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Gift Ideas For Hikers That Are Fun + Thoughtful
Nomadik Subscription Box
The Nomadik is an awesome monthly subscription box made for hikers, adventurers, road trippers, and everything in between! Filled with gear, accessories, multi-tools, adventure snacks, survival tips, travel guides, and inspiration that your hiker friends and family will love!
Water Bottle + Stickers
Many hikers don’t know about HydroBlu water bottles. They are so great because they have a filter inside them so you can easily fill from a stream or waterfall while hiking and be completely safe.
Outdoor Sticker Pack
While you are at it, get them this rad new outdoor sticker pack to put on their water bottle or car, you give them our new Defy the Norm sticker pack being released Dec 1!
I’d Rather Be Hiking
Your hiker would love a funny gift that says “I’d rather be hiking” Get them this shirt, this license plate holder, or this coffee mug to brighten their day.
Hiking Backpack
We love our REI Flash 22 Hiking Backpacks because they are light, comfortable, and have top and front zippered pockets to stay organized on the trail.
Gift Ideas to Keep Your Hiker Warm + Fashionable
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs” is great for hikers because it discusses how to use outdoor clues to find your way, predict weather, and locate water.
America’s Best Day Hikes
America’s Best Day Hikes: Spectacular Single-Day Hikes Across the States will inspire your hiker to tackle the best hike in each state.
100 Hikes in a Lifetime
100 Hikes of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Scenic Trails has amazing pictures of the 100 best hikes in the world. Sure to give the hiker in your life something to look forward to when the world opens up again.
Moon Travel Guides
Moon Travel Guides are amazing guidebooks to help you make the most of your next road trip. With everything from insider tips to top destinations, scenic drives, route recommendations, top eateries, trails, and more!
Hiking Gift Ideas to Keep Your Hiker Fueled Up
We love long hikes and having the right foods and supplements can be a lifesaver on a long hike. These are some of our favorite snacks and supplements that we love getting as gifts.
Energy Bars
Anyone who hikes will appreciate having more bars. Click here to see our Guide to Hiking Snacks for a list of our favorite bars that we hike with including Keto Bhu Bars.
Electrolytes
I swear by these liquid electrolytes by Enduropacks. They have zero sugar or chemicals, making them way better than Gatorade or any other energy drink. If you want to be cool, you’d also get your hiker Enduropacks L-Glutamine to help them recover quickly. These two supplements are AWESOME!
Gift Ideas to Keep Your Hiker Safe
Foam Roller MFR Ball
I don’t know how we could ever hike as much as we do without Myofascial Release.
These lacrosse balls are a must for any hiker. We always have Myofascial Release after our adventures. Also, check out our Yoga for Hikers for a perfect recovery sequence.
Camping Gifts on Amazon for Under $50
Hammock $28
My favorite part of camping is lying in my hammock. We love our Eno Hammock, but if you are looking for a more affordable last-minute gift from Amazon, this hammock by Wise Owl makes a great gift for campers.
Bonus: Add in Hammock Straps and a magazine subscription
Magazine Subscription $25
How nice is it to read on paper? I stare way too long at my phone or computer and love having an actual book or magazine to look at when I’m chilling in the hammock. Get your camping buddy a year of Outside Magazine or another favorite.
National Parks Passport Book $24
If the camper in your life loves visiting national parks, get them a national park passport stamp book.
Moon USA National Parks Picture Book $13
Or inspire your national parks lover with the Moon Guide Picture Book of all 59 National Parks.
National Parks T
These national park T’s come in women’s, men’s, and kid sizes and are a great gift for campers and park lovers.
Kuju Pour Over Coffee Pods $22
Are you too tired to grind that first cup of coffee when you walk out of your tent? Kuju has you covered! With preground coffee pods, just heat water and pour over the ready-made packs, the caffeine will be running through your veins in minutes.
Manual Coffee Grinder $44
Time for the second cup. Now is the time for that perfectly ground fresh cup of Joe. We use our hand grinder to make fresh coffee regularly and know that there’s nothing quite as great as a freshly ground cup of coffee.
Camping Mug $12-19
There are so many great camping mugs it was hard to choose which one to feature. If you embrace your RV lifestyle check out this mug “I’m sexy and I tow it”. There is also a simple Happy Camper one in black that most would love.
Shower Caddy $13
I love this 2 pack shower caddy. When we camp there are always two people needing to shower at the same time and having two sets of shampoo, etc is very helpful when camping.
Quick Dry Towel $13
We use these quick dry towels everywhere we go. They pack down super small and are so great for after showering or surfing. Plus, they dry super fast! I like that these Wolfyok ones come with a big towel and also a face towel.
