Buying gifts for the outdoor enthusiast is damn near impossible. Your hiking/camping/cycling outdoorsy friends are often serious gear heads, meticulously poring over reviews, guides, and the perennial wisdom of ounce-counting, basement-dwelling Reddit users to find the exact right thing.
Don’t stress over trying to pick that exact right thing yourself. The chances of you figuring it out and getting it for them as a gift is exactly zero. That doesn’t mean you should punt and buy an REI gift cardthough (although they might like that). Instead, get them something they totally didn’t expect—one of these fun, but useful, sometimes whimsical, things that are almost guaranteed to not only delight them but actually get used outdoors.
And what about you? While you’re here, don’t you need to replace your sleeping pad? Don’t forget to check out the rest of our buying guides, including our Best Sleeping Bags guide, our Best Barefoot Shoes guide, and our Best Merino Wool guide.
Updated December 2024: We’ve added Campfire coffee, a Motor City ax, and a Butcher Box subscription.
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