Show HN: Rent camping gear and get it delivered up to 1 hour before the trip(lastmingear.com)
lastmingear.com
Show HN: Rent camping gear and get it delivered up to 1 hour before the trip
https://www.lastmingear.com
60 comments
Great point, we had added that as a stop gap measure, because not all users realized they had to scroll down to checkout the cart. From an overall design perspective we kind of need to revamp the entire first part of the flow, so this is great feedback. Thanks!
Upon re-reading my comment, it sounds more critical than I had intended. I really like your site's clean design aesthetic. Great work.
p.s.
Please never come to Arizona. That will remove my last excuse for not going camping (purchasing a bunch of stuff, that I may never use more than once).
p.s.
Please never come to Arizona. That will remove my last excuse for not going camping (purchasing a bunch of stuff, that I may never use more than once).
Thanks! It's very far from perfect and we know, have some great ideas but man I will say, I never thought UX/UI would be so hard when I got started.
Lol at your PS, if we go there, promise to not tell you =)
Lol at your PS, if we go there, promise to not tell you =)
Instead of an alert popup use a on screen popup in the upper right corner that shows that something was added and then fades away after a few seconds.
This is exactly what we're thinking! A little thingy that floats up and fades away. Almost like... points in a game. The only thing is we're thinking of doing it over the item, so you know that item has been added. Upper right corner, people's eyes may not see (though the movement will probably catch). Something to test!
I've seen a few people running this type of thing (in a much smaller scale) via Airbnb. They seem to mostly cater to people visiting the area that want to camp in Yosemite or similar but don't want to travel with all their own gear. I've thought about doing that since my gear sits in a closet most of the time.
Of course this is different. I like the idea. Good luck.
Of course this is different. I like the idea. Good luck.
That's right travelers are a segment of our users! The majority though, are folks who are not very outdoorsy but going for the first time and not interested in spending a ton of money upfront.
I know there are a lot of businesses sprouting in this arena, many of which are focused on the p2p aspect. One of the reasons we've so shied away from that is because we're worried that the very underlying behavior we're incentivizing is buying more stuff--once you figure out you can monetize it and make a profit. Not everyone can buy an apartment as an income generating property, but everyone can buy a tent.
At some point it might equilibriate out and have a net impact of lower consumption anyway, but it's harder to go this route when our mission is purely focused on reducing unnecessary consumption and changing cultural perception of need to buy.
Thanks for your thoughts!
I know there are a lot of businesses sprouting in this arena, many of which are focused on the p2p aspect. One of the reasons we've so shied away from that is because we're worried that the very underlying behavior we're incentivizing is buying more stuff--once you figure out you can monetize it and make a profit. Not everyone can buy an apartment as an income generating property, but everyone can buy a tent.
At some point it might equilibriate out and have a net impact of lower consumption anyway, but it's harder to go this route when our mission is purely focused on reducing unnecessary consumption and changing cultural perception of need to buy.
Thanks for your thoughts!
As others have mentioned the UI needs some work. Pop-up messages, not knowing what stuff costs as I'm adding, etc... Honestly if I was in the market for something like this (overall I like the idea) I wouldn't use this service since the UI is clunky. I would think if their website is this clunky, how clunky is the overall service going to be. Is my stuff going to be on time, will the order be correct, etc... IMO, building the website should be the simplest part of the operation overall. Nice idea, keep working on it. :)
Totally fair and we're working on it. I think part of the challenge for us is that we're not really an e-commerce business in the traditional sense. And so, while we may want to preserve some of those elements (pricing, pop up messages, etc.), we're also trying to do it in the context of optimizing for, very fast requests (no sign up, no sign in, <60 seconds to request something... last minute business and all), pay what you want model, etc.
If you don't mind, I'd like to ask, do you think having customer testimonials eases some of your fears of clunkiness? Or do you tend to think, well anyone can "make up" a testimonial? I ask because what you're pointing out is a very real concern of mine. Once people have tried our service, they LOVE it (we have near perfect 10s on NPS across the board), but there is a bit of hesitancy at the beginning, which could be caused by many different factors I'm trying to isolate.
