Skiing is an expensive sport, especially when you factor in the cost of essential apparel like a ski jacket, pants, gloves, and goggles. These costs, combined with lift tickets and equipment rentals, can quickly make a day on the slopes financially overwhelming. For those not ready to commit to a full ski kit, travelers looking to minimize luggage, or individuals who prefer borrowing over buying, renting ski apparel presents a viable solution.
Instead of buying a full ski kit for $500 to $1,000, renting allows you to access high-quality ski kits for around $30-50 a day. This includes waterproof ski shells, insulated ski pants, and breathable base layers, and sometimes even gloves, goggles, and a helmet.
Let's explore some of the companies offering ski apparel rental services:
Kit Lender
Based out of Stowe, Vermont, Kit Lender offers a comprehensive rental service, providing everything you need for skiing in one bundle. This includes jackets, pants, gloves, goggles, and even snow boots for getting to and from the slopes. This all-in-one approach ensures you have everything you need for your ski trip in one order, all at a decent price that averages around $30-50 per day. You can also rent one-off jackets, which is especially ideal if you're renting for a family where some people already have a few items and others need everything.
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Kit Lender features a solid range of brands rooted in practicality, from The North Face and Burton to Helly Hansen and Patagonia.
Slope Threads
Slope Threads, established in 2018, is a Colorado-based operation that rents out full ski apparel bundles, including jackets, pants, gloves, and goggles. There are ski kits for men, women, teens, and kids, as well as one-off rentals of helmets, ski socks, and base layers. Slope Threads ships directly to your home or ski destination with prepaid return packaging.
It has a wide variety color options, and you can even reserve a backup color if the main one is out of stock.
However, its selection is more limited, with less than 10 jackets to choose from. Also, its gear is exclusively from Obermeyer - which has high quality, technical, and stylish ski apparel. But if you don't like how Obermeyer gear fits, you won't like anything from Slope Threads.
Slope Threads' pricing runs similar to competitors like Kit Lender at around $49 per day. They only have a two-day minimum, so you may save money if you just need it for one day.
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Rent the Runway
If you're looking for a more fashion-forward ski kit, Rent the Runway offers high-end designer ski apparel for 4- to 8-day rental periods. From sexy snowsuits to statement base layers, Rent the Runway lets you build your ski-trip wardrobe piece by piece.
Because its selection is more form over function, the majority of its gear from brands like Noize and Perfect Moment are water-resistant at best, and the base layers are questionable on warmth. However, Rent The Runway does carry a lot of Halfdays gear, which is one of our favorite brands for cute winter coats that are seriously insulated.
Nuuly
Nuuly, a subscription-based clothing rental service, features a large catalog of winter wear and ski apparel from popular brands like Anthropologie, Free People, and Urban Outfitters, as well as high-end brands like Cynthia Rowley and Noize. For a monthly fee of $98, subscribers can select six items to rent, wear, and return.
The style options on Nuuly run deep, with far more options than any other rental company on this list. It has trendy, brightly colored, dopamine-dripped items that stand out against the stark white of the slopes, such as metallic puffer jackets, cozy base layers, and patterned snow pants.
The price range and technicality really runs the gamut - they carry some more technically-inclined brands, such as Picture Organic and OOSC, but most fall into the water-resistant, fashion-forward category, like Year of Ours and FP Movement. If you're looking for outerwear to hold up in cold, wet, snowy conditions, you'll need to research carefully as Nuuly doesn't provide any of this info on their rental site.
That said, we do love Nuuly's detailed reviews, which are immensely helpful in picking the right size across varying brands.
Cost of Renting Ski Equipment
The cost of renting ski equipment can vary depending on the resort you visit. Renting a snowboard or ski kit with boots and poles typically averages $45-65 for basic performance brands and $70-80 for premium brands. Local outdoor shops often offer slightly cheaper rates, around $35-50 per day, for ski or snowboard hard-good packages.
Essential Skiing Items
Here is a list of the basic items you need to ski:
- Skis
- Boots
- Poles
- Helmet
- Goggles
- Gloves
- Ski pants
- Ski jacket
- Ski socks
Technical base layers are beneficial, but thin warm layers can suffice. Goggles are crucial to protect your eyes from wind and cold.
Renting vs. Buying: Which is Right for You?
If you ski or snowboard less than 5 days per year, renting your ski equipment is likely the more economical choice. The cost of skis, boots, bindings, and poles can be at least $700 (potentially closer to $1000), while a snowboard, binding, and boots will cost at least $600. Renting, at a rate of $45-75 per day, allows you to change out your skis or board based on the conditions and your skill level.
GORE-TEX technology is used by many high-end outdoor brands like Arc'teryx, Patagonia, The North Face, Burton, and Helly Hansen in their premium ski jackets and pants to make the apparel waterproof, windproof, and breathable.
| Rental Service | Price Range (per day) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Kit Lender | $30-50 | All-in-one bundles, practical brands |
| Slope Threads | $49 (2-day minimum) | Obermeyer exclusive, ships to home or destination |
| Rent the Runway | Varies (4-8 day rentals) | High-end designer apparel, fashion-forward |
| Nuuly | $98/month (6 items) | Subscription-based, wide range of styles |