Lending Gear yay or nay

[Boarderguy]

That's awesome, what a great feel good story.

I will forever stop on the road to help change a tire or see if someone needs a hand. My wife thinks I'm nuts, I tell her what if it was her or the kids... I sure would hope someone like me would stop.

I wouldn't want to experience life any other way.

I'm leary of assisting others on the side of the road, far too many traps set that way recently. I will however, and have done so more times than I can count, push or pull a car off the road and out of an intersection. Latest one was some teenage girl with a blown motor and no clue. My son and I pushed it up a hill to a gas station since we were in the wife's car with no strap. That one made me question my own life choices lol

 

[Tracy]

That's awesome, what a great feel good story.

I will forever stop on the road to help change a tire or see if someone needs a hand. My wife thinks I'm nuts, I tell her what if it was her or the kids... I sure would hope someone like me would stop.

I wouldn't want to experience life any other way.

I have the stuff, it is just sitting here most of the time. There are probably 15 compressors in my garage waiting on me to do something with them. If lending junk from my garage helps somebody keep the lights on, why would you not? Of course, some people become a pain in my ass and they become rentals instead.

 

[rjack321]

I've been asked for backplates, wings, tanks, stage/deco regs, and lights. All of which I have loaned. Sometimes to buddies, sometimes to a friend of a friend who's visiting from out of town kind of situation. Sometimes I have the tank a buddy needs or vice versa so I occasionally borrow when it's convenient/suitable too.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

I'm leary of assisting others on the side of the road, far too many traps set that way recently. I will however, and have done so more times than I can count, push or pull a car off the road and out of an intersection. Latest one was some teenage girl with a blown motor and no clue. My son and I pushed it up a hill to a gas station since we were in the wife's car with no strap. That one made me question my own life choices lol

I wouldn't say I'm not prepared, something could always happen but I think they'd at least be somewhat surprised!

I have the stuff, it is just sitting here most of the time. There are probably 15 compressors in my garage waiting on me to do something with them. If lending junk from my garage helps somebody keep the lights on, why would you not? Of course, some people become a pain in my ass and they become rentals instead.

Sometimes it becomes a pain in the ass, but most of the time it works out. I'd say I'm better then 90%, and if I count what's come back my way when I need help I'm more then 100% in the green easy.

I've been asked for backplates, wings, tanks, stage/deco regs, and lights. All of which I have loaned. Sometimes to buddies, sometimes to a friend of a friend who's visiting from out of town kind of situation. Sometimes I have the tank a buddy needs or vice versa so I occasionally borrow when it's convenient/suitable too.

I knew a guy going on a dive last year and I was trying to convince him that a 40 for deco wouldn't be enough for his buddy. He said the reason the buddy was using a 40 was because he didn't have an 80. I told him that's dumb, tell him come on over and borrow one of mine.

Never met the guy before. Actually, if I'm being really honest, I did call around after he left to ask about him because I started 2nd guessing my decision!! But it all worked out.

I truly believe what goes around comes around.

 

[billgraham]

People have lent me CCR's, scooters, tanks, regs, harnesses, Edd lent me his complete dive kit when I had nothing with me. If it wasn't for people lending me stuff, I wouldn't have been able to do half the training I did when I was younger. The more experienced divers said "You go take the class, we'll worry about the gear" and they'd make it appear. Don't be a #$%@.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

It depends. If it is somebody that will be in the water with me when diving, I'll often loan it out.

But I won't loan it to somebody to go diving on their own.

Two reasons for this:

1. Liability in the United States is a huge issue. My tanks are inspected regularly and my regs get annual (more frequently, really) maintenance, but even so I'd be concerned. If they're diving with me I know their dive profile (i.e., they're not going to get bent) and I know that if something really odd happened I'd be right there to assist.

2. If they're diving with me, I collect the gear from them at the end of the dive and clean it up myself. I'm not relying on them to do what should be done.

 

[Imla]

What goes around, comes around.

This is my take, and experience. I have lent, and loaned just about everything from a boltsnap to a GUE JJ and a scooter or three. This is one of the things I really value within the GUE community. Regardless of where I have been, if there was a need for some piece of equipment, GUE-divers will lend it to you.
In my community here in Norway, a lot of trips would not have been possible without owning an excess of tanks to travel with. Within the community these get loaned and lent across depending on who is going on a trip at the time. Less cost and more fun for everyone.

Luckily, Norway doesn't have the same legal climate as the US.

 

[CT-Rich]

I was in Belize a couple of years ago and this woman was there with a guy and they had a big blowout. I ended up letting her stay in my room for the entire trip. Fortunately, the guy forgot to take her off his bar tab, so we were able to get wine up to almost the end of the trip. Sometimes you just gotta share....

 

[Barefoot_Lawyer]

My brother-in-law has used my halcyon single tank wing and STA more than I have. I am fine lending just about anything to just about anyone as long as I am reasonably sure I will get it back.

There’s no reason everyone else needs to be as broke as I am.

 

[RemyLobos]

On my open water check out dive a lady had forgotten her fins and was going to have to resort to the dive school's fitted feet closed back style fins that weren't the right size. I had an extra pair I had picked up a long with a bcd at a yard sale that held air.

I lent her my new pair of fins and used the garage sale pair myself and they worked just fine. If it's within my power to help I will but maybe I'll carry an umbrella insurance policy from now on. Lol.