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Gear Reviews

Best Gifts for People that Love Outdoor Adventures

By Alice Ford

Published

Updated

8 min read

A gift guide made for lovers of camping, hiking and exploring the outdoors.

Best Gifts for People That Love Outdoor Adventures

Find the perfect gift for the outdoorsy adventure lover in your life! I’ve collected the best gifts for people that love outdoor adventures of all kinds—hiking, camping, exploring, and thrill-seeking folks included. These gifts will get them super excited to head out into the wilderness on their next trip.

Outdoorsy people can be so hard to buy for, but trust me on this one—there are always some unexpected fun and functional gifts they’ll love to receive! You may find affiliate links to products I use myself and highly recommend in this post. Each link is a product I wholeheartedly back and know the outdoor lover in your life will appreciate. If you make a purchase through these links, you’ll help me earn a small commission and keep the lights on around here. Thanks for your support!
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If there is an outdoorsy person in your life—one that would rather cook s’mores over a campfire, hike to an alpine lake, or road trip to a national park than lay on the beach or head to the movies, then this is the gift guide for you!

From one outdoor lover to the next, this list has been personally curated from some of my own hiking and travel adventures in the sand, sun, and snow. This gift guide has everything, from stylish yet functional outdoor apparel and hiking gear to camping equipment, gadgets, games, and must-have road trip essentials.

12 Best Gifts for People That Love Outdoor Adventures

Biolite Camp Stove +

BioLite Camp Stove 2+

I got this wood burning camp stove right before a winter-like ascent on Mt. Whitney and quickly fell in love with its efficiency—not only heating up water, but charging my phone, too! The BioLite Camp Stove 2 + is a great gift idea for anyone that camps.

You’ll get flames quickly, and the BioLite Camp Stove produces electricity.  The generation of heat in the stove charges the attached power bank, allowing you to charge any USB device after you’re done cooking. The patented combustion technology creates a vortex of smokeless flames for a portable campfire that can cook your meals and charge your gear, all at the same time. Leave the heavy gas canisters behind and unlock the potential of the sticks and twigs around you! This one’s especially great if you live in California, since they just banned the sale of single-use camp stoves.

Check out some of their holiday sales here!

Get it at BioLite

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North Face Winter Camp Shoes for Men & Women

This is the perfect slipper for cold mornings, even if you’re just out on your back deck enjoying a morning coffee. For anyone who camps, you know getting in and out of your tent is a lot better with a warm, cozy slipper that can actually withstand wet and cold conditions without adding too much weight to your pack. This Nuptse Mule from North Face is made of Lofty Down and recycled ripstop material for durability. It comes in both men’s and women’s sizes, and best of all, it’s on sale right now!

Women’s Sizes on Backcountry

Men’s Sizing on Backcountry

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KÜHL Akkomplice Zip Neck & Frost Insulated Softshell Pant

I recently discovered the AKKomplice Zip Neck Long Sleeve shirt from KÜHL, and can honestly say I’ve barely wanted to take it off. The Akkomplice Zip Neck is the perfect base layer for cooler days on the trail, at camp, skiing, or just enjoying some sweater weather by the fire. Made of superior KOREKONTROL fabric, this shirt is the perfect mix of warm and moisture-wicking. It comes in 4 colors and pairs perfectly with the Kuhl Frost Softshell Pant. The Frost pant is made for winter hiking with a warm microfiber on the inside and a technical softshell on the outside that repels moisture and has zippers to go over winter boots.

Shop Kuhl

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RUMPL Original Puffy Blanket

For anyone that loves to camp, roadtrip or enjoy a late night by the firepit, this is an absolute must-have. The Rumpl Original puffy blanket is made from recycled plastic water bottles and comes in a ton of colors. There’s even a national park series, which makes this one of the best gift ideas for people that love outdoor adventures! Just pick your gift recipient’s favorite national park and watch as they wrap their favorite park’s scenery around them on a cool night. The puffy blanket is also machine washable and comes in a water resistant stuff sack that’s perfect to throw in the car for a weekend in the forest.

These are on sale right now, and RUMPL is a 1% for the Planet member and a Certified B Corp, too!

Order Now on RUMPL

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Garmin Mini Inreach

If you have someone on your list that loves to spend time in the backcountry, a Garmin Mini Inreach is a great gift idea. This GPS device has the ability to send text messages in areas of no service and send SOS to emergency services if an emergency arises when out in the backcountry. It also tracks routes and provides coordinates of your exact location. This is a necessity for anyone that leads groups or hikes and explores alone in the backcountry. I have been using mine for 3 years now and never go on a solo adventure without it. It’s not just one of the best gifts for people that love outdoor adventures—it’s a safety essential they need.

