Decathlon has added tents to its gear rental service in the UK, so you can enjoy a camping adventure without making a serious investment first. It's also a great option if you don't have the space at home to store a tent (those of us in flats will know the feeling), or you're going away with a big group of friends for a one-off expedition.
It's a more sustainable option too, particularly for music festivals. According to the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival, thousands of tents are left behind at Worthy Farm each year, along with camping mattresses, sleeping pads, and camping chairs.
There are currently 11 tents to choose from, including the two-person MT500 that our resident tent expert Craig Taylor tested in the depths of winter, with extremely impressive results. It proved easy to pitch, lightweight, thoughtfully designed, and robust enough for pretty much anything the UK weather can throw at it.
How to hire a tent
You can hire a tent for between three and 21 days, and the process is super straightforward. Just pick your preferred model, then use the calendar on the site to check availability and select the dates you want, then log into your Decathlon account (or create a new one) and follow the steps at the checkout.
The tent will be delivered to your address on the start date, and you return it to a drop-off location using the pre-paid labels included by 12pm on the last day.
You don't need to hose the tent down and re-proof it when you're done – just make sure most of the mud is brushed off, and Decathlon will handle the rest.
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