RDR2 Camp Upgrades: how to unlock the ledger and what to buy first

RDR2 camp upgrades are bought through the Camp Ledger. It lies next to the tithing box in Dutch’s tent. It is not Strauss’s book, as people sometimes assume: Leopold Strauss only gives you the mission that unlocks it, and he runs the medicine wagon.

How to unlock the ledger:

1. Reach Chapter 2, when the gang is camped at Horseshoe Overlook. According to Fextralife, Strauss’s mission appears after the first five missions of the chapter.
2. Complete “Money Lending and Other Sins”: collect a debt from any of the three debtors.
3. Put the collected money in the tithing box. The ledger becomes active after that.

According to Red Dead Wiki, the tithing box itself is there from the end of “Eastward Bound” in Chapter 1, so you can donate before the ledger opens. Upgrades you buy move with the camp to the next chapter, according to rdr2.org, so you never pay for anything twice.

Ledger purchases don’t come out of Arthur’s pocket but out of the camp fund, the total of the whole gang’s donations. PowerPyx and rdr2.org say the fund needs enough money in it. Shacknews adds that Arthur covers any shortfall from his own cash. The safe approach is to fill the box first and then open the ledger.

How to grow the fund:

• Cash and valuables go in the tithing box. According to rdr2.org, donated items are automatically converted to money.
• Pelts, feathers, antlers and teeth go to Pearson. They count toward the camp fund too.
• The gang brings in money on its own, and more often after the First Things First upgrade.

Donations also raise Honor: according to Red Dead Wiki, it takes a contribution of $20 or more. Good and perfect meat or carcasses for Pearson add Honor as well. More on the meter in our RDR2 Honor guide, and how to fill the fund fast in how to make money in RDR2.

The ledger also lets you restock the three supply wagons: medicine, ammo and provisions. The wagon icon color shows how much is left: red is low, white is medium, gold is plenty.

Each wagon starts at a free base tier: Strauss has regular medicine and bitters, Pearson has bread and crackers, Arthur has revolver and pistol ammo. Lodging also starts bare (Bare Bone Shelter). Below are only the paid upgrades, with standard edition prices.

Total: $2,540, our own sum based on prices from GamesRadar+ and SegmentNext. rdr2.org says “about $2,450” because it counts the boat at $360, which is the discounted price.

Notes on individual rows:

• Lodging is bought in sequence. Next In Line only unlocks after First Things First, so fast travel costs you $545 in total. The map hangs by Arthur’s tent and wagon and only works one way, to places you have already visited.
• For Everyone! is described by every source as a camp morale boost. rdr2.org and SegmentNext add that the gang donates even more and supplies run down more slowly.
• Let’s Have Some Fun costs $110 in most guides and $100 in Shacknews. We list $110: three sources give that price, and GameWith shows $88 with the discount, exactly $110 minus 20%.
• Horse Station lets you call your main horse to camp even when it’s out of whistle range.
• Camp Boat appears from Chapter 3. According to SegmentNext, the boat is only at the Clemens Point and Shady Belle camps; according to Red Dead Wiki, in Chapters 3 and 4.

The PlayStation Store listing for the Special and Ultimate Edition story mode bonuses mentions “Gameplay Boosts, Cash Bonuses & Discounts”, without a number. Red Dead Wiki quotes the bonus text, discounts on all camp upgrades, and the size is given by a ledger screenshot on the same wiki, by rdr2.org and by GameWith: 20% off every ledger price.

By our count, the full set costs $2,032 in these editions instead of $2,540. On Simon Pearson’s page, Red Dead Wiki mentions a $180 price for Leather Working Tools “with a high Honor discount”. No other source confirms an Honor discount in the ledger, and $180 is exactly the price minus 20%. So don’t count on Honor making camp upgrades cheaper.

Platform differences. Sources don’t note any difference in camp mechanics between PS4, Xbox One and PC. There is no separate remaster or mobile version of RDR2 with different ledger prices; the only difference is standard versus Special/Ultimate edition. Editions are compared on the RDR2 price page.

The camp moves with the story, and late in the game the ledger disappears. Information on Chapter 4 onward comes mostly from Red Dead Wiki and hasn’t been checked by the gaming press.

The takeaway is simple: buy everything you need before the end of Chapter 4. The worst one to miss is Leather Working Tools: without them Pearson won’t craft satchels, and in the Epilogue you’ll have to buy them from the Fence. How to craft all seven satchels and which pelts they need is covered in our RDR2 satchel upgrades guide.

There is no official upgrade ranking, and guides set priorities differently. Here is what they say directly:

• First Things First ($220) is the most important purchase according to rdr2.org: the gang donates more, so the other upgrades pay for themselves faster.
• Leather Working Tools ($225) are priority number one for SegmentNext, since without them there are no satchels at all.
• Next In Line ($325) tops GameWith’s list of recommendations, for the sake of fast travel.
• Two medicine tiers and two provisions tiers ($30 + $50 and $30 + $45) are cheap and required for the Tonics and Provisions Satchels.
• Chicken Coop ($175) helps before gunfights: the stew restores Dead Eye.
• Ammo, For Everyone!, Horse Station and the boat are about comfort. GameWith does not recommend Horse Station or the boat.

Our take (this is our own advice, not a quote from the guides):

1. First Things First, so the fund grows faster.
2. Leather Working Tools, so you can start on satchels as early as possible.
3. Two tiers each of medicine and provisions, the requirements for two satchels.
4. Next In Line for fast travel.
5. Chicken Coop.
6. Everything else is optional, but get it before the end of Chapter 4.

The logic: the first purchase boosts donations, the second and third unlock satchels, and the rest only adds comfort. For a chapter overview, so you know how much time is left before Chapter 5, see our RDR2 walkthrough; more advice for the early game is in RDR2 beginner tips.