Do you have a hiker in your life that you need a great gift idea for?
We’ve been avid hikers for the past 5 years and put together this gift guide with some of our favorite products and brands that we use when we hike, as well as some fun gifts that just make you smile.
Table of Contents
Gift Ideas For Hikers That are Fun + Thoughtful
Defy The Norm Shirt
To inspire you to boldly and unapologetically live outside the box, dream big, and question everything.
Shop the Defy The Norm Collection Here (Available for limited time this holiday season)
Since the beginning of Nomads With A Purpose, we’ve always wanted to create a bold piece of apparel to inspire the outsiders. We wanted something that caught people’s eyes from the trail to the brewery. We wanted to invoke a feeling of, “HELL YEAH!” We wanted people to love it or hate it. We wanted the questioners, the nonconformists, and the dreamers to feel a radical sense of belonging and empowerment.
Micro Spikes
Micro Spikes are really nice to have especially in the spring when there is still snow or ice on the trails. If you are looking for an inexpensive pair of microspikes to use occasionally, then these are great because they are only $20.
If the hiker you are getting a gift for is doing a lot of mountain hikes, then these would be better.
Snow Shoes
Winter is just around the corner and having a great pair of snowshoes would make them excited for hiking in the snow.
Collapsible Hiking Sticks
We don’t hike with hiking sticks very often since we are just so fit 🤣 LOL. But dang, did we wish we had these collapsible hiking sticks when we were hiking in the Alps last year.
These hiking sticks are great because they not only save your knees but also are easy to pack if you fly to epic hikes as we do occasionally, or more importantly, if they’re collapsable you don’t have to carry them the whole time, only when you really need them.
Related: Backpacking Pack List
Buff
It’s so nice having a selection of these multi-use headwear accessories. Your hiker will love being able to use these as a bandana, hairband, helmet liner, headband, scarf, or mask.
Ice Mule
Not everyone does 19-mile hikes to an alpine lake! Many sane people love to hike just a few miles to a lake for a picnic and the Ice Mule is the perfect gift for them. Choose a 20-33 liter size backpack for your hiker to carry all their favorite drinks on their next hike.
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!
Related: The Nomadik Subscription Review
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!
GoPro
Having a GoPro Hero 8 is fun for capturing not only that epic hike but also diving into that alpine lake you just worked so hard to get to!
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.
Related: The #1 Best Hiking Backpack
Gift Ideas to Keep Your Hiker Warm + Fashionable
Socks
Having warm, dry feet makes a huge difference when hiking and our absolute favorite socks are these Stance socks. They are comfortable, durable, and look cool🤷♀️.
Related: Best Hiking Shoes
Jacket
We only use one brand of jackets for hiking and it’s Patagonia’s Down Sweater. It is the absolute best jacket for hikers!
We started with the Nano Puffs but needed something a little warmer and so most of us have switched to the down jacket.
Besides how warm these jackets are, they are so comfortable and pack down really small so they take up very little room in your hiking pack.
Beanie
Beanies are so essential for hikers! We seem to always be starting out our hikes in the cold early dawn and need something to keep us warm for those first few miles. Check out REI’s great selection from North Face, Coal, Burton, Buff, and more.
Gloves
In addition to beanies, gloves are a must have for those early morning hikes.
Related: Best Women’s Hiking Shorts
Great Books Hikers Will Love
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs
The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs is great for hikers because it talks about how to use outdoor clues to find your way, how to predict weather, and find 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.
Kuju Pour Over
These coffee packets are great to carry on a hike. You just pour hot water over the packet and in just a few minutes you have an amazing cup of joe in the backcountry.
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 and GoMacro 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 really 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
Spot GPS
Safety first! Even though we spend a lot of time in the backcountry, we still don’t own a GPS Spot, although we have carried it many times on guided adventures.
This device provides so much peace of mind (but does require a SPOT service plan). If you get injured or lost, you can use it to send for help, check in with family, or share your GPS location, which is really important because you rarely have cell service when you are hiking in the backcountry.
Knife
Isabelle always carries a knife when we hike and says her favorite is the Gerber Swagger.
BioLite Headlamp
Having a headlamp in case your hike takes longer or if you want to get on the trail before dawn is great. We think the BioLite headlamps are the best because they are super bright and rechargeable!
Luci Lantern
Headlamps are great as a backup when you hike, but we really like carrying our Luci Lantern because not only does it provide light and can be charged by the sun while we hike, but it also charges our phones while we hike and packs down pretty small.
Solar Panel
We carried this BioLite solar panel with us when we hiked the Tour du Mont Blanc last year and it was great for keeping our phones charged for multiple days.
SunShirt
I always hike with a long sleeve T-shirt. You could be functional and get them a shirt like this, or be fun and get them a rad shirt like this one (coming soon). Throw in some sunscreen and a new pair of sunglasses to make it a fun gift basket.
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 or buy them our Myofascial Release Course to guide them through the perfect recovery sequence.
Safety Kit
Another great thing for hikers is an emergency medical kit and/or a fire starter and emergency blanket.
Related Hiking Blogs You May Enjoy:
- Best Hikes in Idaho
- 10+ Best Hikes in Black Hills, South Dakota
- Best Hikes on the East Coast
- Best Hikes on the West Coast (coming soon)
- 5 Best Hikes Glacier NP
- Best Hikes Rocky Mountain NP
- Best Hikes Mt Rainier
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