Brunswick-based outdoor gear lending nonprofit Maine GearShare and the Curtis Memorial Library have partnered to offer free equipment for library card holders.

The program, which launched on June 1, works like reserving a museum pass from the library, said CML adult services librarian Hazel Onsrud.

Members can reserve a gear pass on the library website for the week they want to borrow gear and pick up their pass at the library. Then, they can either use the code on the pass to reserve gear on the Maine GearShare website or stop by GearShare and grab available gear during the reservation time.

“One of the goals is to get our people outside and experiencing the world and connecting with all the benefits that nature has to provide,” Onsrud said.

Sleeping bags, snowshoes, tents, fishing poles, outdoor cookware, hiking backpacks and every size of boot available are just a few of the things you can find at GearShare’s location on Old Portland Road.

For non-library card holders, most equipment costs between $5 and $25 to rent for the day. The organization also offers full-service repairs out of its location.

The library has two GearShare passes available, and each pass can be used to gear up two adults and up to five children per adult.

Emily Mackeown, advancement manager at Maine GearShare, said the two organizations had considered partnering for months to expand the library’s existing “Library of Things,” which loans out a variety of household items. The plan became a reality when the CML secured a donor to fund the partnership with GearShare.

“It was inspired almost by interlibrary loan,” Mackeown said. “If you have access to one library, you have access to a greater network of books but not just books.”

Maine GearShare, which opened to the public in 2023, stocks high-quality gear in all sizes and for all seasons, with enough inventory to outfit 150 people at a time, Mackeown said.

Mackeown and Onsrud said the partnership allows people to try out hobbies that require a lot of gear and can be very expensive to get into.

“There’s a sustainability angle — of course, everyone doesn’t need to own everything,” Mackeown said. “A backpack that’s sitting on a shelf that you’ve bought new just because you can afford it has a pretty big impact on the world, and if we can share a couple backpacks and a couple tents, you don’t have to store it and it’s a much more sustainable venture.”

The organizations hope the partnership can be a blueprint for other libraries to work with gear loaning services — and get as much people possible enjoying the outdoors.

“Not every library can have a paddleboard, or skis, or boots of every size,” Onsrud said. “What gets me really excited about this model is other libraries could increase access to a sharing economy.”

Onsrud said the program has already seen success — with three sign-ups on the books. To give them plenty of ideas for adventures, the library also provides gear renters with pamphlets from the Brunswick-Topsham and Harpswell Heritage Land Trusts.