List of Cheap Ultralight Backpacking Gear (11lbs Base Weight for Under $600)

Ultralight backpackers have a reputation for being elitist snobs. Why? Probably because so much of the ultralight style is based on gear. And guess what? Most ultralight gear is EXPENSIVE.

It’s hard not to think of someone as a snob when they can shell out $500+ for what’s essentially a fancy tarp (especially when those same people start criticizing you for carrying an affordable shelter which happens to be 6oz heavier…).

But ultralight gear does not have to be expensive. I’ve compiled a list of cheap ultralight gear that will get your base weight down to 11lbs or under without costing more than $600 total.

Note: This is NOT meant to be a shopping list (that would be stupid: everyone has different gear requirements). Rather, I want to show how UL backpacking can be done for cheap.

Everything Can Be Bought Cheaper Secondhand

Buying secondhand gear isn’t just cheaper, but also better for the environment. A lot of major retailers even have secondhand areas now, like REI’s Used Gear section.

The Breakdown

Note about price and weight calculations: Since there are multiple options in each category, the cost/weight in the table are based on the average of them. If you choose the absolute cheapest items, the total gear cost is approximately $356. If you choose the absolute lightest items on the list, you can easily get the total weight down to 135oz.

Base Weight Items (Critical)	Cost	Weight
Backpack	$93	37oz
Tent	$149	50.1oz
Sleeping Bag	$146	33oz
Sleeping Pad	$39	12.6oz
Total	$427	132.7oz

Other Critical Items	Cost	Weight
Stove and Fuel	$20	6.6oz
Pot	$17.45	4.1oz
Utensil	$2	0.3oz
First Aid Kit	$15	2oz
Headlamp	$20	1oz
Water treatment	$20	2oz
Water bottles	$0	0.9oz
Hygiene (toothbrush, hand sanitizer, feminine items, TP, etc).	$5	2.5oz
Pack cover/liner	$0.5	0.3oz
Phone	/	6oz
Navigation (paper map/compass)	$10	0.9oz
Carried clothing	$35	16oz
Lighter	$1	0.4oz
Total	$145.95	43oz
Grand Total	$572.95	175.7oz

List of Cheap Ultralight Gear

Backpacks

Unfortunately, there aren’t too many options when it comes to cheap ultralight backpacks. The cheap ones simply can’t handle much abuse. The ones listed below are all very affordable and still durable. Since many UL packs don’t have covers, you can use a turkey-sized oven bag as a pack liner. They cost about 50 cents and weigh almost nothing.

Top Budget Options:

Also Read: Best Budget-Friendly Ultralight Backpacks

Tents

Despite being so cheap, my Cloudup tent has withstood 7 years of extensive use.

If you are willing/able to use a trekking pole tent, then the cost of an UL tent becomes even cheaper. Likewise, you can also get the cost down a lot by switching to a tarp setup. Of course, there are other options too, like hammock camping. I’m only going to include freestanding ultralight tents here though.

Top Budget Options:

Also read: Best Cheap Ultralight Tents

Sleeping Pads

Here’s where you can really save a lot of money and weight on your sleep setup. But of course it can also mean you end up really uncomfortable. When I was in my 20s, I didn’t mind sleeping on a thin foam pad. Now that I’m older, I want something more comfortable. I also became a colder sleeper in my late 30s, so need more R-value.

Top Budget Options:

Foam sleeping pad: 8oz
Sleepingo UL (air pad): 14.5oz
Ryno Tuff (air pad): 14oz
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite (CCF): 14oz

Also Read: Best Budget-Friendly Ultralight Sleeping Pads

Sleeping Bags

If you are backpacking in warm weather, it’s easy to find a cheap ultralight sleeping bag. But, assuming that it will probably get cold at some point, I’m only going to include sleeping bags rated to 32F (comfort rating around 45F).

Top Budget Options:

Also Read: Best Lightweight Sleeping Bags on a Budget

Stove and Fuel

This one is trickier to calculate, especially since there’s a ton of debate about whether an alcohol stove or gas stove is lighter in weight. When it comes to cost though, an alcohol stove is the budget-friendly option. It really doesn’t get cheaper than a DIY cat food stove. But, if you prefer a gas canister stove (or there’s a burn ban so you can’t use an alcohol stove), the BRS-3000T is a good budget pick.

