The Daily - August 12,2021 - 30

FEATURE
Oudoors Geek
creates custom
packages that
are easy for
the uninitiated
to understand.
them how it works-how to light
the stove, and how to purify water, "
says Marquardt. " People really
appreciate that. "
Marquardt says that rentals now
account for well north of 50% of
the company's business, and includes
a robust shipping program
that reaches renters from across
the country. Rentals help drive
retail in another important way: If
renters like the gear they've been
using, they can buy it, deducting
the rental cost from the price.
That try-before-you-buy model
is behind Eddie Bauer's entry into
the rental market. The manufacturer
is partnering with online
rental specialist Arrive Outdoors
to ship day packs and sleeping
bags-as well as iconic EB products
like the 800-fi ll Microtherm
2.0 Down Jacket-out to customers
with prepaid Fedex return
labels. " Rentals offer consumers
unique opportunities to try items
before they commit to a large
purchase, secure quality gear for
a once-a-year trip when they need
30
" I DON'T WANT PRICE TO BE A
BARRIER TO ANYONE. "
-JAMES DONG, LAST MINUTE GEAR
it, or try a new activity altogether, "
the brand said in a press release.
Aware of the moment, Eddie
Bauer is also recognizing that gear
rental can be a portal toward a
more inclusive outdoors through
a lower price point. " Adventure
should be self-prescribed. It looks
different to everyone, and living
your adventure can take many
forms. Through our fi rst rental
program, we hope to reach even
more people, offering them the
gear, apparel, and resources they
need to get outside, " says Eddie
Bauer CEO Damien Huang.
Eddie Bauer's gear is renting at
roughly 10% of retail cost based
on a long-weekend rental period-so
$23 for the $229 Microtherm
before shipping costs. That
/ OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2021
rate holds true for the rest of
Arrive Outdoors' offerings from
more than 40 manufacturers,
ranging from Black Diamond
trekking poles to Arc'teryx ski
parkas; and for Outdoors Geek's
prices as well, though for both
companies, rental bundles like
car-camping packages or festival
glamping packages present
savings for customers.
LAST MINUTE GEAR PRICES ITS
items similarly and, in-line with
its mission of reducing consumption,
offers customers an online
gear calculator to help steer them
toward rental. The algorithm
takes customer inputs like the
number of camping or ski trips
they expect to take a year and
runs it through a formula that also
takes into account the time cost of
dealing with the gear-cleaning,
repair, and whether a friend might
" borrow the tent indefi nitely " -all
set against a $25 per hour San
Francisco living wage. According
to Dong's research, to get your
money's worth out of a high-end
sleeping bag or tent, the item
should be used at least four to six
times a year, though that doesn't
take into account more rugged
uses like Burning Man.
Being based in San Francisco,
Last Minute Gear does have
a Burning Man policy, which
warns customers that their tents,
due to lightweight mesh bodies,
are a poor choice for the fi ne dust
of the Playa. Furthermore, it
states, " Given the risk of gear getting
irreparably dirty, any item
rented during the period when
Burning Man will be taking place
will require a deposit, regardless
of total days of rental and whether
or not you are actually going to
Burning Man. "
The Daily - August 12,2021

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