RENT CAMPING GEAR: THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO YOUR NEXT OUTDOOR ADVENTURE
Camping is THE best way to experience the outdoors - but there’s a giant misconception we want to address. Tons of people are deterred from outdoor adventures by a belief that they have to go out and buy a bunch of expensive supplies and store them forever and ever. In reality, you can rent camping gear for a fraction of the cost to buy it – and you don’t have to store it!
The enjoy-ability of camping almost always comes down to the preparation and supplies you have. As most expert campers will tell you, building up the perfect collection of camping equipment takes a lot of experience – as well as a hefty dose of trial & error.
It’s no secret that quality camping equipment costs a pretty penny. Plus, it takes up a lot of room in your garage (for the majority of the year). If you don’t know what you’re doing, you can easily end up buying stuff you never end up using.
Now, newbies aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit from camping gear rentals. Those who want to camp in a far-away place could easily avoid having to lug their supplies across the country by choosing to rent.
These are just a couple of reasons why opting for camping rentals is the smart choice.
Why Go Camping?
Camping is one of the most popular pastimes in the world. It’s eye-opening, relaxing, and helps to bring people together with a common outlook: nature is beautiful.
Camping is on the rise. According to the 2019 KOA North American Camping Report:
The number of US households with people who camp at least once a year grew by 7.3 million between 2014 – 2018.
Half of campers noted a “love of the outdoors” for sparking their interest in camping.
Camping households with children under the age of 18 are the most devoted segment of campers.
About one out of every 20 camping households stated they camped for the first time in 2018.
Here are the top benefits of camping noted by youngsters.
At PitchKit, we strongly believe that the lack of supplies, know-how, or logistical constraints should never hold people back from the benefits of camping. That is why we are working to help make the great outdoors accessible for everyone
Different Types of Camping
Not all camping trips are the same. In fact, every destination will have its own unique set of characteristics. As far as types of camping go, the list is pretty much endless: spring camping, summer camping, fall camping, winter camping, desert camping, forest camping, mountain camping, car camping, tent camping, under-the-stars camping, RV camping, glamping, primitive camping, and the list goes on and on.
Now, regardless of climate, location, provisions, or anything else, all types of camping trips generally fall into two distinct categories:
1. Front Country
2. Backcountry
Front country camping is by far the most common. This type of camping occurs at an established campground you can drive to. You’ll have access to general amenities like roads, a check-in station, restrooms, dumpsters, picnic tables, potable water, maybe a shower, etc. You can expect park rangers patrolling the area and other campers nearby. Basically, front country camping is meant for everyone – regardless of skill level – to enjoy the outdoors.
Backcountry camping, or as we like to call it, “dig-a-hole-and-poop-in-it” camping, is for high level outdoorspeople. This type of camping is usually very primitive and far away from civilization. Backcountry camping requires you to bring in all your own equipment, food, water, first aid, and everything else.
While there are designated areas and sites for backcountry camping, very few would have any of the amenities you’d find at a front country site.
To give you an idea, if you’re going on a long, primitive backpacking trip involving a lot of treacherous hiking, you can’t carry gallons and gallons of water with you. So, you’ll need to know exactly where to find sources of water – and have equipment to purify it for drinking.
Backcountry camping is not for the faint of heart. Not having the right gear or proper knowledge of the area is extremely dangerous.
Types of Camping Supplies You’ll Need on a Trip
To reiterate, the success of your camping trip (front country or backcountry) will largely depend on the supplies you have. Building up the most ideal set of equipment for you specifically is a constant work-in progress. Thoughts like “Ah, I wish I had that” or “This trip would be better if I had this” occur on every camping trip – even with the most advanced outdoorspeople.
On a basic level for front country camping, you’d need the following items to complete your camping kit.
Tent
At a minimum, your tent needs to keep you protected from rain, bugs, critters, and provide privacy.
When choosing a tent, you need to consider:
1. The number of people sleeping in the tent
2. What season you are camping in
3. The weather you might experience
4. What gear you will be keeping in the tent
Sleeping Pad
There are three basic types of sleeping pads.
1. Air Pads
Air pads are super lightweight and easy to pack. These sleeping pads are very versatile and the firmness can be adjusted based on how you like to sleep.
The downside is they are more susceptible to tears and damage – essentially rendering it useless. The good news is air pads can be fixed fairly easily with a patch kit. Additionally, these pads can potentially lose air based on the temperature outside.