If you don't mind, I'd like to ask, do you think having customer testimonials eases some of your fears of clunkiness? Or do you tend to think, well anyone can "make up" a testimonial? I ask because what you're pointing out is a very real concern of mine. Once people have tried our service, they LOVE it (we have near perfect 10s on NPS across the board), but there is a bit of hesitancy at the beginning, which could be caused by many different factors I'm trying to isolate.
I don't even read testimonials, even if they aren't totally fake, they are likely skewed because they were asked to write them or offered some discount, etc...
I also kind of wonder how many people out there are making these last minute camping trip where they need to be able to get things requested in less than 60 seconds, etc... I've went camping many times and it's always something that's been planned out at least a few days in advance. My suggestion would be to focus less <60 seconds and make the site more informative, user friendly, etc...
I also kind of wonder how many people out there are making these last minute camping trip where they need to be able to get things requested in less than 60 seconds, etc... I've went camping many times and it's always something that's been planned out at least a few days in advance. My suggestion would be to focus less <60 seconds and make the site more informative, user friendly, etc...
Having been tasked (in a former life) with adding questionable "customer" testimonials to a company site, I now place exactly ZERO faith in customer testimonials on sites. YMMV
Gross! So sorry to hear that... But good feedback for us. We have a limited social media presence and no Yelp (because for whatever reason the Yelp gods hate us and there seems to be no way to talk to a real person there), but I know this will help, especially Facebook reviews. Will work on nurturing that.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Might I humbly suggest recreational items like fishing rod? In CA something that dangerous might have a seven day waiting period or need a permit so donno.
Great suggestion thanks! People are always fishing out on the piers here. Yes we want to expand in other categories, for outdoors gear and even beyond! Our vision is to make renting anything as viable as buying it, in order to try to reduce unnecessary consumption and make our lives less cluttered.
You might consider having packages like "family of 4 with two kids package", which includes the tents, sleeping bags, and everything else.
Great point! We will test this concept in the future, some people want the convenience of a total package, others want to customize so they can "make do" and shave off some money somewhere.
Maybe make it so that adding the package to your cart actually just adds all the items. Customization then takes place by deciding which of those items to remove from the cart. It might work as a good "upsell" as people realize they need more things than they first thought.
Edit: Case in point. I was looking to get a Sparkfun Kit[1] but they were out of one item that made the whole "kit" out of stock. Down at the bottom they have a link to a "wish list"[2] that lists all the individual items in the kit. And a big button at the bottom of that page that says "add it all."
[1]: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12060
[2]: https://www.sparkfun.com/wish_lists/96686
Edit: Case in point. I was looking to get a Sparkfun Kit[1] but they were out of one item that made the whole "kit" out of stock. Down at the bottom they have a link to a "wish list"[2] that lists all the individual items in the kit. And a big button at the bottom of that page that says "add it all."
[1]: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12060
[2]: https://www.sparkfun.com/wish_lists/96686
That's a really good idea, thanks! And definitely thanks for the example!
Like most campers, I already have an REI account. If I'm leaving town, I have a car lined up that I can drive to REI to pick up rental gear. Why should I choose you?
(I think this is a really cool idea! You're going to be asked the above, though, so this might be a good time to practice your answer among friends.)
(I think this is a really cool idea! You're going to be asked the above, though, so this might be a good time to practice your answer among friends.)
Get this question all the time (same deal with Sports Basement). 3 things:
1) Would you rather spend an extra 60 minutes renting gear from REI or having gear arrive at your place when all your friends do and then leave all together?
2) We're cheaper than REI
3) REI is not open 24/7 like we are. This is actually why we're so focused on being a last minute business, because people today are really really last minute. There are numerous instances where this happens:
Coworker A: "Hey really psyched about Tahoe trip this weekend!"
Coworker B: "Oh crap, can't go, and forgot to tell you earlier, I'm the worst!"
Coworker A: "What?! We're leaving in 2 hours!!"
Coworker B: "Yeah, don't worry I'll find my replacement, hey Coworker C, want to go on this trip? It'll be super fun and I already paid!"
Coworker C: "Yeah sure!"
