In Conversation with Rebecca Heaps, Founder of Tentshare

Camping is a brilliant way to holiday cheaper, greener and stress free, while spending quality time with your family, connecting to nature and reaping the benefits of the great outdoors! 

Over the last few years, thousands of Brits have experienced the joys of packing up the car, driving to beautiful rural locations away from the hustle and bustle of cities, and putting their feet up in the sunshine (or rain!), closer to the the sights, sounds and smells of the natural world.

In fact, over the last 2 years campsite booking have shot up by 60%, as Brits have chosen domestic holidays rather than flying abroad.

Nonetheless, tents are expensive, require storage space and are often made from non-environmentally-friendly plastics. Many people don’t have the funds or room to buy a tent, while others have bulky plastic tents collecting dust in garages, lofts and garden sheds around the country. 

So how can camping be made more accessible and kinder to the earth, while building stronger, nature-connected communities?

Tentshare has the answer! 

In our latest Curious About Nature Episode, Rachels chats to Rebecca Heaps, founder of Tentshare – an accessible platform for renting and hiring tents!

Rebecca talks about her journey toward starting Tentshare, how they’re keeping tents out of landfills, building communities, promoting being in nature, and reducing carbon footprints! 

Here’s a roundup of their conversation, in Rebecca’s own words. Listen to (or watch)  the full podcast episode here!

Hi Rebecca! So what is Tentshare? 

Tentshare is a tent matching service. Tent owners can make money from their tents by renting them out on the platform. Campers can save money by renting a tent rather than buying one.

Images from www.tentshare.co.uk

What motivated you to set it up? 

Tentshare began in 2019 when I rented my bell tent to families in her neighbourhood. They wanted to give their kids the glamping experience but did not want the burden of purchasing, storing or maintaining a tent. A business idea was sparked which led to Tentshare.  

Why is this mission important to you? 

It’s important for so many reasons. I am passionate about the sharing economy business model. It offers a solution to the problems we are facing today in a society that is consuming faster than the planet can regenerate. Each tent has a carbon cost (plastic production, tent production and transportation to retail outlets (across continents) and finally, home). If the tent is used only once the carbon cost is high. Every time the tent is used, the carbon cost reduces. It makes sense to share our stuff and get a high use intensity and then repurpose it so that the plastic-made tents stay out of landfill for as long as possible. Tentshare is also offering an opportunity for tent owners to make money from an item they already own. Renting a tent from a local neighbour keeps our wealth within the local community and out of the big corps pockets. I also love the idea of creating a community of like-minded and willing sharers and campers.

What are your long-term ambitions for Tentshare? 

I would like to see Tentshare grow so that there are tents available to rent in every town, village and city in the UK.

What is your favourite camping activity to do with your family? 

My favourite camping activity is to build a campfire in the evening, watch the stars, toast some marshmallows and drink hot chocolate (maybe a glass of wine).

Photo by Daiga Ellaby, Unsplash 

Do you have any other tips to make family camping trips more eco-friendly? 

Apart from renting or borrowing all your equipment and tent?! 1. Use chemical-free bathroom products – we don’t want chemicals going onto our earth, same with washing up liquid. 2) Stay local if you can, and reduce your travel. 3) Catch a train and rent a tent at your destination. 4) Reduce food packaging and buy bulk, use containers to decant the food or drink into. Don’t buy individually wrapped items or drink cartons (Virtuelicious do a zero waste camping meal bundle). Support the local economy and spend your holiday money with local small businesses. 5) Pick a campsite that has looking after nature and the local wildlife at the heart of it. Use campsite directories; The Greener Camping Club or Nearly Wild Camping. 6) Leave no trace. Make sure that when you leave the campsite, you leave exactly the same condition as when you arrived (or even better – chuck a seed bomb over your shoulder as you leave).

Listen to the full podcast episode for more information about Tentshare as well as tons of great camping tips, tricks and advice from Rebecca!

Do you have a tent you don’t use very often? Are you looking for a tent for a camping break but don’t have the space or funds to buy one?

Check out Tentshare and rent or lend a tent local to you!

Thank you to Rebecca for her words and wisdom. Stay tuned for the next Curious About Nature podcast.

The Buttercup Team