Like many great ideas, Quiptu, an outdoor gear rental business, started with a couple of friends having a drink.
Quiptu, the brainchild of Josh Roche with help from co-founder John Laughlin and head of brand and marketing Ben Kirby, launched last month in Colorado and Indiana. The startup is what they call the Airbnb of outdoor gear rentals.
The online platform allows people who own gear ranging from bikes, tents, hiking poles and paddle boards to list their gear online so others – eager to explore the outdoors – can find and rent equipment they might need but don’t have.
A screenshot shows the website for Quiptu, an outdoor scare and gear service launched last month. COURTESY OF QUIPTU
“Our mission is really to equip more people to get out and enjoy the outdoors,” Kirby said. “Because it’s what we love to do, and we just want more people to have access to it.”
The high cost of equipment needed to access and participate in many outdoor activities discourages some people from exploring the wilderness or trying outdoor skills, Kirby said.
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“That’s where we got the idea for Quiptu, which is a peer-to-peer marketplace,” Kirby said “…We did it so local owners who have hardware can then enable more people to get out there and equip people with the proper gear to go on outdoor adventures they otherwise wouldn’t have had.”
Kirby, who grew up in Palmer Lake and lives in Fort Collins, said Quiptu would give renters the ability to find gear in places like his hometown where there aren’t many rental stores as well as more remote areas, this is how Roche realized the idea.
Heading out on a 350-mile bike trip through Montana, Bloomington, Ind.-based Roche didn’t have the proper gear. So he borrowed a bike, shipped it to Montana, assembled it, rode the bike, took it apart, sent it back, and reassembled it to return it to his friend.
“It didn’t have to be so hard, so expensive, and so frustrating to get the equipment,” reads Quiptu’s website.
That’s why the trio wants to make outdoor experiences easy for others.
Those using the service can either pick up the equipment from the owner or have it delivered to another location depending on the owner’s registration options. All transactions take place on the platform, so no money is exchanged. Maintenance fees are also applied, as a guarantee for the owners if their equipment is damaged or stolen.
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“We take care of the equipment protection process,” Kirby said.
“We make sure they are reimbursed for the value, the current value of their product plus 10%. Or if there are simple repair costs, we reimburse them as well. This way, owners can have the peace of mind that their gear is going to be taken care of and covered.”
For owners, listing their gear on Quiptu gives them the ability to make valuable gear purchases even when they’re not the ones using it, Kirby said.
A screenshot of the website for Quiptu, a new outdoor equipment and gear rental service that launched last month in Colorado and Indiana. COURTESY OF QUIPTU
This was the case of Danny Kinzeler who rents his paddle board on Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins.
“There are lots of opportunities for other people to use it and it’s a great way for me to earn extra money,” Kinzeler said.
Kinzeler said he was eager for Quiptu to expand its reach.
The company, still in its infancy, has 60 equipment listings in Colorado Springs, Denver, Fort Collins, Boulder and Eagle and Summit counties, as well as listings in Indiana, as all three founders are based in Colorado. and Indiana.
“Long term, we would like to be a national brand,” Kirby said. “So if you decide you want to take a trip anywhere in America and you want to be able to rent something, you can hop on our website, open up the map, and you can find something no matter where you would like to go.”
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