Gift giving can be hard, especially for people who seem to have everything they could need. If you’re looking for a thoughtful gift for the hiker or outdoor lover in your life, we’re here to help with our comprehensive list of the best gifts for hikers. These gifts ideas are great for any holiday, whether you’re celebrating Christmas, a birthday, or even just Best Friends Day!
We find that a lot of gift lists on the internet don’t actually give good suggestions, and a lot of hiking gift lists include items like tents and hiking boots, both of which are items that your recipient should already have if they’re a hiker. Unless they’re a true beginner who needs basic gear, we would avoid these gifts and go for something out of the ordinary that they don’t already have. If you are interested in getting them basic gear or clothing, we highly recommend asking them for a wish list instead of making assumptions about what they want.
Best Electronics
Electronics are some of the coolest gadgets when it comes to camping, hiking, and being outdoors. There’s endless options, but we personally love these ones and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Garmin InReach Mini
The InReach Mini is perfect for hikers who want to have GPS tracking and SOS capabilities.
Garmin Instinct Watch
The Garmin Instinct Watch is for those who want to track their hikes and all the stats to go with it.
GoPro 11 Action Camera
The newest GoPro is perfect for the person who wants to capture all their adventures in high definition.
JBL Portable Speaker
JBL makes a really cool portable speaker that lets you play music on the go.
Portable Battery Pack
A portable battery pack is a must-have for recharging phones and other electronics when you don’t have access to an outlet.
Folding Solar Panel
A folding solar panels takes camping to the next level and lets you recharge devices using clean energy.
Digital Photo Frame
A Nixplay Digital Photo Frame lets the user display photos from all their adventures and they can add to the reel easily using the Nixplay app.
DJI Drone
DJI makes the best drones on the market, and we love using ours to document a unique perspective on all our hikes and outdoor recreation.
Nocs Binoculars
Nocs Binoculars are compact binoculars that are built to be on the go for outdoor enthusiasts. They weigh less than 12 ounces, are IPX7 waterproof, and are fog-proof.
Best Camp Mugs
A camp mug is a must-have for any outdoor enthusiast, and we especially love the HiBear Adventure Flask. We also love the graphic on the Klean Kanteen and a Yeti Rambler is a classic.
HiBear
Not only does it have a really cool graphic, but the design is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. All in one unit you can make cold brew coffee, pour over coffee, cocktails, tea, and more; or you can just use it as a bottle with a removable mug on the bottom.
Klean Kanteen
Yeti Rambler
Best Pullovers
You can never have too many warm clothes when it comes to camping and hiking, and these Synchilla pullovers from Patagonia are our favorite. They’re super warm and comfortable, flattering to wear, and they come in so many cool prints and colors! Patagonia has them in all sizes for the whole family too.
Women’s Patagonia
Men’s Patagonia
Kid’s Patagonia
Best Blankets
Whether they’re at the campfire, trailhead, or at home, these blankets will bring joy and warmth wherever they go. Our personal favorite is the Rumpl puffy blanket, which is the first option below. It’s built for the outdoors and comes in lots of fun colors and designs. Some other great options are the Oceas and Pendleton blankets below.
Rumpl
Oceas
Pendleton
National Parks Pass
This American the Beautiful Pass gets them into all the national parks and monuments for free for a whole year. If they don’t already have a pass, or if theirs is going to expire soon, this would be a great gift for someone who wants to explore the nation’s best outdoor spaces.
Best T-Shirts
T-shirts are a classic, go-to gift, and we’ve selected some of our favorites from great brands across the internet. Keep Nature Wild is a small company based in Arizona that picks up 1 lb. of trash for every product sold, and the Parks Project works with the national parks to conserve the land by completing projects to keep the parks clean and healthy.
Wild
I’d Rather Be Outside
Parks Project
Camp Lighting
Whether it’s a portable light, a collapsible solar lantern, or battery operated string lights, all these light sources from mPowered are awesome options to have around camp. The portable light can last up to 12 hours on a single charge, the collapsible lantern can last up to 50, and the string lights can last up to 40 hours.