All Natural Shampoo Bars $13-22
These are so great for when you are camping. We regularly travel to Hawaii to camp and love taking these easy-to-carry shampoo bars with us. Your camper will love them and appreciate it if you get them this tin to go with it.
Set the theme to PARTY MODE for the campers in your life with a gift basket of a Bluetooth speaker and solar-powered light that changes colors
BioLite Solar Lantern $25
Does your camper love to party? My kids love it when we play music and turn on the “Party Mode” on Biolite’s Solar Powered Lantern. These mini lanterns are great because they can either be charged by sunlight or plugged in to charge quickly.
Bluetooth Portable Speaker $26
Who doesn’t love blasting Taylor Swift in the campground? Okay, me neither but music at the campsite creates a wonderful ambiance. This inexpensive speaker allows the camper in your life to chill to their favorite bands.
Related Blog: Road Trip Playlist (150+ songs that are great for creating epic campsite vibes)
String Solar Lights $45
Creating the perfect ambiance is crucial when camping. Having a string of solar lights makes your campsite not only look rad but is extremely functional when trying to play board games or chill outside at night.
Camping Board Game $13-45
Our go-to games for camping are Settlers of Catan, Cribbage, Bananagrams, and my personal favorite to play with a lot of people, Codenames.
Make campfire time perfect with a gift basket including a new hatchet, fire starters, a Ukulele, and a Beer Growler
Hatchet $49
Nothing is worse than trying to get a campfire going with huge chunks of wood. All campers love having a sharp axe to break up those big pieces of firewood that come in the bundles. Add these fire starter sticks and they’ll have their campfire a blazin’ in no time.
Ukulele $44
Nothing brings family and friends together quite like sitting around the campfire playing the ukulele or guitar.
Hydroflask Beer Growler $45
While sitting by the campfire singing to the Eagles, your camper will want cold beer from their favorite brewery so get them this growler to satisfy their primal urges.
Does your camper love beach camping? Then a Playmate Cooler, Beach Blanket, Canopy Umbrella, or Sun Bum sunscreen would be a great gift idea for them.
Beach Blanket $25
A waterproof blanket that can easily be shaken off or thrown in the wash is a great gift for the camper in your life.
Igloo Playmate Cooler $25
Don’t have OP shorts anymore? That’s okay, I understand. But you can still keep the ’80s alive with an Igloo Playmate Cooler. The 7-quart size is perfect for holding 9 drinks.
Camping Gifts on Amazon from $50-99
Canopy Umbrella $56
Keep your loved ones out of the sun with this canopy umbrella with SPF 50+. You can also keep them protected with our absolute favorite sunscreen for the beach Sun Bum.
BioLite Headlamp $60
Having a high-powered headlamp you can depend on while camping is also nice. We’ve tested out a lot of different headlamps and think the BioLite ones are the best. They are super bright and can be recharged which is so nice since who remembers batteries while camping?
Pop-Up Privacy Tent $64
These are so great for taking an outdoor shower or I use it for the kids to change clothes in when we tent camp so they don’t drag sand into the tent. If you are tent camping off-grid, this is great to use as your “bathroom” with a portable camping toilet.
Camping Gifts on Amazon $100+
Blackstone Grill $100
Most campers love to be able to cook outdoors. And while most campers probably already have those small Coleman cookstoves, we wish we had one of these Blackstone Grills to make bacon, eggs, and pancakes on in the morning and grill up delicious burgers for dinner.
ENO Camp Chair $125
These are the absolute most comfy camping chairs ever! They feel almost as good as lying in a hammock and are perfect for sitting by the fire or relaxing.
Screen Tent $110
A screen tent is a great gift for any camping fanatic because everywhere you camp you either have flies or mosquitos on the attack. A screen creates a nice cooking area without worrying about flies and mosquitos.
Sleeping Bag For Two $125
Oh, how I wish Victor and I had a sleeping bag to share. We don’t camp in a tent often enough but I would love having a sleeping bag to snuggle in instead of the tight mummy bags we use for backpacking.
Low Price Travel Gifts for Kids – Up to $25
Monopoly Deal
We have killed hours and hours of waiting in an airport by playing this game. It’s hard to find a board or card game that everyone enjoys, but this one, my 7-year-old loves just as much as my teenagers do.
Travel Sized Cribbage
Cribbage is a classic family card game that can be both engaging for teens and also simple enough for kids as young as 7. Cribbage boards can be big, bulky, and not so travel-friendly but this travel sized is perfect for kids to stay entertained while traveling. As a bonus, there are dozens of other games that can be played with this board.
