This outdoor gear rental company is trying to get new campers outside

Londoner Andrew Price is an avid camper who has spent over 10 years talking to his friends and family about his passion for the outdoors. His pitch was so convincing that he found himself lending out his camping gear to his loved ones nearly every weekend.

It inspired him to open Thames Valley Outfitters, an outdoor gear rental company, as a way to help the camp-curious try it without the commitment. 

"For the average family of four to go camping, it's upwards of $2,000 to actually get all the gear that you need to camp," said Price. "For somebody who doesn't know about camping, has never gone camping and wants to try it, it's a big financial burden."

"We wanted to fill that gap, taking all the times where our friends and family were renting from us, to now offer that to the community and encourage people to go outside more," he said. 

Thames Valley Outfitters rents out items including tents, sleeping bags, kitchen sets, inflatable kayaks and headlamps. The company also offers equipment packages for new campers who need a place to start. 

Interested renters can visit the company's website to order and arrange for the items to be delivered the day before they go on their trip. The company services major cities surrounding the Thames Valley, including Chatham, Goderich and Hamilton. 

"I think it's a great idea," said Ben Coles, who is from Kitchener, Ont., and runs the Camping with the Coles YouTube channel with his wife. 

"There's a lot of people who are new to camping. We hear from them all the time," he said. "It's hard to put out a lot of money to try something that you don't know if you're going to like."

Improving sustainability, affordability

The cost of camping gear has gone up since the pandemic, Price said. While there are some cheap equipment options, they often go to waste after a single use, he said. People who didn't like the experience will sell or store it away, while new camping enthusiasts will do the same as they tend to want better gear for future, he said. 

Cheap equipment can also discourage people from continuing their camping adventures, Coles added. 

"A lot of people, when they get started out, will buy cheaper versions and then they end up having an unpleasant experience," Coles said. "They'll buy a tent that has a tiny little fly that just covers the top of the tent, then it rains and they find out everything gets soaked inside their tent."

Without a storefront location, Thames Valley Outfitters operates out of a basement storage room in Price's family's home. 

He said all of the gear is washed and checked for damage when it is returned from a renter: "We have a 40ft clothesline in our backyard that gets filled with tents and sleeping bags," Price said. 

The company had its soft launch last July, but marked its official opening at the Hamilton Adventure Expo last weekend, which Price said was met with positive reception.

"A lot of people we run into already have camping gear, but then they have that nephew or aunt that comes by saying, 'I want to go camping with you,'" he said. "Well, this new service now exists in London. We can make that happen."

Price said he hopes his company will get more people outside during the 2025 camping season. 

"I feel like a lot of the world is moving really quickly and going camping, being in nature, going on hikes tends to slow that down a bit," said Price.

"If I can help encourage people to go outside and make it more accessible for them, I know I'm doing the right thing."