2. Self-Inflating
Self-inflating pads generally use a combination of air and open-cell foam. You can pump these guys up automatically by simply opening the valve. These pads offer a wide range of options for insulation and size. Self-inflating pads are super comfortable, durable, and can be adjusted pretty easily.
However, they are usually much heavier than air or foam pads and do not break down super small. Like air pads, they are susceptible to rips – but the good news is they aren’t tough to repair!
We’ve come to the conclusion that the self-inflating pads provide the best night sleep in the outdoors. Our camping kits use the NEMO Cosmo Air Double.
3. Foam
These pads are made from dense foam with tiny closed air cells. You’ll commonly see these folded in a Z pattern.
Foam is generally the cheapest option when it comes to sleeping pads. They are super durable and provide consistent insulation. The drawback is they are pretty bulky and most aren’t super comfortable. Foam pads are commonly used underneath other types of sleeping pads for extra insulation and cushion.
Sleeping Bag
The importance of a good sleeping bag cannot be overstated when camping. You need a bag that is rated for the nighttime temperatures you’ll experience. This is a rookie mistake people make when desert camping. Temperatures can get well into the 90°F or higher when the sun is up and below 40°F when the sun is down. If you don’t prepare properly, you might end up shivering through the night – no thanks!
If you choose to rent camping gear, you can rest assured you will be provided with a reliable bag fit for the conditions.
Chairs
A camping trip will be significantly compromised without a good chair. You want a nice spot to plop down around the fire, eat your meals, and just kick back and enjoy the scenery. The chair you bring is going to depend on the type of camping trip.
If you are going for a glamping experience – and won’t be moving around too much – go crazy with it and bring along the best chair you can find! If you are going to be doing a more primitive backpacking trip, you’ll want a chair that’s super lightweight and breaks down real small.
The good news is you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for compactness. Over the years, we’ve come to the conclusion that CLIQ chairs are the most ideal for our camping kits – perfect for both primitive and moderate camping trips.
These bad boys have an awesome angle for lounging and break down to about the size of a 40oz water bottle!
Chairs are super important to properly enjoy the outdoors. You always want comfort, but you don’t want to be lugging around a big bulky chair.
Food
Maybe we’re biased, but meals cooked outdoors just taste better!
Camping meal prep isn’t always a cake walk. The key is having everything ready to go and able to be cooked as efficiently as possible – at least for moderate and primitive setups.
You need to have the cooking process down pat before you leave. Obviously, you want to spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time slaving away in a barebones kitchen setup. For this reason, we strongly recommend sticking to a one-skillet operation, especially if you want easy camping meals for family outings.
You should never have to sacrifice deliciousness for quick and easy camping meals. This principle was actually a big inspiration for us to start PitchKit. We’ve spent months working with culinary experts and beta testing the camping recipes included in our full-service packages – both for tent camping meals and backpacking.
No matter if you want a meat-heavy meal, the vegetarian route, or want your camping trip to be completely vegan, all you need is a skillet, spatula, and a stove to cook up a deliciously diverse meal for the whole group!
Kitchenware
It’s no secret that kitchenware takes up a big chunk of real estate on a trip in the outdoors. Additionally, there are all sorts of pieces to keep track of in most mess kits for camping.
Even a basic starter pack would require a stove, propane, a pot & pan, cooking utensils, plates, cups, silverware, paper towels, and a kettle for coffee – not to mention the food! It can get pretty tough to keep eyes on all the pieces in a camping kitchenware set.
For a solid kitchenware set, mess kit, and everything else you need for meals, you’re looking at an investment of anywhere from $200 - $500 at least. Then, you’ll need to find a place at home to store it all.
Renting kitchenware can safe you gobs of money and reduce storage needs by a huge amount.
But what about keeping track of all the kitchen items?
Generally speaking, it’s almost inevitable that something in the camping kitchen kit will get away from you. As this was definitely something we struggled with on many camping trips, we designed a special “chuck box” to organize all pieces of our camping kitchenware set.
The box is built to easily house everything from the stove, pots and pans, plates, cups, and silverware all the way to cleaning supplies. If you opt to rent camping gear, you’ll save money on kitchenware and keep everything organized throughout the trip!
But what about cleanliness?
Obviously, cleanliness is a top concern in camping rentals – especially in the wake of the novel coronavirus.
While we can’t speak for other companies, we can assure you that all kitchen items in PitchKit’s camping rental packages are thoroughly washed and sanitized with environmentally-safe cleaners (Method and Luster are our go-to brands). We do a cleaning cycle immediately after each use, then again right before the next group rents the equipment. Cleanliness is always a top concern – even in the outdoors.