Headlamp
You don’t have to be trekking a mountain at sunrise to need a headlamp while traveling. Headlamps can be really helpful while traveling and kids love having their stuff there have been many occasions during our travels where it’s been great for our kids to have their headlamps.
From walking to the bathroom in a campground to reading a book at night When you start traveling, electricity often becomes a luxury, not a necessity, and a rad headlamp is always appreciated.
This Luxolite headlamp shown below is not my top pick for my headlamp (see our gift guide for adventure travelers if you’re interested in the east headlamp) but it’s perfect for kids who often break things…it’s true.
Mensa Games Calendar
I know what you’re thinking, what kind of kids’ gift is this? But her eye out. My older kids love doing Mensa Puzzles while we’re traveling. They’re perfect for long car/bus/plane rides and they keep us busy and engaged for hours! This gift is suited to a certain type of kid and don’t get this for the kind of kid who hates any schoolwork outside of school.
Kid’s Travel Journal
I wish so much that I had bought this for each one of my kids when we traveled through Europe for six months. This is a fun way for kids to track their journey and create a memory that they will cherish in the future.
Unlike a plain old travel, journal, this travel journal shown below gives easy prompts for kids to track their travels more simply.
Durable, Packable Headphones
A high-quality headphone is a must for kids traveling. My kids spend all their time on an airplane watching movies and when we are driving long distances in a car or RV, they are usually listening to music.
We’ve bought cheap headphones in the past and they always break, but not here ones. These headphones shown below are foldable and highly durable so they can hold up to the demands of travel.
Headphones For Young Kids
Sometimes it’s hard to find headphones that stay on little kids’ heads. This is a cool new design that I wish we had when our kiddos were younger.
Lightweight Packable Backpack
I like each of my kids to have a lightweight backpack that they can carry on a plane as their item so that they can quickly access their phones, iPads, Kindles, or laptops. I also throw a few snacks in there, their headphones, a packable jacket, and an electronic device.
These ZOMAKE backpacks are nice because even if you don’t use them on the plane, they pack down so small that you can throw them in your suitcase and use them for hiking or walking through the city.
If you don’t need your backpack to be packable, we love the REI Flash packs.
Tip: Be creative and give this gift filled with yummy snacks, bars, and gum for the plane.
Kindle Case or iPad Case
Traveling with some form of electronic device is kind of a must these days (see below for Kindles and iPads). For most young kids, having an iPad or Kindle is essential for keeping them entertained during long flights and drives. Protecting their Kindle with these cute cases is fun and practical.
Packable Umbrella
My youngest kids hate to share. She would love it if she had her umbrella while we traveled! I like that this one has a travel case to protect it and that it packs down so small that she can carry it in her backpack.
Travel Legos
Electronics have their time and place, but my kids still prefer to play with things they can touch. This travel Lego set is great for entertaining kids 10 and under while traveling.
Travel Pillow
If kids are traveling on a red-eye flight, a sleep pillow is a must to help them be comfortable overnight.
Mid-Price Travel Gifts for Kids – $25 to $50
Packable Down Jacket
I love using Patagonia Nano-Puff Jackets everywhere we go, but they are expensive and the kid’s versions don’t pack down.
I still love Patagonia Jackets and highly recommend them if you’re not tight on space in your travel bags however if you do want a collapsable version, I recommend these Rokka & Rolla jackets. They are half the price, have a hood, and pack down very small.
Push Pin Travel Maps
This is an amazing gift for kids 8+. Not only does this let your kids keep track of all the applications they’ve been, but it also gives them a great room decoration and their favorite will be putting each pin in after their trips.
Our favorite travel maps are Push Pin Travel Maps and their maps come in a variety of different styles that are all customizable. You can get state, USA maps, and world maps and they come as simple flat maps and canvas style.
High Price Travel Gifts for Kids – $50 and up
Rolling Luggage
I made the mistake of not having rolling luggage for my youngest two kids when we traveled and Victor and I ended up carrying two bags each through the airport. It’s better to have soft luggage because often when we land in a new country, our rental car doesn’t have enough space and we can smoosh backpacks and soft luggage down by kid’s feet.
This Lillian Vernon luggage shown below is cute and stylish, making it great for a girl age 10 and under. The Rockland rolling duffel luggage is more practical for a boy and in their other designs, they’re perfect for a girl as well.
With so many pockets and zippers in both, these pieces of luggage are highly functional making getting through airport security quick and easy (something all travel families can appreciate).
Kindle Fire
The all-new Kindle Fire 8 has a ten-hour battery life making it perfect for long-haul flights. Plus it has twice the storage as Kindle Fire 7 which means they can download so many more movies for when they are away from wifi on a plane or road trip.
