Top 12 'Thru-Hike-Ready' Gear Upgrades to do in a Single Weekend on a Shoestring Budget - Goh Ling Yong
The dream of a thru-hike—the long, winding trail, the self-reliance, the breathtaking vistas—can feel a million miles away when you look at the price tags on ultralight gear. It's easy to get discouraged, thinking you need to drop thousands of dollars before you can even take your first step on the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. The message from glossy outdoor magazines often seems to be: spend more, carry less.
But what if I told you that the journey to becoming 'thru-hike-ready' doesn't start at the checkout counter? It starts with ingenuity, a little bit of elbow grease, and one free weekend. The truth is, some of the most impactful upgrades you can make to your backpacking setup are also the cheapest and quickest. These are the small, smart changes that shave ounces, add convenience, and build the resourceful mindset that every successful thru-hiker needs.
This guide is your weekend battle plan. We've compiled 12 high-impact, low-cost gear upgrades you can knock out between Friday evening and Sunday night. Forget expensive shopping sprees. Grab your existing gear, a few household items, and let's get you one giant leap closer to the trail.
1. Revolutionize Your Water System with a Sawyer Squeeze
If you're still carrying a bulky pump filter or relying solely on chemical tablets, this is your single most important upgrade. The Sawyer Squeeze (or the lighter Sawyer Micro) is the gold standard for thru-hikers for a reason: it's incredibly lightweight, fast, reliable, and has a ridiculously long lifespan. The best part? It costs a fraction of most pump filters.
The upgrade isn't just buying the filter; it's about building the system. Ditch the flimsy squeeze pouches that come with it. Instead, grab a couple of 1-liter Smartwater bottles (or any brand with the same standard thread). One bottle becomes your "dirty" water scoop, and the other is for your clean water. You can drink directly from the filter screwed onto the dirty bottle, or squeeze water through it into your clean bottle.
Pro-Tip: For a truly hands-off system, create a simple gravity filter. All you need is a small coupling piece (like the Sawyer gray coupling ring or even a simple washer that fits) to connect the filter to a bottle cap. Poke a hole in the cap, attach the filter, and you can hang your dirty water bag or bottle to effortlessly filter water into your clean bottle while you set up camp.
2. Craft a DIY Pot Cozy
This might sound trivial, but a pot cozy is a game-changer for fuel efficiency and your mealtime routine. The concept is simple: by insulating your pot after you've brought your water to a boil, you can turn off your stove and let your food "cook" using the retained heat. This means you carry less fuel, which saves both weight and money over the course of a long hike.
You can make a perfect pot cozy in under 30 minutes. Head to any hardware store and buy a small roll of Reflectix insulation (the silver bubble wrap stuff) and a roll of aluminum foil tape. Trace the bottom of your cook pot and cut two circles. Then, measure the circumference and height of your pot and cut a rectangle. Tape it all together to form a snug-fitting sleeve and a lid.
Pro-Tip: Make the cozy slightly larger than your pot. This allows you to store your stove, a small fuel canister, and a lighter inside the pot, all nestled within the cozy for a compact, rattle-free kitchen kit.
3. Repackage Mercilessly
Original packaging is your enemy. It's bulky, heavy, and often not waterproof. This weekend, your mission is to liberate everything from its commercial prison. Go through your food, your first-aid kit, and your toiletries, and get ruthless.
For food, take everything out of the boxes. Repackage pasta, rice, and oatmeal into Ziploc freezer bags. Squeeze peanut butter and olive oil into smaller, more durable plastic bottles or specialized food-grade tubes. For your first-aid kit, ditch the plastic case. Group items like bandages, antiseptic wipes, and pills into tiny, labeled Ziploc bags. The same goes for toiletries: squeeze toothpaste into a tiny dropper bottle and cut your bar of soap into a smaller chunk.
Pro-Tip: Use a permanent marker to write cooking instructions and calorie counts directly on the Ziploc bags for your meals. It saves you from guessing and helps you track your energy intake on the trail.
