Camping For Next To Nothing
Camping is one of the cheapest holidays there is — if you don't fall for the gear trap. Here's how to get out there for very little, using free campsites, borrowed kit and a bit of know-how instead of a big spend.
The camping industry makes its money convincing beginners they need hundreds of dollars of gear to sleep in a paddock. You don't. My cheapest trips have been some of my best. Borrow before you buy, camp where it's free, eat simple, and put the money you save towards actually going more often. The gear is not the experience — the place is.
Borrow before you buy anything
The smartest budget move is to not buy gear at all for your first trips. Borrow a tent, mat and stove from friends or family — most people who camp have spare kit gathering dust. This lets you try camping for nothing and, crucially, learn what you actually like before spending a cent. People who buy a full kit up front almost always buy the wrong things, because they don't yet know how they camp. A few borrowed trips will teach you more about what's worth owning than any shop assistant.
- Borrow a tent, mat and stove for your first trips
- Try before you buy — learn what suits you first
- Most campers have spare gear they'll happily lend
- You'll buy far better once you know how you camp
Camp where it's free or cheap
Accommodation is usually the biggest holiday cost, and camping can make it almost zero. Australia is full of free and low-cost campsites — national parks, state forests, free roadside camps and apps that map them all. A free bush camp by a river beats an expensive caravan park for most people anyway. Check whether you need a (often cheap) park booking, what facilities exist, and fire rules before you go. Learning to find good free sites is the single biggest saving in camping, and the sites are frequently nicer than the paid ones.
- Use camping apps to find free and low-cost sites
- National parks and state forests are cheap or free
- Check booking, facilities and fire rules in advance
- Free sites are often more scenic than paid parks
Buy cheap and second-hand wisely
When you do buy, you don't need premium brands to start. Marketplace and op-shops are full of barely-used camping gear from people who tried it once. A solid second-hand tent at a quarter of retail will do years of service. Spend what little budget you have on the things that affect comfort and safety — the sleeping mat and a warm bag — and go cheap on everything else. Avoid the trap of 'buy once cry once' as a beginner; you don't yet know enough to choose the expensive thing well, so start cheap and upgrade only what you find you actually need.
- Buy second-hand — lots of barely-used gear out there
- Spend on the mat and sleeping bag; go cheap elsewhere
- Don't buy premium before you know what you need
- Upgrade only the items you discover you actually use
Eat simple and cheap
Camp food does not need to be expensive or fancy. Plan a few cheap, filling meals — pasta, wraps, eggs, sausages — and shop for them at home rather than at the overpriced shop near the campsite. Bringing a simple esky with home-prepped food saves a fortune over buying as you go. The other big saving is not over-catering: people pack far too much food, half of which comes home or gets thrown out. Plan meals per day, buy to that list, and you'll eat well for a fraction of what a 'just in case' shop costs.
Use what you already own
Half your kitchen and wardrobe can go camping as-is. Old pots, cutlery, a chopping board, towels, blankets and warm clothes from home work perfectly — there's no need for 'camping' versions of things you already have. A thick blanket over a borrowed mat can stand in for an expensive sleeping system on a warm night. The marketing makes people feel they need a special version of everything; in reality a box of kitchen odds and ends from home covers most of a camp kitchen for free. Repurpose first, buy last.
Spend the savings on going more often
The real win of budget camping isn't a cheaper single trip — it's being able to go far more often. Once you've borrowed or bought cheap kit and learned the free sites, a weekend away can cost little more than fuel and food. That changes camping from an annual event into something you can do most months. Put the money you'd have blown on gear towards petrol and a few more trips. Experience and good campsites, not equipment, are what make you a better, happier camper.
Little things that make a big difference
Ask around before buying anything — most people who camp have a spare tent or stove they'll lend you for free.
Free camping apps and the national parks websites will map more good cheap sites than you could visit in years.
Op-shops and online marketplace are full of near-new gear from people who tried camping once and quit.
A cheap foam mat under a thin sleeping mat adds warmth for a couple of dollars instead of buying a pricier one.
Shop for food at home, not at the tourist-priced store near the campsite where everything costs double.
Freeze water bottles to use as esky ice — they keep food cold then become cold drinking water as they melt.
Old blankets, towels and warm clothes from home replace expensive 'camping' versions perfectly.
Split costs with friends — one tent, one stove and shared food across two couples halves everyone's spend.
Buy gear at the end-of-season sales, not before a trip, when camping shops slash prices to clear stock.
Keep a permanent 'camp box' of cheap kitchen and odds-and-ends so each trip costs almost nothing to prep.
Beyond the basic checklist
Borrowed tent, mat and stove
Try camping for nothing before spending a cent.
A free-camp app
Finds the cheap and free sites that make camping nearly free.
A cheap esky and frozen water bottles
Free ice that becomes drinking water — keeps food cold for nothing.
A box of kitchen odds-and-ends from home
Replaces a whole 'camp kitchen' purchase for free.
Old blankets and warm clothes
Stand in for pricey sleeping gear on milder nights.
A simple cheap food plan
Pasta, eggs and wraps feed you well for very little.
A second-hand sleeping bag and mat
The one place to spend — but buy used to save.
A reusable camp box
Keeps prep cheap and fast so you camp more often.
Free and low-cost sites are everywhere once you know where to look.
What catches people out
- The gear trap. You do not need a full premium kit to start — borrow and buy cheap first.
- Buying expensive before you know how you camp. You'll almost certainly pick the wrong thing.
- Skimping on the sleeping mat and bag. A cold, sleepless night is the false economy that ends people's camping.
- Over-catering. Far too much food gets bought, then wasted — plan meals per day and buy to a list.
- Shopping near the campsite. Tourist-strip prices wreck a budget trip.
- Ignoring booking and fire rules at free sites. A fine or being turned away costs far more than the saving.
Ready to turn this into a plan?
Build a packing list tailored to your trip and step through the rest in the right order.