A Simple And Modern Camp Gear Rental System Created To Encourage More Individuals To Enjoy The Outdoors
It can be funny how the desire to escape into the woods and leave all of society's material things can be such an expensive endeaver. A family of four can be looking at around $600 to initially purchase all of the basic camping materials. For many people who are just starting to become curious about camping or backpacking, this can be a definite reason to put that dream on hold.
That's where The Camp Kit comes in. With operation beginning earlier in the year, the relatively new company was created to eliminate people's excuses and get them outdoors with a simple and modern camp gear rental system.
“We want to make preparing for camping a one-stop, one-shop thing, so people can just get up and go on an adventure,” said Co-Founder Kayla Ravenscraft. “We are just trying to minimize excuses that are keeping people from getting outside. People need that time to themselves, or to spend with family, friends or a significant other. We just want to make it easy and introduce the outdoors to a lot of people. It doesn't have to be hard.”
In the ten months that The Camp Kit has been up and running, Ravenscraft and Co-Founder Megan Petruccelli have noticed that many of their clients have identified as “newbies” who may never have camped before and want to “just try it out.” Other common scenarios have been experienced campers who come to The Camp Kit to rent gear for their friends who are coming with them to camp for the weekend and may not have the gear they need.
The Camp Kit offers a one-person backpacking kit, a two-person backpacking kit, a two-person car camping trip and will soon be offering a kit specifically for people going on long hikes. The one-person backpacking kit comes with a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, pillow, backpack, bowl, spork and headlamp for well under $200.
If the kits have items that customers already have or if there are even more items they need, The Camp Kit also offers an a la cart option, where campers can choose from 50 different items made available from The Camp Kit's partnerships with various camping brands like Nemo and Platypus. Water filters, cooking pots, a backpacking stove, quick dry towels and hammocks are some of the kits available.
Renting is a much more cost effective choice than shopping at big box stores and retailers, and there are other perks of renting that also add to the excitement around The Camp Kit as well. For some, packing and unpacking gear can be a huge hassle, a time-waster when trying to relax and enjoy a trip. Other people may not know what gear is best, which brand to get, which products they need. The Camp Kit also caters to people who live in metropolitan areas and have less room, since storage is not an issue.
“We are in the business of lowering the barrier and getting people outside and enjoying nature,” said Ravenscraft. “Previously, in my experience, I'd want to go camping or backpacking but I didn't have the gear. My friend did and I'd have to borrow some of her supplies, her tent... Acquiring all of the items made it a challenge. The Camp Kit really wants to make that process easier. We wanted to limit the amount of excuses people have that keep them from going outside. We wanted to provide an easier way to go outside and unplug.”
Originally from Missouri, Ravenscraft said he's been camping with her family all her life. She said: “We didn't do Disney World. We went to state parks and went camping. That was our Disney World. That was paradise to me and still is to this day.”
When Ravenscraft wanted to start camping with her own family later in life, she realized it was “extremely difficult” to plan trips. The outdoors has always been something she's passionate about and she wanted her son to have the same experiences. As she stared at all of the camping gear in her garage – and listing what was missing and still needed to be purchased - she began to contemplate how to make it easier, how to make camping more accessible.
For Ravenscraft it was a no-brainer to reach out to her close friend Petruccelli, a “gear head” who loves the outdoors. According to Ravenscraft, Petruccelli was always her “go-to” when it came to knowledge of where to go and what to bring.
“She is an awesome person, very smart, a great friend... She is a go-getter and she's done really well with getting the whole image and gear knowledge and everything that makes the The Camp Kit work,” she gushed. “I gave her the idea and we put our minds together and put together what you see now.”
Founded in November of 2015, The Camp Kit has received great feedback and a lot of momentum, said Ravenscraft, who said the response to their new company has been a “great surprise.” After experiencing their first summer, the founders are already looking forward to next spring and summer, the most popular times for people to get outside and go camping.
A business like The Camp Kit can only be the brainchild of passionate, avid campers, people who know what it takes to get outside and explore. Founders Ravenscraft and Petruccelli are the perfect duo for the operation, a perfect blend of experience, passion and knowledge.
“I really love the ability to unplug,” noted Ravenscraft. “In today's world, everyone's always distracted, thinking about this and that. There's so much background noise. There's timers going off. There's so many distracting things, taking way from present moment.”
For Ravenscraft and so many others who have discovered the joy of camping, the outdoors are a great way to feel grounded and reset, a balanced mixture of becoming more self-aware, while also letting go of all the thoughts that often cloud the mind. And The Camp Kit allows people to step into that world with little to no hassle and no added stress. That's what it's all about.
Olivia Richman
A graduate of East Connecticut State University in Journalism, Olivia has written for Stonebridge Press & Antiques Marketplace among others. She enjoys writing, running and video games.
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The Camp Kit, founded and run by women in the Bay Area. This company was started to give more people the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and go on countless adventures.