Trekking, Mountaineering, and Sea Kayaking Equipment - How to Buy Gear Without Spending a Fortune

Having the correct equipment for a trekking, mountaineering, or sea kayaking trip, be it for 1 day or 100, is critical. I know it sounds cliche, but, at times, your tent or raincoat really is the only thing standing between you and big problems. That said, you don't have to go out and spend a fortune on equipment. The trick is knowing where you can save, and where you should splurge.


I'll begin with the items you should spend some money on, getting the best you can: a backpack and a pair of boots. You will be wearing your backpack everyday, with loads from 2-40 kg (4-80 lbs.). That's a lot of weight. And there's no faster way to ruin a good trip than to have a backpack that doesn't fit correctly. For a 1-3 day trekking, sea kayaking, or mountaineering trip, we recommend a bag of at least 45 liters. It needs to be large enough to carry everything you need without having a hundred things dangling off your pack. For longer expeditions, you'll need a bigger pack, potentially much bigger. For week long trips, a minimum of 75 liters is required to hold everything, and I often use a 95-110 liter bag for mountaineering trips where I'll be carrying rope or climbing gear. The Arc Teryx Bora 95 or the Osprey Crescent 110 are good places to start, as there aren't many bags this size on the market. As far as I know, Osprey makes the only womens only 100+ liter bag (Luna 110).

Just as important as getting the right bag is getting it fitted properly. It's worth calling ahead to your local gear shop to make an appointment with someone who really knows what they're doing. Gear shops, big and small, tend to have a few really good salespeople, and it's worth coming back to speak with one of them.

The other difficult-to-get-right piece of equipment is boots. Whether you're shopping for leather or plastic boots, try and find the shop(s) with the largest selection of shoes. Try on many pairs, even if the first ones you try feel good. You may find something that fits better. A good tip is to try on shoes in the afternoon, as your feet will swell during the day. When you've found a pair that you like, take your time to test them; walk around the store for at least 30 minutes. Kick some stairs to see if your toes hit the front of the boot easily. Stand on an edge and see if your heels lift up a lot. Any problems you have now will be magnified 1000 times when you're in the mountains. It's also worth asking about the store's exchange/return policy. Often you can take the shoes home and wear them INSIDE for a few days to make sure they're right for you. Do it! Lastly, if the first (or second or third) shop you go to doesn't have the right ones for you, go somewhere else. Boots and backpacks need to fit well.

Luckily, the rest of your kit doesn't have to be top notch or brand new. Things like Gore-tex jackets and pants can often be found at thrift stores/op shops/charity stores for $20-30. Gore-tex is essentially the same today as it was in 1995, so buy a used Gore-tex coat and pants. Just make sure it's in good condition; make sure the zips work and the fabric is in good shape. To help revitalize old Gore-tex, use a product called TX Direct from Nikwax (or similar). It's a spray on waterproof coating that comes on all new Gore-tex style coats, and tends to wear off over a few weeks. With a quick spray, and your coat is like new. This product is available at REI, EMS, Cotswolds, and most other outdoor shops.

The same goes for baselayers, hats, gloves, and the like. You can pick up a pair of old long underwear for $3-5 in most used clothing stores. They may smell a bit, but take them home, use a bit of Fabreeze, and you'll be just fine. And you get extra fashion points if your long undies are the ugliest of the expedition (think: The Hamburgler). You shouldn't have any problem locating used goods for most of your clothing.

The only piece of gear to specifically avoid buying used are sleeping bags, particularly synthetic sleeping bags. Sythetic fill (polarguard, hollofil, primaloft or any of the other types of synthetic fill) wears out quickly. After 3 months of regular use, a bag that was rated to -10 will only be warm to 0 (or warmer). The moral here is not to spend a fortune on a bag at all, as they don't keep their temperature rating very long. If you look around, you can very often find brand new -10 degree synthetic sleeping bags for $80-$100. Get a decent, inexpensive bag that still compresses down to a small size (about 10" x 20" is a good, average size for a 0 degree bag). Strike that balance between price and size, and you'll be fine.

In general, keep in mind that fit and function are much more important than fashion. There are lots of people who sell gear because it isn't in the new season's colors or they didn't like the way it looked on them. You may look a bit silly in bright orange jacket and pants, but your bank account will be much happier for it. And, hey, use the extra money to visit some exotic place, like Patagonia...

If you'd like to know more about what you should bring on a trip, please take a look at these example gear lists

Benjamin Gorelick is the owner of Extremely Patagonia Expeditions. Extremely Patagonia has more than 50 years combined expertise providing quality trekking, sea kayaking, and mountaineering expeditions in remote Patagonia, Chile, as well as wilderness medicine and avalanche safety courses in Patagonia.

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