Borrow sports and outdoor gear free in Oslo: BUA and Skattkammeret
BUA is a free lending service for sports and outdoor equipment. You borrow skis, skates, a tent, a sleeping bag, a SUP or a bike for a week, without paying anything. There are 17 lending points in Oslo.
Borrow before you buy. Children outgrow skates and skis quickly, and a tent typically gets used two nights a year. BUA exists for exactly that.
How it works
It is free
Borrowing costs nothing. Some locations may charge a small fee for people who don't live in the municipality, but for Oslo families it is free.
You need a profile in the BUA app
You set up the profile with Vipps, and it requires a Norwegian address, a Norwegian mobile number and that you are over 18. Children and teenagers can borrow as co-borrowers, but an adult is responsible for the loan.
One week at a time
The standard loan period is one week at staffed locations. Some self-service points lend by the hour.
Much of it is bought new
Around 90 per cent of the equipment is bought new. This is not a bin of cast-offs; it is a library for things you use rarely.
The lending points in Oslo
Groruddalen and the east
- BUA Stovner
- BUA Bjerke
- BUA Romsås
- BUA Furuset
- BUA Ammerud selvbetjent
- BUA Ellingsrud selvbetjent
- BUA Ellingsrudåsen Torg
- BUA Haugerud selvbetjent
- BUA Østensjø
- BUA Ensjø
The south
- BUA Nordstrand
- BUA Mortensrud
Inner city and north
- BUA Løkka
- BUA Sagene
- BUA Nordre Aker
- BUA Hovseter
Other
- BUA-boksen
Opening hours vary a lot between locations and between seasons, and several are self-service with their own times. So we have not copied addresses and opening times here: such a list is out of date within the year, and then people drive there for nothing. BUA's own overview shows what applies today.
Addresses and opening hours at BUA →
Places where you can use borrowed skis and skates for free are among the free activities in the city.
Skattkammeret: the other scheme
BUA is not the only scheme. Kirkens Bymisjon runs Skattkammeret, which does the same thing: free lending of leisure equipment to children and young people. The two are separate, and a place with one does not necessarily have the other. Stovner has both.
The equipment is the same kind: snowboards, skates, skis, tents, fishing rods and ball sports gear, for every season. It is free, and you need ID. The age limit is up to 25. Schools and kindergartens can borrow too, with a week's notice by email.
Skattkammeret Stovner
- Address
- Stovner Senter 12, 0985 Oslo
- Open
- Monday 10am-7pm, Tuesday to Friday 10am-4pm
- Age
- Children and young people up to 25
- Remember
- Photo ID
Sources
- BUA: lending points in Oslo →
- BUA: how to borrow →
- Kirkens Bymisjon: Skattkammeret →
- Skattkammeret Stovner →
The lending points were checked against BUA on 14 October 2026, the terms on 12 August 2026. Locations come and go, so check BUA's own overview before you set off.