Thoughts on shared ownership camping gear?

[becstarlightstarbright]

Do any of you have any experience of/thoughts on this?

We have a full set of camping gear. However we're moving to a flat where we won't have space to store it. We could store it at BILs but he lives a long way away, and it would be a bit pesky if we wanted to go camping somewhere that was the opposite direction to his house IYSWIM.

So I had an idea - I wondered if I might be able to find a family who want to go camping, don't have the gear, but have some storage space and live near us. And then we would share the gear on a timeshare basis. I'm thinking we wouldn't share sleeping bags as that's a bit icky, but everything else - tent, stove, mattresses, camping kettle, etc.

I'm a bit nervous about the idea (what if they don't look after the gear? What if they just nick it and we never see it again?) but at the same time I like the idea of shared ownership and collaborative consumption - from this TED talk www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_case_for_collaborative_consumption.html

Is it a totally unrealistic idea? I was thinking I'd just ask my friends to ask their friends until we found someone - so it was someone we had a connection with... Do any of you do this? And if so, does it work?

Its difficult as we all have different standards.
I dont think it would work with some one you dont know.

I think that is an excellent idea ... If you can cope with wear and tear/ loss/ breakages / someone wanting the same 2 weeks in August as you etcetera .
It kinda depends how laid back you are about those things and if you think all that is worth free storage.

I would fret that someone wasn't treating my beloved tents right.

I am probably too precious for this too, though I love the idea. I just know that every time I lend my best friend a DVD box set it gets returned with a scratch on one of the DVDs, and the box looks like it's been trampled, or it just never comes back. People have very different ideas of what it means to take care of things. Oddly, I'm not overly anal about taking care of my own stuff, but I am extra conscientious when borrowing things. Other people, it turns out, are not.

I'd be racking my brain on how I might be able to store it in the flat. Could you store under the bed, on top of the wardrobe? Is there any outside space you could co-opt for a small shed? Or store essentials in the flat and luxury camping items at your BILs so if you are going that way you can pick up the nice to have stuff? But if going the other way, go more bare bones?

It would work if you worked through a few potential issues first:

• Shared ownership: would you want them to buy into owning the gear financially as well as storing it?

• What if they didn't store it properly (eg didn't clean kit to your standard, took down the tent wet and didn't dry it out properly later and it got mildewed?).

• How would you manage to be fair about who got it when? If it's two families then you're going to want to use it during school holidays, so potentials to clash. Would you want first dibs because it's your stuff? I guess you could use a Google calendar and come to some arrangement like you each got to choose 3 weeks at the start of the year and then first come first served for the rest.

• What if you found another arrangement that suited you better, eg you got storage space somewhere else? Would you expect to take it back - would you give them notice?

So what would happen if you needed to pack up wet at the end of your holiday? the other family would do the airing and maintenance as you don't have space?
What if the tent was damaged in strong winds..who would pay for the repairs.What about in say 5 years time when the waterproofing starts to go and seams need resealing?

I think the idea is lovely in principle but as camping equipment is quite prone to damage/needing repair and a degree of ongoing maintenance that it would prove very difficult to set up an arrangement with people you did not know really well.

You are all soooo right! Thank you - I can go off on a bit of an idealistic trip every now and then. But only yesterday I was thinking sadly of a book a friend borrowed and never gave back - and she's since emigrated so I won't be seeing that again (it had an inscription from my grandma...). And yes I've had DVDs returned scratched, clothes returned stained... I can usually let it go but if it ruined our holiday I might find it harder to chill about it!

BIL's garage it is then. There's definitely no space in the flat - no outside space, and underbed will be used for sheets, towels, blankets etc. while the wardrobes will be floor to ceiling and narrow - just enough space for our clothes.

Thanks for talking sense into me !

Gosh, I hadn't even thought about the ruined holiday aspect but you are right. You wouldn't find out if your tent had gotten mouldy, or a key part of your stove done missing, until you unpacked it at the campsite. Eek!

I wonder if there is anything else you could trade for storage, babysitting one Friday night a month or school pick ups or something? Otherwise, let us know where your BIL lives and we will find excellent campsites nearby!!

Maybe a gumtree advert or card in a local shop asking for room in someone's garage/shed would be a good idea?

Maybe hire a small storage unit?