As a student at Iowa State, you are given a handful of deals and opportunities. Unfortunately, most Cyclones end up graduating college without ever knowing what they are! In my professional opinion, one of the best deals you’re given at ISU is the opportunity to rent out gear from the Iowa State University Outdoor Recreation Program (ORP). ORP has available every piece of equipment you could ever find yourself needing (tents, bikes, crash pads, backcountry stoves, skis, etc.) at really, really affordable prices. How affordable is affordable? We’re talking tents for $6/day kind of affordable. Even I, the brokest of college students, can swing a payment like that. Now that you’re dying to get some gear rented out for your next adventure, here’s a super short, super simple step-by-step rundown of how you can reserve and rent your gear from ORP:
Step One: Go to the ORP office
The ORP office is located in State Gymnasium. Once you enter through the main front doors, turn immediately to your left and walk down a few stairs to the office. You should be able to see the office from the entrance of State Gym! Here’s a photo of what it looks like:
Step Two: Tell a staff member what you’d like to rent out, and for how long
No clue? No problem. If you need help figuring out which gear you should rent, how long you should rent it for, etc. you can ask the staff at the front desk and they’ll be happy to walk you through everything.
Step Three: Sign all the things!
Once you decide upon the gear you’d like to reserve, you will have to provide a few signatures for the ORP staff. The purpose of these signatures is to ensure you won’t destroy the gear, lose it, blah blah blah. I know you won’t do that because you are wonderful and responsible, but you still need to provide the signatures. Sorry.
Step Four: Make the payment
You have to pay before you take the gear with you, bring any credit card, cash, or check with you to the office so you can do so.
Step Five: Grab ya gear and get goin’!
Woohoo! You’ve done it! You’ve rented out your gear, and now comes the fun part! People may need to allow extra time for picking up gear and renting equipment in case we are busy. Once you have your gear, be sure to take good care of it, be safe on your trip, and most importantly – have fun!
For more information or if you have any questions, call the Iowa State University Outdoor Recreation at 515-294-8200.