Renting A Camping Tent- The Complete Guide

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Camping gear can be expensive to buy, especially tents. This is true even when buying secondhand items. But what about renting? Can you even rent a camping tent? And if so, how do you do it and what type of tent do you need?

Camping tents can be rented from various outdoor stores. You need to know the size of the tent you need, as well as any additional features you might want to have on your trip. Some places will also allow you to rent sleeping bags and camping stoves in addition to your tent rental.

Camping tents come in such a wide variety that it can be easy to get discouraged when purchasing. Let’s take a closer look at how you can rent your camping tent and what accessories are available to you.

Reasons Why Renting a Tent Is a Great Option

Sometimes if you’re camping for the first time, you aren’t sure what kind of tent you’re going to need for the trip. You don’t want to spend all that money on a tent you end up hating. Renting your tent is a great way to test it out before you buy.

Renting a camping tent is another great option if you don’t camp very often. This allows you to enjoy the trip without worrying about storing a tent for an undecided length of time before your next one. You can also rent a camping tent if you’re planning a large family camping trip with family members or friends who don’t have tents of their own.

If you really want to get a full camping experience, some locations have kits available to rent that not only a tent but everything else you might need on your trip. This can include sleeping bags, stoves, and cooking utilities. It just all depends on what you need for your trip.

How to Rent a Camping Tent

To get started with a tent rental, you’re going to need to know a few things about the kind of tent you want to use as well as information about the trip. Renting a camping tent isn’t difficult and has become a popular option in the last several years.

With so many options online, it’s really simple to get everything you need for your upcoming camping trip. Take a closer look at the things you’ll need to know to set up your rental.

What Kind of Tent You Need

There are many types of tents to choose from, but what it comes down to is if you need a summer tent or heavy weather tent. The summer tents will be lightweight and easier to carry if you’re planning a backpacking trip. Winter tents will be bulkier and are harder to take on those single bag trips. It isn’t impossible, but you might not want the extra weight on your back.

The first thing you’ll need to do when renting your camping tent is to decide what kind of tent you need. In the summer, you’re most likely not going to need a heavy-duty tent. You might find them too stuffy at night, making it difficult to sleep. In the winter, you’re going to want to bring that heavy-duty camping tent.

Location is going to also play a part in the type of camping tent you rent. Even in the summer, nights can get pretty chilly if you’re up in the mountains. So, when deciding the type (lightweight or heavyweight), make sure you consider the location as well.

The best thing to do is speak to a specialist if you’re unsure of the type of tent you need for your particular trip. Make sure to tell them where you’ll be camping as well.

What Size Does the Tent Have to Be?

A few other factors will play into your camping tent rental, like how many people will be sleeping in a tent. This will change your rental price because the bigger the tent, the more money it will cost you to rent it.

It’ll also come down to personal preference. You might find it more beneficial to rent two single sleeper tents as opposed to a bigger tent. Or if you’re camping with a small child, you could potentially get away with a single sleeper for the two of you.

You’ll also want to take into account the sleeping systems that will be put in the tent as well. If you get a tent that’s too small, it could be that your sleeping bags will be too crowded and uncomfortable.

Consider the Weather You Might Encounter

This goes back to the type of tent you’ll need to decide on before beginning your camping tent rental. However, this can make things more complicated. The last thing you want to encounter when you are camping is unexpected rain or snow.

When choosing your tent, you’ll want to consider ensuring that the tent you rent has a rain guard. This will help keep the water out of your tent. Condensation on tent walls is likely to occur as well, most specifically in the early mornings.

Where to Rent a Camping Tent

There are so many places that you can find that will offer camping tent rentals. Most of them will allow you to set up the rental online, making things convenient and simple.

Below is a list of the top five places to rent a camping tent. They have a wide variety of tents to choose from, so there is bound to be just the right tent for your specific needs.

Outdoors Geek – They have a great variety of tents to choose from. Everything is laid out on their website, and they’ve been in business for a long time. Their prices range from $25 to over $70.
REI – REI is a great company to check out because they have so many locations. Just like with Xscape Pod, they offer camping kits for rent. The kits come with everything you need, and the price isn’t bad at all.
Xscape Pod – This company provides camping kits that you can rent. These kits include everything you need to go tent camping. You get the tent, sleeping bags, pads, and so much more for a pretty reasonable price.
Arrive Outdoors – Arrive doesn’t have as many tents to choose from, but they are the cheapest on this list.
Lower Gear – By far the most expensive rental company on this list, but they have many tent options to choose from.

Other Accessories You Might Need to Rent for Your Camping Trip

The tent rental stores listed above are great because they allow you to rent all different kinds of gear you might need. If this is your first time tent camping, you might want to speak to someone about what you’ll need to be comfortable on your trip.

Below is a list of some of the other items you can typically rent along with your camping tent.

Stoves – If you’re on a hike and it’s going to be a long one, you might want to have something like this, so you don’t have to stress about making it back to the campsite for dinner.
Cooking gear – These can be pots and pans that will assist you in the meals for the whole trip or just little ones for on-the-go meals.
Sleeping bags – Really nice sleeping bags can be pretty pricey, too, if you start looking at the heavy-duty ones for frigid weather.
Lamps – You’re going to need lamps and lights when you spend your nights beneath the stars. Nothing is more frustrating than stumbling to find your glasses in the middle of the night.
Sleeping pads – These are typically blow up pads that you use under your sleeping bag to make the ground slightly less hard under your back.
Multi-tools – Multi-tools are extremely helpful when out tent camping and many of these tent rental sites allow you to rent those as well.

Summary

Renting a camping tent is a great way to test out the gear you’ll need if this is a new hobby you’re looking to get into. Camping gear, especially tents, can get to be expensive for a nice one. If you’re not sure you’ll even enjoy tent camping, it’s important to test these things out. Hopefully, this article has provided you a helpful guide to renting camping tents.