Renting, Borrowing, or Buying: What's Actually Worth It
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The cheapest gear is the gear you don't buy at all. Before spending on anything, especially for a first trip or two, it's worth asking whether you need to own it yet.
Always buy new
Some categories aren't worth the risk of buying used, because their entire job depends on not failing at the worst possible moment.
- Recovery gear (the kinetic rope and traction boards from
our starter guide
). Straps and ropes degrade from UV exposure and stress in ways that aren't visible from the outside. A used recovery rope with invisible fiber damage can snap under load. This is not a place to save $20. - Tires. A used tire's actual remaining life and history of damage are hard to verify.
Given how much tires matter (see
our tire guide
), buy new.
Fine to buy used
- Tents and ground shelters — inspect for mildew, torn seams, and broken poles, but otherwise low risk.
- Camp kitchen gear (stoves, cookware, folding tables) — check that a used stove actually ignites and holds a steady flame before you buy, but otherwise this category is low-stakes.
- Coolers — check for cracks and a sealing lid, and you're fine.
- Roof racks and cargo boxes, if you can verify the mounting hardware is complete and undamaged.
Facebook Marketplace, local gear swap meets, and REI's used-gear programs are all reasonable places to look. Overlanding-specific Facebook groups for your region are often better than general marketplaces — sellers there tend to be more knowledgeable about what they're actually selling.
Worth renting or borrowing before buying
- A rooftop tent, if a local outfitter offers rentals — this is genuinely the best way to find out if you'll actually use one before spending $1,000+.
- A winch, if you're doing a single trip with terrain that might need one, rather than committing to owning one before you know your typical terrain.
- The vehicle itself. If you don't already have something capable, renting an SUV for a weekend trip is far cheaper than buying a vehicle to find out overlanding isn't for you.
The honest math
Renting a rooftop tent for a weekend typically costs a small fraction of buying one. If you take two or three trips before deciding to commit, you'll have spent less on rentals than you'd have spent buying gear you might not keep using — and you'll actually know what you want, rather than guessing from build videos.
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