Renting or Borrowing vs. Owning

Would you like to try out a new hobby or sport that requires specific equipment?

Or maybe you'd like to save space, and you realize you have a bunch of what Claire Brown, in her guest post on Get Rich Slowly, calls once a year goods — "the items that only see the light of day a few times a year: camping goods, DIY equipment, sports gear, and cooking appliances like ice-cream makers." Update on July 21, 2021: This blog post seems to have been removed.

These are just two of the situations where you might want to look into renting vs. owning. I've written before about renting tools, wedding dresses, maternity clothes, baby toys and textbooks. But here are some more things you can rent!

Camping and Sports Gear
Jacki Hollywood Brown writes about the many advantages of renting this stuff, including these:

Renting sporting gear such as boats, bicycles and skis allows you to try out several different models or designs. This will permit you to make an informed decision should you decide that the particular activity is something you wish to pursue.

If you have growing children, renting sporting equipment may be a great option. Many kids will outgrow ski boots after one season or decide they no longer wish to participate in the sport.

REI and LowerGear are just two of the places that provide such rentals. And RentaBikeNow.com has listings of bike shops throughout the U.S. that provide bike rentals. [via Maria Thomas]

Camera Lenses and Other Gear
BorrowLenses.com lets you borrow more than just lenses; you can also get lighting equipment, audio equipment, camcorders and more. [via Robert Scoble]

Mannequins and Dress Forms
You can rent both of these from Mannequin Madness.

Sunglasses
If you're in Paris, you can rent these from la Fabrique de Lunettes for periods ranging from one day (10 euros) to 12 months (15 euros/month). [via Springwise]

Related Posts:
Renting Things You Never Knew Could Be Rented
The Sharing Solution
1 Way to Avoid Future De-Cluttering Decisions: Rent the Wedding Gown