I LOVE shopping for outdoor gifts because the products are crazy useful and creative, and then crazy creatively useful. So here are my favorite gifts for all the adventurous, camping, and travel-fiend types — you know, your brothers, sisters, parents, best friends, co-workers, etc…
Scratch off map of the world, for them to document where they’ve been AND to decorate their hardly-there home base.
I’m excited about this one: the AeroBed PakMat Sleep System — the pump and carrying case is a compact cylinder measuring only 4.75 inches by 19 inches! Portable camping bed FTW!
Sugru Hacking Putty is great for fairly minimalist people — to fix things, or to add bits, you take a bit of putty and mold it till you’re happy. In 24 hours, you’ll have a permanent hack.
The Mo-Tool Axe is quite possibly the handsomest multitool in their survival arsenal. It’s an axe, hammer, wrench, knife, can opener, wire cutter, file, and pliers all in one with a handsome handcrafted red oak handle.
Check out the wonderful world that is survivalist multi tool shovels! Some of them fold up super-small, some of them open beer bottles, and cut down trees, AND can be used to dig holes. These are ridiculous.
A water bottle with a solar-powered light cap. Just fill the bottle with water and screw on this cap to create a lantern that will illuminate their campsite, tent, or home. This also can make a flashing red light for emergency situations. Keep ’em safe and hydrated.
Another hydrating option, here’s a water bottle with storage. So all they have to do is throw their ID, car key, and maybe some cash and they’re ready for adventure.
I promise this is my last water-related gift — the SteriPEN Traveler handheld UV water purifier!
Most things made by Stanley are not only rugged, but they have that cool vintage vibe. I like the flask the best (because I’m a total lush), but your outdoorsy loved one might like the lunchbox and bottle combo for long day trips, or the classic vacuum bottle for their coffee.
The Niteize Figure 9 carabiner is one useful little dude, and it comes in two sizes to fit almost any need. Load ’em up with a few of these puppies and they’ll be happy campers… literally! (Oh lord, Megan.)
I dare anyone to not fall in love with the fish corkscrew!
Nature-lovers will love the gift of watching, well, nature, right outside their window — actually, ON their window — with this peek-a-boo bird house.
Originally developed for the Swedish Department of Defense, Swedish FireSteel makes fire building easy in any weather, at any altitude — and it even works when it’s wet.
The gift of a mini grill does double-duty if your outdoorsy type also lives in a small dwelling. This 14-Inch Portable Grill is perfect for campouts, or grilling at a tiny home!
We love Kleen Kanteen for their long line of solutions to single-use plastic. They also make these steel pint cups — durable, versatile, reusable, dishwasher safe, and won’t break like glass pints.
This bacon is in actual strips, blessed with the magic of preservatives to last over 10 years in the can. So they can store it in emergency equipment, or just eat it all in one sitting. People love bacon.
Now THIS is the kind of jewelry the outdoors types can get behind — the Paracord Survival Bracelet with a compass, fire-starter, and whistle.
I love this RIFD blocking passport case that comes with a pen and two matching luggage tags, for the avid adventurer.
This extra-large, waterproof, and extremely portable mat is perfect for picnics and beach days.
For those that recommend not buying anyone specific gear, how about this Fifty Places to Hike Before You Die: Outdoor Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations book?
I’ll leave you with my favorite gift for the outdoorsy type. This is what I gave my dad for father’s day, but I think it’d work for just about anyone. First you start with this Mug Boss (a utility belt that fits around mugs), then you find an old mug, or buy a new one, and load the pockets with useful objects, which could be just about any of the smaller items listed here! Head over to this post to see what I loaded mine with.