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Anonymous
If you're sticking to rural areas, wild camping shouldn't be a problem - find somewhere discreet, pitch your tent in the dying of the light and pack up at dawn. You'll want to have the odd night in a cheap motel to get a hot shower and a proper bed. If you're carrying a basic cook kit (my preferred system is a small woodstove, a large aluminium mug with lid and a LightMyFire spork) then food should cost no more than a couple of bucks a day - oatmeal, instant soups, ramen noodles, cous cous and nuts provide the bulk of my calories when travelling, with fresh fruit and veg whenever I pass through towns.
Forget fancy kit - it just doesn't stand up to long-distance travel. HiTec trail shoes or boots are the preferred choice of most people I know - they're not the fanciest or the most durable of boots, but they're readily available, comfy for most feet and very cheap for the mileage you get out of them. Don't worry too much about kit, if it works for you then it's the right kit - focus on carrying as little stuff as you can get away with and always try to get the lightest equipment you can afford. Almost without exception, British soldiers use Snukpak Softie sleeping bags, Karrimor Sabre rucksacks and Buffalo smocks in preference to their issued kit, which should give you an idea. The Hilleberg Akto tent is stunningly good, but just as stunningly pricey. The Gelert Solo is tolerably usable and stunningly cheap. Silva compasses are the only ones to buy - get the cheapest baseplate model, the Field 7 IIRC.
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