4. Build an Ultralight Alcohol Stove
Ready for a classic DIY backpacking project? The alcohol stove is an ultralight rite of passage. While canister stoves are convenient, they can be heavy, and finding fuel canisters in small trail towns can be hit-or-miss. An alcohol stove, on the other hand, weighs less than an ounce and runs on denatured alcohol or HEET gas-line antifreeze (the yellow bottle), which is available in almost any gas station or hardware store.
There are dozens of designs online, but one of the easiest and most effective is the "Super Cat" stove. It's made from a single aluminum cat food or tuna can. All you need is the can, a hole punch, and a pair of scissors or tin snips. In about 15 minutes, you'll have a functional, featherlight stove that will impress your friends and boil water surprisingly fast.
Pro-Tip: Also craft a windscreen from heavy-duty aluminum foil. An effective windscreen is crucial for an alcohol stove's performance and will drastically improve its fuel efficiency on breezy days.
5. Swap Out Your Tent Stakes
This is one of the easiest "plug-and-play" upgrades you can make. The stakes that come with most tents are an afterthought—they're often heavy, round, and bend the first time they encounter a rock. For a small investment, you can shed several ounces and gain a massive increase in holding power and durability.
Look for stakes with a "Y-beam" or "V-shape" design, like the MSR Groundhog or similar, more affordable alternatives from brands like DAC or TNH. These aluminum stakes offer a fantastic strength-to-weight ratio and hold securely in a wide variety of soil conditions. You can often find them sold individually or in packs of 6-8.
Pro-Tip: You don't need to carry the same number of stakes the manufacturer provided. Count the minimum number of stakes your tent actually needs for a taut pitch (usually 4-6 for the corners and vestibules) and only carry that many.
6. Ditch the Pack Cover for a Pack Liner
A rain cover for your backpack seems logical, but it has flaws. It can get snagged on branches, it doesn't protect your pack's back panel from rain running down your back, and if you slip during a river crossing, your pack will still get flooded. The superior, cheaper, and lighter solution is to waterproof your gear from the inside with a pack liner.
The most budget-friendly option is a heavy-duty contractor's trash bag. They are tough, completely waterproof, and cost pennies. Simply open it up inside your empty pack, and then pack your sleeping bag, clothes, and other water-sensitive items inside the bag before sealing it up. For a slightly more durable (but still cheap) option, look for a Nylofume pack liner online.
Pro-Tip: Using a liner means your pack itself will get wet, but the important stuff inside will stay bone dry. This is a core ultralight backpacking philosophy: protect the critical gear, and accept that the outside will get dirty and wet.
7. Make the Switch to Trail Runners
This might be controversial for old-school hikers, but ditching heavy, waterproof hiking boots for lightweight, breathable trail running shoes is one of the best upgrades you can make for your body. The old adage "a pound on your feet is like five on your back" is absolutely true. Lighter feet mean less fatigue, more miles, and happier joints.
Trail runners are also cheaper, require little to no break-in period, and they dry out incredibly fast. A wet leather boot can stay wet for days, leading to blisters and discomfort. A wet trail runner will be damp in the morning but often dry out within a couple of hours of hiking.
Pro-Tip: You don't need the latest $180 model. Go to a local running store or browse online retailers for last season's models of popular trail runners (like the Altra Lone Peak or Hoka Speedgoat). You can often find them for 30-50% off.
8. Create Your Own Minimalist First-Aid Kit
Pre-packaged first-aid kits are notoriously overweight and filled with items you'll likely never use on a typical thru-hike. Building your own allows you to carry exactly what you need and nothing more, saving significant weight and space. The focus should be on common trail ailments: blisters, cuts, pain, and allergies.
Gather these essentials: a few fabric bandages of various sizes, a small tube of antibiotic ointment, a couple of antiseptic wipes, a small roll of medical tape or Leukotape for blisters, a few tablets of an anti-inflammatory (like Ibuprofen), and an antihistamine (like Benadryl). That's it. Put it all in a single small Ziploc bag. As my friend and mentor Goh Ling Yong always advises, "Prepare for the probable, not every possible."
Pro-Tip: Wrap a few feet of Leukotape or duct tape around your trekking pole or a small lighter. This saves you from carrying the whole bulky roll while ensuring you have this multi-purpose miracle tape on hand.
