£200 Budget

[CheesySpread]

Hey, I'm looking at spending around £200 for a backpack, tent and pair of walking boots.

I'm relatively new to hiking, and looking to hike all year.
Thanks,

CheesySpread

 

[mountainm]

get new boots and second hand everything else and you'll get more for your money.

You could forgo the tent and get a tarp and bivi bag.

 

[beenn]

If theres a camping/hiking store local to you have a look

I cant recommended anything in particular as i don't use a tent, my rucksack is a 30/40 liter highlander or a 35 non branded and as for the boots i would look in store instead of online so you can check they fit nicely and look for quality that will last

 

[Mad Canoe]

Get a sabre sf 80 - 130. You wont need a tent if you buy this as its big enough to throw yourself inside. As for walking shoes........Who needs shoes anyway, get yourself a good bevvy with the change of the ruckyyyyyyy. lol

 

[Shewie]

A couple of budget options ...

Gelert Solo tent - £33

Airjet 45L pack - £27

 

[Totumpole]

I take it your looking for a backpack to do multiday trips?
You can pick up a good enough pack for about £50, I'd pop to your local outdoors shop and try a few on.
Similarly you need to buy the boots that fit the best - whether they are the £50 or £150 ones. However, you get what you pay for. I have odd narrow feet with funny heals and bots is a real problem for me. My £30 ones out of the local surplus were comfy as, and did the job for a year, but the soles are worn down and they are in a nick (a bad one - still live in the boot of the car as backups). My new (well 2 years old) leather scarpa rangers are a slight compromise on comfort, but will last for years if treated well. Its taken me ages to break them in, and they still rub on ascents, which is far from ideal.
Tent, Id go with this - light, cheap and just for you!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00322QR...de=asn&creative=22218&creativeASIN=B00322QRQE
Just got one myself, but havent tried it out yet
With £50 on a pack, £40 on a tent, this leaves you with £110 to get some good quality boots when you find the ones that are right for you.
You already kitted out with a mat and a sleeping bag? If not simple foam mat, cheap as chips, and try tesco for a down bag - not great, but cheap and will tide you over till you get something better. In fact, mine is still my regular summer bag after 3 years!

Welcome to the forum, and to a very rewarding hobby! Enjoy.

 

[Old Bones]

For a tent - the Tiger Paw http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/forum/forummessages/mps/dt/4/UTN/39476/ has great reviews. Argos had them for £20 or less last year, and even without some moding (there is a thread on this site too) you can get a pretty decent tent for very little. Their not yet up on the Argos site, but I'm waiting to get one this year. There has also been good feedback on the recent Lidl tent, for around £15. Again, moding might help, but its difficult to go wrong for that price. Aldi/Lidl come out with these offers a coupple of times a year (and their socks are always good value). You could always borrow a tent or buy one second hand. Not everyone likes camping when they try it......

Always spend your money on good boots, jacket and pack. Everything else for a day hike can be begged, borrowed or cheaply bought. TKMaxx is a good place for fleeces,socks, etc, and check out the bargains thread out on Outdoor Magic. Dont be tempted by the 'bargains' in places like Sports Direct or Mountain Warehouse - their not. On the other hand, try to find out where your nearest factory shops are (Rab has one!), when you local dept store clears all the decent hiking gear which hardly anyone bought, and when Blacks decides to sell off stuff to make room for 'festival' junk which will end up in the sale after Christmas. In essence, buy once, buy right and never pay full price.
And check out Alpkit - huge number of fans because their stuff is good, and pretty cheap. The Gamma head torch and their XT drybags are excellent value.

 

[jonajuna]

i would say steer well clear from lidl/aldi tents..... bought a batch of 6 for a festival some time ago, 3 broke during pitching... the flysheets just tore, not abuse, just pitching.. was like tissue and 2 more broke over the weekend. 1 has survived but we only use it for the kids to play in the garden

i would say you could do your shop on your budget, but it will be a push..... have a look in sports soccer, they tend to have plenty of karrimor boots in stock (not the quality they used to be, but ok) for around the £50-£60 mark which will be approx half the normal retail price.... dont be tempted to just buy online, you really really need to try boots on before you buy.

as for a backpacking tent, you need little weight with tents, low weight means higer price, but..... http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/vango-banshee-200-tent-p140006 is a good comprimise, or as has been suggested, a tarp and bivibag for around the same money

there are some rucksacks around for the £50 you have left, stick to the main brands and the 65-75 litre size, smaller is too small and larger just wont get carried

you might find you have to creep over your budget to really get what you are lookign for, but only £20 or so

 

[suburban bushwacker]

Boots and Bed - if you're not in one, you're in the other
SBW

 

[Robbi]

TK MAXX could be a very good friend for you

 

[Suffolksteve]

My advice would be to not rush in, if £200 is your max budget shop around first because the worst thing you can do is rush in a buy gear that ultimately you are not going to want, im sure all of have a spare set of kit we wish we hadn't bought.

Ultimately for hiking you need comfortable boots and the lightest gear you can have/afford, carrying a sleeping bag around that weighs as much as you isn't fun.

A poor nights sleep will make for a poor days hiking and fun, so allocate about half your budget for sleeping

tarp,bivy, sleeping matt (closed cell or cheap thermarest type) and a semi decent sleeping bag should sort you for a good nights sleep.

Then you will need the boots, would suggest checking any local army surplus places or outdoor store and a decent rucksack to carry it all in 45-50 litres seems about right for most people and the highlander forces 44 is my next purchase and the one i wish i had made ages ago. I personally would suggest an alpkit ti 750mil mug (if solo cooking), not the cheapest you will find as it is titanium but should hopefully do everything fairly well and should/might stop the hankering for expensive cookware in the future.

Whatever you go for it is likely there is going to be some compromises somewhere, my main advice would be to not compromise on everything, get a few really good pieces and get some cheap,but as good as you can afford until you can afford to replace and build your dream kit (which by the time you have it will have evolved anyway!)