Where to rent outdoor gear in San Francisco

The main places people think about to rent outdoor gear in San Francisco are REI, Sports Basement, and Last Minute Gear. Since people ask us for the difference, we put together this holistic comparison. We tried to be as objective as possible, and last updated this on November 2022. Send feedback to [email protected].

We focus on REI, Sports Basement, and Last Minute Gear because:

You can't rent at brand stores (e.g., Patagonia, The North Face, Arc'teryx, Burton, etc.) or big box stores (e.g., Target)
Online-only gear rental companies located outside of the San Francisco Bay Area generally require longer lead times (no place you can walk in to get stuff immediately) & price much higher (free shipping costs need to be baked in somewhere, and renting is two-way shipping)

		REI Major national chain (150+ stores across the country)	Sports Basement Major regional Bay Area chain (3 stores in just San Francisco)	Last Minute Gear The last small, independent gear shop in San Francisco, downtown by Union Square
RENT	Can you rent gear?	The only stores that rent gear in Northern California are in Berkeley & Saratoga, so this is excluded from our San Francisco-focused comparison
	Source of gear	N/A	Purchased new; checked between uses
	Major categories	N/A	Camp, Snow, Bike, Surf, Paddle What Sports Basement rents, but Last Minute Gear does not in the shared rental categories of Camp & Snow: Mountaineering gear (e.g., boots, crampons, ice axes) Skis, snowboards, boots	Camp, Snow , Climb What Last Minute Gear rents, but Sports Basement does not in the shared rental categories of Camp & Snow: Higher end ultralight (e.g., down) gear Entry level, "Basic" tier for Snow apparel to maximize accessibility
	Pickup & return	N/A	Pickup: In-store during regular store hours Return: You can return to any store (Bay Area wide locations) by 1pm, or ship back at your own responsibility	For both pickup & return: Available 24/7 from our downtown warehouse via self-service Available for convenient pickup from neighborhood outposts We can deliver & collect from your home in San Francisco We can facilitate shipping to you & return shipping with prepaid label & box
	Pricing	N/A	Pricing is generally pretty similar between renting at Sports Basement & renting at Last Minute Gear
	Pricing	N/A	Rents season leases for Snow gear, which are a great deal if you plan to go more than 2x	Rents higher end items compared to Sports Basement without changing the price Lower end "Basic" tier for rental Snow gear is 50% off & designed for accessibility; for example you can rent a pair of snow pants for $~10 for a weekend Long term rentals are generally capped at 50% of retail, so people have found it worthwhile to rentfor 1-2 months
Other services		Hard good repair services (bikes, skis, snowboards); generally don't do things like sewing or patching Trade-in used gear Used gear sale Events, classes & guided outdoor adventures (mix of free & paid)		Soft good repair & cleaning services; since we don't carry hard goods, we cannot service skis or snowboards or mount bindings Used gear sale

Outpost	Regular hours***	Instructions	Driving	Public transit	Bike or scooter
Downtown SF Last Minute Gear 563 Sutter Street	Mo 12am-11:59pm Tu 12am-11:59pm We 12am-11:59pm Th 12am-11:59pm Fr 12am-11:59pm Sa 12am-11:59pm Su 12am-11:59pm	Self-service only; click here for more info. We do NOT have open, walk-in hours like a store anymore!	Many garages nearby (under Union Square or at Sutter/Stockton, etc.), but tend to be pricey Directly outside, multiple curb spaces are marked yellow commercial loading zones Ticketing & towing are very active, especially once the yellow commercial loading zones are paused weekdays 4-6pm!	4 blocks from Powell Street Station for the BART metro and MUNI lightrail	There is a rack directly outside
SOMA SF Game Post SF 689 3rd Street	Mo 12pm-6pm Tu 12pm-6pm We 12pm-6pm Th 12pm-6pm Fr 12pm-6pm Sa 12pm-6pm Su N/A	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended If you don't see staff they're likely just in the bathroom!		2 blocks from the 4th & King Street Station for the CalTrain	There is a rack on the same block
Marina SF West Coast Leather 2060 Union Street	Mo 1pm-6pm Tu 1pm-6pm We 1pm-6pm Th 1pm-6pm Fr 1pm-7pm Sa 10am-7pm Su 1pm-6pm	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended If you don't see staff they're likely just in the bathroom!	You can pull into the driveway right next to the shop for a few minutes!		There is a rack on the same block
Castro SF Queer Arts Featured 575 Castro Street	Mo N/A Tu N/A We N/A Th 12pm-7pm Fr 12pm-7pm Sa 12pm-7pm Su 12pm-6pm	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended If you don't see staff they're likely just in the bathroom!		2 blocks from the Castro Station for the MUNI	There is a rack on the same block
Cole Valley SF Simple 1001 Stanyan Street	Mo 11am-6pm Tu N/A We 11am-6pm Th 11am-6pm Fr 11am-6pm Sa 11am-5pm Su 11am-5pm	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended If you don't see staff they're likely just in the bathroom!		The MUNI lightrail N-line stops right outside	There is a rack directly outside
Mission SF Kelly's Boutique 3156 24th Street	Mo 11am-6pm Tu 11am-6pm We 11am-6pm Th 11am-6pm Fr 11am-6pm Sa N/A Su N/A	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended If you don't see staff they're likely just in the bathroom!	Directly outside, there's 1 curb space marked as a yellow commercial loading zone The grocery store directly behind this outpost has a parking lot; some folks have split up where 1 person shops the grocery store and another handles the gear	3 blocks from 24th Street Station for the BART metro	There is a rack directly outside
Sunset SF Pemulis Water & Power 4051 Judah Street	Mo N/A Tu N/A We N/A Th 1pm-6pm Fr 1pm-6pm Sa 1pm-6pm Su 1pm-4pm	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended If you don't see staff they're likely just in the bathroom!		The MUNI lightrail N-line stops right outside	There is a rack directly across the street
Potrero Hill SF BerryClean 1627 20th Street	Mo 8am-4pm Tu 8am-4pm We 8am-4pm Th 8am-4pm Fr 8am-4pm Sa 8am-4pm Su N/A	You must check-in with a staff person, there's no self-service here & please don't leave gear unattended This is an office & rarely, everyone will be out running an errand. We recommend selecting this outpost only it's not too inconvenient for you to come back again in case that happens.	Do NOT pull into or block the garage on-site!	4 blocks from 22nd Street Station for the CalTrain rail	There is a rack across the street
Oakland +$15 Port Labs Co-working 2044 Franklin Street	Mo N/A Tu 12pm-5pm We N/A Th 12pm-5pm Fr N/A Sa N/A Su N/A	We work here on limited days & will schedule a specific time for you to come by between meetings. Do NOT come without an appointment as this is a co-working space, and no one else will be able to help you	Many garages nearby Free street parking is generally readily available	2 blocks from the 19th Street Station for the BART metro	There is a rack directly outside