Why Rent Camping Supplies?
Choosing to rent camping gear instead of buying makes sense for many people, but not for everyone and every situation. Even if you’re newer to camping, there are a handful of questions to ask yourself while planning out your trip:
How often do you camp?
This is the most important question to ask yourself if it’s better to rent or buy. Say you just went camping with some friends - using their supplies. You’re super jazzed on it and want to go on your own adventures (with your own stuff). How many times do you see yourself camping every year?
Be realistic. It’s easy to get ambitious when you’re fresh off of a fun camping trip.
Generally, we recommend that it’s worth purchasing your own gear if you camp at least five times a year. If you go less often than that and see yourself as more of a casual camper, renting is probably the more beneficial choice.
How far are you traveling?
This is another big one. The distance you travel to go camping is going to be a serious factor in whether or not you should rent – even if you’re an experienced camper.
Say you live in New York and want to camp in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California – or you want to attend Coachella.
Bringing your own camping supplies is either going to require a serious cross-country road trip or a nice chunk of change in luggage fees (depending on the airline). Even if you decide to spend the money to fly out all your equipment, you’ve got to drag all that stuff across an airport and into a rental car. Needless to say, it’d be a brutal journey either way.
Camping in far-from-home destinations is arguably the most ideal situation to rent camping supplies. In this scenario, the process would look something like this:
1. Book your camping gear rentals.
2. Coordinate a convenient pickup/drop-off spot for the equipment.
3. Fly to the airport closest to your camping destination.
4. Rent a car.
5. Pick up your camping rentals.
6. Enjoy your trip.
7. Drop off the supplies at the agreed location.
8. Fly home.
In terms of buying your own stuff, it depends on a) how far/long you’re willing to drive with a car full of camping supplies to your destination, or b) how much you’re willing to spend on flying your equipment out.
If you’d rather spend more of your precious vacation time camping at your far-away destination and less time getting wrapped up in logistics, we would definitely advise you to save yourself the hassle and look into renting.
How much storage space do you have at home?
Storage space at home is precious – and camping supplies will definitely occupy a nice chunk of it. To reiterate, most (if not all) of the camping equipment you buy will likely spend most of the year collecting dust. You need to have a good idea of where you will keep everything if you choose to invest.
Determining your storage capacity should be done in tandem with deciding how often you will camp. If you’ll only camp a handful of times a year, is it worth dedicating a corner of your basement or garage to housing your equipment? Could that space be used for something else?
If you’re on the fence about your storage capability, choosing to rent camping gear is the wise choice. You can always buy your own stuff if you move into a bigger place with more storage.
Another thing to think about is the longevity of your camping career. Sure, you might be super into it for a few years, but would it taper off when you get older – or maybe start a family?
To give you a story from childhood:
My parents were really into camping when they were younger – and owned a big arsenal of equipment. They quickly realized that it was a super challenging (and borderline miserable) experience with three young kids. It took one epic downpour in the middle of the night to put a definitive end to our family camping trips – it was cabins from then on out. All of that expensive camping equipment has been sitting in a basement unused for more than twenty years.
How much knowledge do you have about camping gear?
Generally speaking, setting up and breaking down camping equipment isn’t exactly a picnic – especially tents. If you’re new to camping, using a bunch of fancy supplies you just bought might not be super user-friendly. Struggling both at the beginning and end of a camping trip can quickly put a damper on the experience.
A camping rental company – or any equipment rental company for that matter – doesn’t want to put any of their products at risk. That said, you can expect the company to provide an extremely detailed guide on how to properly use each piece of equipment - and leave no trace.
Seriously, improper use of supplies creates a giant mess for the rental company. For this reason, instructions will be overly simplified.
If you don’t have much experience using camping supplies, looking into camping rental packages is a good move to not just save money, but to pick up some knowledge and test out certain gear. If you fall in love with a piece of camping equipment, you can always buy it later on.
What kind of camping do you want to do?
One of the biggest drawbacks to buying your own camping supplies is you are essentially limited to the type of trip your gear is suited for.
Each adventure will require a particular set of equipment. While most front country trips will be pretty similar in requirement, there will probably be some smaller details that’ll change.
For example, a moderate camping trip to a desert would require a sleeping bag rated for a lower temperature – as most deserts get pretty chilly at night. On the other hand, you’d be sweating in a low temp bag on a forest camping trip in the middle of summer. If you wanted to camp in the late fall or winter, you’d need a tent that will keep you warm.
