Bikes, kayaks, and other outdoor gear on display at Outdoors Unlimited in Provo. This BYU service is a diamond in the rough. (Maddi Driggs)
The natural beauty of Utah makes outdoor activity a top choice in recreation and BYU has resources to help students in their next outdoor adventure.
Outdoors Unlimited is a BYU owned and operated rental service that supplies the Provo community with road bikes, canoes, skis, kayaks and even ice cream makers.
'High Adventure, Low Cost' is the rental service's slogan. Outdoors Unlimited tries to make it possible for BYU students to enjoy the nature Utah has to offer at a fair and reasonable price. The price makes outdoor activities that could cost thousands of dollars in supplies as cheap as dinner and a movie.
Mallory Reese has worked at Outdoors Unlimited since July and is studying recreation management at BYU. She has seen mostly the same customers in her few months at Outdoors Unlimited.
'The problem is that a lot of the student population just doesn't know about us. We have so much to offer and people really just need to know we are an option,' Reese said.
Multiple students across campus were asked if they were aware of this BYU rental service. Not one of them knew what Outdoors Unlimited was or that such a rental service existed through BYU. The general population of students in simply unaware of this resource that provides them with a wide variety of recreational activities.
But BYU senior Londyn Clawson has been using this service for years. She picked up new hobbies because of the supplies she has been able to rent at Outdoors Unlimited.
'I can't believe how many people don't know about this. It's such a great resource, especially here in Provo. I have learned to mountain bike, rock climb and kayak because I was able to get started by renting from Outdoors Unlimited,' Clawson said.
Outdoors Unlimited rents high-quality equipment for nearly any type of outdoor adventure. The renting price is as low as you will find anywhere. Not only do they rent gear they sell products at low prices. BYU students receive a 20 percent discount on these items.
'We sell bikes and winter gear and different select items seasonally,' Outdoors Unlimited manager Gardener Kearsly said.
Kearsly has been managing Outdoors Unlimited for fifteen years. He described their efforts in marketing as an 'uphill battle.' Outdoors Unlimited has a website, Instagram account and Facebook page where the team tries their best to promote Outdoors Unlimited's services. The team is continually looking for new ways to inform Provo about what is available through Outdoors Unlimited.
'We definitely feel underutilized,' Kearsly said. 'We are not one dimensional, we have outdoor equipment for all seasons. We are more than you would expect.'
Outdoors Unlimited brings the recreation of the Utah outdoors a little closer. With four seasons that each include unique outdoor activities Utah is a prime place to find new outdoor passions. This underutilized BYU resource is just waiting to assist students in their next adventure.