50 Best Backpacking Gifts: $50 or Less

It can be difficult to pick good backpacking gifts if you’re not an expert backpacker or hiker. That’s why we’ve pulled together this list of great backpacking gifts for $50 or less to help you get your backpacking friends gifts that they’ll appreciate. If you want to spend more, we suggest giving them a gift card so they can pick out the gear they want.

Backpacking Gifts for $25 up to $50

1. Sawyer Sqeeze Water Filter System: ($46) Most popular backpacking water filter. Includes two 1L soft bottles. Also works with soda and bottled water bottles.
2. Hyperlite Mountain Gear WP Backpack Shoulder Pocket: ($49) Waterproof Dyneema Smartphone pocket that doubles as a wallet. A backpacker’s favorite.
3. OR Waterproof Billed Rain Cap: ($50) Billed ball cap to augment a rain jacket hood and keep rain out of your eyes while providing sun protection for your eyes.
4. Six Moon Silver Shadow Trekking Umbrella:($45) Ultralight sun and rain protection when hiking.
5. Black Diamond Astro 300-R Headlamp: ($45) Rechargeable headlamp with easy-to-remember control sequence.
6. Daycap in-Bottle Water Filter: ($45) Water filter that replaces the cap of a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle with an integrated filter so you can safely drink from a stream or pond without getting sick. Brilliant!
7. Thermacell Backpacker Mosquito Repeller: ($40) Ultralight sanity for summer camping. Highly effective.
8. Six Moon Designs Ultralight Packing Pods: ($40) 3-pack of packing organizers designed to maximize backpack space. They also make great toiletry bags for travel.
9. Buff UV and Insect Shield Neck Gaiter: ($34) Double the protection from sun and insects.
10. Possum Down Gloves: ($30) Super warm, lightweight wool gloves from New Zealand. A cult favorite.
11. Fire Maple G3 Petrel UL Heat Enchanger Pot: ($30) Ultralight 600ml (184.5g) cookpot that retains heat, minimizing fuel use.
12. Darn Tough Hiker Boot Cushion Hiking Socks: ($28) Backpacker favorite. Super durable and comfortable.
13. Polartec Alpha Camp Socks from Far Pointe ($25): Cozy, warm alpha fleece socks that boost quilt or sleeping bag comfort.
14. Six Moon Designs Pack Liner: ($25) Long-lasting reusable pack liner to keep contents dry for use in any backpack. Almost everyone gets the 50L size.

Backpacking Gifts over $10 and up to $25

1. CNOC Vecto 2L Squeezable Water Bottle: ($24) Compatible with all Sawyer filters. A backpacker favorite.
2. Swiss Army Knife Classic: ($24) Smallest Swiss Army Knife with scissors. Thin and lightweight.
3. Brunton Truarc 3 Compass: ($24) Good baseplate compass that is perfect for learning how to use one.
4. Gossamer Gear Shoulder Strap Pocket: ($22) Great little pocket for holding a phone and wallet. Compatible with all backpacks.
5. Kula Cloth Reusable Antimicrobial Pee Cloth: ($20) For women. A zero-waste alternative to dry yourself without toilet paper. It’s a sensible gift that will be appreciated.
6. Jetboil Coffee Press. ($23) Turns a Jetboil stove into a French coffee press. Pure luxury.
7. Dirtsaw Poo Trowel: ($21) Tough ultralight trowel for digging catholes in rugged or rocky ground.
8. The Stanley Wildfire Camp Cookset: ($20) Great little cookpot w/ two cups for boiling water or making coffee.
9. Matador Waterproof Pill Canister ($20): 7-day waterproof backpacking pill organizer for medications. Priceless! (Did you know that 50% of Americans have a daily prescription?)
10. Platypus 70 oz Water bottle: ($20) Softbottle that rolls up when empty and stands up by itself when full. A classic. I’ve been using them for over 20 years!
11. Chicken Tramper Gear Hiker Wallet ($19): Ultralight wallet for securely carrying cash, ID, and credit cards.
12. Counter Assault Bear Spray Holster: ($17) Attaches to any backpack hipbelt or shoulder strap and is compatible with 8.1 and 10.2 oz bear spray canisters. A must-have in bear country!
13. Aquamira Chlorine Dioxide Drops ($15): Ultralight chlorine water purification drops to make backcountry water safe to drink. Another classic that never goes out of fashion.
14. Leukotape P Sports Tape ($13): Great blister-prevention tape popular with all hikers and backpackers.
15. Injinji Liner Socks: ($12) Socks with distinct toes that stop hiking blisters in their tracks.Gossamer Gear
16. Gossamer Gear Thinlight 1/8″ foam pad: 2.7-inch foam pad to insulate and protect inflatable sleeping pads or use for trail yoga! Very popular.
17. Morsel Spork: ($17) Combination fork and spoon, with an edge that is strong enough to cut.
18. Replens Silicone Lubricant: ($15) Dual-use silicone lubricant to prevent skin chafing.
19. pStyle Personal Urination Device: ($13) This reusable device lets women pee standing up like a man. Very useful for backpacking or porta-potties when you don’t want to sit down on the seat.
20. Nite Ize LED Micro Lantern: ($18) Clips to a hammock ridgeline or to gear loops in a tent.
21. BRS 3000T Ultralight Titanium Stove: ($18) Tiny, but durable, titanium stove popular with backpackers trying to minimize the weight of their cooking system.
22. Smelly Proof Reusable Plastic Bags: ($16) Used to line bear canisters and bear bags to prevent bears and rodents from stealing food.

Backpacking Gifts for $10 or less

1. Dehydrated Sriracha Hot Sauce ($6): A must-have addition to spice up bland camping meals.
2. Folding Foam Sit Pad: ($10) Keeps your bum clean and dry when you sit on a rock to rest.
3. Gossamer Gear Bamboo Long-Handle Spoon: ($7) Unlike metal, bamboo does not conduct heat, stain, or absorb flavors.
4. CuloClean Portable Bidet: ($10) Screws onto a soda bottle, for washing the salt and stink off at night.
5. Platform Tent Stakes: ($10) Special tent stakes designed to secure tents on wooden platforms. These are a godsend that few hikers know about, but need.
6. Hanging Tent Organizer: ($10) 4-pocket mesh hanging organizer for tents. Handy for glasses, phones, etc.
7. Toaks Titanium Long Handled Spoon: ($10) Ultralight long spoon for digging backpacking food out of freeze-dried meal bags and freezer bags.
8. Swiss Army Knife Replacement Tweezers: ($9) A 6-pack of Swiss Army Knife replacement tweezers. These are the first things you lose, but boy, are they essential!
9. 4-Pack of 1 oz liquid squeeze bottles: ($8) Handy for repackaging bug dope, hand sanitizer, sun tan lotion, etc. Why carry more if you’ll never use it?
10. Jetboil Fuel Can Stabilizer: ($8) Prevents cooking pot tip-overs. Works with any fuel canister. Totally worth the weight.
11. Cold Soak Jar from Chicken Tramper Gear ($6): Rehydrate meals without cooking. Very popular in the summer.
12. Hands-Free Umbrella Clamp from Gossamer Gear ($6): Attach a trekking umbrella to your backpack shoulder strap to keep the sun and rain at bay.
13. Rite in the Rain Waterproof Notebook: ($5) Great for writing a trail journal. Stands up to humidity.
14. Dr. Bronner’s Soap: ($4) A minty revelation. The 2 oz size is perfect for backpacking.

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