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Author Topic: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?  (Read 1863 times)  Share 

Offline dkerr24

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Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« on: July 07, 2009, 01:39:26 AM »
Moderator Note: this topic was split off from the Packs, what are you carrying topic.

Quote from: chisos_muse on July 06, 2009, 11:07:59 PM
Quote from: Sotol Vista on July 06, 2009, 10:18:46 PM
Quote from: chisos_muse on July 06, 2009, 08:38:10 PM
I'm thinking we had a topic much like this one before called "What's in your pack?"  or at least my old brain thinks so... :eusa_think:

I do believe you are correct, how forgetful I have become


James

You know, it doesn't really matter, though...there's plenty of topics here that are repeated. Let's talk about packs! I have a Gregory. It's too heavy and I want something really light. I'll buy something else when I can afford to...or why do I need a new one anyway? Not like I'm going to use it anytime soon. I haven't been to Big Bend in over 2 years and don't see myself going anytime in the near future. Or anywhere else for that matter...

It's ok, Musey - we all get into ruts from time to time.  Perhaps things will change soon and you'll get that hankering for the great outdoors?  Dreaming from behind the walls of cubicleland is too confining for sure!
« Last Edit: July 07, 2009, 09:58:32 AM by RichardM »
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Offline chisos muse

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2009, 08:04:28 AM »
Guys, not to get  :offtopic: but it's not that I DON'T want to go, I just can't afford it....  :icon_cry: Believe me, I have a hankerin! I go to local state parks within an hour drive or so for a little fix, but that's about it...
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Offline dkerr24

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2009, 08:56:05 AM »
Musey, I know what you mean.  Even as cheap as I am, my last trip to BIBE to hike the OML ran me a couple hundred bucks...

1) Freeze dried food was almost $100.
2) Gas (even for my slow-sippin Toyota Matrix) was another $120 round trip.  I can only guess it would have been double or even triple that if I had borrowed my Dad's Jeep Wrangler to make the trip.
3) Park admission - $20 (or was it $25?).  Permit for camping in the basin... $14
4) Other supplies I purchased especially for the trip was another $150.
5) Then you have the incidental expenses...  like when I returned from the OML hike and decided to stay in one of the Chisos cottages...  $109.
6) A breakfast and a dinner at the lodge restaurant... $30

It definitely does add up... :(

Right now, I can't even think about a Grand Canyon trip.  Cost of one of those hiking trips is more than double the cost of a BIBE trip, plus so much planning is required as you have to get a permit with 4 months advance notice in order to have a shot at getting the itinerary you want.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2009, 09:01:27 AM by dkerr24 »
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Offline chisos muse

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Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2009, 09:25:31 AM »
Richard, please move our tidbits from here  :icon_smile:

Now that we've got this topic started, what dkerr had estimated the cost from his last Big Bend trip was about the same as my Colorado trip last fall. And that was only because I got a free rental car through work, camped 2 nights instead of all hotels (the 2 I stayed at were cheap through work), and bought all of my food instead of eating out. Yeah, I had Chunky Soup for my birthday dinner, but the environment was stunning!  :icon_biggrin:

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that even if you go barest of bones on your trip, it still costs hundreds of dollars....

If anyone has any good money saving tips, put it here! I'm sure it will be well appreciated by many. I know that I'm not the only one that can't live my passion because of my lack of extra $.  :icon_frown:
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Offline homerboy2u

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2009, 09:59:05 AM »
It's dead cheap to explore the back country here...many times less what you for in the States. There is just no comparisson.
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Offline RichardM

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2009, 10:05:18 AM »
Quote from: homerboy2u on July 07, 2009, 09:59:05 AM
It's dead cheap to explore the back country here...many times less what you for in the States. There is just no comparisson.
And before Presidio jumps in with his usual anti-NPS tirade, it's also dead cheap to explore BLM lands, unless you live so far away you have to blow all your cash on gas to get there...
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Offline chisos muse

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2009, 04:30:50 PM »
Quote from: RichardM on July 07, 2009, 10:05:18 AM
Quote from: homerboy2u on July 07, 2009, 09:59:05 AM
It's dead cheap to explore the back country here...many times less what you for in the States. There is just no comparisson.
And before Presidio jumps in with his usual anti-NPS tirade, it's also dead cheap to explore BLM lands, unless you live so far away you have to blow all your cash on gas to get there...

Don't forget USFS. Yeah, we have a bit of that here in east TX, but no BLM land. So yes, you're going to spend gas $. If you live in TX, you're going to spend gas $ no matter where you go!;:icon_lol:

Basically, if you love the outdoor's, it's gonna cost you. Gas, and updating your equipment too. Most people are smart and want to have quality equipment, especially since (smart) folks know this can make all the difference in your experience. Most of the time you get what you pay for...

