When borrowing equipment from Bay Area Wilderness Training, it is expected that you and your group will treat the gear as if it were your own.  The following are rules to remember when you borrow our gear.  Thank you for assisting us in the preservation of our equipment.

• Do not put backpacks inside the tents; it can rip the nylon.
• Do not put muddy footwear inside the tent.
• Absolutely NO SMOKING inside or around the tent.
• No food (lip balm, toothpaste included) inside the tents; it attracts animals.
• Keep sleeping bags and tents away from stoves.
• Do not force zipper; this can spread the teeth and ruin the material.
• Stoves: use only butane for backpacking stoves and propane for double burner stoves

---

Requests and Pick-Ups

Submit your gear request far in advance of your trip.  Consider TWO WEEKS to be the minimum amount of time.  Requests submitted less than two weeks before the trip are less likely to be filled. Any requests submitted less than 48 hours of a pick-up will be denied, regardless of inventory. Adjusted gear requests must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of a pick-up. The use of the gear library is a privilege, not a right.  Please respect the time of BAWT staff and interns when submitting your request.

• All requests must be submitted by a BAWT-trained leader
• The BAWT trained leader who submitted the request must be present at both pick-up and drop-off
• A $50 fee will be assessed if the trained leader is not present at either the pick-up or drop-off or if he/she leaves before completing the pick-up or drop-off
• Before leaving with your gear you MUST make sure you and the staff/intern checking out your gear complete the following

THE GEAR CHECK-OUT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. YOU ARE PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR ALL THE GEAR YOU TAKE. ANY DISCREPANCIES WHICH ARE NOT DOCUMENTED WILL BE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO REPLACE.

---

• Review ALL the tallies of gear checked out and make sure the final numbers are entered on the request form in the appropriate column
• Both the leader and the staff/intern sign the request form confirming the quantity of items received
• Leader signs a new Rental Agreement form with credit card information
• Leader received a copy of the gear price list
• Leader receives a copy of the Equipment Rules (this packet)
• Leader receives gear repair label bag (zip-lock with tags and twist ties)
• Leader receives a copy of the final, signed gear request with changes marked

---

Drop-Offs

 

Please make sure the following tasks are accomplished in order to help expedite your drop-off and ensure all equipment you return is present and in proper working condition.

• Fill out a trip report before returning or at the office before leaving
• Check to make sure you have accounted for all equipment and parts.  Have your group help you with this.  It is part of finishing a trip.
• A $10 fee will be charged for late returns without notification.
• Make sure everything is clean and dry.
• Report any problematic equipment so we can fix the issue for the next user.
• Arrive at your scheduled drop-off time!
• Make sure the quantities checked back in match the quantities checked out!
• Leave with an invoice for ALL lost or damaged items and other fees.

Tents:

• Shake or sweep out dirt from tents
• Make sure all parts (poles, stakes, rain fly) and tents are accounted for and are in their coordinating sacks (everything is labeled and numbered)
• $10.00 charge for each tent that is left up to dry at the end of your check-out.  We appreciate if people come back to take them down, but the fee still stands.

Tarps/Ground sheets:

• Clean, dry, no debris
• Folded

Sleeping Bags:

• Air out before return
• For trips of five days or more, sleeping bags should be washed and fully dry before return
• Stuff in sacks, not rolled  (Stuff bottom first)

Sleeping pads:

• Clean of dirt
• Stack; do not roll

Stoves/Cooking Supplies:

• Clean double burner stoves, all pots, pans, and other cooking supplies
• Report any stove leaks

Clothing/Shoes:

• Wash and dry all clothing – $20 laundry fee for soiled or smelly clothing (especially poly-pro)
• No fabric softener
• Use LOW temperature for drying to avoid shrinkage
• For rain gear, hand-wash (using mild soap if necessary)  NOT DETERGENT!!!
• Tie corresponding hiking boots together by laces

Backpacks:

• Empty, clean
• Buckle and cinch all buckles, ties

Bear Canisters:

• No food
• Cleaned out with sponge