Luci Core Portable Light
Collapsible Lantern
Camp String Lights
Backpack
Whether you’re looking for a heavy duty day pack like the Osprey, a colorful backpack like the Cotopaxi, or a fun fanny pack like the KAVU, these are all great options for packs. Some hikers like having the space of a 20L bag, while others like the fanny pack for their shorter walks and travel adventures.
Osprey Daylight Plus 20L
Cotopaxi Del Dia Batac 16L
KAVU Fanny Pack
Puffy Jacket
We love our Patagonia Nanopuff jackets and bring them absolutely everywhere with us. They’re warm, windproof, and water-resistant, plus they’re made of recycled polyester that’s Fair Trade Certified. Extra comfy and good for the planet.
Men’s Nanopuff
Women’s Nanopuff
Baby Nanopuff
Cooler
A high quality cooler can make all the difference in your food preparation and storage. The Rtic Hard sided cooler is a great alternative to the more-expensive Yeti while still providing generous ice times. The Cotopaxi cooler is backpack style so you can easily carry it – plus the colors are awesome. The HydroFlask makes a great soft-sided cooler that’s great for smaller trips.
Rtic Hard-Sided
Cotopaxi Cooler Backpack
HydroFlask Soft-Sided
Best Hammocks
If the outdoor enthusiast in your life doesn’t already have a hammock, then this is a must-have gift. These hammocks are super portable, so they can provide a hangout spot on a hike, at a campsite, or in the backyard. Our favorite is CoalaTree, which is the first option below.
CoalaTree
Eagles Nest Hammock
Eno Hammock
Camp Slippers
These North Face camp slippers are so soft and comfortable that you may just have to wear them all the time. They have a rubber sole for durability and protection, a water-resistant outer layer that fends off moisture, and an ultra warm insulation inner to warm your toes.
North Face Men’s
North Face Women’s
North Face Kid’s
Best Hats
We love a good hiking hat, and these are some top options from our favorite brands. These ‘dad’ hats and trucker hats are great for days on the trail or off-trail.
Keep Nature Wild
Out of Breath Hiking Society
Mountain Hat
Best Subscriptions
If you’re really trying to think outside the box, consider purchasing some type of subscription that they wouldn’t normally get themselves.
Nomadik
Nomadik does awesome boxes where you pick your theme and they deliver cool products either monthly or quarterly.
The Dyrt
The Dyrt is an app that helps people find and book campsites, and their pro subscription would be a great gift because it opens up a whole world of possibilities when it comes to places that don’t have phone service.
Best Hiking Logs
Hiking logs are a really cool way for hikers to log and relive their trail memories. They’re little journals that have a page for each hike, and each page has prompts for things like the date, weather conditions, how you feel, people you met, trail conditions, and much more. These are our top picks for best hiking logs:
Best Books
Books can transport you to another world, educate you, entertain you, and so much more. There’s an endless amount of books related to hiking, camping, and outdoors, but here are our favorite three that we’ve read. The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs is a complete guide to using nature’s clues to do all kinds of things outside. AWOL on the Appalachian Trail is our favorite thru-hiking account. Campfire Stories is a book that helps prompt fun campfire stories and life questions, taking campfire talk to a whole new level.
Best Puzzles
Whether they’re into national parks, flowers, or just nature in general these are our favorite puzzles. We especially like the bear one, as each individual puzzle piece is in the shape of a small animal. How cool!
Ashley is an adventurous soul who loves all things nature, especially warm sunshine, wildflowers, scenic snacking, and mushrooms. She is an avid outdoor enthusiast who has spent years enjoying time outside doing things like hiking, camping, and rock climbing.
Her goal with Know Nothing Nomads is to make these hobbies easily accessible through knowledgeable content and how-to’s based on all the stuff she’s learned on her journey. If she isn’t writing an article, she’s probably in a forest looking at big mountain views and tiny pieces of moss on the side of the trail.
My goal with my writing and Know Nothing Nomads as a whole is to share my passions of hiking, camping, and a love of the outdoors with our readers. Making the difficult and uncertain feel more approachable to people that might not know enough to feel comfortable taking their first steps into the wilderness is a driving factor for me. When I’m not writing you can find me on a trail, in a forest, or next to a river with hiking shoes on my feet and a fly rod somewhere close by.