Did you know that you can rent ski apparel? Yep, we teamed up with Kit Lender to share with you that name brand coats, ski pants, gloves, googles and more can be rented for your next cold weather vacation and there are so many reasons that we love this service.
I first started skiing when I was an early teen with my family in Beaver Creek, Colorado. I was so excited this year to take my family back to the exact place that I’ve been visiting for nearly 3 decades (if I dated myself, let’s just pretend I say one decade, okay?). We planned a trip to meet the grandparents and some of the aunts, uncles and cousins and this was the first time that my kids would be hitting the slopes.
We were so excited about the trip until I realized that we were completely not prepared for such a cold weather sport. We live in the South and don’t own any ski gear. Okay, my husband and I both have dated ski jackets and ski bib overalls stuffed in a box somewhere in the attic but the kids basically have nothing.
It just doesn’t snow in the South. Okay, maybe it flurries from time to time but that definitely does not require snow gear. Plus, even if they did have the right apparel, it probably wouldn’t fit anyway because my 9, 12 and 14 year olds are growing like crazy right now. The jeans I bought my 12 year old three weeks ago already don’t fit. Awesome, right?
So, when I started planning the trip, I was a little overwhelmed by the fact that we had nothing for skiing. No ski pants, no ski gloves, no googles, ski coats…nothing. Maybe we have a beanie or two laying around but they don’t really count as “ski gear” when you are talking about hitting the Beaver Creek slopes in Colorado.
So, what’s a mom to do?
I could have gone out and spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on each kid for snow apparel (remember I have THREE kids!) for the trip. Sure, that would be a great idea, right? Sure, they’d wear it again, right? Wait, I live in North Carolina and we might ski once a year at the very most, but since this is our first ski trip EVER with the kids, I can’t even really say that.
Let’s just say that we’ll join our family again next year on the slopes. Do you really think the ski apparel that I buy this year will actually fit them next year when my son can’t even wear the same jeans for more than 3 weeks right now? Yeah, not going to happen.
Luckily, I found the solution!
You can watch our video on our ski apparel rental below or just keep reading!
What is Kit Lender?
When I heard that renting ski apparel was actually a thing, I was all over it. We teamed up with Kit Lender to try out their rental service and I have to say we absolutely LOVED it. After trying out the service from start to finish, here are…
8 reasons why we think you’ll love Kit Lender too:
- Name Brands. This isn’t the Walmart special of snow apparel that you are renting. You are renting big name brands such as Patagonia, North Face, Burton, Spyder and more.
- You Save Money. If you have kids who grow as fast as mine grow, you are going to save money. Renting their ski apparel is going to be much cheaper than buying an entire new ski outfit that they won’t fit in after your trip anyway.
- You Pick Your Outfit. Yep, you get to pick from a wide selection of different brands and styles on the Kit Lender website. If you are a pink gal, you might choose a bright pink North Face jacket like my daughter did. If you prefer a sleeker black look with a little fur thrown in, you might choose the jacket that I chose. There are so many different stylish choices to choose from that I’m confident that there is at least one everyone will like.
- No Laundry. Did you hear that? NO LAUNDRY! That’s right, when you are finished with your Kit Lender snow gear rental, you just pack it back into the box it came in and ship it right back. No washing required. Kit Lender takes care of that for you.
- Saves on Baggage Fees. If you are flying to your ski destination, do you know how bulky that ski coats, pants, gloves and goggles can be for each person? Bulky. Very bulky. That means that it will take up a good portion of your luggage, and therefore, you have to bring more luggage which equals more baggage fees. (I hate baggage fees.)
- FREE Shipping Both Ways. Speaking of shipping, Kit Lender ships your rental gear free both ways. They ship it directly to your ski resort or destination so that it’s waiting for you when you arrive. Our gear was actually waiting in our resort room when we got there. When we were ready to go home, we dropped the ski apparel off at the front desk for FedEx to pick up to ship back. Easy-peasy.
- Try Before You Buy. Renting snow apparel is a great way to try out different brands before you buy. We may buy new ski gear for my husband and I since we now know that the kids love to ski and want to do it more often. After renting for this trip, we now know little features of the apparel that we will look for when we go to purchase. Such as my husband’s Patagonia ski jacket hood fit over his ski helmet. My North Face jacket did not. We would have never even thought to look for that feature until we tried out different brands and styles on this ski trip.
- It’s. Just. So. Easy. I just have to say that it was just so easy not to have to pack up all kinds of ski gear before our trip and then wash it all once we got home. It was there when we needed it and then sent back when we were done.
How much is Kit Lender?
Well, it cost us about $100 for 3 days of skiing per kid. I added it up and if I would have bought them the same jacket, pants, gloves and googles it would have cost me over $300/each. And remember, they would have outgrown it by next year anyway!
Overall, renting from Kit Lender worked out great for my family. If you’d like to find out more, visit their website at: www.KitLender.com
This post is sponsored by Kit Lender.
