My Montana Camping Quest: the Shopping

The commitment is made when you insert the credit card in the little machine.

I had written earlier about the bare essentials for camping this summer.  The next step is the acquisition of the equipment.  Yes, that means shopping.

While I have some of the smaller items already, I needed a tent, sleeping bag and a backpack.  And a sign at the national forest said I must have a shovel and bucket.

Two factors guided my decisions: Weight, because I am not an athlete; and Cost, because I am an utter cheapskate.

The first round of preparation began in two locations.

Shipton's Big R, Heights

Close to home, my first stop reaped a sleeping bag for as cold as 25 degrees F and a new first aid kit.  I also found a tick remover, a little device so I don't have to touch the little blood suckers.  Tent pole splint and emergency poncho.  Total cost just over $87.

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Scheels, West Billings

Every department in this facility is massive; you could wander for a full day to see everything and look for what you need, with selections abound.  To save time, I consulted with a nice young man, Nick, who agreed with my choice of pack ($190), found a compact tent ($120), and gave me choices on a camp shovel.  I found a light food bag and some nylon rope.

With the balance and my good credit, I qualified for a Scheels credit card, lopping off about $95.  Here's the trick, gentle Reader: pay the balance every time you get the bill.  This saves you from the 28% interest rate this retailer will charge.

Car shows and fashion shows have the pretty girls modeling.  I have a pretty model too.  But Nyx wasn't very photogenic at the time.

Balance from Scheels: just over $263.

Camping is not an inexpensive pastime at the start.

Assembling just these few essentials already ran me up $350 and I'm not done yet.  So for anyone thinking of camping, be open-eyed and ready for the investment, or build up your equipment a little at a time.

Next lesson for me on camping: pitching a modern tent.