Note: If you use the cold-soak method for preparing meals, you don’t have to bring a pot at all.

Top Budget Options:

DIY alcohol stove + bottle (1oz) and 4oz of fuel: 5.5oz
BSR-3000T UL stove + 100g gas canister: 7oz

Cook Pot

If cheap UL is your main goal, then aluminum is the way to go. True, non-anodized aluminum gets bent very easily. But my super cheap aluminum pots have survived dozens of trips (even with my not-at-all-careful kids). A lot of backpackers use grease pots instead of a pot, which is essentially just an aluminum pot with a strainer lid.

If you need something more durable, there are a few cheap titanium UL pots on Aliexpress. But you will be limited to a really small size.

Best Budget Options:

Lixada Titanium Pot (0.8 quarts): 7oz
Stanco Grease Strainer (1 quart) + Pot Lifter: 3.5oz + 1.5oz
GSI Outdoors Anodized Aluminum Pot (0.625 quarts): 2.6oz
IMUSA Aluminum Mug (0.7 quarts): 2.4oz
Snow Peak Titanium Bowl (0.63 quarts) + Pot Lifter: 1.9oz + 1.5oz

Other Crucial Items:

Utensil: Even well-known brands have cheap UL utensils for about $2. Or just use a takeout plastic utensil.
First Aid Kit: Build your own. It will probably cost about $10 to $25 and you can easily get the weight down to 2oz.
Headlamp: A lot of people love the Nitecore Thumb as a headlamp since it weighs less than 1oz and is cheap. On longer trips though, you’ll need a way to recharge it – which means adding an UL power bank to your weight and expenses.
Water Treatment: Long-term, you can’t really beat the Sawyer Mini for cost since the filter never needs to be replaced. Weight-wise, water treatment tablets are good for shorter trips.
Water Bottle: Recycled plastic water bottles instead of some fancy bottle
Potty trowel: You can use one of your tent stakes for this, which means zero extra carried weight or cost.
Navigation: A paper map is basically free and costs nothing. If you use this and a compass, then you don’t have to worry about your phone dying so (probably) no need to bring a power bank.
Packed Clothing: Almost all of my backpacking clothing comes from secondhand stores. I even scored a pair of $350 hiking pants for $10 once! It’s really not hard to save money here. You can also easily get the weight down to 8oz (or less) by being smart about your layering system and letting socks dry while you hike.

“I’m Too Poor to Buy Cheap Gear” (aka “buy once, cry once”)

There’s a reason why lots of UL gear is so expensive: it has to be made out of good-quality materials to be light yet durable. A lot of the cheap ultralight gear simply isn’t up to this same quality. It won’t last as long, which means you have to buy new gear much faster.

In the long run, it’s usually better to pay more for pricier gear which will last. If you do want to buy cheap ultralight gear, make sure you only buy from tried-and-tested cheap brands. Avoid no-name brands without real reviews.

Know Where to Spend Your Money

Never try to save money (or weight) on things that will make or break your trip. For example, if you won’t want to sleep on a thin foam pad (not getting a good night’s sleep can definitely ruin your trip!), then be prepared to shell out the $$$ for an expensive UL pad.

Also Know Where to Save Money

There is some backpacking gear which really doesn’t matter as much. For these items, you can get away with using cheap or even free items.

For example, don’t pay for a fancy water bottle when a plastic bottle from your recycling bin will work just as well. Also don’t pay for a fancy pack liner when you can use a turkey-sized oven bag which costs $0.50.

Note: One of the easiest ways to save money on backpacking is to dehydrate your own meals. Seriously, it’s stupid to pay $12 or more for packaged backpacking meals which are essentially just rice and beans anyway! Read my guide to dehydrating backpacking meals. Or check out my book for even more advice and tons of UL recipes. 🙂

Use Skills to Replace Gear

The best way to reduce weight without spending a single dollar is to learn skills. One example would be learning how to sleep under a cheap tarp instead of an expensive freestanding UL tent. Or learning how to pick the perfect campsite so you can sleep comfortably even on a thin pad. Or learning to read a paper map so you don’t need to use GPS navigation…

How do you save money on ultralight gear? Let us know in the comments section below.