Price out a full hiking and backpacking kit — the Big 3 plus everything else — and see exactly where your gear budget goes.
Enter what each item costs (or would cost) in your currency. The symbol is for display only — no conversion is applied. Everything saves automatically.
Post your list and get honest, brand-specific buying advice from hikers who have kitted out on every budget on the HikingGear Forum — real hikers, real trips.
Enter a cost for each item and the estimator adds up a full kit, breaks it down by category, and flags the items eating most of your budget. Here is what the numbers usually look like and how to spend less.
Kitting out from scratch for three-season backpacking usually lands in three broad bands. A budget setup of entry-level gear runs roughly $500–800 and will absolutely get you on trail. A midrange setup — durable, comfortable, mostly name-brand — is around $1,500–2,000. A premium setup built from ultralight and top-tier pieces can reach $3,000 or more. There is no "correct" number: it depends on how light, how comfortable, and how durable you want your gear to be, and most people land somewhere in the middle and upgrade over time.
Your Big 3 — pack, shelter, and sleep system — are almost always the most expensive part of a kit, often half or more of the total. A tent, a sleeping bag or quilt, a pad, and the pack itself are the big-ticket buys; everything else (kitchen, hydration, small essentials) is comparatively cheap. This tool calls out your Big 3 as a share of the total and lists your three most expensive line items, because that is where a dollar saved — or overspent — makes the biggest difference.
The cheapest gear is the gear you do not buy new. Rent or borrow big items for your first few trips before committing, and buy used — gear swaps, marketplace listings, and outfitter consignment racks are full of lightly-used tents and packs. Shop end-of-season and holiday sales, and check the used and clearance sections of major retailers. Prioritise the Big 3 where quality matters most, buy entry-level for cheap-to-replace items like utensils and stuff sacks, and skip the luxury category entirely until the essentials are covered. Building a kit over a season or two spreads the cost and lets you learn what you actually use.
For three-season backpacking, a budget kit of entry-level gear runs roughly $500–800, a midrange kit is around $1,500–2,000, and a premium ultralight kit can reach $3,000 or more. The single biggest variable is your Big 3 — pack, shelter, and sleep system — which usually make up half or more of the total. Most people start mid-band and upgrade individual pieces over time rather than buying everything at once.
The Big 3 are your pack, shelter (tent or tarp), and sleep system (bag or quilt plus pad). They cost the most because they are the largest, most technical pieces of gear — a good tent, a warm quilt, and a comfortable pad each involve serious materials and design. On most kits they add up to roughly half the total spend, which is why buying advice and money-saving both start there. This tool shows your Big 3 as a percentage of your budget.
Rent or borrow big-ticket items for your first trips, then buy used through gear swaps, marketplaces, and outfitter consignment. Shop end-of-season and holiday sales and check clearance and used sections at major retailers. Spend where it counts — the Big 3 and footwear — and go entry-level on cheap-to-replace items like utensils and stuff sacks. Skipping the luxury category until your essentials are covered is the fastest way to cut a first-kit budget.
No. Most hikers build a kit over a season or two rather than in one purchase. Start with the essentials that keep you safe and let you sleep — shelter, sleep system, pack, footwear, and water — then add or upgrade the rest as you learn what you actually use. Renting or borrowing the expensive items for early trips spreads the cost and helps you avoid buying gear you end up replacing.