The Coleman burners that are for sale in Walmart don't have a wind screen. I guess I can make one from aluminum. It seems there aren't any threads in the Saving Money forum. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

Thank you for suggesting that I should try not to blow my budget. The problem is, I don't know when I will be coming back. If at all. So I'm trying to think of everything that I might need. It's probably stupid to do so because by all likelihood I can get items later somehow. Plus part of the goal of my road trip is to find a better place to live, preferably somewhere in the southwest where it's warmer than in the northeast.

I was thinking of getting the following things:

  • Some sort of an all season travel jacket (but I think I'll just make do with the two jackets that I use most often, even if they take more space).
  • Cooler (definitely need this)
  • Single burner portable stove (so that I can save on food by cooking it myself)
  • Butane canisters (definitely need this to power the stove)
  • Sleeping bag (probably not necessary)
  • Sleeping bag liner (probably not necessary)
  • Tent (probably not necessary in the summer; I can just sleep outside on a bench or under a tree)
  • Mini cutting board (they have these for $2.95 ea at REI)
  • Outdoor cutlery set (maybe I can just take some of the cutlery I already have instead; a three item set at REI costs $15.95 which is expensive; I just have to figure out a way to stop the knife from making holes in my plastic bag)
  • Wash & drain bowl (probably need this; but going to see if I can get it for a better price than the $24.95 at Macy's)
  • Camping bowls and plates (gonna visit Savers and/or buy at REI in the worst case scenario; the problem with Savers is that I don't know which plates are heat resistant)
  • Quick dry tea towels ($8 for 2 towels at Walmart; a bit expensive, but I couldn't find anything better; maybe I will just use microfiber rags that I already have and that are washable)
  • Hiking pants (I bought a pair of convertible pants at REI for $49.95, but the bottom parts have mysteriously disappeared even though I left them in my wardrobe; now I need a replacement)


So it seems that most of these items I wouldn't actually need in practice, at least not in the summer. The total for all these items would be about $200. So thanks again for reminding me that it's really not necessary to buy all of them in advance.

The page with travel advice is great! I like everything I read on there.