Coworker C: ~oh... don't have any gear~
Also, if you're calling yourself a "camper" already and have an REI account, we're probably not right for you because you probably go frequently enough to make buying gear worth it. Check out this calculator we built on that: www.lastmingear.com/protips/buy_vs_rent
1) Would you rather spend an extra 60 minutes renting gear from REI or having gear arrive at your place when all your friends do and then leave all together?
2) We're cheaper than REI
3) REI is not open 24/7 like we are. This is actually why we're so focused on being a last minute business, because people today are really really last minute. There are numerous instances where this happens:
Coworker A: "Hey really psyched about Tahoe trip this weekend!"
Coworker B: "Oh crap, can't go, and forgot to tell you earlier, I'm the worst!"
Coworker A: "What?! We're leaving in 2 hours!!"
Coworker B: "Yeah, don't worry I'll find my replacement, hey Coworker C, want to go on this trip? It'll be super fun and I already paid!"
Coworker C: "Yeah sure!"
Coworker C: ~oh... don't have any gear~
Also, if you're calling yourself a "camper" already and have an REI account, we're probably not right for you because you probably go frequently enough to make buying gear worth it. Check out this calculator we built on that: www.lastmingear.com/protips/buy_vs_rent
1) Good point (although 60 minutes at REI seems a bit on the long side).
2) Make your pricing model more obvious. When I can't see prices before checkout, and you're heavily marketing last minute delivery, I assume I'm about to be sticker shocked.
3) That's a great point! You should emphasize that up front, because that use case hadn't occurred to me. My first thought was "they cater to poor planners", not "they'll help me be the spontaneous guy I want to be!"
2) Make your pricing model more obvious. When I can't see prices before checkout, and you're heavily marketing last minute delivery, I assume I'm about to be sticker shocked.
3) That's a great point! You should emphasize that up front, because that use case hadn't occurred to me. My first thought was "they cater to poor planners", not "they'll help me be the spontaneous guy I want to be!"
1 - In SF traffic? ;)
2 - Great insight, have not thought about this before, will work this in
3 - Fascinating, clearly we need to do better with this value prop
So you're building a camping company that is for people who don't camp much.
We're building a rental company for people who don't need to buy. Currently that manifests itself in outdoors, but hopefully not forever, since our vision is to reduce unnecessary consumption by making renting as viable and easy as buying.
Leave this stuff on reddit. Many of us initially came to HN to avoid things like this.
I like it, my thoughts while using the site:
1. How about a shopping cart or something to show what's in your order across the top?
2. Something that gives an idea of cost much earlier on for each item, even if it's just suggested.
3. How do you manage hygiene?, e.g. if a sleeping is delivered and it's musty/whatever - what happens, do I still have to pay? How are things cleaned after use? Is there a deposit?
4. Other items for sale as well as hire, like charged power packs, a magazine or two?
5. Random game/sport items - frisbee, inflatable beach ball etc.
6. Jerky?
1. How about a shopping cart or something to show what's in your order across the top?
2. Something that gives an idea of cost much earlier on for each item, even if it's just suggested.
3. How do you manage hygiene?, e.g. if a sleeping is delivered and it's musty/whatever - what happens, do I still have to pay? How are things cleaned after use? Is there a deposit?
4. Other items for sale as well as hire, like charged power packs, a magazine or two?
5. Random game/sport items - frisbee, inflatable beach ball etc.
6. Jerky?
1) This is part of our big design UX/UI challenge and we're still thinking about how to fix it. So this could be part of it. Thanks for the suggestion!
2) This one is hard. Ultimately we have a pay what you want model, so I worry that having suggested prices up front turn people away before they get to the final page and realize it's pay what you want. Will test further
3) There's no deposit because we want as a side goal to not hinder access, and deposits do that (especially for our gear, since it can be quite high). That said if you return something in bad condition, you are liable for repair and/or replacement cost, depending on how bad it is. We will have BIG warnings up for Burning Man =) (and may do deposits then...) Generally speaking for hygiene, all of our gear that you might actually have an "inner" part of your body up against is well shielded. For example: sleeping bags we have liners that we can wash. For snowsports gloves, we only carry the kinds that have liners and outer layers.
