Good gear with plenty of life left can put a little money back into your travel budget.
A PRACTICAL TRAVEL PROBLEM
Your trek is over. Your trip is not.
What to Do With Camping Gear at the End of Your Trip
A tent, sleeping bag or stove can be exactly what you need for one part of a journey and dead weight for the next. If the gear still works, sell it locally, give it to another traveller, donate it or pass it on before you move on.
WHEN THE ROUTE CHANGES
The gear was useful. Then the trip changed.
This happens on longer trips all the time. You camp for a few weeks, finish a trek, leave colder weather behind or switch from a road trip to hostels and buses.
The equipment did its job. Now you are looking at the same tent or sleeping bag and wondering why you are about to carry it another thousand kilometres.
Taking it home may mean extra baggage. Shipping it can cost more than the gear is worth. Throwing away equipment that still works makes even less sense.
Will I realistically use this during the next part of my trip?
If not, this may be the right place to let it go.
START BEFORE IT GETS URGENT
Do not wait until your last day
It gets much harder to sell or give gear away when your flight leaves in six hours.
If you already know that you will not need something after a trek or road trip, list it while you still have a few days left. Say what it is, what condition it is in, where you are and when a handover could work.
If you are moving through more than one place, mention that too. Someone may not need your tent where you are today. They might be arriving at your next stop on Friday.
A little overlap can be enough.
THREE NORMAL OPTIONS
Sell it, pass it on or give it away
There is no single best option. What matters can change as your departure gets closer.
If time matters more than price, an easy traveller to traveller handover can be the better outcome.
When departure is close, giving useful gear away can make more sense than spending your last day trying to sell it.
Sometimes the best deal is simply not carrying the thing any farther.
THE INTERESTING PART
One traveller is finishing. Another is arriving.
The trek is finished
They have a tent, sleeping bag and stove. The next month is cities, beaches and hostels. The gear has become a burden.
The trek starts tomorrow
They arrive nearby and need almost exactly the same things for the next part of their journey.
One person has too much gear. The other has too little.
The problem is not really the tent. It is whether those two people can find each other while they are still close enough for a handover.
Today that often comes down to luck. The same hostel board, the same local group or the same forum thread at roughly the same time.
That gap is one of the ideas behind TRADEL.
WHY TRAVEL IS DIFFERENT
Travel adds place and timing
Most marketplaces start with the item.
Travel adds two more things. Place and timing.
A tent for sale at home can sit in one pickup location for weeks. A tent carried by a traveller might be in Puerto Natales today, El Calafate a few days later and somewhere completely different next week.
The item matters. The price matters. But where a handover can happen and when it can happen may matter just as much.
TRADEL is built around listings that can belong to people on the move. You can post gear you no longer need and add places where a handover works instead of waiting until the journey is over.
A match is never guaranteed. Local activity still matters. But posting earlier creates a much better chance than trying to solve everything on your final night.
WHAT CAN MOVE ON
What gear can be passed on?
A lot of normal travel gear can have another trip left in it.
- Tents and tarps
- Sleeping bags and sleeping mats
- Trekking poles
- Cooking sets and camping chairs
- Backpacks and dry bags
- Warm layers and rain covers
- Beach gear
- Basic road trip equipment
Clean and dry the gear when you can. Show wear honestly. Mention broken zips, holes, missing parts or anything else the next person should know.
Be more careful with safety critical equipment. Damaged helmets, climbing gear, faulty electronics or anything with an uncertain safety history should not simply be passed on because somebody might take it.
HAVE A BACKUP
What if nobody takes it?
Ask your hostel if they have a noticeboard or know a local second hand shop. Look for outdoor consignment stores, traveller groups or a suitable donation organisation.
The exact answer changes from place to place. What should not change is the basic idea.
Useful gear should not become rubbish only because your route changed.
BEFORE YOU MOVE ON
Another traveller may be at the beginning of the journey you just finished
If you know you will not need something much longer, start early. Post the item, add where a handover works and be honest about the condition.
Then keep travelling.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Camping gear at the end of a trip
Where can I sell camping gear before flying home?
Start before your final day. You can try local second hand marketplaces, traveller communities, outdoor consignment shops or TRADEL. Include your location, the condition of the gear and when a handover is possible.
What can I do with a tent I do not want to take on my next flight?
If it still works, sell it locally, give it to another traveller or donate it. A tent that has become extra baggage for you may be exactly what someone arriving nearby needs.
Can I sell backpacking gear while I am still travelling?
Yes. You do not have to wait until the whole trip is finished. If a trek, camping section or road trip is ending and you know you will not use the gear afterwards, list it before you move on.
When should I list camping gear if I am leaving soon?
As soon as you know you will not need it. A few days of overlap gives another traveller time to find the listing and arrange a handover.
What if nobody wants the gear before I leave?
Try a hostel noticeboard, local traveller group, second hand or consignment shop, or a suitable donation organisation. Ask locally rather than leaving usable gear behind.
Still deciding what to carry in the first place? Read our budget backpacking gear guide.
Budget Backpacking Gear