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The question we get asked more than any other: is it worth buying my own gear or should I keep hiring? The honest answer is that it depends on how often you ride — but the break-even point is closer than most people think, and the performance difference between owned and hired gear is significant from the moment you start riding on your own setup.
The cost comparison
Typical resort hire in Australia for a full snowboard setup — board, boots, bindings — runs approximately $70–$100 per day at most Victorian and NSW resorts. Some resort hire is cheaper, some is more expensive. Let's use $80 per day as a baseline.
A quality entry-level snowboard setup bought new — a board like the YES Basic or Nitro Team, boots, bindings — costs approximately $1,200–1,600 depending on spec choices. At $80/day hire, you break even in 15–20 days on the mountain.
If you ride 5–8 days a season — which is typical for a Melbourne snowboarder doing a combination of day trips and a short trip — you break even in 2–3 seasons. After that, every day you ride costs you nothing in equipment (just maintenance and waxing). The gear typically lasts 5–10 seasons with reasonable care.
The calculation shifts further in favour of buying when you factor in second-hand gear value. A well-maintained board from a reputable brand holds value well — if you buy right and look after the gear, you can sell it in 3–5 years and recover 40–60% of the original cost.
The performance difference
This is where the case for buying your own gear becomes even stronger. Resort hire gear is not designed to perform — it's designed to survive repeated rental cycles by multiple riders of varying sizes and abilities. The boots are usually stretched and compressed from hundreds of previous hirers, which means poor heel hold and reduced performance. The boards are often dull-edged and poorly maintained. The bindings are adjusted for the average hirer, not your foot size and stance width.
Your own gear, properly fitted and maintained, performs significantly better from day one. Heat-moulded boots that are shaped specifically to your foot anatomy hold your heel and eliminate foot pain that hired boots routinely cause. A board waxed and tuned for current conditions glides better and turns more easily than a hire board. Bindings set up for your stance width and angle let you ride more naturally.
The most common feedback we hear from customers who've made the switch from hire to owned gear: they feel like they've jumped up a skill level. They haven't — the gear is just not fighting them anymore.
What to buy first
If you're not sure yet, start with boots. Boots are the single most impactful piece of gear in terms of performance and comfort, they're the most personal fit item (and therefore the worst thing to hire), and they're transferable — you can hire a board and bindings while using your own boots, which immediately improves your experience.
We heat mould every pair of boots free with every purchase at our Richmond store. This takes 20–30 minutes and shapes the liner specifically to your foot — the difference between a hired boot and a heat-moulded boot is dramatic.
Once you're confident you're riding regularly, add the board and bindings. A complete setup from brands like Jones, YES, K2, Nitro or Ride will last you multiple seasons and actually improve your riding rather than just being a piece of equipment you attach your feet to.
What about second-hand gear?
Second-hand snowboard gear is a reasonable option for riders who want to test ownership before committing. The main risks are: boots that are already broken in to someone else's foot shape (which undermines the primary benefit of owned boots), boards that have been poorly maintained, and binding systems that may be approaching end of life.
If you go second-hand, prioritise buying a board and bindings rather than boots — second-hand boots are a worse buy than second-hand boards. And have a specialist store check any second-hand gear before you ride it. We're happy to assess second-hand gear for customers who bring it in.
The short answer
If you ride three or more times per season and plan to continue snowboarding, buying your own gear is worth it by the second or third season at the latest. The performance difference is immediate, the cost break-even is faster than most people assume, and riding on gear that's set up for you specifically changes what snowboarding feels like.
Come in and talk to us. We'll tell you honestly what you need and what you don't — not the most expensive option, the right option for how you ride.
Shop Snowboards · Boots — Free Heat Moulding · Bindings · How Much Does a Snowboard Setup Cost? · First Time Snowboarding — Hire vs Buy
