Hey, can I borrow that?

I loan in steps. I'll loan someone something replacable and inexpensive, like a lighter. If they do not damage it and return it without issue, I'll loan them something bigger like a cheap knife. If they can handle that, a more expensive knife. And so on, all the way up to a vehicle.

If they damage something, or I have to ask for it back more than twice (anyone can forget after one request), they don't get anything loaned to them ever again.
 
I draw the line at lending pretty cold girls on river trips my nice wool sweaters and buddies my HEST to crack open longnecks-for the most part on backpacking trips I don't take people I don't trust with my gear, and yes I do alot of backpacking alone...
 
It really depends on the group I'm with.

Some of the guys I spend time outdoors with are into guns and knives, we usually bring a few extras to lend each other so that everybody gets to try different things. They are the sort of folks that will return your knife cleaner and sharper than when they got it.

Another group I hang out with are rock climbers who, while they are very knowledgeable about the great outdoors, tend to be harder than they have to on their tools. I fix their SAKs from time to time, and I've seen what they do to those poor things, so I wouldn't lend them a nice knife. I will share extra batteries, food and anything else, just not cutting tools.

With other people I tend to lend my help before my tools, like Calebklyne said, and I'll only let somebody who shows respect borrow my gear. For example, there's a girl I work and hang out with that occasionaly asks me for a knife and I know she won't use it to cut on a rock and she'll return it clean and dry. So I'm fine lending her a blade.
 
i'll hand out consumables, food, water, matches and the like.

when it comes to loaning out a blade, well, that's why the good lord gave us the Clipper 860. but most people i know have their own blades anyway.

personal and survival gear: get your own. i will happily use my gear for your benefit, but i won't loan it out.
 
Franciscomv said:
It really depends on the group I'm with.

Some of the guys I spend time outdoors with are into guns and knives, we usually bring a few extras to lend each other so that everybody gets to try different things. They are the sort of folks that will return your knife cleaner and sharper than when they got it.
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I am not really a fan of borrowing or lending stuff, but in a situation like you describe it seems rather fair and equal - as long as you trust the others to treat your stuff well and return it in a good condition then it should be no problem.

Unfortunately most people are not that good and you really don't know what condition your stuff will be in when/if you get it back. So generally I don't like to lend my stuff out.

I am also not keen on borrowing stuff - what if I damage it somehow, I would feel much worse than a lot of other people seem to when they damage other people's stuff! If I buy my own knife/stove/tent/whatever then if I lose/damage/break/dent/whatever it . . . well that is my own problem. I can accidentally put a big scratch on something and shrug and say "oh, well it is just a user - it was always going to end up looking used!", but if it wasn't my piece of gear and the owner is pissed off and I am feeling like shit . . . I would rather just use my own stuff and not have to worry about someone else's gear! Put a tear on your sleeping bag and you will have to live with it or replace it, do the same on a borrowed one and you'll have to tell the owner and feel real bad about it (and for most of use - pay for a replacement). If you want your friends to stay friends then avoiding borrowing & lending could help a lot!

I am struggling to think of the last time I borrowed or lent anything. Apart from money - even that I am very choosy about who I would lend to, but at least when you get a twenty back you don't have to worry that it has been chipped or dented! I have a good friend that doesn't like to lend his car (I have never known him to lend it to anyone) so I don't ask - it's his car and I can respect his right to not lend it.
 
Generosity, compassion, looking out for the other guy, sharing the load etc are all good things and do wonders for group cohesion. At the same time there is laziness, lethargy, cheapness, disrespect etc that destroy it in short order.

If I'm out with someone who knows what they are doing I respect their individual choices when it comes to gear. Sometimes either I or they will have the right or better tool for the job and I have no problem passing a piece of equipment to someone who knows what they are about with it.

When I take groups of inexperienced people to the bush I pack the packs and I go with the expectation of their limitations. In this case I'm loaning everything. I let them know right at the start that I have a zero tolerance policy for horseplay or abuse with my blades. So far I have never had anyone challenge that.

Those are pretty much the two types of people I find myself out there with, either someone who is equal to or greater than or someone who is there as a student. It has been a very long time since I have been in the bush with anyone I would consider a mooch or leech. If someone is experienced my attitude is "What is mine is yours". If they are a novice and I have outfitted them then literally "What is there's is mine" and they will respect that.

ETA - One thing I have had plenty of experience with is one or more members of a group not wanting to do the hard work necessary to survive. I make it clear that the first time we do something I will be teaching them and they will be paying close attention and asking relevant questions. The second time that task has to be done they will be the ones doing it. I have had people suddenly decide I'm their paid guide rather than an instructor. I have had people decide that manual labor was below them and yet perfectly acceptable for other members of the group. If I have good group cohesion they get to work as a group. If I have one or more people hanging back letting others do the heavy lifting then suddenly things get highly individualistic. This isolates the effect of their laziness and limits the consequences to them. One exercise I have done often is to send them all 200 meters away from our camp location to bring in firewood. I tell them I want one cubic meter of broken wood next to the fire location and I know 25% of that belongs to me. It is an eye opener to see who comes back with what. I have had guys actually go off not even 50 meters and come back with a stick.

tortura0676637082.jpg

This is the kind of response I look for and usually if someone comes back sub-par I don't have to say or do a thing to point it out. This exercise serves as a silent warning and group pressure, usually very subtle, takes care of the problem.

