Should you hire or buy camping gear? The real cost
Updated 13 October 2026 · Four Swags
Most camping gear gets used a few weekends a year, and spends the rest in the shed. Here's a simple way to work out when buying makes sense and when hiring is the better deal.
The quick rule
Add up how many days a year you'll actually use something. If hiring it for those days costs less than about a third of buying it new, hire it, at least until you know you'll use it more. That third covers what you'd lose when you sell it later, plus storage and upkeep.
Things that are usually better to hire
- Camper trailers and caravans: tens of thousands to buy, plus rego, insurance and storage
- Big family tents and gazebos: bulky to store, used a few times a year
- Camping fridges and power stations: expensive and easy to hire for a trip
- Snow gear: kids grow out of it every season
- Kayaks, SUPs and surfboards: hard to store in an apartment
- Anything you're trying for the first time
Things that are usually worth buying
- Sleeping bag, pillow and head torch: personal and cheap
- Camp chairs if you use them at the footy and the beach too
- Gear you'll use most weekends
The hidden costs of owning
Storage space, maintenance, replacing worn parts, and the time spent setting it all up to check it still works. A camper trailer or caravan also brings rego, insurance and somewhere to park it.
And if you already own it
Gear that sits in the shed can pay for itself. List it on Four Swags and hire it to locals when you're not using it: every renter is ID-checked and every hire has a bond and damage protection.