If you are anything like me walking into camping store is just like walking into a sweet shop when you were a child. You could end up buying the store! However you need the right gear whether it will be hiking or camping. Whilst hiking or camping is not really an expensive pastime compared to others, it is easy to get carried away and spend many dollars in camping stores. Of course you will be paying the top prices in general and therefore this can be a problem.
There are a number of ways you can get cheaper deals elsewhere.
Firstly consider department stores selling camping equipment at the end of the season. They need to get clear of their stock to make way for the new season gear. This therefore presents opportunities for deals on camping gear working out cheaper than stores for camping.
Buying camping gear online will be cheaper, however be careful here. You need to try and get expert advice that is not for the online. Especially items like rucksacks and in particular hiking boots I would never buy online. Choosing these items is a whole separate subject however I strongly suggest you buy these items from camping stores. Purchasing all other item types online that is great.
Of course some gear you can borrow such as a tent or stove. Other equipment you can even hire if you are not going to be hiking or camping again. I have even heard of people holding private parties for camping gear. These options may not be the common ways of buying camping gear but certainly cheaper than camping stores.
So in summary you just need to be sensible when buying camping gear. Some items you need to buy from camping stores however you can reduce the cost by simply using other methods mentioned above.