If you choose to rent camping gear, your options are wide open. By telling the company where you will be camping, when you are going, and how many people will be in your group, you can rest assured that you will have the right set of supplies for the trip.
Advantages to Rent Camping Gear
There are many, many advantages to renting camping kits as opposed to buying. While the list is practically endless, we’re going to highlight the major pros.
You get high-quality equipment
To echo a previous section, the smart rental companies (regardless of the niche) aren’t buying subpar products. It’s in their best financial interest to rent out high quality equipment that is built to last.
If you don’t have much camping experience and opt to buy your own gear, you might not know exactly what you’ll need out there on your trip. Moreover, you might not be familiar with the best brands and materials.
Keep in mind – even if you know the best quality products on the market, they don’t come cheap. When you rent camping gear, you are getting access to equipment from leading brands at a fraction of the price to buy.
Additionally, renting the gear is essentially like taking it for a test run. If you fall in love with a tent, sleeping pad, camping stove, etc. and decide you want to buy one, you know exactly what you’re getting before you drop the money.
No trial and error/wasted money on the wrong gear
The early camping experiences are very much a period of trial and error. The process of figuring out what you’re doing, what gear you really need (and don’t need), as well as how to use it properly takes time – and probably some wasted money. Every advanced camper has gone through this phase.
If you rent camping gear kits, this trial and error period has been eliminated for you.
Whether you need a single-person backpacking setup or fully-loaded family camping gear packages, the kits you’d get from a rental company have been dialed in and battle-tested to ensure you have exactly what you need – no matter what your camping trip entails.
You don’t have to store it
This is probably the biggest advantage to renting camping supplies compared to buying. We’ve talked about this multiple times in this piece – but an all-inclusive collection of camping gear takes up a considerable amount of space in your garage, basement, closet, or wherever you keep it for most of the year when you aren’t camping.
Obviously, you don’t have to worry about storage when you rent camping gear. Your role in the logistics is minimal: you pick up the gear, enjoy it for your trip, and drop it off when you’re done. Bada bing bada boom!
You’re conserving resources
Thanks to amazing outdoor brands like Patagonia, Columbia, REI, The North Face, and more, we’ve seen a huge boost in awareness to preserving the outdoors over the last 10-20 years.
In addition to numerous initiatives supporting environmental organizations, grassroots political activism, and promoting messaging aimed to educate the masses on resource conservation, these brands have created a mindset in outdoorspeople to do their part to keep the world beautiful.
By choosing to rent camping gear, you are doing just that.
You are playing a part in reducing the need for companies to produce more products, burn up more resources, ship items to retail stores, and so on.
You get expert advice
Camping rentals are about more than just products, the experience is about guidance. To the people who don’t have much experience camping, the underlying goal is to provide you with affordable means and know-how to fully enjoy the outdoors.
To reiterate (for like the hundredth time), rental companies want to be 100% sure you know how to use their gear properly. So, you can expect that your camping rental packages come with a detailed guide on how to maximize each item. This goes beyond just setting things up and breaking them down.
To give you an idea, your guide will give you pointers on finding the right ground to set your tent up on, how to ensure your trash doesn’t attract critters, keep your kitchenware sanitary, etc.
Choosing to rent camping gear means you’re getting more than supplies – you’re getting a slew of wisdom attached to it!
Drawbacks of Renting Camping Gear
As great as camping rentals are, there is a downside to everything – and we’re not immune. Let’s touch on some of the cons that commonly come with choosing the rental approach.
You have to set up a new rental order for each trip
Camping rental gear is only yours for a specified amount of time. Once your adventure is over, you have to give everything back – and go through the rental process again for your next trip.
True, this can be a bit of a pain. But whether or not it’s worth it comes down to some foundational questions. To justify the process, you should ask yourself:
- Do I camp enough for it to be feasible to buy my own gear?
- Would I rather store camping gear in my home all year round?
- Would I rather lug all my camping gear to a far-away location?
If you said no – or are on the fence – about these three questions, going the rental route is probably worth it.
The good news is the process of renting camping gear is pretty straightforward, especially if you book repeatedly with the same company.
You have to replace any lost/damaged Items
If you lose your own camping gear, you have the option of replacing it. When you rent camping gear, you sign a form that legally requires you to replace it if lost or damaged. This is the status quo with any equipment rental company.
In this worst-case scenario, you paid to rent the item and paid to replace it. No one wants this – including the rental company.
