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Hiring camping equipment can make sense when you are trying camping, need a specialist item occasionally or lack storage at home. Buying becomes more attractive when you use the same equipment regularly and can maintain it. Compare the complete cost and practical responsibilities of each option.
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Define the equipment you actually need
Start with the trip rather than a shopping basket. Do you need a complete family setup, a tent only or one item your existing kit lacks? Check whether a campsite offers ready-pitched accommodation, which may remove transport and assembly work as well as the need to own a tent.
Borrowing can be another option where suitable equipment and clear expectations are available. The Camping and Caravanning Club’s beginner guide includes buying, borrowing and hiring among the ways to get started.
Compare like-for-like totals
For hire, include the full rental period, delivery or collection, cleaning requirements and any charges for late return or damage. Check what a deposit represents and when it is returned. For purchase, include necessary accessories, storage and likely care or repair costs.
As a purely illustrative calculation, an item costing £160 to buy and £40 per trip to hire reaches the same headline spend after four hires. Those are hypothetical figures, not current quotes. The real comparison changes with delivery, maintenance, resale value and whether your needs change after the first trip.
If you are pricing used equipment as another option, follow the second-hand tent inspection checklist before counting a low asking price as a saving.
Inspect what the hire includes
- Exact model, size and condition.
- All necessary poles, pegs, pumps, cables or accessories.
- Instructions and a way to report missing parts.
- Collection and return dates that fit the journey.
- Cleaning, drying and damage responsibilities.
Check compatibility between hired items and your own kit. A hired mattress that does not fit the tent, or a stove requiring unfamiliar fuel equipment, can undermine the apparent saving.
Consider personal comfort separately
Some items are especially useful to choose around your own fit and routine. A head torch such as the Petzl Tikka on Amazon UK may also be used for ordinary walks and household tasks, making ownership easier to justify than a large tent used once.
That does not mean you need to buy everything small. Check what you already own and what the hire package provides before adding duplicates.
Choose the option that lets you learn
For a first trip, hiring or borrowing can reveal the size and style of equipment you actually prefer. For repeated trips with stable requirements, buying suitable kit can give familiarity and availability.
Use real quotes for your dates, check the return conditions and decide where wet equipment will be dried. The best-value choice is the one that suits your frequency of use and the work you can realistically take on.
Continue with our camping trip planning guide.
Reviewed 10 September 2026. This guide is based on published specifications and guidance.