Loaning gear, horror storys?

[Surfdog]

Well I learned a valuable lesson a couple of weeks ago.

A friend had expressed interest in hammock camping but does not have any gear. I had planned on going camping for a couple days and offered to supply him with a hammock if he wanted to go along. He took me up on the offer and we headed out.

Got him set up in my Skeeter Beater Pro with Guide Gear tarp. He tried it out and said he was comfortable. Next day while checking out the hammock I notice two small holes in the netting.

What lesson did I learn?

Find out if someone is the least bit claustrophobic before putting them in a netted hammock. LOL Apparently he awoke in the middle of the night, got feeling claustrophobic and yanked on the zippers which caught the netting.
The funny part is, I had also brought along a large Brazilian hammock. Had I known, I would have set that up under the tarp because the bugs were not bad after dark.

Ahh well live and learn, it's really no big deal, but I will remember next time to make sure someone doesn't get claustrophobic.

[OneClick]

It was nice of you to let him use it. But it reminds me of something my dad would always say: "There are two things you don't let people borrow...guns and tents" (replace tents with hammocks in this case). They just seem to get damaged every time.

I remember him having a couple tents ruined by people in the past.

[Bubba]

I typically don't lend my primary gear to anyone. It's not a matter of trust. Accidents can happen to anyone. I do have "loaner gear" which is usually older gear I don't worry about getting damaged.

[MAD777]

I just loaned out a tent last month to a young lady I work with and it came back with a pea sized ember hole in the fly. I had set it up to make sure it was clean & dry inside and I almost missed it.

She had set it up too close to the fire and an ember floated over to the tent.

People that aren't familiar with the Achilles heel of these modern lightweight fabrics, simply don't know to be cautious of equipment or clothing around fire.

A nickel sized piece of silnylon and silicone fixed it up.

[fishwater]

I've loaned a lot of gear to my younger brother and he ends up taking it over. I usually don't fight his take over and use it as an excuse to upgrade my gear. win win.

[Cali]

I gave a hammock camping class to a friend's boy scout troup. I set up 8 hammocks, and let them try them out after the class. I made sure I told them to take there shoes off and take everything out of there pockets before the try them out. I also told them to make sure they don't have anything attached to their belt.
Well, one of my hammocks has a hole in it now. Lesson learned.

[KngFhearts]

I never loan my gear. If it is family, or a close friend... i just give it to them.

[Shug]

My Blackbird is on loan right now...to Alex who I recently backpacked with. I trust him. He is looking to buy one and want a test weekend.
Makes me feel all fuzzy.........
Shuggedy

[Otter1]

An unexplained explosion involving my dual burner Coleman stove.

Abrasions on my sleeping pad (don't want to know).

A few other things come to mind.

I like being generous, but I HATE loaning gear. I'll do it again but most people just aren't careful with stuff, especially other people's stuff.

[dkurfiss]

I don't loan my primary gear but have lots of secondary items that I will loan or give away to family members who want it. I know I am a PITA about how my personal gear is maintained so it just works out better for all if I don't loan it out.