If you have older kids, you could also consider a Kindle Reader instead.
For more fun, throw in a $10 Amazon gift card so they can buy a few apps right away, or for older kids, get them an Amazon Kindle Unlimited Membership for access to unlimited ebooks and audiobooks!
Low Price Gifts – Up to $25
World Travel Outlet Adapter
This is an item every world traveler needs. It is truly a travel essential. If you know someone who’s headed out on their first international trip, this gift is exactly what they’ll need.
Packable Travel Umbrella
Plot twist: It rains in other parts of the world. Being from Southern California, we were not prepared for the weather on our 6-month camping trip to Europe.
I swear it rained more than half the days we were there and we didn’t have an umbrella! The Norwegian customs officer even warned us, “Buy an umbrella,” but we foolishly ignored that thinking that Europe would be just like a California summer. Needless to say, it rained a lot.
Meridian Line T-Shirt
I am a huge tank top fan, that was until I discovered Meridian Line’s T-shirts. These are the most comfortable T-shirts I’ve ever worn. The rad designs they have on them make them the perfect gift for adventurers or outdoorsy people.
National Parks Passport Stamp Book
If your giftee most often takes their adventures into the National Parks of America, this is the perfect gift for them. This gift is a passport but for National Parks, not countries, and you can fill up the pages with stamps from each outdoor destination.
We own one of these and it’s so much fun to go get our stamp at each national park and then look back at all the parks we’ve been to.
HydroBlu Water Filtering Water Bottle
We love traveling with our HydroBlu’s. These water bottles have built-in water filters so whether you filling your water bottle from a river or traveling to a 3rd world country with less than clean water, you can rest easy knowing that these water bottles will filter out all the bacteria from your water.
Related: Why We Love HydroBlu Water Filters
Jackery Portable Power Bank
This is one of the best, unexpected gifts I’ve ever received. I had no idea this was such a great gift for adventures until I received it. The initial intention for the gift was to use it for everyday life when my phone battery dies but I found it to be my new favorite backpacking companion. This thing has been a lifesaver on so many backpacking trips.
The Jackery Portable Power Bank is perfectly suited for adventurers who like to go off-grid whether that’s for camping, backpacking, or other.
Related: Ultimate Backpacking Pack List
Essential Oils
Essential oils have so many uses while traveling. They are therapeutic, smell amazing, and our favorite, can repel insects in the outdoors. Essential oils are small and take up very little space making them perfect travel companions and a great gift for travelers.
All Good Sunscreen
Adventure travelers spend a lot of their days outside exploring nature. Sunscreen is an essential item for travelers and if you’re looking to get someone a cheap and useful gift, go with All Good Sunscreen. We love this brand of sunscreen because it’s thin and non-greasy, sustainably made, and reef-safe.
4-in-1 Camping Utensil
Another super useful gift you could get an adventurer is a multi-use camping tool. No need to pack a spoon, fork, knife, and bottle opener. This tool comes with all of those items in one. Perfect for adventurers who will spend their travels camping or backpacking.
Kuju Coffee Packets
Because who doesn’t love coffee, right? This is the perfect gift for the coffee-loving adventurer. Ya know, the one who wakes up before everyone else in the campsite to brew up a small batch, of fresh ground coffee with a French press.
These Kuju Coffee packets are delicious, single-serve pour-over coffee packets that will satiate even the snobbiest coffee drinker’s cravings.
Vagabonding, An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term Travel
This is likely the most inspiring travel book of all time. Even the most well-traveled people will find amazement in these poetic truths of long-term travel. Travelers of all ages will love this book. It’s a perfect travel gift for relaxing on the beach, in the forest, or on long planes, buses, or car rides.
How To Travel The World On $50 A Day
The author of this book, Nomadic Matt, is one of the original travel bloggers and was one of the first to create a complete system for traveling the world on an extremely small budget. This is a perfect gift for adventurers who don’t think they can travel because they don’t have enough money or for travel lovers who are looking for more ways to travel more for less.
Life Changing Books
On the subject of books, if the adventurer you know loves self-growth, be sure to check out the 25 Books That Will Change Your Life. These 25 books are what initially inspired us to start adventuring and if you know someone who seems to want more out of life, this gift will help them get started.
J.R. Ligget Traveler Shampoo Bar Pack
Another super helpful gift for the adventure traveler in your life is a travel shampoo pack. This travel shampoo pack comes with a variety of different types of soap suitable for hair, body, shaving, and even washing your clothing. This is a great, helpful gift for someone with trips on the way.