What would be ideal is for some rich person to fund my adventures and I could videotape it and look really cute!;:rolling: Shoot, who knows, I may even get my own reality show? No....then I would HATE myself!;:eusa_snooty:

Perhaps I'd better stick to saving $ for a later time.;:icon_cool:
« Last Edit: July 07, 2009, 04:32:34 PM by chisos_muse »
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Offline bdann

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #7 on: July 07, 2009, 05:11:01 PM »
For me, the key to cutting costs is finding someone to go with me.  There can be obvious disadvantages to that, but it sure saves on gas money.  I'd be hard pressed to drive out to Big Bend two or three times a year if I had to pay all the gas money myself every time. 
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Offline dkerr24

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #8 on: July 07, 2009, 06:55:36 PM »
Guess I should put things into perspective.  What I spend on a typical backpacking trip is a drop in the bucket compared to what I'm spending to send my daughter through vet school!   :icon_rolleyes:

Back on topic...  Definitely can save a bunch by not eating out while travelling.  I usually stock my ice chest with sandwiches and snacks to eat on the way to my destination.  And I don't normally buy any chinese-made trinkets at the gift shops.  And if I have to stay in a motel, I stick with the el-cheapo brands like Motel 6, etc.  A lot of times I just sack out in my car for a few hours at a rest stop if the trip requires more than a day to get there.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2009, 07:00:10 PM by dkerr24 »
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Offline Quatro

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2009, 12:12:47 AM »
Muse, I think you've cost engineered it best that it can be done with a free car rental, camping and not eating out. If you were able to do a trip to Colorado for a couple of hundred bucks, we should be taking lessons from you.  My hat's off!

Many years ago, I used to contact car "drive away" companies that agreed to arranged to transport cars for folks that were moving long distances.  They let me drive those cars to Florida and LA in exchange for my purchase of most of the gas.  The opportunities were sporadic.  And I don't recall any offers to drive cars to Terlingua or Lake City, Colorado.  I haven't heard of those companies in a long time.

A couple of years ago, I did pay attention to an article in the Wall Street Journal about happiness and things that matter.  High on the best bang for the buck was vacations.  As a kid, I don't remember anything about those extra 50 times a year that our family ate out somewhere.  But I'll never forget those camping trips to Big Bend, Colorado and Wyoming.  That article rearranged my priorities. Now, I work on building those memories for my kids.  I know I'm preaching to the choir with you.

If misery loves company though, take heart. We'll be spending all summer with you here in the 107 degree heat while dreaming of the Colorado nights.  I just feel fortunate we were able to do a Spring trip to BIBE. 
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Offline dkerr24

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2009, 08:53:29 AM »
I agree about the eating out not being memorable.  I don't recall many memories of eating out, but I definitely remember eating dinner with my family around campfires at campsites, for sure.  Those will be great memories for your kids.

Lake City?  Not that brings back some memories.  My family always went out to Southfork and camped in a big RV park that the Rio Grande runs through.  Horseback riding, fishing, hiking, it was a blast!  I'm trying to remember the name of the park, it still exists.  It's just about a mile or two west of Southfork on the highway that heads up to Wolfcreek Pass.

Just checked wunderground.com and Lake City is 46F right now!  That would probably feel arctic to us roasting out here.
« Last Edit: July 08, 2009, 09:03:51 AM by dkerr24 »
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Offline mountaindocdanny

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2009, 11:31:30 PM »
Trip to NM 2 weeks ago with the kids "bikepacking".

Gas: 62.74 (for a Nissan Frontier 4WD driving 530 miles at 21.5 mpg)
Food: 48.79 (pancakes for breakfast Saturday and Sunday, summer sausage, cheddar cheese and tortillas for lunches, snacks and homemade pizza in an Outback Oven for dinner Saturday night. Ate dinner at home before leaving Friday night)
Lunch at Dairy Queen on Sunday for the four of us: 17.86
No equipment purchases, no campgrounds, etc.

Total cost: 129.39

The primary key is to pick a close location, don't buy commercially dehydrated food and drive the speed limit.

http://griffisfamilyoutdoors.blogspot.com/2009/06/626-282009-bikepacking-gallinas-canyon.html



-Danny
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Offline RichardM

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2009, 11:40:32 PM »
That's it....when I die I want to be reincarnated as one of Danny's kids!
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Offline TexasAggieHiker

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #13 on: July 10, 2009, 11:11:17 AM »
as many as he has, there's a good chance it could happen!   :icon_biggrin:
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Offline Undertaker

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Re: Great Outdoor Tripping On A Budget?
« Reply #14 on: July 10, 2009, 11:38:20 AM »
Best part is he carries all the heavy stuff, food, scotch, ice, etc. :rolling: :rolling: :rolling: :rolling:
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