A lot of us who live in more rural areas just can’t get enough of being outdoors. We love things like hiking, hunting, and even exercising outside. We actually have a decent amount of nature out here, and we had just as well enjoy it! Unfortunately if you’ve never been camping and don’t have any gear, equipping yourself might be a very expensive proposition if you go down to the local sporting goods store. If you want to start camping but don’t want to break the bank doing so, consider some of these tips to get camping gear on the cheap.

Look for Used and On Sale Equipment – A lot of sporting good stores will have sections that sell equipment that has been returned but works just fine for a greatly reduced price. You can also check out places such as Play it Again Sports, Craigslist, eBay, or even your local newspaper and often get very good deals on the equipment that you need.

Ask and you shall receive – If you know anyone else who enjoys camping, see if you can borrow some of their stuff for your first trip. This’ll dramatically cut the price of the equipment that you buy, and if you enjoy your first trip camping, you can always go out and get more camping equipment later. 360 days out of the year camping equipment goes unused anyway, and most of your friends will let you borrow their equipment if you ask nicely. If one of your friends is getting new and better equipment, ask them if you can take their old stuff off their hands for them.

Call in a favor – If you happen to know anyone who works in some sort of sporting goods store, see if you can’t get them to find you a way to get a discount.

Don’t Buy What You Don’t Need – A lot of people who just start camping have a tendency to go out and get the best stuff they can, and then never making use of it. If you only go out once in a while, you don’t need the world’s best equipment. You don’t need fancy food that they sell in camping stores, or an ultra-light tent. You can get some pretty standard equipment and it’ll work just fine for you. Don’t buy top of the line equipment when you don’t need it.

Thrift Store – Before you consider going to a specialty camping store, stop by your local thrift stores and see if you can’t get some of the things that you need there. You’ll be able to get some cheap dishes, pots, pans and the like for next to nothing. Who cares if you lose some of it on the trip? You can always get more for next to nothing at the thrift sore.

Military Surplus – You can get a lot of great quality equipment from army surplus stores. They’ll have a lot of sturdy clothes, canteens, and other equipment that’ll help you rough it for not a lot of money. It won’t be brand new top of the line stuff, but it’ll work just fine for what you’re using it for.

Cook – You’re out in the wilderness roughing it. It defeats the point to head into the nearest town and dig into fast food whenever you get hungry. Instead bring some pots and pans and make some food yourself, you’ll save a lot more money than heading into town.