Renting Hiking Gear Peer-to-Peer: Backpacks, Boots and Poles

Hiking gear rental is one of the fastest-growing corners of the peer-to-peer economy, and the reason is obvious once you run the numbers. Hiking may be the most accessible sport on earth, but gearing up properly is not cheap: a decent 60-litre backpack runs past €150, serious hiking boots cost €120–250, and once you add trekking poles, a sleeping bag and a sleeping pad you're easily €500–700 in — for gear you might use one week a year.

On the other side of the equation are thousands of closets full of equipment bought with great enthusiasm and used for two weekends. This guide is for both sides: for anyone who wants to rent hiking gear for a long-distance trail or a mountain holiday without draining their savings, and for anyone who owns that gear and wants to turn it into a tidy summer income.

Why hiking gear is perfect for peer-to-peer rental

Three characteristics make this category ideal for renting between private individuals:

• Highly episodic use. Most people do demanding hikes 1–3 times a year: a pilgrimage route in September, a week in the Dolomites in August. Buying everything for that little use makes poor financial sense.
• Concentrated, predictable demand. From June to September, demand explodes: the Camino de Santiago, the Via Francigena, alpine high routes, mountain huts. If you own gear, you know exactly when the requests will come.
• Equipment that ages well. A quality backpack lasts 15 years, and aluminium trekking poles are nearly indestructible. Wear per rental is tiny compared to the value generated.

Reference prices: what it costs (and what it earns)

Here are the average daily peer-to-peer rental prices we observe for hiking equipment, with the estimated high-season earnings (June–September) for a lender:

*Estimate net of platform fees, assuming 15–25 rental days spread across four months in an area with average demand. In towns close to the mountains or along major long-distance trails, the numbers can be significantly higher.

The winning strategy: the "trail kit"

A single trekking pole earns pocket change. The breakthrough — just like with garden tools or party equipment — is the bundle: a complete "ready for the trail" kit with backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, poles and perhaps a headlamp. Someone leaving for the Camino de Santiago doesn't want to arrange five separate rentals: they want one solution.

A kit like this rents for €18–28 per day and — this is the crucial detail — gets booked for long stretches: 7, 10, even 15 consecutive days. A single borrower heading out on a two-week trail is worth €250–390. Two bookings like that cover an entire summer.

For borrowers: what to check at pickup

Backpack

Try it on loaded, not empty — ask the lender to put a few kilos in it. Check the shoulder-strap stitching, zippers, hip-belt buckles and the back-length adjustment. A wrongly sized backpack ruins a trail faster than anything else: make sure the torso length matches your height.

Boots

Rented boots only work if the size is right and the sole is in good shape. Inspect the tread (if the edges are worn smooth, wet rock becomes dangerous) and the waterproof membrane. Take a ten-minute test walk before confirming: a pressure point after ten minutes becomes a blister after ten kilometres.

Trekking poles

Open and close the telescopic locks several times: they must clamp firmly. A pole that collapses under load on a descent is a real hazard. Check the tips and baskets too.

Sleeping bag and pad

Always ask for the comfort temperature rating (not the "extreme" one) and confirm the bag was washed after its last use — on Lendmates, cleaning between rentals is the lender's responsibility and should be stated in the listing. Inflate the pad and leave it under pressure for a few minutes: micro-leaks only show up that way.

For lenders: how to maximise the season

List in April, not July

People leaving for an August trail sort out their gear in May or June. If your listing goes live once the season has already started, you lose the long bookings — the ones worth the most. Open your calendar well in advance, as we explain in the guide to managing availability dates.

Always state sizes

For backpacks and boots, size is the first mental search filter every borrower applies. Put "60 L backpack, M torso" or "boots EU 43" right in the listing title: you'll drastically cut chat questions and attract only compatible requests.

Photograph the gear "in action"

A backpack leaning against a wall says little. A backpack being worn, with a sense of scale, says everything. Add a flat-lay photo of the complete kit laid out on the floor: it's the format that converts best for bundles.

Prepare a mini user guide

One A4 sheet covering backpack adjustment, pole height settings and how to compress the sleeping bag turns an anonymous rental into a five-star-review experience. And in peer-to-peer, reviews are everything.

Safety and responsibility: what you should know

Hiking gear isn't safety-critical the way climbing ropes and harnesses are (that deserves its own discussion, which you'll find in our guide to renting out climbing gear), but a few precautions matter:

• Describe the real condition. Sole 50% worn? Say so. Transparency protects you in a dispute and builds trust.
• Photos before and after the exchange. On Lendmates, every handover is confirmed with a QR code and the deposit covers damage: photos at handover and return are your evidence.
• Declared hygiene. For sleeping bags and boots, state in the listing how you sanitise them between rentals. It's every borrower's first doubt — answer it before it's asked.

What you can really earn: a complete example

Meet Giulia, who still owns the gear from her alpine high-route years: a 58-litre Osprey backpack (€180), a 3-season sleeping bag (€140), a sleeping pad (€80) and carbon trekking poles (€110). Total value: about €510. Current use: one weekend a year.

• Complete kit at €22/day, individual items also available separately
• June: one weekend rental of the backpack alone (€15 net)
• July: complete kit for 10 days, Via Francigena (€190 net)
• August: complete kit for 12 days, Dolomites (€230 net)
• September: poles + backpack for a weekend (€25 net)

Season total: around €460 net, with just four handovers — and gear that goes back in the closet in October, ready for next year. It's not a second salary, but it's nearly the replacement value of the entire kit, generated by items that would otherwise sit idle.

Getting started is the easy part

If you have hiking gear gathering dust, the playbook is the usual one: bright photos, a description with sizes and honest condition, market-aligned pricing and a calendar opened ahead of the season. And if you're preparing for a long trail or a week at altitude, renting from a private owner saves you hundreds of euros — and gets you on the trail with gear already broken in by someone who knows the mountains.

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