, budget models can feel fairly plasticky on the interior, don’t do as good a job wicking moisture off the skin, and they can grow clammy as you sweat. But hey, the goal is to wear your rain jacket as little as possible, so hopefully these aren’t major downsides relative to the low price. If you live in a zone with heavy rainfall or plan on being active in the rain for extended periods, it’s worth upping the performance with a jacket like the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L featured in our Mid-Ranger Backpacking Kit.
A final note on rain jackets: It was a close call between the Columbia Watertight II and REI Co-op Trailmade, which actually is a bit cheaper at $70 (although you’ll likely be able to find Columbia on sale for less than that most of the year). We have so many REI products in this kit (and for good reason) that we wanted to mix it up a bit. These jackets are quite similar in terms of construction, so maybe price hunt at the time of purchase and go with the cheaper option.
Cookset
On the camp cooking front, going budget has pros and cons. The Soto Amicus model we chose for this kit is versatile (it can be used to boil water or make meals) and attractively priced at just $50. For new backpackers who get out infrequently or don’t want to commit big bucks to their kit, it’s a solid starter option. You should go in knowing that boil times will take a bit longer—Soto claims 11,000 BTUS, but the stove with pans on top isn’t as protective from the wind as integrated systems from brands like Jetboil or MSR. We’ll also note that it feels a bit flimsy. The weight and price are low, but we don’t expect it to last forever, especially with serious use and abuse.
Water Filtration
Backpacking water filtration has seen a bit of a revolution in recent years. Gone are the pumps of yore—all of our team here at Better Trail uses bottle filters, which are light, easy to use, and allow you to drink water easily when you come across it on the trail. The nifty little Lifestraw we included in this kit is dirt cheap and attaches to any bottle with a 28-millimeter thread (including the trail-popular Smartwater bottle). The flow rate of the Lifestraw is slower than pricier models and many of our editors prefer filters that fit onto 42-millimeter bottle openings for pairing with HydraPak soft flasks (including the HydraPak Filter Cap and Katadyn BeFree). But no other water treatment can match the savings of the Lifestraw Peak Series Solo.
Backpacking Chair
We like to bring a camp chair whenever possible—it makes time spent at your backcountry campsite that much better. At the high end, backpacking chairs like the Nemo Moonlite Elite offer reclining comfort but cost a hefty $180. The Crazy Creek Hex 2.0 ($65) is a refreshingly simple alternative: it’s only about 3 ounces heavier (1 lb. 5 oz. total), more durable, and has proven itself over decades of use. The tradeoff is bulk—its roll-up design doesn’t pack small—so it’s best strapped to the outside of your pack using its handy buckles and ties.
To start with a quick positive: budget backpacking gear often uses thick, durable materials and is thus less fragile than pricier gear. Compared to premium alternatives, a budget tent or backpack (for example) may last longer with regular use.
That said, there are real tradeoffs. The most obvious is weight—budget gear is heavier across the board, so your pack’s baseline load will be noticeably higher. Comfort is another area where you’ll feel the difference: budget backpacking packs have less supportive padding, budget sleeping bags use lower-fill down that’s bulkier and less lofty, and the overall fit and finish of budget gear tends to be less refined. Lastly, build quality takes a hit. The gear in this kit is what we call “good enough”—reliable, functional, and affordable—but pricier equipment generally lasts longer and performs better season after season.
The beginner/budget backpacking kit above is built around MSRP pricing and includes affordable products that should still perform reliably in the backcountry. Sure, you could go to Amazon and sort by “lowest price,” but that’s not a strategy we recommend—especially when your comfort and safety depend on your gear.
One of the easiest ways to save without sacrificing quality is to shop during major sale periods. In the outdoor world, the two big ones are May and early November, when many retailers offer 20% off one full-price item. Those sales are perfect opportunities to pick up a big-ticket item like a backpack, tent, or down jacket. You’ll also find smaller seasonal sales throughout the year—backpacking gear tends to get discounted in late summer and early fall, while ski gear drops in price around April.
Finally, don’t overlook the used and consignment market. Many outdoor retailers now have dedicated “used gear” sections on their websites, and local consignment shops in outdoor towns can be goldmines for deals. For anyone new to backpacking—or those who only get out a few times a year—buying used gear is a smart, sustainable way to build your kit without breaking the bank.
Is the Beginner / Budget Backpacking Kit for You?
At Better Trail, we believe everyone should be able to get outdoors without spending a fortune to do it. Backpacking does come with a real cost of entry—especially given the amount of required gear—but this kit was built to keep that barrier as low as possible. We’ve chosen budget-friendly items that still perform well in the backcountry and included a few tips for saving even more along the way.
If you plan to keep backpacking and want to gradually upgrade your setup, take a look at our Mid-Ranger Backpacking Kit. It’s the perfect middle ground between affordable and premium gear—and, of course, you can always mix and match between kits.
Prefer a little more luxury on the trail? Our Comfort Backpacking Kit highlights the gear that makes sleeping on the ground and carrying a pack feel a little more like home.
