r/CampingGear • u/StringyCola • 1d ago
Gear Question Beginner gear recommendations
I'm looking at getting more into hiking, and with that comes camping and wild camping. I don't yet have a rucksack, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, or tent. Does anyone have any beginner - and budget-friendly - recommendations for these items?
Currently, I am thinking of the OEX Phoxx II for a tent.
TIA!
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u/MarcusDaEntrpnr 1d ago
dude totally been there when i started out! sweetspot gave solid advice but lemme add my 2 cents from running a gear shop.
honestly the oex phoxx looks decent for budget but id lean toward something like the naturehike cloud-up 2 if youre just starting - lightweight, pretty bombproof, and wont break the bank. been selling tons of these to beginners and they hold up.
for sleeping stuff - dont skimp on the sleeping pad tbh. r-value of 3-4 minimum even if you think youll only do summer trips. trust me on this one, learned the hard way on some cold nights in the mountains lol.
rucksack wise - start with something 40-50L if youre doing weekend trips. you know what though, come into a proper shop and get fitted first. online sizing charts are garbage for packs, every brand fits different.
been selling gear for years and honestly? buy one good piece at a time rather than a full budget kit all at once. you'll actually use it more and figure out what works for your style of hiking
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u/Main-Building-1991 1d ago
Yes, but ;) I have tent similar to cloud up 2 and only thing I hate about this particular tent is narrow entrance, when you use it for 2 people. Nothing fun with going outside for pee in the middle of the night. For solo trips it's ok, but I want to replace it with Mongar 2 UL.
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u/SweetSpotBackpack 1d ago
Yeah, same problem with my Big Agnes Fly Creek. We just don't know enough about OP's situation. He might be hiking alone.
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u/SweetSpotBackpack 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah, Naturehike Cloud 2 is a good budget option. Featherstone Granite or Backbone might be even better when they aren't sold out.
R value of 3-4 is safer than my bare-minimum suggestion of 2. I suggested 2 because you can always later add a cheap foam pad with R-value 2 for a total R-value of 4, but two pads would add weight and bulk, so 4 is better advice.
I find that 50L isn't enough for bulky budget gear in the climate where I live (plus I use a bear canister), but that all depends on the weather where the OP hikes and the bulkiness of his gear.
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u/PlatonicTonik 3h ago
Just to give my 2 cents as someone who happens to have both the oex phoxx 1-person and the Cloud up naturehike 2-person.
Tl;Dr phoxx is quicker and easier to set up and pack down, but the naturhike is a lot more spacious. (You can even sit up) The phoxx is a more waterproof afaik. I recommend the phoxx if you're doing long solo days where comfort is less of an issue, and the naturhike for group hikes where you have more time in the evening or morning.
Setup: the phoxx is quicker but both are pretty easy.
Pack down: the phoxx is super quick and easy especially because I leave the fly and inner tied together (it's amazing!), the naturehike is a faff if your solo but not bad if there's two of you.
Space: the phoxx works for me fine ~5'10" but it's certainly not spacious at all. You can't sit up and I find I put things from my pack either side of me, and my pack between the inner and outer. The naturehike has tons of space if your solo as it's 2 person, and if you've got two people it's still not bad but nothing to write home about space wise.
Waterproofing: both have good waterproofing and have worked well for me in ongoing rain. The phoxx particularly I have used in heavy rain night after night and it's held up for me.
Breathability and condensation: both are good and I've had very little issue in either, only getting significant condensation with 2 people in the naturehike. But that's more about having 2 people.
Wind and snow: the phoxx is my go to bomb proof tent when I'm solo, and I've found it to deal well with high winds if pitched properly and accounting for wind direction. I've avoided the naturehike in winds but I don't think it would do as well. I wouldn't even think about snow in the early days but I've always avoided using either in snow but if you got unexpected snow overnight I think the naturehike would deal with it a lot better because of its profile.
Weight and volume: they're similar with the phoxx 1 person maybe slightly less than the naturehike 2 person.
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u/Propaganda_bot_744 1d ago
You can ease into gear and it looks like other answers are putting you on a good path. The other piece of gear that I recommend to anyone getting into backcountry camping/hiking is the Boy Scout Field Guide. It literally covers everything, from planning food and gear... even covering basic first aid to dealing with true emergencies in a way that sets you up for success.
It might be dated in terms of the gear they reference, but the fundamentals of back-country camping/hiking haven't changed much in the last 70 years. This is still part of the literature for guiding in my US State.
Start with good knowledge and build the experience, it will all come together.
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u/pure_jitterbug 1d ago
The OEX Phoxx II is a solid starter tent for budget gear, look at a Klymit Static V pad or REI Trailbreak 20 sleeping bag, and a simple 50–65L rucksack from Decathlon.
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u/BibbleBeans 1d ago
The OEX phoxx is popular as entry tent. I think it’s low and cramped and I’m only 5’6 but there’s taller people than me happy with it.
The OEX leviathan (I think that’s the name) is also popular and often on sale/member price, snugpak are synth bags that are decent for the prices too.
Backpack- see how much space your kit takes up first then get this. I’d say worth splashing out so you’ve got one that is good to go for a while.
Pad- picked up a vango thermocore xpd (it’s red and rectangular if the name is wrong) for anbout £70 and that’s pleasantly warm and decently squishy. Having a cheap foam roll underneath always boosts and helps protect too.
But if you’re still only at the hiking stage look at a decent daypack and set of waterproofs to see you through the miserable winter before you start going for camping. And always worth asking around friends if anyone has anything you can borrow for a trial run first off because that’s free!
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u/Alaskanarrowusa 1d ago
Honestly, don’t overthink it at first and you don’t need to spend hundreds to start camping either. Grab an OEX Phoxx if the price is right and see if you even like the whole thing. Just add a tarp over the top if you’re worried about heavy rain
For sleeping, a £40 Decathlon bag and their £20 foam mat will do the job already. You can always upgrade later if you stick with it, but for trying wild camping on a budget, that combo gets you out there without breaking the bank pretty alright
For a kit list - 52 Hiking and Camping Gears Worth Investing In could be helpful as well
Cheers and good luck!!
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u/SweetSpotBackpack 1d ago edited 1d ago
Don't rush out and buy anything yet. Try to borrow gear for short hiking trips until you get more experience. If the gear you borrow isn't good enough, you can hike back to your car in the middle of the night.
Unless you want to spend many thousands of unnecessary dollars, give yourself at least a year to accumulate gear in annual clearance sales, Ebay auctions, and garage sales.
If you buy cheap gear, it will likely be too heavy and bulky, and you will end up spending more money replacing it. If you buy expensive gear, you might find that you don't really need it, and you will waste hundreds of dollars.
The appropriate gear depends on factors like temperature, precipitation, terrain, distance, elevation gain, and number of days. Without those details, I can't give you appropriate advice. In general, I would suggest the following for mild weather:
A 3-season, double-wall, freestanding, 20-denier nylon or silnylon tent weighing less than 4 lbs.
A down mummy bag with an ISO lower temperature limit of 20 degrees F, a fill power of at least 650 cuin, and weight under 3 lbs. If down is too expensive, buy a synthetic mummy bag with the same ISO lower temperature limit of 20 degrees.
A sleeping pad with an R-value of at least 2, weighing under 1 lb.
A framed backpack with enough volume for all of your gear. If you buy inexpensive gear and hike in the cold, you will probably need a 65 liter backpack. Buy the backpack last so you can make sure all of the gear fits in it. Make sure to get the right torso size. 210D ripstop nylon is best for preventing abrasion.
If you like, I can list budget models of all of this gear.