Recreational Goods Rental

Hitting the outdoors is becoming more fashionable these days—in no small part due to technological advances in gear to make you comfortable staying there.

It's hard to keep a good time down: Recreational goods rentals, which includes everything from camping and ski equipment to sailboats, is predicted to break the $1 billion mark by 2013, according to data from AnythingResearch.com. The industry is the seventh fastest growing in 2011: it grew 10 percent over 2010, with an average company size of $447,982.

Recreational goods retailer Patagonia says the market—sales included—has jumped as technology has improved, creating lighter and more versatile products. For instance, its down-insulated products have become the fastest growing and most important items in its line right now, with sweaters and hoodies that are highly technical, less puffy, and easier to wear, says Tim Bantle, the company's technical product director. So it seems as recreation becomes more fashionable, consumers are flocking back to the outdoors.

By the Numbers:
10%	Recreational goods rental industry growth over 2010, according to AnythingResearch.com
$447,982	Average company size as of last year
$1B	Estimated minimum size of recreational goods rental industry in 2013

Tim Donnelly is a freelance writer, managing editor of the blog Brokelyn.com, and former McClatchy newspapers reporter whose work has appeared in Billboard, The Atlantic, Thought Catalog, and The New York Post. He lives in Brooklyn. @TimDonnelly

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