The snowshoe rental bust (see below) has made me reconsider my gear rental policy. I have always been a firm believer that you should rent anything that costs a fortune to buy that you will hardly use. For that reason I bought an expensive mountain bike that I rode daily but have held off on buying SCUBA gear that I would use a handful of times a year. I used to rent wetsuits when SCUBA diving but this season I was lobster diving so often I found that I was at Sport Chalet 3 times a month picking up the same Bodyglove suit. Even though the $20 to rent was much less than the $200 to buy the cost-benefit of driving to West LA over and over convinced me I would be better off owning a wetsuit. So far I have used it three times but the comfort of knowing no one else's naked body has been in my wetsuit, and not having to drive to pick it up, has been worth the cost.
The snowshoe question is a little more complicated. Renting the shoes is about $20 a trip. Buying the pair shown above, the MSR Denali Evo Ascents, will cost $140 with the 30% discount Sport Chalet has offered as compensation. That means 7 trips to the snow to pay them off. To use my wetsuit I hop in my car and drive a few miles. To use my snowshoes I will have to plan for weeks, watch the weather, and drive 200 miles. My logical side is telling me to hold off. My gear junkie side is telling me it can't hurt to own another good piece of gear.
Somehow I have a feeling I will end up with a pair of snowshoes in my closet in a few weeks. Oh well, I guess I will just have to plan more snowshoeing trips.
No comments:
Post a Comment