If you’re a city-dweller with a penchant for camping on the beach or a jet setter who loves multi-day hikes, Explorer Sarah has found the solution to your adventure gear woes.

 

Crave the outdoors but like to mix it up and try new things? Gear hire could be the solution to your storage conundrums and financial number crunching. More and more companies are popping up that rent out full camping setups. All you have to do is rock up with your sleeping bag and a sense of adventure…and your credit card!

As a person with far more ideas than money or storage, I’ve been thinking about the possibilities of camp gear hire for a while.

Over the years I’ve had several different camp setups in different countries and different stages of my life – from a converted tradie van in the UK, to a rooftop tent in Brissie, and a camper trailer for our big lap of Aus. 

 

 

I still haven’t settled on the best camp setup for my little family to continue our adventures. So, as every rational human would, I stay up late and Google random gear hire companies.

There are now companies that courier you a full camping setup anywhere in Australia, some that are for specific locations and trails, and others that’ll even courier you a full kayak camping setup with inflatable kayaks. The possibilities are truly endless. 

Why hire camping gear?

Having the right gear in the right place is a significant barrier for Explorers new and seasoned. With camp gear hire, you can get what you want in the location you need it. Bikepacking in Tassie one month, and a 4WD in Brisbane the next. Plus, it’s a great way to try new gear before committing to buying it. 

Read more: Tackling The Tasmanian Trail on Two Wheels

One of the reasons we sold our camper trailer when we finished our lap of Aus was the struggles of cleaning, maintaining, and storing it. Which is why hire could also be the solution to the bain of every Explorer’s life… where am I going to put all this stuff? Storage is tricky, especially in Australia’s hot and humid states. Put one damp thing away in your cupboard or shed and your whole setup will be covered in mould quick smart.

 

 

Companies such as Rooze in Melbourne or Overnight Adventures in Sydney can rent you an entire tent camping setup, complete with tents, eskies, chairs, sleeping bags, the lot. 

If you’re new to camping or trying it for the first time, you might not actually know what you need. So hiring a pre-made package from a gear hire company could save you a lot of research and give you a chance to find out what works for you. There’s a lot of gear and a lot of information out there, so having the initial choice made for you might make it less overwhelming. 

 

 

Gear hire companies also offer a way to borrow expensive items that you might not need for every camping trip trip such as fridge, generator, sat phone, or roof box. 

‘We see the gear as simply the tooling – the life-changing part is the trip and memories made. While it might appear to be just a rental shop, it’s a much bigger service and we’re playfully very serious about that,’ Jason Polson from Rooze told me.

Camping Memberships and Subscriptions

Far more exciting than your Spotify or Netflix subscription, camping or gear memberships can open up a whole new world of adventure options for your weekend escapades. Brisbane company, Frontier Tourers offer monthly subscriptions for six, ten, or 14 days per year use of their fully kitted out 4WD vehicles.

Not only does this save you the hassle of cleaning, maintaining, servicing, and registering a vehicle, it also saves you garage space.

 

 

Our 4WD was never quite the same after jiggling it 1400km down dusty, unsealed roads in Arnhem Land, so we sold it after finishing up our lap and have missed driving on beaches ever since. So when I found Frontier Tourers I was intrigued. All the fun with none of the maintenance or clean up – where do I sign? 

We packed up our team of four (me, my husband, and two feisty toddlers) and hit the road in the Jeep Wrangler. I’m not really a car person and often think, ‘How much of a difference does the car really make?’. But driving a modern car with a powerful engine and excellent suspension was incredible. It felt safe and comfortable compared to our 4WD which was on the older (and cheaper!) side. At no point did it feel like we might get bogged and the car was forgiving of small driving mistakes on the sand. 

I was a bit concerned it’d take us a while to set up because we were using unfamiliar camping equipment, but Ben and Emily, the owners of Frontier Tourers, showed us where everything was in the roof box before we set off, and it was all so neatly packed up it was easy to find everything.

The BEST thing about packing up was not worrying about having to get everything back in neatly because I knew the team would check it all over and pack it up properly for the next customers. We just turned up at the shed and handed everything back to them, taking our clothes, sleeping bags, and leftover food with us. It was such a great feeling driving home knowing that we didn’t have to unpack and clean out all the camping gear. 

Not sure what to cook? The Caravan & Campervan Cookbook (Enter ‘WAE15’ at checkout for 15% off!)

With this convenience in mind, I did the maths. The average Jeep costs at least $75k drive away, plus servicing, insurance, and buying all the 4WD equipment. You can get a six-day-a-year membership for just $32 per week, which is $1664 per year ($277 per day you hire it, discounted down from $345 per day as their usual price).

With six days of hire, you could do a four-day trip to K’gari and a two-night trip to Yarun/Bribie later in the year, which would certainly fill up your 4WD calendar for a lot less mullah than buying your own rig. 

‘Our membership offers the use of our specialised 4WDs complete with recovery equipment, fridge, and optional complete camping packages at an even more affordable price’, Emily from Frontier Tourers told me. 

‘It’s cheaper than owning your own 4WD (even without the upfront purchase price!) and you don’t have to store it, clean it, or maintain it. Paying weekly/monthly makes the hire cost more manageable.’