9. Replace Heavy Guy Lines and Ropes
Just like tent stakes, the guy lines and cords that come with your tent, tarp, or even on your stuff sacks are often unnecessarily thick and heavy. Swapping them out for a modern, high-tech cord can shave a surprising amount of weight and reduce bulk.
Look for a cord like 1.5mm or 2mm Dyneema (also known as AmSteel or Zing-It). This stuff is mind-bogglingly strong for its weight, doesn't stretch when it gets wet, and is incredibly slick. Replace your tent's main guy lines and any accessory cords. You can also use it to create a lightweight clothesline or bear-bagging rope.
Pro-Tip: Spend an hour this weekend practicing a few key knots. A taut-line hitch (for adjusting tension), a bowline (a secure loop), and a trucker's hitch (for mechanical advantage) will serve you incredibly well on the trail and eliminate the need for heavy plastic tensioners.
10. Cut a Sit Pad from a Foam Mat
Having a small, insulated, waterproof pad to sit on during breaks is a luxury you won't want to live without. It keeps your rear end warm, dry, and clean, whether you're taking a break on wet ground or a splintery log. But you don't need to buy a dedicated one.
Go to any big-box store and buy the cheapest closed-cell foam sleeping pad you can find (they're usually less than $15). A single one of these can be cut up to create sit pads for your entire hiking crew. Just cut a section that's roughly 10x15 inches. It weighs next to nothing and can be conveniently stashed in your pack's outer pocket for quick access.
Pro-Tip: This simple piece of foam is a multi-tool. Use it as a kneeling pad when cooking, a clean surface for organizing gear, a base to put your stove on, or even as a fan to stoke a campfire.
11. Supercharge Your Headlamp
No, you don't need to buy a new headlamp. You can upgrade the one you have for free. First, if your headlamp uses standard AA or AAA batteries, consider switching to their lithium-ion equivalents. Lithium batteries weigh significantly less than alkalines and perform much better in cold weather.
Second, if your headlamp doesn't have a red-light mode, you can easily make one. A red light is essential for preserving your night vision when you're in camp or in a crowded tent/shelter. Find a small piece of red plastic (like from a bottle cap or a report cover) and use a tiny piece of clear tape to create a little flip-down filter over the main bulb.
Pro-Tip: Always carry a spare set of batteries, but don't keep them in the headlamp. This prevents the headlamp from accidentally turning on in your pack and draining the batteries completely.
12. Turn Your Smartphone into a Pro Navigation Tool
A dedicated GPS unit is an expensive, heavy, and largely unnecessary piece of gear for most established thru-hikes. The powerful GPS chip in the smartphone you already own is more than capable. The "upgrade" here is in software and preparation.
This weekend, download a quality backcountry navigation app like Gaia GPS or FarOut (formerly Guthook). FarOut is the standard for most major long-distance trails, providing crowd-sourced water reports, campsite locations, and town information. Spend time at home, on your Wi-Fi, downloading the offline maps for your entire intended trail. This is the crucial step. It allows you to navigate accurately for weeks without a single bar of cell service.
Pro-Tip: Master the art of battery conservation. Keep your phone in airplane mode at all times unless you are actively trying to make a call. Turn down the screen brightness and use a small, lightweight power bank (around 10,000 mAh is a good starting point) to recharge it every few days. I, Goh Ling Yong, have hiked entire sections of trails using nothing but my phone and a power bank for navigation.
Your Journey Starts Now
There you have it—12 simple, affordable, and effective ways to transform your gear from "weekend warrior" to "thru-hike-ready." Completing even a few of these projects will not only lighten your pack but will also give you a deeper, more intimate understanding of your gear. That knowledge and confidence are just as valuable as any piece of titanium you could buy.
The path to a thru-hike is a marathon, not a sprint, and it begins with these small, deliberate steps. So pick a few upgrades from this list, clear your weekend schedule, and get to work. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.
What are your favorite budget gear hacks? Did we miss any? Share your best tips in the comments below—let's help each other get out on the trail
About the Author
Goh Ling Yong is a content creator and digital strategist sharing insights across various topics. Connect and follow for more content:
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