Renting camping equipment isn鈥檛 ideal, but if you don鈥檛 have storage聽space at home, you already know that borrowing is a fact of life.
So get acquainted with . For the past two years, the online rental company has been loaning high-quality ski equipment, shipped free to your home or lodge (think brands like , , and聽). Starting this month, it鈥檒l do the same for camping equipment.
The company is聽working exclusively with , whose interest lies in showcasing its latest gear and converting you into a paying customer. It鈥檚 OK to roll your eyes,聽but the partnership works to your benefit.
First, Kelty makes some solid camping gear,聽and it wants GetOutfitted to offer only current-season equipment, so your rentals won鈥檛 feel like they were culled from the lost and found (which can be the case when聽renting through a retailer).
Next, there鈥檚 value. GetOutfitted鈥檚 pricing is the same as or better than rentals聽at retailers鈥攖he cost of camping loaners fluctuates depending on where you鈥檙e traveling, and GetOutfitted鈥檚 prices fall around the average mark. But consider that the gear found at retail shops, while perhaps cheaper, usually isn鈥檛 from the current season.
Finally, GetOutfitted will deliver the gear to your home. That means you can check out the equipment鈥攁nd pinpoint any problems鈥攂efore you head into the wilderness. This also makes the service a smart option for non-city folk to test out products before committing.
You can rent a la carte:聽rain jackets ($5 to $8 a day), sleeping pads ($4 to $5 a day), trekking poles ($2 to $3 a day), and camp stoves ($2 to $3 a day). Or go with 聽designed for everyone from the solo camper to the four-person family. The , for example, comes with a Catalyst midsize聽backpack (women鈥檚 or men鈥檚), a Trail Ridge two-person tent, a Tuck 20-degree sleeping bag (available in regular or long sizes), and a PDa sleeping pad. This聽setup will run you between $22 and $36 a day. An extra $20 fee insures all equipment. GetOutfitted聽includes a cardboard box and prepaid shipping label for returns.
In addition to your loaners, Kelty extends a 20 percent discount coupon on its gear. If you鈥檙e patient, you can snag GetOutfitted鈥檚 Kelty inventory at 70 to 80 percent off as it makes room for the new stuff at the end of camping season in late September.