What kind of camping gear do you need to make your motorhome eco-friendly? If you page through the green camping gear catalogs on (recycled) paper or online, you can easily become overwhelmed by the amount of things vendors try to convince you is necessary to be a responsible citizen.

Americans do love their stuff! But, stocking up on every item the sellers want you to buy defeats part of the purpose of going green by spending more money on more stuff for your RVs.

Use up what you have

People who went through the Great Depression in the 1930s said:  “Use it up, wear it out, make it do.” What do you already own that you can use in your lightweight travel trailers? If what you have adequate bedding, and/or sleeping bags, the wiser thing is to use them until they wear out. As long as what you have is not creating havoc with the environment, you don’t need to buy something new to take its place.

Get your “cheap” on

• Start looking for used gear at flea markets, and yard sales. Feel free to haggle for items – it’s part of the fun.  Maybe you’ll find some LED light fixtures for your Class B RV, or some non-toxic bug repellent.
• Check online at EBay, freecycle.com, Craig’s list, or other similar web sites. The bargains people have found on these sites are legendary.
• Share camping equipment. Form a camping gear cooperative to share the equipment, and the fun. Consider jointly purchasing your high-end items such as a solar oven.
• Don’t go into debt for anything. It seriously increases the size of your carbon footprint.

These are some inexpensive ideas for beginning the green journey. Enjoy the ride.