4) We actually include this whenever you rent something that needs it! For example, the grill has a propane, the headlamps have batteries
5) Yes definitely! We want to start with bigger ticket items first and then hopefully expand to lots of other goods even in other categories. Right now these items are too "cheap" for many people to consider renting. As in, they'll feel awkward renting it.
6) Like... free jerky for every rental? We do surprise some customers randomly with free chocolate =) But jerky might be too limiting since there might be vegetarians. (I guess, sorry vegans about the chocolate)
2) This one is hard. Ultimately we have a pay what you want model, so I worry that having suggested prices up front turn people away before they get to the final page and realize it's pay what you want. Will test further
3) There's no deposit because we want as a side goal to not hinder access, and deposits do that (especially for our gear, since it can be quite high). That said if you return something in bad condition, you are liable for repair and/or replacement cost, depending on how bad it is. We will have BIG warnings up for Burning Man =) (and may do deposits then...) Generally speaking for hygiene, all of our gear that you might actually have an "inner" part of your body up against is well shielded. For example: sleeping bags we have liners that we can wash. For snowsports gloves, we only carry the kinds that have liners and outer layers.
4) We actually include this whenever you rent something that needs it! For example, the grill has a propane, the headlamps have batteries
5) Yes definitely! We want to start with bigger ticket items first and then hopefully expand to lots of other goods even in other categories. Right now these items are too "cheap" for many people to consider renting. As in, they'll feel awkward renting it.
6) Like... free jerky for every rental? We do surprise some customers randomly with free chocolate =) But jerky might be too limiting since there might be vegetarians. (I guess, sorry vegans about the chocolate)
Three things:
First, the pop-up dialogs are annoying. Just show the number next to the + button (and add '-' and 'x' buttons to decrement and delete, respectively), and update it whenever I + or -. That's all the feedback I need.
Second, there's mention of product images, but they're not showing up for me on the latest Firefox.
Third, there should be a price estimate for each product I add in the product selection screen.
First, the pop-up dialogs are annoying. Just show the number next to the + button (and add '-' and 'x' buttons to decrement and delete, respectively), and update it whenever I + or -. That's all the feedback I need.
Second, there's mention of product images, but they're not showing up for me on the latest Firefox.
Third, there should be a price estimate for each product I add in the product selection screen.
Thanks! Re your first point, do you think it would be annoying to you to see some items with an increment of 1 and others with an increment of 0? I.e., is it better to have separation between items that you can select vs. which specific items you have selected?
Hmm... will test the images problem.
Third point is one we're thinking about how to address in the context of our pay what you want model.
Hmm... will test the images problem.
Third point is one we're thinking about how to address in the context of our pay what you want model.
Loved shopping at Campmor growing up, but definitely appreciate this concept. Scouting trips were typically once a year, but need reduced over time as did camping trips.
May also want to check out growth opportunities with other charities. Used to participate in an annual event called Kayak for a Cause with a couple of hundred people. 85% of them needed a kayak for one day... not exactly something everyone is going to purchase.
Good luck!
May also want to check out growth opportunities with other charities. Used to participate in an annual event called Kayak for a Cause with a couple of hundred people. 85% of them needed a kayak for one day... not exactly something everyone is going to purchase.
Good luck!
Wow have definitely never heard of outdoor events for a cause but that's a great partnership model. Will definitely look into it, thanks!
Re: kayaks, if we expand there, we're loving this folding kayak http://www.orukayak.com/ (no affiliation in any way, and we're not getting kick backs! =P)
Re: kayaks, if we expand there, we're loving this folding kayak http://www.orukayak.com/ (no affiliation in any way, and we're not getting kick backs! =P)
It seems like there's customization options that should be present. Like for backpacks, there's different sizes. What if I'm going out for a 3 day trip as oppose to a week long trip?
And for sleeping bags, different bags are rated to different temperatures. I've got two bags, one for warm weather camping and one for cold weather camping.
Is all of this suppose to go in Optional Specifications?
And for sleeping bags, different bags are rated to different temperatures. I've got two bags, one for warm weather camping and one for cold weather camping.
Is all of this suppose to go in Optional Specifications?
