Travel Fuels Winter Rentals
Updated: 11 minutes ago
Katrela Ventures Daily Update · Investment, M&A and Business Innovation Digest · 13 October 2026
Key takeaways
Early winter-travel bookings for December 2025 to February 2026 rose 34% year on year; Himachal Pradesh recorded 18.1 million tourist visits in 2024.
Winter-wear rentals start at ₹990 for seven days, and a six-day trekking-gear rental costs ₹2,435 versus ₹18,250 to buy.
FSSAI is drafting rules requiring quick-commerce platforms to list batch numbers and dates.
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01. TOP STORIES
FSSAI Considers Mandatory Batch Numbers, Dates, and Accountability for Quick-Commerce Platforms: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is drafting tighter regulations requiring e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms (such as Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Flipkart, and Amazon India) to explicitly list manufacturing dates, expiry dates, and batch numbers on pre-packaged food listings.Freshworks to Acquire Torii to Integrate AI Spend Governance into Freshservice: NASDAQ-listed software provider Freshworks Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Israeli SaaS management platform Torii to expand its IT service management (ITSM) platform, Freshservice.
02. QUICK TAKES
Travel Fuels Winter Rentals
Ecosystem Scale: 18.1 Mn tourist visits to Himachal Pradesh in 2024 | 17 Mn+ tourists visited Jammu & Kashmir in 2025 | 34% YoY increase in early winter-travel bookings for Dec 2025 to Feb 2026 | ₹990 starting price for a 7-day winter-wear rental | ₹2,435 to rent trekking gear for 6 days versus ₹18,250 to buy comparable equipment
India’s growing appetite for travel is creating opportunities for consumer businesses built around temporary use rather than permanent ownership. Winter jackets, parkas, snow boots and trekking gear are particularly suited to this model: travellers may need specialised clothing for a few days, while purchasing, storing and maintaining it for occasional use can be expensive.
Travel demand provides a potential customer base. Himachal Pradesh recorded approximately 18.1 million tourist visits in 2024, while Jammu & Kashmir received more than 17 million tourists in 2025. Separately, Zostel’s winter-travel data indicated a 34% increase in early bookings for December 2025 to February 2026, based on over 6.2 lakh booking records across more than 120 properties. These figures indicate travel activity, although they do not directly measure demand for winter-wear rentals.
The economics can favour renting for occasional use. Winter apparel brand Kosha offers rentals starting at ₹990 for seven days, while SharePal lists some products at ₹50 per day. Indiahikes’ Crosstrek has published a comparison of ₹2,435 to rent a trekking-gear set for six days against ₹18,250 to buy the same set. The potential savings are meaningful for short trips, particularly when customers need several specialised items.
For businesses, however, customer savings are only one side of the equation. Rental operators must manage reverse logistics, cleaning, quality checks, repairs, storage and seasonal inventory. A jacket that earns rental revenue for only a few weeks each year may have very different economics from equipment that can be rented repeatedly throughout the year. Platforms may also explore resale of older inventory and purchases by customers who have already tried the products.
Katrela's Take
➢Winter-wear rentals offer a niche opportunity at the intersection of travel and shared consumption. The commercial case will depend on repeat bookings, rental utilisation per item, inventory life and the cost of returning each product to rentable condition. As the category develops, the key question is whether seasonal demand can support attractive asset utilisation and sustainable margins, rather than simply generating interest during the winter travel period.
03. FUNDING BRIEF
Mesa School of Business -a modern higher-education startup-has raised Rs. 110 crore ($13 million approx.) in a funding round comprising Rs. 85 crore in equity co-led by Dharana Capital and Elevation Capital, and Rs. 25 crore in venture debt from InnoVen Capital India and Alteria Capital.MakeO-the parent company of dental and skin care brand Toothsi (alongside Skinnsi)-has raised Rs. 90 crore ($10.7 million approx.) in a funding round led by Singularity AMC, with participation from the DSP family office, Genesis, and Unispace Ventures..ThinkMetal-an advanced materials and precision metal manufacturing startup-has raised Rs. 27 crore ($3.2 million approx.) in a funding round led by IAN Group Alpha Fund, with participation from 3i Partners and existing investors.Bengaluru-based home-furnishing startup wudhomes has raised Rs. 2.5 crore ($300,000 approx.) in a pre-seed funding round led by ajvc, with participation from Seekho co-founders Rohit Choudhary, Keertay Agarwal, and Yash Banwani, along with other angel investors.
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Frequently asked questions
Is renting winter gear cheaper than buying in India?
For occasional use, often yes. Indiahikes' Crosstrek compares ₹2,435 to rent a trekking-gear set for six days with ₹18,250 to buy it, and Kosha rents winter wear from ₹990 for seven days.
What drives demand for winter-wear rentals?
Growing domestic winter travel, with early winter-travel bookings up 34% year on year, and the cost of buying, storing and maintaining specialised gear used only a few days a year.
What decides whether a rental business is viable?
Repeat bookings, rental utilisation per item, inventory life and the cost of returning each product to rentable condition, according to Katrela Ventures.
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