Is Hiking Expensive? Breaking Down The Costs

Many people want to start going on hikes, adventuring and seeing cool views. Costs are an important consideration because budgeting can allow you to know in advance how much you can expect to spend, and maybe where you can save so you can hike longer. So is hiking expensive?

Hiking is a low-cost activity when compared to other outdoor hobbies. The major cost of hiking is gear, which may be kept to a minimum by selecting affordable beginner equipment. Experienced hikers invest in more expensive high-end equipment.

But there are a lot of things that go into hiking, some places you should invest more or less into. In the rest of this post, we’ll break down the costs.

How much does hiking cost?

Expect to spend between $20 and $30 each day hiking for supplies. Transportation and admission fees vary greatly depending on the destination and your region.

The most significant costs of hiking are usually gear, clothing, and footwear, which are entry fees to the hobby. When you have your equipment you can use it every time you go hiking. We’ll go into the costs of hiking gear later in the post.

Hiking does have some costs besides equipment. You need to get supplies, go to your hiking destination, and pay entrance fees (if there are any). This all costs some money.

Relative to other outdoor sports, though, hiking is considered quite cheap. You do have to initially invest money into your gear, but the barrier to entry isn’t very high, and the expendables costs are quite low.

The costs of hiking also depend on how long you plan to hike. This will affect the type and amount of supplies you’ll need, any fees that you might need to pay, but especially your gear. Long treks require much better gear, which does scale and cost more.

So let’s break down the different costs of hiking, starting with expendables, and then consider gear costs.

Supplies

Hiking supplies consist of food and water, but also wearables and toiletries. Of course, shorter trips require fewer supplies.

For food, you can choose to bring food you can cook on the spot like rice, lentils, and quinoa, canned food like tuna and sardines, and preserved food like cheese and dry sausage. For snacks, many bring nuts, trail mixes, and energy bars. This should all cost around 10$ to 20$ per day.

Alternatively, you can pack freeze-dried food, which is more expensive but more comfortable (a freeze-dried meal typically costs around 10$ based on prices on Amazon)

What’s important with food is that you bring enough calories to keep your energy level throughout the trip. Hiking is an intense sport that burns a lot of calories.

For water, I usually bring a prefilled hydration pack and a water bottle, filling them with clean water whenever I can. Some longer trips do require that you bring a water filter which can add to the costs.

Additional supplies like toiletries can add a little to the costs, but typically people already have most of the things they need for the trip.

Transportation

Transportation costs vary based on the destination. If you’re hiking close by to where you live, these can be close to zero. If you’re flying to a different country for a special trek – of course, costs might be high.

Typically people do drive a bit to different locations for hiking since interesting spots are usually out in the rural areas.

Plan ahead and take transportation costs into account when planning your specific trip. Consider how you’re going to travel (car / bus / train / boat / plane) and the expected costs.

Entry fees

Many hiking spots are free to go to, but some do have entry fees. Some state parks, for example, charge flat fees for entry. If you’re planning to hike a lot in state parks, you can opt to purchase a year pass to reduce costs.

Some destinations don’t allow you to hike without hiring the services of guides and porters. These services can cost quite a bit, and vary widely, but they’re usually required for high-altitude thru-hiking and trekking, in unfamiliar places.

Based on your specific hike, you should check whether a guide a required or you can do the hike without one.

How much does hiking gear cost?

You may expect to spend roughly 1000$ on basic hiking gear. These costs can be minimized by shopping on a budget and taking advantage of promotions. High-end light trekking equipment can cost thousands of dollars.

The main investments with hiking gear are hiking boots, a backpack, a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping pad, and a cooking system. Additional items include trekking poles, hiking pants, shirts and underwear, socks, and a jacket.

If you’re just starting out, mainly invest in the most important items, and go for cheaper starter gear. You won’t really need the high-end items until you have more experience and go on tougher hikes.

Here’s a table with the rough expected costs for essential starter hiking items((The expected costs are based on top starter items for each category in REI.)):

Starter Gear Item	Expected Cost (USD)
Hiking boots	150
Backpack	200
2-Person Backpacking tent	250
Sleeping bag	100
Sleeping pad	50
Cooking system	120

The rest of your budget can go to clothes and accessories.

Of course, you can choose to invest more into some of these items, or add additional important items from the list above. I think these are the most essential items a new hiker should invest most into.

High-end items cost a lot but are typically much lighter and high quality, so they’ll usually last longer. I think it’s unnecessary for someone just starting out with hiking to invest in ultralight equipment, before even seeing whether they like the hobby, but that’s up for preference.

Conclusions

While the barrier to entry with hiking can be significant, hiking itself is a very affordable hobby, compared to other outdoor activities.

The cost of starter hiking gear shouldn’t be more than 1000$, and the expendables typically cost up to 30$ per day.

In my opinion, hiking is definitely worth the initial investment. You’ll have cool experiences and see things there’s no other way to see. I hope this post was helpful!