CUHWC is committed to ensuring that its members are able to access hillwalking in the UK. To that means, the club has a variety of equipment available to borrow/rent out for trips. This policy is designed to offer a clear framework for rental/usage of the club’s various kinds of equipment, for the benefit of club members.
General Information on Club Trips
In general, the club organises 3 kinds of trips
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Day Trips
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Weekend Trips
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Vacation Trips
On each of these trips, members can borrow/rent equipment from the club, which is brought along on trips. Participants on trips without adequate equipment or training can be a safety hazard to themselves and others.
Members can also borrow equipment from the club for trips that are not organised by the club, based on the jurisdiction of the Safety and Equipment Officer.
Equipment
The club generally brings the following equipment on trips:
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Spaare Waterproof Jackets
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Spare Waterproof Trousers
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Spare Sleeping Bags
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Head Torches
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Maps
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Map cases
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Compasses
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Emergency Shelters
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First-Aid Kits
In addition, the club has both winter equipment and scrambling equipment.
The club equipment may also be rented/borrowed for use on trips not organised by the club.
The club sometimes engages external parties for equipment rental, depending on the trip requirements.
The Safety and Equipment Officer (safety@cuhwc.org.uk) is the main point of contact for any questions regarding equipment and rental/borrowing.
Rental of Equipment
The club rents out the following equipment:
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Waterproof Jackets
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Waterproof Trousers
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Sleeping Bags
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Head Torches
It is generally recommended for club members to obtain their own set of equipment for long-term use. However, the club does have some of said equipment to rent out. The club cannot guarantee that they have equipment sizes suitable for everyone.
The cost of equipment rental is stated in the trip email, sent before the trip. The rental fee purely covers the cost of maintenance of said equipment.
Equipment rental is performed through the Safety and Equipment Officer via email. Equipment is handed out and returned to the Safety and Equipment Officer, or through whoever assigned by the Safety and Equipment Officer (typically the Trip Safety). Equipment should be signed in and out in front of the aforementioned person.
Borrowing of Equipment
CUHWC is committed to ensuring the safety of participants while hillwalking. To facilitate this, the club allows members to borrow the following equipment while on trips.
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Maps
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Map cases
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Compasses
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Emergency Shelters
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First-Aid Kits
As detailed in the route cards and the Safety Policy, each group must have a complete set of safety equipment before going onto the hills. Equipment is handed out and returned to the Safety and Equipment Officer, or through whoever assigned by the Safety and Equipment Officer (typically the Trip Safety). Equipment should be signed in and out in front of the aforementioned person.
Winter and Scrambling Equipment
The club has winter equipment and scrambling equipment for use by members of the club. These consist of specialised safety equipment that require adequate training in safe and effective use and care, and improper use can result in grievous injury. As such, members that wish to use said equipment must demonstrate they are competent in the use of said equipment and are aware of the higher risks involved with such activities.
Although the club does have a regular maintenance schedule to ensure the equipment is kept in good working order, persons borrowing/using said equipment are still solely responsible for ensuring that said borrowed equipment is in suitable condition for use.
The club does not take responsibility for any incident or accident resulting from the misuse of said equipment.
Rental of said equipment is up to the jurisdiction of the Safety and Equipment Officer. Members that wish to rent said equipment must do so through the Safety and Equipment Officer (safety@cuhwc.org.uk).
Borrowing of Equipment outside of Club Trips
Club members are able to request to borrow club equipment for personal use outside of club trips. Members should contact the Safety and Equipment Officer for such requests, and should detail what equipment they require, as well as what they intend to do with said equipment. Do note that, due to the limited amount of equipment the club has, it may not always be possible to accommodate such requests.
Said requests will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
External Equipment Rental
In some cases, the club may engage an external vendor for equipment rentals (typically for winter equipment). Club members renting said equipment are also subject to the terms of the rental agreement of the vendor in addition to those of the club.
Usage of Equipment
Rental and borrowing of equipment is subject to proper use of said equipment. The person renting/borrowing the equipment has the responsibility to ensure that the equipment is used appropriately and is not otherwise mistreated.
Participants that are unfamiliar with the proper use of safety equipment e.g. group shelters can ask the Safety and Equipment Officer, or other committee members, on their proper use.
For maps, compasses, winter, and scrambling equipment, the club aims to organise courses on the proper use of said equipment.
Scrambling equipment is solely to be used for the purpose of scrambling.
If any equipment is found to be defective, please inform the Safety and Equipment Officer as soon as possible.
Damages/Loss of Equipment
In cases of damage to club equipment, club members have the responsibility to inform the Safety and Equipment Officer as soon as possible.
The club recognises that equipment will naturally encounter wear and tear while in use. As such, the club will assess the nature and the circumstances of damage to said equipment.
If the club deems that the equipment was damaged as a result of improper or irresponsible use, the club will ask that the cost of the equipment be covered in full, in order to repair said equipment or otherwise purchase an equivalent replacement.
The club expects members to treat any equipment borrowed/rented with proper care. As such, loss of equipment will result in the member being asked to cover the cost of the lost equipment.
Liability
Hillwalking inherently is a risky activity, and the club takes a serious position regarding safety. The club attempts to ensure all equipment is in usable condition, and aims to regularly check and maintain said equipment to ensure they are in good working condition. However, the responsibility to ensure the equipment provided is adequate still lies with the individual.
It is the responsibility of the person that is drawing out said equipment to ensure that the equipment is adequate for the intended purpose. The club will ensure that any equipment that is necessary for regular activities of the club are in good working order.
Concerns relating to Equipment
If any member of the club has concerns relating to the suitability of the equipment borrowed/rented, they are encouraged to raise the matter with the Safety and Equipment Officer (safety@cuhwc.org.uk) or the President (president@cuhwc.org.uk). If any member of the club believes that club equipment is not being used appropriately, or has safety concerns pertaining to the usage of said equipment, they are advised to contact any member of the committee.
Any other questions regarding club equipment can be directed to the Safety and Equipment Officer.
As in any club environment, the Welfare Officer (social@cuhwc.org.uk) is also contactable if needed.
Other Policies
The policy stated here are in conjunction with the safety policy and policies pertaining to specialised equipment.
Role of the Safety and Equipment Officer
The Safety and Equipment Officer can be contacted on safety@cuhwc.org.uk. They are the first point of contact for any equipment-related matters, including borrowing and rental of club equipment.
Other equipment-related responsibilities include:
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Ensuring that all equipment is in good working order
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Ensuring that correct equipment and other stores are available for club trips
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Being the first point of contact for equipment handout and return on trips, or appointing someone (typically the trip safety) to do so on their behalf
Last Updated 2024-08