Gale River Trail
Tis the season where we need to start thinking about holiday gifts for our hiking and backpacking friends and family. It’s tough to find great gifts that these picky fanatics will appreciate and since I fall into that target category, I thought I’d help you out with a few suggestions.
Finding good gifts for outdoor lovers that cost under $50 is actually rather difficult, but you’ll find something for everyone in this list including: dog owners, beginners, dreamers, foodies, greens, ultralight backpacking fanatics and day hikers.
- REI Flash 18 Urban Backpack. Great daytime carryall.
- Snowpeak Chopsticks. Cool camping utensils. Ultralight. Makes you eat slower.
- Photon Freedom Microlight. Ultralight and compact. Available with a red light.
- Black Diamond Orbit Lantern. Tiny frosted glass lantern for winter camping.
- The Backpacker’s Handbook by Chris Townsend. A comprehensive classic.
- Dr. Bronner’s Soap. A revelation if you’ve never tried it.
- The Ultimate Hang: An Illustrated Guide To Hammock Camping. Amusing and informative.
- Petzl e+Lite. 1 oz. Another backpacker classic.
- Black Diamond ATC. Still the best all-round belay device.
- The AT Guide by David Miller. Detailed mile-by-mile guide to the Appalachian Trail, hostels and trail towns.
- Moosejaw Hoody Sweater. I wear one of these almost every day. Very comfortable.
- Suunto A-10 Compass. Great all-round compass. Excellent for beginners.
- Outdoor Research Helios Sun Hat. A great sun hat.
- REI Chefware Long Spoon. Perfect for eating freezer bag meals.
- Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie Fire Starter. 0.85 oz. Don’t leave home without it.
- Swiss Army Spartan Knife. You can never go wrong giving this present.
- Therm-a-rest Z-lite Sleeping Pad. 15 oz. Accordion style foam pad.
- Leatherman Micra with Scissors. The TSA took mine away. Need a replacement!
- Goal 0 Rechargeable Battery Pack. Recharge your devices multiple times.
- The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey. A ribald, outrageous, wilderness, counterculture romp.
- Women & Thru-Hiking on the Appalachian Trail by Beverly Hugo. Practical advice from hundreds of women long distance hikers.
- GSI Tea Kettle. For the tea drinking backpacker in your family. An efficient camp boil.
- Snow Peak Titanium Double Walled Mug. Keeps hot drinks warm a long time.
- SAM Splint. Portable moldable first aid splint.
- Black Diamond Windweight Gloves. Good windproof winter gloves.
- Colorado Trail: The Official Guidebook. Definitive guide to this 468 mile trail.
- Backcountry.com Gift Certificate. It you’re clueless, give them a gift card.
- Leukotape P Sportstape. Great blister prevention tape.
- Ruff Wear Safety Vest for your doggy friend. Blaze orange dog safety coat.
- Chico Marsupial keychain Wallet. Keep your keys and wallet organized when backpacking. Clip to the inside of your pack.
- Golite Dome Umbrella. Keep sun and rain off your face when hiking.
- REI Lifetime Membership. $20. Lifetime discount on great outdoor gear. Pays an annual dividend too!
- Nalgene Travel Kit (Plastic Bottles). Great for repackaging small quantities of liquids to save pack weight.
- Eye-Fi 8GB Mobile X2 Wireless SDHC Memory Card. Transmits photos to your iPad or the web over wireless networks. Simply amazing.
- Freeze Dried Fruit. Quick to re-hydrate. Antioxidant power.
- Sea-to-Summit X Bowl.Folds flat for camping and backpacking.
- Freezer Bag Cooking: Trail Food Made Simple
by Sarah Kirconnell. The freezer bag cooking bible and recipe book, written by a foodie goddess.
- John Muir Trail Map-Pack: Shaded Relief Topo Maps by Tom Harrison. The preferred maps for JMT thru-hikers.
- Folding Camp Bucket. Great for ferrying water to camp.
- Olicamp XTS Aluminum Pot. Very fuel efficient ultralight pot.
- PACKRAFTING! An Introduction and How-To Guide by Roman Dial. Hike and float, the new thing.
- Down Booties. Super warm.
- Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card. Never, ever, run out of space for photos and movies on your digital camera.
- Pacific Crest Trail Association Gift Membership. Includes a wilderness permit for hiking in excess of 500 miles on the PCT. Give someone something to dream about.
- Digital Postal and Kitchen Food Scale. Take the first step in lightweight backpacking and weigh your gear.
- Black Diamond Spot LED Headlamp. Great headlamp for short days and less sunlight.
- Patagonia Capilene 1 Long Sleeve Jersey. Silky and warm. The perfect winter base layer.
- Optimus Crux Canister Stove. Lightweight powerhouse canister stove.
- Steripen Emergency Water Purifier. Be prepared at home too.
- Section Hiker T-Shirt. Be a fashionista and get your section on!
Published 2009. Revised 2012.
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1 week of backpacking. Would be a good gift from a significant other.
Awesome suggestion although something like that would cost me a $100+ dinner out (bribe) for the wife, but it'd be worth it.
Great list!
Number 50 a few times over….
SmartWool Hiking Socks OR subscription to Backpacker Magazine OR Dr Bronner's liquid soap OR (with a little labor and little to no cost) a penny alcohol stove and a Heinekin pot.
Wow, I already have 18 of these, if you count some reasonable equivalents, like my old Polarguard booties. I guess that means it is a great list.
I’d suggest a slightly more capable compass, though.
And consider the Petzl Zipka headlamp. It is $35, 69g, and fits in your pocket. Super handy.
How about some Aqua Mira in your stocking?
Gossamer Gear’s new titanium V-stakes would be nice, too. I’m always up for new kinds of stakes.
That is high praise, especially coming from you Walter. I live those items you mentioned and will add them anon.
Great list. The only problem is I want to buy it all for myself.