Gear rental for personal use (not SCO trips)

We always provide any gear required for official SC Outfitters trips that you sign up for, but if you’re looking to get outside on your own and would like to borrow gear for personal use, you’re in the right place.

PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS PAGE IF YOU NEED GEAR FOR AN OFFICIAL SC OUTFITTERS TRIP YOU’RE SIGNED UP FOR

Gear available

  • Sleeping bags: low (5 to 25 degrees F), medium (30 to 45 degrees F), and high (50+ degrees F) temperatures, up to 2 per person

  • Foam sleeping pads: roll-up and foldable Z-shape, up to 2 per person

  • Tents: 3-person, 4-person, 5-person, and 6-person, up to 1 per person

  • Backpacking packs: 50 to 80L capacity, up to 2 per person

  • Small backpacking stoves with two small (1L and 0.5L) pots, NO FUEL PROVIDED, up to 1 per person

  • Foldable camping chairs, up to 2 per person

  • Large bear can, up to 1 per person

  • First aid kits, up to 1 per person, free

  • Small trowels, up to 1 per person, free

Photos above are examples of some of the gear we have available, but we make no guarantee that what you receive will match the pictures.

 

how it works

MEMBERS ONLY: For liability reasons, we are only renting out gear for personal use to current USC students who are members of SC Outfitters. Non-students will not be allowed to rent gear under any circumstances. Students who wish to become members with SC Outfitters may purchase a semesterly ($25) or yearly ($35) membership here.

LIMITS: We have a limited amount of outdoors gear available for personal trips for members. There are limits on the number of items each member can borrow, which is typically designed so that a member can outfit an entire trip for a maximum of two people. The renter of this equipment is responsible for anyone else who uses it under their supervision. If you need more gear than this limit, this may be possible assuming there are not many other rentals that weekend. Please specify in your email the quantity of each item you would like to borrow.

PRICE: Every item is $3 each unless otherwise noted, which helps us cover the cost of maintenance. This price is for an entire weekend rental (ie. Thurs night through Mon). If cost is a barrier for you, we offer scholarships that can be used for SC Outfitters trips as well as gear rental.

RESERVATIONS: All gear rentals must be reserved online ahead of time. Please contact Caroline at dworken@usc.edu to reserve rentals at least one week ahead of time. Specify in your email the dates and what items you would like to borrow. All sales are final, with no refunds available for any reason.

PICK-UP / DROP-OFF: All equipment rentals must be picked up and dropped off from our storage location near campus. These times will typically be Thursday evening before your trip, and Monday evening afterwards. You must meet with us in person, and cannot just drop gear off without talking to us.

USING THE GEAR: You are responsible for knowing how to use the equipment you rent and reading the full manuals provided linked below. If you have questions about anything, please ask the person when you pick up your gear for clarification. We strongly recommend thoroughly inspecting all rentals before taking them out, as we make no guarantee that they are in full working condition at the time of rental. If you find any issues, contact us and we will refund you and/or offer a replacement if available.

Rental policies

Please read our waiver / rental agreement linked below, which you will have to agree to during reservation and pick-up.

manuals and tips for using the gear

As the renter, you are responsible for knowing how to use all of the gear you rent safely and without damaging the equipment. We have prepared some materials below to help, but if you have further questions please ask us when you come to pick up your gear.

Stoves: For a simple introduction to using our stoves, watch the video linked here. Note that we do not provide fuel with the stoves, so you will have to purchase an isobutane container in order to use it (sold at REI and other outdoors stores). Make sure to check rules and regulations for the use of stoves wherever you plan on using it, as many parks in the area require a California campfire permit.

Tents: Most of our tents have a picture and/or instructions for set-up on the bag. Make sure that you use every piece of the tent included, and that it all gets back into the bag at the end of the day. We have made videos to show the set-up for our Coleman pop-up tent and one of the regular tents. We recommend making sure that every piece of gear you rent is in full working condition before taking it out, but this is especially important for the tents.

Sleeping bags: All of our sleeping bags also come with a sleeping bag liner to keep both you and the bags clean. We do not have the capacity to wash these liners, so we recommend that you wash just the liner (NOT THE SLEEPING BAG) before use, as they have been shared with others.


Reservations

To reserve rental gear or for more information, contact Caroline at dworken@usc.edu

THESE RENTAL RESERVATIONS ARE ONLY FOR PERSONAL TRIPS, NOT OFFICIAL SC OUTFITTERS TRIPS. All SC Outfitters trips automatically provide the gear you need, free of charge. This is only for if you want to get out on your own.

Want to get out on your own and don’t know where to start? Feel free to drop questions in our Slack, and our guides will happily help you plan your next trip.