Mac
 
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Calebklyne said:
when it comes to tools i will lend my help before i lend someone my stuff
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This sums it up.

I know a guy that always tried to borrow tools from me. I'm not talking a wrench or a screwdriver, I'm talking pneumatic tools and the like. I don't go for it. I did lend one thing out once and it took forever to get it back - after that I offered to help and that turned into a big ordeal so now I just say no.

My dad laughed at me and told me that's why he NEVER lends anything out (except to family of course).

While camping last year I took a long one of my drinking buddies that isn't really a camper and I had to constantly look after him. He was borrowing fishing gear the entire time. I didn't really mind since I normally have a lot of extra gear with me for fishing. Well - I didn't mind until I got home and took inventory and realized most of my crap was now either in his tackle box or at the bottom of the pond we were fishing.
 
If you lend something, you take the risk (consciously or otherwise) of it being damaged, broken, lost, stolen, etc. If you don't mind that, or if you are CERTAIN the borrower will fully compensate you, than go ahead by all means.
If you are not certain, then don't lend it.

Requests to borrow a car, a bike, a camera, a knife are all made by people on a whim. Often they don't consider cost and value, and how easily stuff gets broken or lost. I've had many instances where people borrowed a car or other not inconsequential stuff, and they suffered damage, sometimes thru no fault of their own. But they were stuck with expenses they never considered beforehand. Cars are a good example of this happening, but losing a $700 knife is no joke either.

So if someone asks, ask them in return if they would take a moment to consider the value of the object. If they're sure they can afford to compensate you, and you are sure you can trust them, you should feel safe. Otherwise, don't lend. Give, don't lend, or if you can't give the item, give advice. That way there won't ever be any bad feelings if an item is not returned in the shape it was in before.
 
Car camping with the wife and kids and other families
I don't really care. They can use whatever they want.
When it comes to stuff in my pack I am usually solo. Only have one trtue friend and he can have the shirt off my back if he wants it.
 
Normally when i go camping it's with my family, and over the years they've all acquired enough stuff to make do. Whenever i go with people who I know won't be bringing the right/enough gear, i'll throw in a few extra "beaters" just so they'll have something. As far as the knife it my pocket, or strapped to my belt, they stay there unless they are going to my hands or to my brother or father or something while "we" are working on something. There are only so many people who i trust with my good stuff.
 
Few things to clear up, that I might have been foggy on:

When I "lend" something, I don't say "Here ya go, have fun!" I watch them use it and take it immediately back when they're done.

If they "require" one of my high-end pieces of gear to do something, I do it for them.

Often the moochers are someone that one of the other people want to bring along, and I suggest they take, or borrow the piece(s) of gear they are missing before we set out. This weeds out those who really didn't think of something, vs the moochers. The moochers always say something about not wanting to carry the weight, or they don't need it, they use some "experienced woodsman" skillz. So, I let them learn their lesson.
If they genuinely didn't know to bring something, i often have a spare, or something like it int he car for them to borrow, and I don't have a problem doing that.
 
Gadgetaholic said:
I am also not keen on borrowing stuff - what if I damage it somehow, I would feel much worse than a lot of other people seem to when they damage other people's stuff!
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This is something that I could never understand. How can someone return something to your broken or damaged and feel no remorse or guilt? I have read in this thread an others one story after another about people doing just that. What is wrong with them? :confused:

On the rare occasions that I have damaged something I borrowed I did not even hesitate to replace it with something as good or better than what my friend loaned me. That is a responsibility you accept when you use someone else's property.
 
mdauben said:
This is something that I could never understand. How can someone return something to your broken or damaged and feel no remorse or guilt? I have read in this thread an others one story after another about people doing just that. What is wrong with them? :confused:
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I don't understand it either - if I borrow a power drill worth $50 from a mate and break it then I know I owe my mate $50. If I have no money then I pay my mate $5 per week for 10 weeks or I find $50 over the next few weeks and give it to him or whatever. The point is when I borrow something that places a debt on me to return it in good condition or compensate the owner for any loss or damage. It is a matter of personal integrity.

Some people seem to lack integrity and for whatever reason are willing to damage other people's property and then shrug it off. Those people are not welcome to borrow my stuff.
 
being a gear hound for 3 decades I have a lot of redundant gear of varying quality. I usually bring cheap spares if I know people less equiped are coming. Cold steel fixed blade cheapies and an old axe, a kabar heavy bowie(hard to hurt) and a 16in tramontina.
When I loan the cheap stuff I say point blank if you damage it you own it and tell them what it is worth. Takes the worry out and I never loan out my primary good gear.

I have forced 2 friends to buy the rock chopper(axe) they borrowed, one had to take a cold steel belt knife same trip.......cleaning fish/rock drop = no tip. He is a mechanic and horribly rough on his tools. SnapOn's same day delivery has taken place of his common sense.

I will never loan work/auto tools to someone else's house , borrowers purposely tend to have nice collections of tools.....oh is that yours, are you sure???
 
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