Dirt bagging it: Traveling on the cheap, A simple guide.

[Arapala]

To start off with, I will let you in on a few hiker secrets:
1. Your gear doesn’t get you to Katahdin. Of course if you aren’t going to Katahdin, the same rule still applies for wherever you are going. Your motivation and determination get you there. Don’t sweat the gear as much as those two things. Saving some money from gear to have money for good food and hostels might just help your attitude and improve your chance of success.
2. Your gear doesn’t have to be “The Best”. Often travelers will come to the forum and ask what “The Best” rain-gear, or stove, or tent, or sleeping bag, or backpack, or whatever. Earl Schaeffer made it with and old wool blanket to sleep in and a cut up surplus Army pack for his rucksack. Look at Grandma Gatewood who hiked in Keds sneakers with a canvas duffel bag for a pack and a shower curtain for a shelter. If they could make it without Gore-Tex, so can you.
3. Your gear doesn’t have to be new. There are thru-hikers with multiple trips still using the same stuff they used on their first thru-hike. That is a lot of miles on some of that gear and it is still going strong, so the used gear you may already have or can get in a garage sell (with a lot less miles) can make it too.
4. You gear doesn’t even have to be store bought. Just find a way to make it well and take good care of it.
5. Your gear can even be recycled trash. Model T has done three thru-hikes with a stove made from soda cans. Many hikers re-use old soda bottles for their drink containers. If that kind of gear ever wears out or breaks, you can just make another for free. No sense in paying for something you were just going to throw away anyway.
6. Cost is no way to evaluate the value of a piece of equipment. You can spend $300 on a jacket just to have it not work the way you want or you can spend $15 on a jacket and be perfectly happy with it. The $150 stove is often no better than the $50 stove, you often pay for name brands in backpacking gear. A $5 pot at Wal-Mart can hold food just as good as a $50 pot at REI.

The rest of the article is posted here. Includes a detailed packing list an is a good read for even the experienced traveler. This website has a lot of lightweight traveling info. Written in a minimal and tactical sense. Down to a science. Check it out.

http://hikinghq.net/dirtbag.html

 

[thapoet]

that is one dammed good article bro... thanks for posting!

 

[kokomojoe]

I'm glad someone posted something like this. There seems to be alot of people who have this idea that the better the gear, the better the traveler theyll be. I'm new to the whole traveling thing so i bought a descent pack but i thinks its dumb to think you have to have an internal or external frame or whatever else. Sure you want to be as comfortable as possible when traveling but still. It'd be no different than obsessing over what type of fork you want more than on the food itself, its like you're missing the fucking point.

 

[Deleted member 20]

Well lets see you stuff that external frame into a cubbyhole on a grainer. Obviously not every one rides train nor is a ninja but just saying in way of debate. I would hope that the lessons learned from those that travelled previously could educate new travelers to prevent injury & misery. I dont get all my gear from Wallmart for a reason. I could outfit myself from 5below if I had too. Id be rocking some novelty t shirts, wearing a few camo snuggy's with a nalgrene water bottle & canvas school bag. I know what your saying that it shouldnt prevent people from traveling. The truth is traveling takes a toll on your gear, exposure to the elements, throwing your gear off trains etc. I am constanly aquiring good cheap gear but i gave up on sharing info in forums years ago. Some people have to learn the hard way. Others may learn everything from the old forum posts & never leave the house. Everything that I use has to be rugged, cheap & functional to be the best for me.

 

[Nanaki]

Well lets see you stuff that external frame into a cubbyhole on a grainer.

Ohh, its been done. lol
Actually one time we shoved 4 kids, 4 packs (one being a large external frame) into a Canadian grainer... Yeah, it was a pretty fucking snug fit, but we pulled it off no problameo. hahaha!

But anyway, back to the topic, I feel like this whole thing is about keeping in mind that yeah, seeking advice on certain gear is fine, but just always remember to take it with a grain of salt. What worked great for one person won't always work out so well for you.
I've met people who swear that you don't need a damn thing, I met people that swear you will abosutely DIE without the best, top of the line shit, I met people who actually hop freight with a large, rolling suitcase. And if I had fully listened to any of these folks advice, I might have been totally fucked. lol because thats not works for me.
Personally I have learned the hard way. I have done everything to old school luggage (haha, that was fun) to a huge ass external frame pack with everything you can possibly need for survival down to what I have now, A ukulele in a violin case with pockets, a sleeping bag, tarp, a medium sized purse and a large fannypack with essentials. Bare nessecities and a few things to keep me happy.

The best advice that I could give anyone is to not stress so much on their gear, especially if its their first time leaving home. What I've found is if something doesn't work for you (like your pack, for example) new shit always has its way of finding you. Weither you got money or not. And don't be afraid to shed some weight either, your crap could be another persons treasure afterall. (tradeables for better shit!) The most important thing is listen to your gut, know your limits, and keep yourself happy and healthy. Because thats what is really going to get you to where you wanna go. Not your 200 dollar pair of hiking boots.

 

[Deleted member 20]

From what I see of the new young users that they ask the same old repeditive questions. Most of these kids are young, dumb & or runaways or a combination of all 3. Im no kid anymore & have a son (15), old enough to runaway, hop or hitch, etc. He dont live with me & probably hates me too much to ask me any advice. Probably like most kids and is too lazy to do any solid independent research himself. Most will post requests for a road dawg. Most anyone that is gonna take a green kid is still green themselves maybe having had a few close calls acting as if they know it all. These kids become mentors out if lack of alternatives. This ignorance has a way of compounding & spreading. If wilderness living,traveling, hopping becomes a full time lifestyle ( like longer tham a summer in florida or cali (places in the winter where it snows) then having a grasp on the differences of gear is gonna be a bonus. Gear is too often judged on price instead of value. Theres nothing wrong with buying those $200 boots at a thrift store but paying $15 for em. In fact its better than buying 3 pairs if shitty footwear for more money. The better or best gear is everywhere and cheaper than the new shit gear at retail prices but you gotta know the difference! All that glitters is not gold! Ozark trails=Ozark fails!

 

[urchin]

I just finished mostly walking and hitching with my hold-all bag and bookbag from Jacksonville to middle Georgia. I have a killer blister and nasty scars on my shoulders, but made it out alive.

 

[finn]

Don't forget that knowledge doesn't weigh anything. Being able to improvise also reduces the amount you need to carry, like the free newspapers you see here and there can be separated, crumpled up and used as insulation.

 

[Benny]

Don't skimp on socks and get yourself a decent water bottle. If you use a plastic soda bottle, it will eventually break down and leach BPA out of the plastic and water starts to taste like shit.

 

[Noble Savage]

I never leave home without a good stick