How to Save Money on Gear with Credit Cards
One of the biggest things that prevent someone from hiking and backpacking is usually the price of gear. It’s understandable. Paying hundreds of dollars just for key pieces of equipment needed to start a new hobby is a lot.
Especially when you’re trying to get into a sport like backpacking or even thru-hiking where lightweight gear matters and is very pricy.
I started hiking and backpacking in college, and since I was a college kid who didn’t have much to put towards her adventures, I started with cheaply made gear. Which ended up costing me more money than if I had just saved for the better quality gear. Because after one trip, the $20 backpack hurt my back and would dig into my shoulders. My $50 sleeping bag that was supposed to be rated for 30 degrees, kept me up all night in the 50’s because I was cold… and I can keep going.
If you’re someone who travels frequently, then you know that you can redeem credit card points for things like hotel stays, airline tickets, and more. This makes traveling so much easier and more affordable.
But did you know that you can have similar perks when it comes to gear?
This is by far my favorite way to save money on gear and one not many people know about. Using credit card points was how I upgraded all of my gear all of those years ago to the same gear I use today.
Which is why when I discovered the Paceline Credit Card a few months ago, I was beyond excited to share this with you. This is a trick sadly not many people know about and get bummed out when they see the price of gear. But my goal is to help you find creative ways to get outdoors, and this is one of them.
The Paceline Credit Card which takes this entire process to the next level. Because they’re a card specifically designed for outdoorsy folks like us.
Instead of just rewarding you for the standard things you buy like groceries, you get rewarded for being active.
Paceline rewards you with up to 5% cash back on all health, wellness, and fitness purchases. This means you’re getting money back when you shop at places like REI, pay for your gym membership, when you buy hiking clothes or workout clothes, and so much more. Plus you get up to 3% cash back on all other purchases. Terms and Conditions apply.
Plus as an added bonus, Paceline also has an app that rewards you with a selection of gift cards for exercising 150 minutes per week. My personal favorite is the weekly Amazon gift card.
Basically with Paceline, the rewards just keep coming in.
Generally if you invest in quality gear, it will last a long time, but I used to think I’d only buy gear once and that was the end of my REI shopping days.
Once you get into an outdoorsy activity, soon a lot of the others follow. For me it started with snowboarding. Then soon came camping, day hiking and backpacking. A few years later, I’m now picking up rock climbing, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, mountaineering, mountain biking, and backcountry snowboarding.
Some of the gear translates, but I end up shopping around for gear more often than I’d like to admit!
Although when you’re getting started it can feel like a scary thing, it’s kind of a beautiful thing. Your life becomes so much richer because of the experiences you get to have.
Not every outdoorsy hobby will become your main big thing. Like for me, it’s currently backpacking. I love doing longer and more intense backpacking trips because that’s what speaks to my soul. That’s also why I’m getting into mountaineering.
But with activities like stand up paddle boarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, and even snowboarding, it’s another way to experience the outdoors. For some people kayaking becomes an intense sport where they’re kayaking on fast flowing rivers, and that’s amazing! For me, it’s a wonderful way to spend a lazy summer day. Or an activity I can do after work on one of the nearby lakes (now that I live in Seattle).
I don’t share this to scare you from participating in the great outdoors or to imply you will need to spend all of your money and go broke trying to keep up with hobbies. I share this to show you the different experiences you can have in the great outdoors and how to make them more affordable.
This credit card trick will save you hundreds of dollars on gear (if not more). So if you’re ready to apply, click the link here and sign up.
This blog post is sponsored by Paceline but all of my opinions are my own.