At the moment yes. Most of our customers are new to outdoor sports and don't know what specifications they want. They're also generally going car camping and only in the summer, so it's usually not a big deal at all. Putting it up front will freak them out and make choosing harder. The way it works now, if you are experienced enough to know exactly what you want, you can tell us.
I do agree though that this part of the flow isn't perfect, so we'll work on this. Perhaps for different items, giving examples of what optional specifications people COULD write in? E.g., temperature for sleeping bags, capacity for backpacks, etc.
I do agree though that this part of the flow isn't perfect, so we'll work on this. Perhaps for different items, giving examples of what optional specifications people COULD write in? E.g., temperature for sleeping bags, capacity for backpacks, etc.
In some ways you do want to freak people out a little. There are people that are a danger to themselves because they haven't the first clue what they are doing. They don't know that they need a good cold weather sleeping bag and not just some "sleepover sack" from Walmart. People can die when they don't know what they are doing or what they need. The stories I've heard from a couple SAR friends of mine... shudder
A well balanced freak out certainly =)
> Q: If I wait until the last minute, will you have items available?
> A: It's never happened yet!
I don't think that says what you mean it to say.
> A: It's never happened yet!
I don't think that says what you mean it to say.
Oh my you're totally right. Supposed to say, "We've never run out of items yet, because we are a last minute business and having inventory is our job." Something like that. I'm always hesitant to make 100% promises on stuff like this because if a big corporate event happens then literally we might run out regardless of what back-ups we have in place.
Make a 100% guarantee. Something like "we'll have the gear you want, delivered when you want, or your money back AND we'll give you credit to rent the gear on us at a later point to make up for it."
Internally, make it your policy to go above and beyond to make sure even if there's a huge corporate event, that you still have the necessary gear for everyone else that has paid. Your job is to deliver and have the gear. Making it happen in unusual circumstances is part of the business.
Internally, make it your policy to go above and beyond to make sure even if there's a huge corporate event, that you still have the necessary gear for everyone else that has paid. Your job is to deliver and have the gear. Making it happen in unusual circumstances is part of the business.
You're totally right, you and the gentleperson below. Done!
Sometimes it's better to make promises and run out of inventory than not make promises and not run out of inventory.
Promising unlimited internet certainly never put most ISPs out of business, and having a business so wildly successful that you're out of stock is a great way to attract investment.
Promising unlimited internet certainly never put most ISPs out of business, and having a business so wildly successful that you're out of stock is a great way to attract investment.
Well said!
I like this idea, it is too bad you're not in my area, I would have tried it.
Yea they shouldn't have the user wait till the order form to find out that they're only in SF.
That's a fair comment. We can certainly do a better job communicating up front where our geographic region is.
To be fair... it is in the FAQ right there on the front page.
Yea i only briefly glanced at the FAQ - wouldn't necessarily classify it as a 'wall of text', but it was bunched together enough to make me not want to read through each line
I once heard someone say "Being in San Francisco is like having good cell reception, except for apps."
Every time I see something like this that's what I think of.
Every time I see something like this that's what I think of.
Haha, I also heard someone say "Living in SF is like living in the future." Ironically I'll personally say that there are plus sides and down sides to this "app for everything culture." But it's as bit long and philosophical, so I'll point you to a couple of posts I wrote:
"Stop making an app for everything" = https://medium.com/@bsemaj/stop-making-an-app-for-everything...
"Innovation: the virtuous cycle of efficiency and the vicious cycle of laziness" = https://medium.com/p/64d6b091c455
"Stop making an app for everything" = https://medium.com/@bsemaj/stop-making-an-app-for-everything...
"Innovation: the virtuous cycle of efficiency and the vicious cycle of laziness" = https://medium.com/p/64d6b091c455
REI and other camping stores will rent gear, though no delivery.
And it takes more time to go to REI rather than just have gear show up to you ready to go. That and we're cheaper and open 24/7 but REI isn't, so you can be spontaneous! =) There's another thread on here with a longer answer about why us over REI (to be clear, I love REI, but they're focused on selling and I think they are great for people who know they want to buy)
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Maybe instead just use a floating div to appear, say xyz has been added, and then fade away after a second.