Many of my friends and family are avid hikers and love the outdoors. Here are some gifts that I’ll be giving this holiday, and a few I’d love to receive 😉
For the Kids
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Animal Slippers: As a kid I often received a gift of slippers for Christmas. I certainly would have loved a pair of these cozy, plush slippers! They come in several animal styles: T.Rex, Orangutan, Meerkat, Emperor Penguin, and Great White Shark. |
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Illuminated Ant Farm: An ant farm is a great way to introduce kids to nature. This modern one is high tech – it is filled with nutritious non-toxic gel so you can watch the ants day AND night as they build their tunnels, eat, and sleep. |
For the Hikers
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Joby Gorillapods: When I hike and want a group picture, this mini tripod comes in very handy. Because it is flexible it can handle the rough terrain of hiking trails and mountain peaks. Plus it hardly weighs anything, which all backpackers appreciate. |
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K2: Ed Viesturs new book: The famous American mountain climber, Ed Viesturs, recently published this book recounting his climb of the world’s most dangerous mountain, and he weaves together an analysis of the other groups who have attempted to summit this treacherous peak. If you have any mountaineers or sofa adventurers on your list I think they will enjoy this book. |
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Sunrise Earth DVD: This is an amazing Discovery Channel film that captures beautiful nature footage and pairs it with the natural sounds of the world at sunrise. |
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Planet Earth DVD: If you haven’t seen this film yet I’d highly recommend it as a Christmas gift for yourself! Planet Earth won 4 Emmy awards and many others, and does a breathtaking job of exploring our planet. |
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Energizer LED headlamp: I got one of these earlier in the year and every time I use it fellow hikers and campers always admire its brightness plus the red light mode when you don’t want to impair your night vision. I’ll be giving a lot of these this year! |
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Fleece Socks: One of my good friends always wears these in her sleeping bag when backpacking and camping. I’ve been eyeing a pair for awhile… |
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JetBoil Flash: This is the latest and greatest version of JetBoil’s Personal Cooking System. The cool new feature is the outside indicator that will let you know when the water is boiling. Kind of pricey, but the backpackers on your list will thank you all year. |
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Garmin Dakota GPS: Want to really go over the top and get the ultimate hiking gift? Garmin’s new Dakota GPS will be adored by hikers, backpackers, and geocachers alike. They have a touch screen display and loads of memory so you can store lots of maps, plus it has a very reliable receiver and has a built in compass and altimeter. Hint: I’d love one of these! |
How about an educational gift at the app store? MyNature Animal Tracks
I’d like to second the gorilapod recommendation. I used mine on the Appalachian Trail combined with a remote release so that I could take pictures of my solo hike. A little extra weight but totally worth it.