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Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:54 pm
by markskor
Sitting at my local watering hole, shooting the breeze, we started discussing the cost of backpacking…per day.
Forget about food as you have to eat anyway –
Gas – yes expensive but not a variable here…as not driving while backpacking.

My friend postulated that the actual cost should be computed by taking the cost of a gear item in today’s prices divided by the number of days you have previously used the item.
Thus if a sleeping bag cost you $400 and you have 200 nights using it…this equals $2/day.


Take your top 15 -20 backpacking items carried on your typical summer week-long Sierra adventure,(those on your back only), and compute a per day total.

Mine –
WM Badger - $500 / 500 days = _____________________________ $1/day
Gregory 60 - $350/ 400 days =______________________________ $1
Bearikade Weekender - $275 / 1000 days = ______________________$.28
Prolite plus $100/300 nights =_________________________________$.33
MSR Windpro $100 / 300 nights =_____________________________$.33
WM Flite vest $175/ 200 =__________________________________$1.00
Titanium frypan - $170/400 nights_____________________________$.50
Fishing rod - $100/300 nights =_______________________________$.33
Reel $75/ 2000 nights_______________________________________$.10
Tarptent Rainbow $250/ 300 nights____________________________$.80
Z-ray lures (lose 2 a day?)___________________________________ $5
Lowe GTX boots - $225 / 200 nights____________________________$1
Tilley hat $80/200 nights =___________________________________$.40
TNF Shell $200 / 200 nights =_________________________________$1
H2O filter $100/2500 nights =_________________________________$.03
BD trekking poles $125/ 200 nights_____________________________$.60
Tifosi polarized sunglasses $80/200_____________________________$.40
TNF ¼ zip fleece $80 / 200 days =______________________________$.40
Ensolite pad $15/2000 nights___________________________________$0
Blow-up pillow $35/200 nights =_______________________________$.17

Thus my next backpacking day with this gear will cost me ~ $15, not counting food or beverages to backpack.

Buying new gear kills the average… (Use 1 day for brand new gear.)
IE, Add in my new packraft (which have not received yet) - $250/ 1 night = $250…
Or now $265 per that first fishing day.
After 100 raft days this summer though…back to ~ $17.00/ day.

Anybody want to show their daily backpacking cost?
(BTW, Do not tell the wife!)

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:06 pm
by rlown
Summing up your "costs", it comes out to $3205. I threw 250 buxx in for your lures.

That's what the wife would see; not the amortization/rationalization. :D

One can almost see the master spreadsheet here:

inventory on the left
price, cost, weight columns
used or not per day
and a whole bunch of formulas on the right to calc the cost.

Those things sitting in your closet still cost, even if you didn't take them.

But, I'm not building that spreadsheet. that's my day job and that's already too much fun.

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:59 pm
by oldranger
Mark

Adding that stuff up is the stupidest thing you have ever come up with! :thumbsdown: I don't ever want my wife to see anything like that. I keep things vague and point out our friends who go through new cars and motorcycles like you do z-rays. Please delete your post before kathy sees it! :eek:

Mike

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:56 am
by whrdafamI?
Why put a price on something we love to do?

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:10 am
by oldhikerQ
I agree with Rlown.

"Summing up your "costs", it comes out to $3205.
That's what the wife would see; not the amortization/rationalization."

My beloved would likely kill me if I assembled a similar spreadsheet, which is also something that I am proficient at due to my profession. She knows that I just got a new pack (Altra 65) to replace the Aether 70 that failed me last summer. She has asked about its cost several times, and I was able to tell her (truthfully) that it was covered by the costs of returning the Osprey and torture boots to REI.
The only spreadsheet that she ever sees is the gear packing list when I am pulling stuff out for the next trip. If she went through the gear cabinets in the garage, it would turn into a major inquisition. Come to think of it, that may be why I store my gear in several different locations.

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 7:12 am
by gary c.
I just tell my wife days spent in the backcountry = "PRICELESS"

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 9:39 am
by Jimr
This isn't a daily cost of backpacking, it's merely an erroneous depreciation schedule for your hard assets. Something you could add onto your cost / day, if done correctly. Given the assumptions that you don't drive while backpacking and you have to eat anyway, you can take it further and say you don't purchase anything while backpacking either, so the cost is zero.

I see no valid reason to use replacement cost for your hard assets. The depreciation should be:

(cost of asset - assessed salvage value)/(expected life of asset in years * average bp'ing days per year)

This will give you the average cost per day for your hard assets.

Other costs include all of the terminal and consumable items at cost with two minor adjustments.
add:
food,
(average cost of food and beverage including road trip food and beverage - average cost you would normally consume during the calculation period)/hiking days
---travel food has to be factored in, but food is fairly constant on a daily basis---

gas,
this is more variable, since it is not dependent on the number of days out, so it should probably be annualized.
(average annual gas cost spent driving to and from trailheads - (average normal daily gas consumption * annual trip days both driving and hiking))/annual hiking days
will often be a negative number.

other consumables,
other items including tackle, batteries, and any other items you find needing to buy for nearly every trip * average annual number of trips / average annual hiking days

Less:
average annual reimbursement from hiking buddies splitting costs/annual hiking days.

Hmmm, guess I should get back to work.

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2013 6:24 pm
by rlown
still a fun thread. I have 3 backpacks and 5 sleeping bags.. multiple stoves... and the list goes on. All are viable depending on the trip and time of year. If that's your list Mark, you have it dialed in more than i do; or you suffer more given you've one kit. oh, wait, you're a summer hiker.

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 5:47 pm
by dsundrwd
Getting out of Oakland- priceless

Re: Daily cost to backpack?

Posted: Fri Apr 05, 2013 6:16 pm
by dsundrwd
markskor wrote: Buying new gear kills the average… (Use 1 day for brand new gear.)
IE, Add in my new packraft (which have not received yet) - $250/ 1 night = $250…
Or now $265 per that first fishing day.
After 100 raft days this summer though…back to ~ $17.00/ day.
Seriously, Marksor I remember you posted that you ordered one of those new Klymit rafts, please post a review after you get it & try it out. It would be much appreciated. I'm thinking of getting one instead of hauling my trinity around. Thanks