Matador Toiletry Case + Soap Bar Case
Following up on the previous gift idea, put the icing on the cake with these awesome travel toiletry cases. They are perfect for storing toothpaste, shampoo, or bar soap. Matador built these specifically for adventure travel so they are light, durable, and functional.
Passport Wallet
Those who travel internationally will love this passport wallet. This wallet makes for quick and easy access to your passport on travel days.
Travel Journal or One Line A Day
It can be a bit of a drag to make the time to journal on your travels but any traveler will love looking back through a journal later on. I like the One Line A Day travel journal because it’s a simple way to journal, you don’t have to write entire pages but it’s not very durable. A leather-bound travel journal is a bit more durable for adventure travel plus there’s more age room to write locations, sketches, and more.
JBL Mini Bluetooth Speaker
Hooking your friend/acquaintance up with a rad dust and dirt-proof Bluetooth speaker doesn’t have to cost a fortune. This speaker isn’t like your typical Bluetooth speaker because it fits in your pocket and is perfectly portable. It can easily fit in a jacket pocket, it has a lanyard so you can hook it to your backpack, and with long battery life, it’s perfect for on-the-go adventure. (But please, blasting music in the trail is not cool.)
Audible Membership by Amazon
With how long most travelers spend TRAVELING, an Audible membership is a nice way to entertain yourself on a long train, bus, car, or plane ride. While a classic book is good too, an Audible membership gives travelers access to a huge library of books to choose from and takes up no space in your backpack. Audible memberships cost $15 per month so gift an amazing gift card for however many months your giftee is traveling.
Mid Price Gifts – $25 to $50
Outdoor Hat
Anyone who spends time exploring the outdoors relies on a good hat to keep them stylish and safe from the sun. If you’re shopping for an adventure traveler, get them a hat that speaks to their passion for the outdoors.
Ukulele
We don’t go anywhere without it. The ukulele is quite easy to learn how to play and it can keep travelers of all ages entertained for all occasions from long airport waits to chilling around the campfire. Ukuleles are super travel-friendly as they are small and light.
Wise Owl Outfitters Dry Bag
Whether you’re kayaking, canyoneering, or paddle boarding, these waterproof bags are designed to keep your gear safe and dry, no matter the activity. Keep your valuables dry, protected, and accessible at all times with our roll-top waterproof river bags that safely seal your equipment away with a D-ring clip.
High Price Gifts – $50 and up
Ecuadane Blanket
Want to give a gift with a little more artistic flair? Or maybe the adventurer you know has an affinity for cozy things even though they rough it all the time (I know one of those people). This blanket is great for snuggling up on a long road trip, cold mornings watching the sunrise, chilling on the couch, and an extra layer on nights when you’re camping below freezing, and honestly…it’s the most photogenic blanket ever. The blanket comes in many beautiful designs as well.
IceMule Classic Cooler
This is a great gift for the more casual adventurer: the ones who like camping on the weekend, lake days, beach, and picnics. It’s also great for the avid car camper who primarily lives off of ramen noodles but keeps a small supply of fresh, cold goods stocked up (so basically beer). Either way, what makes this cooler so awesome is that it keeps things super cold, it’s compact and less bulky than a regular cooler, and it’s also a backpack making it great for those short strolls between adventures.
GoPro Hero 7 with SD card and Mounts
The GoPro Hero 7 is better than ever. With a GoPro, you can truly capture the epic moments on your travels. From hiking to mountain biking to skydiving to exploring cities, GoPro’s capture it all and it’s the ultimate adventure gift.
Point and Shoot Camera
Even those who have little interest in photography will want to document their adventures around the world. The Canon SX420 is a low-cost, quality point-and-shoot camera perfect for amateur photographers who just want to capture their journey. Click here to see the top point and shoot cameras for travelers.
Sony MDR-7506 Noise Canceling Headphones
Earbuds are not the most ideal for long-haul flights where you’ll pretty much have music, movies, or audio playing at all times. On top of that, it’s nice to have comfortable headphones that you can sleep in to block out the noise and maybe even listen to some soothing music to fall asleep.
Matador Beast 28 Packable Daypack
Adventure travel usually means complete minimalism of 1 (or maybe 2) bags. We tend to travel with just 1 large backpacking backpack but those bags aren’t very suitable for the day-to-day life of travel.
When hiking the trail or exploring the city, a small daypack is awesome to have and that’s why we love the Beast 28. This backpack packs down SUPER small and is very light to throw in your bag on travel days but is the perfect size for all your daily adventures.
Matador Camera Base Layer
Every traveling photographer needs this product. Think, a waterproof jacket for your camera. Adventure travel is rough on your camera and this protective, waterproof cushion is the perfect gift for adventurers who are seeking the perfect shot.
