Originally Posted By oldranger
Many really good pads are pricey, but a cheap blue foam pad still does fine for me. YMMV.

I was very pleased to find one of the warmest pads for $40. It saved a couple lbs from my old inflatable pad too.

Originally Posted By oldranger
There are acceptable alternatives to a water filter that require much less initial outlay.


Yep, there's pills and boiling. Sometimes you can find a great deal on pills from a hiker that no longer needs them, like this guy:

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57942
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