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Hello. First time post and I was just wondering would there be much call in the UK for Trailer Tent and Folding camper hire, as there seems to be very few companies that carry out this service in the UK. I am in a position where I have both a folding camper and a trailer tent and I was just thinking, would it be worth starting up a business hiring these out. Any feedback from other members would be most appreciated.

• Insurance: We were in the position last year of having two campers and I enquired about insurance to hire the old one out and was told by a few companies that they wouldn't cover this.
• As Jan P has said would you trust someone not to pack it away wet?
• May be that you have to get it out to check it every time the tt or fc is returned to check for damage etc

I've considered this myself, and ruled it out. For a living I've run hire businesses supplying valuable business kit short term, so I've a lot of experience with a similar business model.

Reasons I think the tent hire is a non starter are: Yes, you would have to get the whole thing out at the start and end of every hire so that you and the client could sign off its condition (much easier with car hire for example, and even that's a hassle). A worthwile check-in may take a couple of hours: can you imagine the issues of checking in a cohort after a BH weekend?There will inevitably be disputes, and there will inevitably be unscrupulous clientelle who would be more trouble than they are worth. Then there's the peaks and troughs of demand to get round: you'd have all your stock out around BH weekends and through the summer, and then you'd have a big storage issue (overhead) for the rest of the year.Insurance (of the units) would be near impossible to get, so you'd need to make sufficient from revenue to cover your own risks (be self-insuring). You could ask for deposits or guarantees from clients, but the bigger they are the less business you'll get so striking the balance would be difficult.

Much worse than all that, you'd have to give up camping yourself, so that you could give telephone / personal support to clients. That seals it for me!

If it's viable at all, it would possibly work as a sideline for a large dealer of used units, effectively hiring out their used stock between buying it and re-selling it. If all your stock is out on hire at times which are traditionally busy for selling, then you've no stock to sell, and you'll only be able to sell your hire units in the off-season (when demand and pricing are lower).I don't know of any dealer that does it, so there's your answer.

EDIT: forgot to mention the money! Balancing what people would really be prepared to pay for, say, a weeks hire, with what would be needed to cover costs (check-in / out labour, admin time, non-chargeable repairs, depreciation, off-hire storage, public liability insurance, and the occasional un-insurable total loss) the figures don't stack up. 

The other angle would be to take several pitches at a site and hire the units out pre-pitched. But there's someone called Eurocamp who's already got that sewn up. There'll be good reasons why they don't operate in the UK.

Geat idea, but complete non-stater. (Otherwise I'd be doing it!!)

TT.

Hi

This would be a great idea if you could erect the camper / trailer tent for a full summer season on a nice quite pitch somewhere, a get away from it all type of site, especially for walkers, ramblers and bird watchers, this way it would stay up all season, no packing away issues, you could then rent it out by the week. I know many of my friends would be prepared to try camping if they didn't have to set everything up, and didn't need to tow, don't give up, I'm sure there is a market out there for this idea.

I know nothing about hiring out things but have had friends say they wished they could hire a T T. In France they are all ready put up and ready for use things like Eurocamp and Keycamps I would imagine someone would use them but not sure just how much of a call you would get for it.

I think one of the reasons people enjoy camping is it is their own tent and they feel happy with that.

Best of luck let us know how you get on.