$349 on Garmin

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SeaToSummit Premium Silk Travel Liner

The Sea to Summit Premium Silk Travel Sleeping Bag Liner is such a great gift for anyone that loves to go camping, backpacking, or even stay in mountain huts and hostels when traveling. If anyone struggles with sleeping while camping, this liner will make that a thing of the past! Made of silk, this compact and lightweight travel liner is made to go inside a sleeping bag or as a travel sheet under blankets when staying in shared lodgings. It is also a great way to add warmth to a sleeping bag and keep your sleeping bag cleaner. This liner can be easily thrown into the washer and dryer to keep it clean and ready for the next adventure.

Buy on Amazon

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Parks Project National Park T-Shirt

Inspired by some vintage looks, a T-shirt that showcases a favorite national park is one of the best gifts for people that love outdoor adventures and offers a sweet, personalized touch. Parks Project has a mission to leave the world better than we found it and has contributed $2.5 million to help protect parks. They also work in advocating, educating, and providing volunteers for work on our public lands, so you and your gift recipient can feel good about this one!

Check out the selection on Parks Project

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Sea to Summit X-Brew Coffee Dripper

There are a lot of coffee products on the market for camping, backpacking, and van life but as a true coffee lover, this one is my absolute favorite. The Sea to Summit X-Brew Coffee Dripper is simplicity at its best. Collapsible and easy to clean, this simple pour-over works great for anyone that considers space and weight on trips and can’t get going without a little java fuel in the morning.

Bonus gift idea for the eco-conscious outdoor adventurer: Skip the paper filters and pair it with a washable coffee filter to avoid creating any waste, too.

Buy it on REI

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Decathlon Trek 100 Puffy Jacket

The ultra-affordable packable puffer jacket from Decathlon is my go-to outerwear for cooler weather and makes a great mid layer on those super cold winter adventures, too. It packs down into one of the pockets for easy travel and comes in 4 colors with both men’s and women’s sizes available. Usually just $89, the Decathlon Trek 100 puffy jacket is on sale now through the holidays. If you know your recipient’s size, this is one of the most useful and best gifts for people that love outdoor adventures!

Shop Decathlon

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Merino Wool Crew Neck Unbound Merino

This is the ultimate travel, camping, and hiking T-shirt to help your gift recipient build a solid base layer collection. Unbound Merino is known for making high quality, moisture-wicking base layers that are stylish enough to wear alone or under layers when temperatures are low. Unlike the wool of our grandma’s, this plush wool isn’t itchy or scratchy at all. Super soft, sleek and good looking, these shirts come in a variety of colors and styles. This T-shirt is forever a staple of my travels and you’ll spot me wearing them in many videos! It’s so easy to wear while traveling or out on the trail.

Shop Unbound Merino

Shimoda X30 Backpack

Shimoda Action X50 Camera Backpack

For photographers that also love to hike (that’s where we get the best shots!), this is the best backpack for keeping cameras and lenses organized. But it’s also perfect for carrying clothing, food, and survival gear high into the mountains. I have every single size of this backpack and love them all. My favorite, however, is the Action X50, which features a larger roll top for a bit more room for gear. The inside has a removable camera compartment with dividers for all kinds of cameras or drones. There is also a sleeve for laptop and tripods, so the photographer in your life will have all bases covered!

Save 10% Code FORD10

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Lifestraw Peak Series Gravity Filter System

For backpackers, water filtration is a necessity. This summer, I got to test out the Lifestraw Peak Series and really loved it. The reservoir is made of a durable and tough material so there’s no need to worry about leaks. It comes with easy ways to either immediately gravity-filter the water or close the reservoir and filter it later on down the trail.  This is a game changer for anyone hiking or backpacking through areas where water sources are few and far between—when they may need to reserve more water to filter later. The system is quick to use and packs down small after use as well.

Get the Peak Series on LifeStraw

Wrap Up the Best Gifts for People That Love Outdoor Adventures

I hope you’ve found some inspiration in my list of the best gifts for people that love outdoor adventures! Using my own experience on trails, summiting mountains, photographing nature and wildlife, and hanging out under the stars, I’ve picked gift ideas that the outdoor adventurer in your life will actually be able to use and appreciate. These are all items I know and use myself, so consider them adventure-tested and Alice approved! Happy gifting.

Founder, host & filmmaker

Alice Ford

Award-winning adventure filmmaker, PBS travel host, stuntwoman and sustainability advocate. Alice started this site in 2013.

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