Hiking without buying gear?

Could I go on an overnihght hike without buying gear?

I set myself a challenge. Go overnight/multiday hiking for nil cost to me.

I wanted to stick as close to possible to my normal hiking packing list.

I assumed that "normal" household items and clothing could be borrowed/repurposed and did not need to be purchased.

The gear had to be suitable for use in most Australian conditions (BUT NOT for extreme environments like snow, desert, or other unique environments. Nor for specialist adventures like yachting, sea kayaking, rafting, etc.)

The Big Three

Pack

• Hiking pack (gifted/side of the road)

• Waterproof Pack Liner (from my home) garbage bags

Shelter

• Tarp/Fly (a plastic sheet - offcuts from building material, 'veg' balls in the corners, and engineers string/cord from your workshop)

• Pegs (found, sticks, rocks, screw drivers).

Sleeping System

• Woollen blanket (from home, to be honest, not really sufficient)

• Bed roll (found, abandoned in the bush)

• Pillow (goon bag)

Clothing

• Fleece jumper

• Rain jacket (one I had)

  • Alternative: a good quality garbage bag with holes cut for your head and arms 

• Beanie (made for me by my wife)

• Thermals (gifted to me by a friend when his dad passed away)

  • Alternative: cheap polypropylene thermals (~$60 for a set)

  • Alternative: an additional fleece

• Gloves (gardening gloves).

  • Alternative: wear socks on your hands!

• Shorts, undies, socks (all stuff from home - just normal clothes)

• Hat (my usual hat from home)

  • Alternative: I've fouind lots of hats on the trail

• Pants ($40, discount hiking store)

  • Alternative: synthetic pants from a sports store (eg athletic pants, leggings/yoga pants.)

• Sunnies (my usual pair)

• Watch (my normal watch)

• Shoes (just the sneakers I wear everywhere)

• Shirt (My dad's old business shirts) synthetic business shirt (or cotton in summer) 

Cooking/Kitchen

• Stove/Burner (home made from soft drink can)

  • Alternative: cook on fire

  • Alternative: cold soak/no fire cooking (increasingly common in Australian summers!)

• Pot stand/stove frame (???)

• Stove wind shield. (Foil from my kitchen)

• Pot/billy (from kitchen)

• Spondonicles (pocketknife/multitool)

• Chopping board (plastic sheet from the bottom of a coles bag)

• Cooler Bag (My mum got it as swag with her new car)

• Waterbottles (Soft drink bottles.)

• Spoon (take one from your kitchen)

• Food storage container. (Empty peanut butter jar)

  • Alternative: tupperware from your kitchen

• Food sorting/storage bags (bread bags from loaves of bread)

  • Alternative: zip loc bags

• Fuel Bottle (use the bottle it came in)

  • Alternative: Small Fuel Bottle (a small soft drink bottle: clearly labelled!) 

• Bowl (Tupperware from my kitchen)

  • Alternative Bowl (Laksa Soup Bowl from takeaway)

• Lighter/Matches

• Pocket knife (gifted to me as a kid)

  • Alternative: if it's for food prep bring one from your kitchen. If it's for first aid then bring the smallest scissors you can find at home instead 

• Water treatment (just boil suspect water)

  • Alternative water treatment (if you are worried then add betadine - a.k.a. povidine iodine. From my home first aid kit)

• Washing up (stuff from my kitchen) (including detergent: I reuse these kids food pouches. They are great!)

Other

• Torch (wind up emergency torch)

• Spare maps, torch, compass, comms device (all available via my phone)

• Sit pad (gardening kneeling pad)

• Trowel (Gardening trowel)

  • Alternative: tent peg

• Toiletries, sunscreen, medicines insect repellent, (all the usual stuff I'd have from home)

• Hand sanitiser (conference swag. I've got so many after covid!)

  • Alternative: Hand wash station (for bigger groups) (goon bag, feeding into an old water bottle with holes punched in the base)

• Compass (Found)

• Trekking poles (Abandoned by someone at an event I was at)

  • Alternative: a stick

• Whistle (I just had one. I honestly don't know where it came from)

• Maps (Printed at home then laminated, from free downloaded PDF maps. Also saved the PDFs to my phone)

• Towel (Conference swag. Free.)

  • Alternative: Towel (Found one half buried in the sand under the water at a beach.)

  • Alternative: drip dry!

• PLB (Emergency Beacon) (These can be borrowed for free in some places. Eg NPWS and Police)

• First aid (stuff from my home first aid kit, plus 2 x Snake Bandages. $20)

• Dry bag (found on the side of a track)

  • Alternative: plastic bags, bread bags, etc.