We covered creating an adventure travel budget in the last step. That step helps us know how much money is needed to fund the day to day expenses of an adventure, which will help us create a savings plan in the next step. Before getting to the savings plan, we also should determine what gear we’ll need for our adventure. With the gear list, we can plan to buy gear slowly over time while in our working years, building the gear inventory over years to minimize the need for large cash outlays before departure.
When we create adventure gear lists, we use MS Excel spreadsheets to create lists that also allow us to create cells for capturing important metrics like cost and weight (which matters on most adventures). Your gear list may be unique to you, and so you may have to build your own spreadsheet. However, you can use our lists as a starter if needed.
Check out our Adventure Travel Checklists & Tools page for different types of checklists, some for backpacking, cycling, and RV road trips. Perhaps you can use these as they are or adjust for your adventure.
Gathering Gear on a Budget
Once you know what gear you need, we suggest using your working years to gather all the gear. While you’re working, there’s many ways to buy, trade, or be gifted the gear that you need. Here are some of the tactics that we’ve taken to accumulate the gear needed for an adventure.
- Birthdays / Christmas / Other Gift Giving Events: Always ask for the gear you need for your adventure.
- Yard / Garage / Flea Market Sales and Swaps: Shop the used gear. We love the REI Garage sales every year, and we recommend an REI membership since the Co-Op replaces gear.
- Borrow: Why buy when you can borrow? Friends and family have unused gear. Backpacks, bikes, headlamps, generators, etc. You name it. If it’s on your list, consider an option to borrow it.
- Gift cards: If you receive gift cards, consider spending them on the gear you need. Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart gift cards can buy a wide range of items in those stores. Use the cards to buy the gear you need.
What’s Next? Creating a Savings Plan
Continue on to read about creating a savings plan to fund you adventure.
