It’s the season of giving and you have an outdoors-loving friend or family member you want to spoil! But where do you start? There are a variety of gifts for outdoor enthusiasts that would be great for under the tree.
Here are a few awesome ideas for Christmas gifts that are perfect for people who love exploring, hiking and having adventures outdoors. Top picks from an outdoor adventurer!
HIKING HEADLAMP
All outdoor adventure enthusiasts simply cannot do without a trusty headlamp, and the options are endless. The main thing to keep in mind when considering which hiking headlight to purchase is, can it withstand the rain? It must be waterproof for up to 1m for 30 minutes for it to be suitable for hiking in the rain.
A fantastic hiking headlamp is the Petzl Reactik+ which features an innovative reactive lighting mode, meaning the headlamp has a sensor that adjusts the beam pattern accordingly. It also optimizes it’s battery power and dims when looking down to read or approaching other light. Plus, it is very comfortable to wear. Truly a great gift for someone who loves exploring the outdoors!
OUTDOOR HAMMOCK
A great gift for those outdoor lovers who like to kick back and relax, soaking in nature! If you are thinking of getting an outdoor hammock for a Christmas gift, here are a few things to keep in mind; weight, packability, protection, material, and size. You’ll definitely want a hammock that is easy to carry and pack away!
You could go for the best lightweight simple hammock around like the ENO DoubleNest Hammock, or a fantastic tent and hammock in one like the Lawson Blue Ridge Hammock. The Lawson Hammock is easy to pack away neatly, weatherproof and durable, and even has a built-in bug net.
TREKKING POLES
A standard piece of equipment for hikers! You can’t go wrong with this as a gift for a hiking friend. You’ll be looking for poles that are durable, comfortable to use, a good weight, portable and versatile.
All these things can be found with the Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork. Made from carbon fibre and with cork grips, these trekking poles perform best overall in terms of the greatest range of terrains and conditions. Every hiking lover needs a good pair of trekking poles.
SURVIVAL KNIFE
An essentially important tool for hikers and outdoor sports enthusiasts! From cooking to emergencies, a survival knife is used for a variety of purposes. These are a few things to remember when looking to purchase a survival knife: edge (smooth or serrated), a handle with good grip, the blade shape, blade material, weight, size, and the overall design.
A winning choice is the Benchmade Bugout 535. It’s light, functional and versatile, and was designed with outdoor adventurers and hiking enthusiasts in mind. The blade was created to retain sharpness and it’s edge. However, Benchmade will sharpen your knife for free if needed! Your outdoor-loving friends will love you for this gift.
HIKING GPS
A tool that all outdoor explorers should have. A few key features to consider when purchasing a hiking GPS unit is reception quality, preloaded maps, and mapping software, memory, compatibility with devices, battery life and touchscreen vs buttons.
A perfect pick for hiking enthusiasts is the Garmin GPSMAP 64s. While it is a bit bulkier than some other GPS units, it’s easily the most reliable and it’s simple to use. You’ll be able to get great coverage even in dense forest areas. It can pair with your smartphone, has an electric compass, barometer and altimeter. An excellent choice for someone looking for an easy to use model with extra features!
HIKING WATCH
This is a perfect Christmas gift for mountain and hiking enthusiasts, or anyone who loves exploring the outdoors! Choosing the right one can be difficult because the options are almost limitless. Durability and comfort are key considerations when deciding what hiking watch to go with, as well as features like built-in GPS and heart rate monitor.
A top pick for hiking watches is the Garin Fenix 3. It has all the features you could need. It includes a wrist-based heart rate monitor, built-in GPS, altimeter, thermometer, barometer, compass and TracBack feature. Having a TrackBack feature is fantastic, ensuring you’ll never lose your way. All this, and it looks great! Perfect for everyday wear and a lovely Christmas gift.
You can’t go wrong with these top choices!