Will305 wrote:I've been hiking for quit some time now and have started to get into ultralight gear, I'm Currently in uni and very broke. Im looking for a basic ultralight setup for a low cost. Im open to any suggestions or recommendations in terms of gear, food, clothing?
Hello,
I've been testing out the 3F UL Gear Zhengtu 2 Person tent - the 210T version 2kg (around $200-$250) and loving it so far.
It seems to withstand quite a bit of wind, rain and works well as a freestanding tent up in the Grampians where there are mostly rocks.
It's so cheap that if it broke, there are no tears than if I had spent $500+ on it. It comes with everything so no extras need to be purchased.
I have just come back from a trip at the Prom. The rain and cold was expected but the tent held up well. What I am enjoying is that the tent never sags and it's keeping my inner tent bone dry. I have yet to test it in snow when I go up to Hotham.
Invest in a good sleeping bag. If you want cheap, it's hard to find a warm lightweight bag but I know Snowys.com.au has some cheap options and Wildearth.com.au too.
I use a Klymit bag -8'C which was $180 at 1kg. My summer bag is basically just a sleeping bag liner and thermals since it gets too hot to be in the tent anyway.
Anaconda does good discounts on hiking boots so check them out. I have bought a few shoes under $150 there from Merrel, Keen and North Face.
In terms of hiking clothes, just pop into Kmart/BigW/Target and buy those cheap gym clothes. You don't need to buy special layers. You will need a decent rain jacket shell and woolen thermals though and Anaconda can stock those for a good price. They also sell good all in one camping stoves if you're into cooking your own food. There's a popular $20 one that comes in an orange plastic box, also available on Snowys.com.au. Foodwise, I just buy packet noodles, dried pasta sachets and tuna packets you can get at Woolies or Coles. Make your own trailmix or head into Aldi as they stock good dried fruit and nuts for cheap.
The best place of course is to buy these good brands secondhand from Gumtree, ebay, Facebook Marketplace (check their groups for buy and swap camping gear) and even in op shops like Salvos and Savers. It is a bit pot luck with these places but the best bargains are there.
Good luck!