Frugal Camping with Kylie

Since we are all officially in the summertime, I wanted to share frugal travel ideas for June. Travel is the number one goal of clients of the Financial Gym, and it has been for the past ten years. However, as most of us know, travel can be an expensive goal, so I always love the opportunity to help my clients achieve their goals, like travel, frugally so that we still have cash left over for all of the other life goals we have.

Kicking off June is my teammate and long-time podcast listener, Kylie Lipinski, to share her tips and tricks for frugal camping. I’ve never really seen myself as the camping sort, but I’ve witnessed my clients experience the joys of it, especially in their bank accounts. Kylie joins me today to share how she converted to a camping fan and how you can do it too. Full disclosure: I’m ready to join the camping club after this episode, and I hope you are too.  

What are we drinking?

Kylie - Virginia Peaches American Wheat Ale from Starr Hill Brewery

Shannon - Rose

Podcast Notes

Can camping be for everyone? 

  • Kylie’s first camping memories with her family are not pleasant. Each year it got a little bit better as they started spending time each summer camping with friends at a local campground. 

  • In college, she decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. She had never made a long-distance backpacking trip until then, and it kickstarted a pattern of camping on weekends and during vacations.   

  • There are different levels of camping! Some of them are more frugal than others, but how you want to camp ultimately depends on your preferences and accessibility needs.  

  • It’s natural to be worried about sharing the outdoors with wild animals. In most places, the animals are not interested in you but rather the food you have with you. 

  • Always make sure food is sealed tight, and you take proper precautions for the wildlife in the area you are camping. This can include things like bear spray and animal-proof food containers. 

  • Make sure to leave any site cleaner than you found it and take all trash and waste with you. 

If I’m brand new to camping, where do I get started?  

  • Location: If you’re trying for the first time, find somewhere close to home. It can be as simple as your backyard. 

  • There are different levels of accommodations, from full-service cabins to campsites with a few amenities to hiking into the woods and finding a spot to set up on your own and ‘fully roughing it.’ You can start wherever you’re ready!

  • Free and discounted options are available through the National Forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. These can be a wonderful place to get started, as some facilities and drive-up campsites. 

  • Places like FreeCampSites.Net and the iOverLander app will have ratings and information about the campsites from other folks who have visited. You can read them when deciding where to stay. 

  • Kylie took a road trip out west and did a mix of car and tent camping. They visited several national parks, which you can camp in, but you have to plan in advance and pay. Outside the parks are National Forests, where you can camp for free. They stayed outside Grand Canyon National Park, Bryce Canyon, and Zion and mostly camped for free. 

  • Gear: You don’t have to purchase a lot of fancy gear to get started. You can always borrow it or even rent it. This way, you can try out camping and different types of equipment before investing in your expensive items. 

  • Start with the necessities and build your collection as you learn what you like and how adventurous you want to be. 

  • You will need somewhere to sleep. That can be in a tent or in your car. You’ll also want a sleeping pad and sleeping bag. 

  • If you plan to camp for long periods, a camp chair and shoes to wear around the site can be great. Proper layers are a good investment because it gets cold at night, even in the summer. You can never go wrong with a great down jacket. 

How can we make camping frugal? 

  • Frugal camping is about finding a balance between cost-saving measures and enjoying your outdoor experience. Adjust any ideas based on your personal preferences and camping style. 

  • Start by borrowing or renting gear if you’re new. This will allow you to make sure you like camping and test out what equipment you want to invest in. 

  • Share the experience with friends or family. It’s safer to explore in groups, and you can split the costs of equipment and food. Splitting expenses can help reduce the overall financial burden.

  • When you know you’re into camping and want to start doing it more frequently, investing in high-quality gear can save money in the long run. Durable gear lasts longer. But, also avoid buying unnecessary camping gadgets and gear. Stick to the essentials and focus on what will make your experience the most enjoyable. 

  • When you’ve been backpacking all day, any food tastes good. Even folks who take long backpacking trips can get creative with what they eat. Create a camping meal plan and make a grocery list before your trip. This will help ensure you have plenty of food without waste. What you pack depends on the type of camping you plan to do. 

  • Plan trips for the off-season, like camping in spring or fall! Camping during non-peak times means campsites are less crowded and less expensive. 

Resources Mentioned in the Episode: 

Takeaway: My biggest takeaway is to try anything once, and maybe sometimes twice, especially when it comes to frugal travel hacking, you never know how it may grow on you and your bank account will be happy that you did. 

Random Three Questions

  1. What are some of your camping wishlist destinations?

  2. If you were given $50,000 to travel, where would you go?

  3. What are you currently binging?

Connect with Kylie

Kylie Lipinski, Level 2 Certified Financial Trainer 

If you have any topics you would like me to cover on this podcast, or if you’d like to get in the financially naked hot seat, I encourage you to email me at Shannon@fingyms.com, or join the private Martinis and Your Money Face, and let me know what you want to hear.

A recent Financial Health Network study revealed that only 31% of Americans were financially healthy. Only 23% of women and only 15% of black people were. Financial health is a crisis in the US but it doesn’t need to stay that way. At the Financial Gym, we’ve spent the last 10 years working one-on-one with our members to help them achieve their financial health goals.

With a 90% success rate and with memberships starting as low as $35 a month, Financial Gym is not only the inflation-proof source for financial wellness for anyone but also a trusted and capable partner for your financial wellness journey. Head over to, or send friends to, financialgym.com and schedule a warm up call today. As a reminder, our warm up call team is staffed with amazing and current Financial Gym clients that can answer any of your questions about our program without any pressure to join. The call is free, so you have nothing to lose. 

Shannon McLayComment