Most outdoor enthusiasts understand the importance of having the right equipment for a successful outing. However, you may be perplexed by the vast choices on the market or utterly shocked at the cost of the premium equipment you want to use in the field. Gear rental can be a fantastic alternative to purchasing and owning high-end gear. However, if you’ve never considered renting you might have some questions and concerns. In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of renting hunting gear allowing you to better answer the question of whether renting or buying is the best option for you?
Experienced hunters agree that having the right equipment plays an important role in maintaining comfort and being efficient in the field. Those factors help you hunt harder and more effectively which leads to better success regardless of your pursuit. However, we’re all well-aware of the high price of quality equipment these days – especially post-pandemic! Considering the high price of gear and our limited opportunities to use it, many hunters are wise to consider renting gear as opposed to buying.
Renting gear can be a great option for the following reasons:
- Lower cost: Short term gear rentals are much cheaper than buying – especially if you only hunt periodically a few times per year.
- Specialization: You may not want to invest in specialized gear you wouldn’t typically need around home for typical hunting situations or outdoor adventures. Many hunts require the best optics or extreme cold weather or wet weather gear, or a massive 8 or 12 man tent and stove that won’t likely be used consistently. Renting can provide access to specialized equipment without the cost of buying or the hassle of re-selling those items in the future at a significant loss. Better yet you won’t be looking at them collecting dust in the garage with regret about how much you spent on a seldomly used waste of shelf space.
- Access to the latest gear: The hunting industry is constantly evolving, and the new-improved versions are constantly obsoleting the items you just splurged on! However, renting hunting gear allows you to utilize the latest equipment without having to constantly upgrade your own equipment to stay current. This is especially true for electronics like thermal optics, rangefinders, and rangefinding binoculars. But keep in mind, even backpacks, tents, and traditional optics are constantly upgraded by the manufacturers.
- Setup and Maintenance Chores: Initial setup and maintenance of equipment is an often overlooked aspect of ownership. When was the last time you laundered your sleeping bag or is it still jammed into the tiny stuff sack losing its loft? How about your tent – did you properly seam seal it and install all the guy-out lines, or did you forget and store it wet last time you rolled it up with pine needles, 11 flies and a token spider inside? Is your trusty binocular looking a little tired? That focus wheel is getting sloppy and those micro scratches in the lens coatings are starting to make it hard to glass into the sun aren’t they. How about the grinding sound when you adjust the eyecups? Those aren’t going to be worth much when you sell them… When is the last time you updated the firmware in your rangefinder? The list goes on… but you get the point. Keeping the oil changed in your pickup and fuel fresh in the lawn-mower is enough work. There’s no need to turn your hunting gear into a part-time job.
- Gear Condition: Rental gear fleets are typically “low-mileage” items in very good to nearly new condition. Rental gear is constantly inspected and maintained to ensure it is in excellent working condition. No leaky tents or bent/splintered tent poles. Optics are pristine, batteries are always fresh, and all the parts and accessories are accounted for. That gives you peace of mind when going afield.
- No storage hassles: Renting gear eliminates storage needs and frees up space in your home or garage. This is especially beneficial if you live in a small space or have limited secure storage options.
- Try before you buy: One of the greatest benefits to renting is the ability to try out gear under field conditions before making a purchase. This helps you make the best decision when it comes to investing in high-end equipment. You can even rent two competing items to test side by side. We will credit up to seven combined item-days toward the purchase of whichever item you decide on. (See our Keeper Program for details)
- Share the Cost: Many of our customers split the cost of their rental items amongst their hunting party. This makes it easy to justify renting a BIG, comfy basecamp tent with a cozy stove, or bringing along a high-end spotter like a Swarovski BTX. Everyone can see the benefits, so share the costs and reap the rewards together!
Where You Rent from Matters
Renting hunting gear from a trusted source like RentOutdoorGear.com offers several benefits, including:
- Cost-effective: Our pricing structure ensures that your gear rentals and shipping costs are highly affordable. Furthermore, the longer you rent, the cheaper the daily rates become. ROG also has a wide selection of gear to fit almost any budget.
- Flexible options: RentOutdoorGear.com allows the customer to pick their arrival date and return date – no fixed rental terms. We also allow you to assemble your gear piece by piece. If you want advice we’re always available to help you assemble the perfect gear package for any hunt.
- Convenience: Renting hunting gear eliminates the need to store and maintain equipment, saving you time and hassle. We can even ship gear to your outfitter or destination so you may not even need to even pack it in your truck or haul it through the airport.
- Access to expert advice: We have a highly experienced and knowledgeable staff who can offer advice on the right gear for your hunting needs.
- We do the homework for you: How much research does it require to pick the right backpack, binocular, or tent setup? Our tailored range of equipment has been narrowed down to best options in every category that we personally use and stand behind. We don’t offer entire product lines from any one manufacturer because there are things each of them do extremely well and others that just aren’t good enough to make the cut and earn a spot in our rental fleet. If we wouldn’t use it, you won’t find it on our website… So you can pick from our gear offerings confidently – knowing that even the lower priced items are guaranteed to get the job done!
- Option to Buy at the best prices: There aren’t many companies that will let you take gear hunting prior to buying it. That’s one of your benefits as a Rent Outdoor Gear customer. If you decide you want to purchase the item, we’ll always give you up to 7 days of your rental fee 100% back toward a “Keeper” purchase… AND we’re always going to save you money because you’ll be purchasing a lightly used item that’s always discounted from retail.
Conclusion
Renting hunting gear is a practical and cost-effective solution for both experienced and new hunters and especially for those looking to buy new gear. With lower costs, access to the best and latest gear, no storage hassles, reduced maintenance costs, and the ability to try before you buy, renting is an excellent option for almost any outdoor enthusiast. As Steve Rinella once said, “Good gear doesn’t make the hunter, but good gear makes the hunt better.” Consider making your hunt the best it can be by renting gear from the most trusted brand in the industry – Rent Outdoor Gear.