Down in Melbourne, gear hire company Rooze, offers a rooftop tent storage subscription. 

 

 

‘Clients pay a monthly fee, they schedule a return from their trip, we remove the tent with our hoist, they drive away. We clean, disinfect, and dry the tent prior to storage’, Jason, Founder of Rooze tells me. 

‘The tents are baked in the sun for a full day then left open in the warehouse for another two days. The ladders are removed (because the alloy sweats and the feet pool moisture) and stored separately. We place activated charcoal packs inside the tent. They’re marked with a date sticker when shelved, a reminder is set on our calendar for every six weeks (if not used regularly) to open and inspect. The owner then schedules the installation for their next trip.

The feedback has been that the benefits far outweigh the cost, we have a lot of clients who live in small spaces and high-rise buildings, so it’s life-changing from a convenience perspective, and they now enjoy a different lifestyle of more frequent adventures’, he said.

Hire a Whole Moving Home

So what other camp gear can you hire? Well, basically anything. And it makes sense, we book other people’s apartments on Airbnb, why can’t we hire someone’s caravan? Welcome to Camplify, Airbnb for campers. As with Airbnb, there are photos, descriptions, and reviews of each camper, and Camplify offers insurance and breakdown cover with your booking. 

As well as hiring from other Explorers, there are plenty of caravan and motorhome rental companies in Australia and further afield. We recently hired a motorhome to drive a lap of England and Scotland.

 

 

Living in a sub-tropical location, we’re normally more of a tent family, but the in-built gas heating and indoor toilet was a must have in the chilly British weather. It was also amazing to pull up at the campsite and go from driving to cooking dinner without going out in the rain. 

Hiring your camp gear means you can explore interstate or overseas without having to lug all your gear in checked baggage or drive thousands of kilometres out of your way just to get it there.

Test Out New Hobbies

Hiring gear can be perfect for big bulky items that don’t get used as often, such as mountain bikes or paddleboards. Think kayaking might be for you, but want to test it out before you commit? Hiring is the perfect solution.

A few years ago my husband had his eye on a second-hand Canadian canoe. He envisioned peacefully paddling into campsites to set up for a few nights and explore new waterways. So we hired a kayak in the Noosa Everglades. 

The hire team gave us excellent instructions and several laminated maps to ensure our trip was seamless. And it was, for a good 30 minutes or so until the map blew away and we ended up floating around in some reeds trying to get phone signal to see if we were going the right way to find our campsite.

We had a blast, but decided to let someone else enjoy the ‘serene’ marriage-testing waterway experiences after that. 

 

 

With the evergrowing popularity of e-bikes, hiring can be a great way to see more of a new place. A rail trail recently opened near our house and we were desperate to check it out, but I wasn’t sure how far I’d make it towing the kids on my regular bike. Instead, we hired e-bikes, a kid trailer, and a prepared picnic from Pedals and Picnics on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail. 

Ordinarily, we’re more of a cycle to the local beach and eat sandwiches family, but the ease of turning up with just the kids’ bike helmets, water bottles (and baby wipes – toddlers IYKYK) was awesome. The picnic was strapped to the back of the bike and they even packed a picnic rug with proper cutlery and plastic glasses. The trail was great and the e-bikes made it much easier to cycle the whole trail before my legs gave out or the kids got bored.

Read more: I Never Thought an e-Bike Could Replace My Car, Here’s What Happened When I Tried It

Tips for Camping Gear Hire

  • Check online to see how much something is to buy before you rent it. If buying is only twice the cost of renting it, you’ll get your money’s worth in two trips and have it ready for the next time adventure comes calling
  • Sign up to gear hire newsletters to take advantage of last-minute bargains, such as the Rooze LMAO (Last Minute Adventure Offers)
  • When a company offers you a newer hire van or tent, it sounds like an upgrade, but it actually might be worth taking the older one that has done a few trips and has all the kinks worked out so you don’t get a leaky shower, broken zipper, or a half-stocked kitchen
  • If you’re hiring a caravan or motor home, pack a mattress topper – not all mattresses are created equal

Read more: Cheap Camping Gear: What To Splurge on and Where You Can Save

 

Could hiring camping gear change your life?

Ultimately there are pros and cons of renting vs buying your camping gear. 

For smaller and more frequently used items such as tents, unless you need it in a specific location and can’t travel with it, it’s probably more economical to buy. Plus, with the huge range of choice with tents, sleeping mats, chairs, and cooking equipment, you can get exactly what you need to suit your camping style. Owning your own gear also allows you to be spontaneous, lets you better know and understand your gear, and gives you the chance to hone your perfect packing list. 

On the flip side, for pricier or bulkier items, or the gear you won’t use often, hiring is not only more affordable, but also more convenient. It gives you the opportunity to expand your adventure horizons by testing out new hobbies and activities before financially committing.

Gear hire could be the jump start you need to get outside more often.

 

 

Wessex Motorhomes and Frontier Tourers gave Sarah a media discount on trips researching for this feature.

Camping Gear Hire vs Owning Your Own Gear

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