We’ve all been there: wistfully admiring the cover of National Geographic Traveler at Barnes & Noble while waiting for a movie at Court Street Cinemas. On the cover are happy, wealthy suburbanites traipsing along a wooded ridge, a family huddled around their freshly-caught fish or the sunrise on a distant lake. They are miles away from the city and loving it. You think, “Camping must be for rich folk who can afford all that gear.” And you never go often enough to justify dropping hundreds of dollars on the necessities. Dejected, you turn and head to the 9 o’clock showing of That’s My Boy, alone.
But fear not, potential backpacker! Brooklyn has two home-grown outdoors stores that rent camping equipment to the casual camper without the REI (Really Expensive Items) or EMS (Extreme Measures Suggested) prices. No more eating ramen for a month just so you can go to the woods and eat ramen!
Gear to Go Outfitters is the archetypal Horatio Alger story. The owner started of selling gear on the street and earned enough to open a retail store. Though its selection is limited, the shop offers three-day rentals that include everything you need to go on a weekend trip. Three people can get a tent and their own sleeping bags all for $50 a piece. They even deliver! How you’ll get along with two other tent-mates is another problem.
Williamsburg-based Brooklyn Outfitters doesn’t offer delivery, but its rental rates are lower and the choices are simpler. A team of three can get a tent and fart sacks (aka sleeping bags) for just $40 a head. In true WB fashion, they’re a little slicker and borrow more from The Awl than REI. But, hell, it’s not like you’re camping in McCarren Park, right?
GROUP TRIPS
If you’re new to the whole outdoors thing, both stores offer guided tours and overnight and weekend backpacking trips. Brooklyn Outfitters’ trips are a bit pricey ($100-$450), but they typically include food, transport and equipment rental in the price. Gear to Go also gets you on a guided trip for $100-$350, but you’ve got to fork it over for the gear.
Of course, if hiking the Himalayas or canoeing the Catskills isn’t you’re thing, you can always keep it at home and camp out at Floyd Bennet Field. Just don’t expect to get on the cover of NatGeo.
Know of any other good gear rentals in Brooklyn? Tell us below.
View Comments (3)
Last summer, I contemplated renting a tent, and then found this one: http://amzn.com/B0016HMBN0 on amazon. I decided that if I ever used it again, it would be cheaper to just buy it for 50 bucks, and in hindsight, I couldn't be happier.
I purchased it after reading all the really good reviews on amazon and comparison shopping a LOT - but my main criterion was price, and rain-proofness - I didn't want something that I'd have to seam seal and worry about dripping water with. The other thing was that I wanted to make sure that it would fit my 6'4" boyfriend without him feeling cramped.
I took it camping on a very rainy weekend (we didn't seal ANY seams before going, which most experienced campers will know you have to do with most tents) - and it kept us *completely* dry. No water got into the tent. It has a really good bathtub-type seam around the base, so water didn't come in at the sides, either.
It is roomy enough for 2 people - it's basically the size of a queen size bed (and you could fit a queen-sized air mattress in there, I think) with about a foot and a half of space at the 'end' of the bed to leave gear and things. There's also some space under the rainfly to stash gear if you need to keep it dry.
If you plan on going somewhere really rocky, I'd invest in a slightly higher-end set of stakes, and it's definitely a little heavy for actual backpacking, but for camping out somewhere, I think it is a great tent, and definitely priced well enough to be brokelyn-worthy. I'm soooooo glad I got it rather than renting one, just my $ .02.
also, for you cynics out there - there's no referral id or anything in that link - i mean the effusiveness in my comment sincerely ;-)
Why rent at all? Sites like http://www.hurricanecamping.com sell 2 person tents for around $25... I got thier jr backpacker tent and at 6ftx5ft, and under 4 lbs, it has been one on the best buys I've ever done.
Camping can be fun but I'm not always super into it. I think it would be a great idea to rent the supplies if you hardly go instead of buying them all. That way you can be more comfortable but you don't have to spend a fortune on trying to do so!