So you want to get into Motorcycle Camping, but you don’t really want to sell your kidney on the black market to afford the gear that’s not going to fall apart after two uses.

Do Your Research & Look for an older Model Year

A lot of brands release minor upgrades to the same tent, but the previous years’ models are practically identical but just a bit cheaper, in some cases marked down to half price. If you dig a little you can often find the older model brand new marked down on all kinds of outdoor gear websites.

If you don’t know where to start, visit a local shop. Outdoor specialty stores really are the go-to experts for gear. There’s a LOT of options for gear out there. Share with store staff that you’re looking for semi-lightweight gear, you have more limited space than car camping, but more wiggle room than a backpacker, somewhere between bikepacking and lightweight car camping is where we sit as motorcycle campers. Remember that a lot of outdoor store staff aren’t going to have a lot of experience with motorcycle camping, but if you give them those parameters they’re more likely to be able to narrow down what you need. Also I recommend getting more than one opinion, don’t let any sales associates talk you into buying something that same day. There’s nothing wrong with saying you need to think about it.

Buy Strategically

Most places and websites that sell outdoor gear will have sales when seasons change to make room for new gear. So you’re more likely to get the deal if you wait to buy that insulated jacket or cold weather gear in the Spring/Summer visa versa it’s sometimes better to buy sleeping pads, and tents in the fall/winter. Take advantage of Big Sales that happen as seasons change and holidays. REI’s Anniversary Sale is their biggest sale of the year which happens every May. Labor Day Sales, Cyber Week, and Winter Clearance events are all things to plan and save for. Do your research, and patiently save your money for these sales that happen throughout the year.

In Between Sales you can peruse a few Online Discount Websites sometimes it takes a little while to find a good deal, but that’s the nature of finding Budget Friendly Options:

Online Discount Websites

-Theclymb.com - you have to ‘join’ for free with your email in order to see the prices, but you can get up to 50% off on all types of outdoor gear.

-Steep and Cheap is run by Backcountry, it’s more of a deal roulette, you can often find big name brands in the daily deals.

-REI Outlet, this is where REI sends all the gear that’s out of season or is going out of production which means you sometimes find things up to 75% off.

-Sierra Trading Post- another discount retailer run by HomeGoods, Marshalls, and TJMaxx and yes, they do have camping gear. You do have to a little digging to find quality products, but you can score a few small pieces of gear or clothing that would normally cost a lot more at normal retail prices.

Buy Used Gear

This is one of the best ways to stay within a budget short of borrowing gear from a friend. If you do borrow gear from a friend btw the rules are: treat it with care, clean it after you use it, and return it as soon as possible, if you break it fix it or buy them a replacement.

With that out of the way here are some other options for picking up used gear

-Second Hand Brick n Mortar Stores

-Next Adventure Bargain Basement, most metro areas have some sort of used outdoor gear store, some are hidden inside of small outdoor gear businesses like it is at Next Adventure. A lot of them have buy and sell programs, where they give you store credit in exchange for your used gear.

-REI Garage Sales- you do have to be a member of the Co-Op in order to shop the garage sales, which is a one time fee of $20 for a lifetime membership which gives you access to the Garage Sales which are a gold mine of opportunity to find practically brand new gear for 30-70% off the list price. Keeping in mind the items in the Garage sale are all of REI’s returned items. This means they have the opportunity for a second life instead of getting thrown out, but it also means you might find sleeping pads that need to be patched, or other items in various conditions. If you’re willing to patch up and fix certain items you can find some excellent deals.

-Thrift Stores

This one takes a little more effort. Every once in a while you’ll be able to find brand name things when you’re lucky. But the idea is to look for the clothing tag and check the materials.

-Second Hand Online

-REI Good and Used- This is a much more curated collection of used gear than you’ll find at REI Garage Sales. The gear that’s uploaded to this section of their website has been inspected for quality so you can save some money while still knowing that you're getting something in good condition.

-Patagonia Worn Wear- an excellent resource for used Patagonia gear, they also offer repair services.

--The North Face Renewed- a similarly curated collection of lightly used gear

-Outdoor Gear Exchange- A consignment shop for new or lightly used products. There’s a physical store based in Vermont as I understand it. Something else I found awesome was that consignment gear that doesn’t sell after 8 months is donated to charities.

-Gear Trade- the craigslist of used and discounted outdoor gear, everything is sold by the owner.

-Poshmark- Not as good for camping equipment, BUT if you’re looking to get your hands on Patagonia, Arcteryx, TheNorthFace, and other high end brand rain jackets, puffy jackets, base layers, and fleece jackets this is another great platform to peruse.

-Facebook Groups- There are a lot of Gear Exchange Groups on Facebook. There are even regional gear exchange groups. There are of course Motorcycle specific buy sell groups, but I encourage you to peruse general Outdoor Gear Exchange groups, or even backpacking groups.

I will note that fit between different brands can be well different. Avoid having to return ill-fitting clothes by visiting an outdoor store to try on several brands similar to the piece you want to order. Keep track of what sizes work best for you with each brand to save time with future orders.Especially if this is going to be the first time you own a piece from brands like Smartwool, Patagonia, North Face, Columbia, Arc’teryx, they’re cut differently than other brands, it’s much more athletic, which means cut for your body instead of a box with arm holes.

I’ll also mention that Quality does matter. Spending a little more upfront on gear designed to take the abuse often performs better and lasts longer. Ultimately saving you money in the long run.

RENT Gear

If you don’t have friends with gear to borrow, and you can’t afford used gear, rent it! There’s a lot of small businesses around big outdoor recreation hubs that rent gear, there’s also a lot of REI locations that rent basic backpacking gear or camping bundles. If you only plan on camping once or twice a year or if you’re totally new to camping and don’t know where to start these are excellent options. It gives you an opportunity to try some of the gear before paying the big bucks for it. It also gives you an opportunity to feel out whether you’re going to like camping enough to invest in it.

There are a few online Gear Rental Sites worth checking out like Outdoors Geek,

Once you get your gear. Take Care of it.

The best way to stretch your dollar is to make sure you take care of your investment.

Clean your gear and dry it when you get home, store it properly and do maintenance when you need to.

Long story short, there are ways to get into camping no matter what budget you’re starting with. Even if that means buying one little piece at a time.

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Link List:

REI: https://www.rei.com/

REI Outlet:https://www.rei.com/rei-garage

REI Used Gear: https://www.rei.com/used

The Clymb: https://www.theclymb.com/

Steep and Cheap: https://www.steepandcheap.com/

Sierra Trading Post: https://www.sierra.com/

Next Adventure: https://nextadventure.net/

Patagonia Worn Wear: https://wornwear.patagonia.com/

The North Face Renewed: https://www.thenorthfacerenewed.com/

Outdoor Gear Exchange: https://www.gearx.com/