Welcome!

This site allows Kindling Collective member-borrowers to reserve gear and equipment for personal adventures and group trips. 

Not a member-borrower yet? Click here to get signed up and start borrowing gear. 

Want to give someone a gift membership or a gift certificate towards membership? Click here.

Membership Options

All membership levels come with the same benefits. 

Membership Philosophy

Kindling Collective’s gear library is a shared resource.  We invite and expect people with access to more resources to pay more so those with less access can pay less, creating more sustainable and equitable relationships to our shared resource. We offer a tiered pricing model as a tool for building economic justice.  This pricing model requires your active participation—if implemented effectively, everyone pays a similar percentage of their income and/or wealth for the same products or services.​

If you are descended from enslaved people and/or are Indigenous, you qualify for Reparations Membership. For a free membership, select the “Reparations Membership” option when creating your account. 

If you are struggling to identify which pricing tier is right for you, check out the Green Bottle graphic by Alexis J. Cunningfolk for guidance. The left hand bottle corresponds with our pink tier; the middle bottle is orange; and the right bottle is our yellow tier. If our pricing is a barrier for you, send us an email at info@kindlingcollective.org. We will never turn away a member for the inability to pay.

Kindling Collective Borrowing Procedures

• Gear must be reserved in advance. Please submit gear requests at least 4 days before you’d like to pick up items. Gear may be reserved up to 45 days in advance. The default loan length is 7 days.
• Pick up your gear at our library in Portland during a scheduled appointment time.
• Appointments should be scheduled for 30 minutes at a time. Kindling Collective Librarians plan to meet you at the beginning of your appointment time. Please plan to be on time. If you are running late email us at info@kindlingcollective.org and/or call us at (207) 200-4707

Check-out | Check-in

Check-out

• Register for a check-out time slot when you select your gear. Please plan for at least ½ an hour at the library.
• Arrive at the beginning of your check-out appointment window!
• When you pick up your gear, we will help make sure you feel comfortable with each item.
• Each time you check-out gear, you will sign your membership Check Out Card as a re-commitment to our Borrowing Agreement

Check-in

• Check-in appointments are required for returns. Check-in appointments are scheduled and confirmed during the gear check-out process outlined above.
• Arrive at the beginning of your check-in appointment window!
• You are responsible for bringing your gear back clean and dry. Kindling Collective will wash sleeping bag liners in between loans. Please follow the relevant Gear Library After-Care Instructions for all items. If any equipment or policies outlined in the borrowing agreement are abused, we reserve the right to not lend to a member again.
• You are responsible for gear that is lost or damaged due to negligent use. You'll receive an invoice for the cost of replacement or repair, in accordance with our Gear Library Replacement & Repair Price List. If needed, we are happy to work with you on a payment plan or to discuss volunteering in lieu of payment. The gear library is a shared resource and we trust our community. 

Location 

• We are located in the basement of the Equality Community Center (ECC), 15 Casco Street, Portland, ME, 04101.
• Kindling Collective shares a side-entrance with Safe Combinations on the SW side of the building, to the right of the ECC main entrance. To get to our space from the side-entry you will need to walk down one (1) flight of stairs. The main entrance to the ECC has five (5) stairs; the side entrance on the NW side of the ECC has a ramp entry. From the main entrance to the ECC our space is accessible via one (1) flight of stairs or by elevator. The ECC maintains a masking policy for public areas; please wear a mask upon arrival at the ECC. There are gender neutral restrooms throughout the building.

We love to see pictures of our gear in action and appreciate any photos you can share! Please send pictures to info@kindlingcollective.org.