To bring it up again, it’s in the best interests of the rental company to protect their products. That said, you can expect a good system to help you keep track of all your items. This includes labels with an items checklist on each packing crate to make sure everything is accounted for when you leave.
As long as you use the items properly and keep track of them, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
You are not the only person to use the equipment
This is a big one – especially in the post COVID-19 era. It’s always a weird thought to use the same sleeping bag as a bunch of strangers, sleep in the same tent, eat off of the same plates, use the same kitchenware, etc.
Perhaps the biggest change we’re going to see stemming from the coronavirus is that cleaning/sanitization efforts will need to be bolstered pretty significantly across the board.
This is why rental companies need to be overly transparent about the sanitation process for their equipment. You should always feel safe about the camping gear rentals you use.
How the Process to Rent Camping Gear Works
The process of booking your camping gear rentals should be as simple and streamlined as possible. Here’s how we do it.
The Questionnaire
The process will start with a questionnaire, requiring the following answers:
1. What’s your name?
2. What’s your email address?
3. Where are you camping?
4. What are the dates you want to camp?
5. How long will you be camping?
6. How many people are in your group?
7. What’s your zip code?
This will help us find a good meeting spot for you to pick up and drop off the equipment.
Once this questionnaire is filled out, we’ll need to jump on a quick call to learn a little bit more about you and the type of camping experience you want. This helps us to tailor the camping kit to give you the best experience possible.
Legal Documents
This is the boring part. We’ll send you a barrage of electronic paperwork to sign – including the equipment rental contract, liability, waiver form, insurance, etc. Once these are all signed, we will move forward with the payment and booking process.
Payment/Deposit
At this point, we have everything in order about your trip, legal documentation, and everything else related to your camping gear rentals. Now we’ll need to get your card on file and charge a refundable deposit.
Pick Up
Based on the zip code you provided, we’ll find a good meeting point for us to give you the camping supplies and help load it up in your vehicle. This might be in the parking lot of a Target, Home Depot, restaurant, etc. Regardless, it will be a safe, public spot we both agree on!
Drop Off
Similar to the pick-up, we’ll both agree on a safe, convenient spot for you to drop off the camping rentals after your adventure.
Refunding the Deposit
After the drop-off, we’ll take an inventory of all the camping supplies to make sure nothing got broken or damaged. Assuming everything is in order, you can expect to receive your deposit within 24-48 hours.
Buy or Rent Camping Gear: Cost Savings
Cost savings is one of the biggest advantages of camping rentals. But how much can you actually save when it comes down to brass tacks? Let’s go over the main items you’d get in a PitchKit and how much you can save by choosing the rental path.
Now, these prices we’re going to list out are for the general camping kit for the moderate, front-country camping trip with four people.
Prices to buy each item:
- (2x) 4-person Eureka tent: $678
- (2x) NEMO COSMO Double Sleeping Pad: $499.99
- (4x) Eureka sleeping bags: $365
- Color-coded cutlery for four: $45.76
- (4x) plates: $24.99
- (6x) cups: $17.99
- (1x) Coffee setup: $26
- (1x) Eureka Ignite Plus Camp Stove: $114
- (1x) MSR quick skillet: $29.95
- (1x) Metal spatula: $9.99
- (4x) CLIQ camping chairs: $318.96
- (4x) Black Diamond headlamps: $65.29
Total cost to buy this kit: $2,101.56
Total to rent this kit: $420
For four people, the cost to rent camping gear would be $105/person. So, if you and some friends went on a three-night camping trip, you’re looking at $35/night/person for all the equipment you need.
Additionally, there are a handful of freebies you’ll get with each camping kit!
These include:
- Camping pillows with washable cover.
- Washable sleeping bag liners.
- Roasting sticks for the campfire.
- Magnet light for the stove
- Rubber mallet for tent stakes
- Paper towels/napkins
- Trash bags
As you can see, you don’t have to settle with camping supplies!
Conclusion
So there you have it!
We hope this guide gave you a better idea of everything you stand to gain from renting camping kits, what you get, why it’s a smart choice, and most importantly, how much you can save by doing so.
We believe the best way for people to value the environment is to simply experience it. Our goal at PitchKit is to make the outdoors accessible, enjoyable, and affordable for people of all skill levels.
Do you need camping supplies for your next outdoor adventure?
Or are you new to camping and want a painless experience with everything you need?
Get in touch with us at PitchKit today! We’ll be happy to set you up with all the camping equipment to make your next trip easy and enjoyable.