Camping on a Dime

Few summer pastimes create as many fun memories as a family camping trip. You can go on nature hikes, build a roaring campfire, and even tell ghost stories. There is no end to the fun things you can do when you’re camping out with your family. And, spending a few nights sleeping under the stars is the perfect way to vacation on a budget.

What isn’t fun about camping trips, however, is the expense of the equipment and accessories that you may buy to make your trip more enjoyable. By the time you’ve purchased a tent, hiking boots for the entire family, fishing poles, sleeping bags, and the cool survival gadgets that you see at the sporting goods store, you may find that your simple camping vacation has become as expensive as a hotel stay. What happened to your old-fashioned, low-budget vacation plan?

Planning an inexpensive camping trip really is possible if you’re willing to put forth a little extra effort in gathering your supplies. Forget buying your camping gear at that high-end retailer and check out these tips for camping on a dime:

Borrow your gear from a friend or neighbor. Unless your family camps out frequently, the cost of buying your tent and sleeping bags can hardly be justified. Instead, why not borrow camping gear from a friend? You may even find that you have something you can loan them for their next camping trip, too.

Check out secondhand sporting goods stores for bargain prices on your camping gear. If you really must have your own camping gear, buying used equipment is a wonderful way to save money. Often, you can find equipment that was barely used by its original owner.

Bargains on used equipment can also be found in classified ads and on Craig’s List. You may invest a little more time evaluating the gear you find through private sales, but you can also be rewarded by finding great buys.

Don’t be tempted to buy gear you don’t need. Sure, the sleeping bag that protects you in weather down to twenty degrees below freezing sounds cool while you’re shopping. But how often are you going to camp in frigid weather? Likewise, you probably don’t need a Swiss Army knife that has twenty different tools.

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