- Find the perfect holiday gift for anyone you love.
- Available on Amazon for last-minute shopping.
- And a third thing?
Your guide to
Into the Wild
Great gifts for those who love the great outdoors, with a focus on backpacking equipment and apparel.
Big Agnes Fly Creek Ultralight Tent
Very highly regarded amongst backpackers. At just over two pounds, this 2-person tent is light enough to pack for a solo trip. This is a good balance between heavy tents that are unfriendly for backpacking and hardcore, ultralight shelters.
Marmot Kompressor Summit Pack
Any serious outdoor enthusiast probably has a pack or two that each cost a few hundred dollars, but for shorter weekend trips, this one really takes the cake, and just look at that price!
Packtowl Nano Light Towel
I can’t exaggerate how amazing these towels are. They magically absorb anything you throw at them, and they look (and smell) like new, even after several days of constant use. Get the medium one. Buy two or three.
BioLite Wood Burning Campstove
I love the idea of being able to charge USB devices just by making a little fire. For best results, boil some water or cook some food at the same time, and you’ll have that warm, fuzzy feeling of satisfaction from making the most of your resources.
MSR WhisperLite Stove
I have owned this stove for more than 20 years, and when making this list, I looked around for a newer, better stove. One does not exist. If you (or someone you know) are going backpacking, make sure one of these is in your pack. Make sure you prime it before each use.
Cocoon CoolMax Blanket
Not much to say about this blanket that isn’t obvious. Blankets are great to have around at the campsite, but they’re generally too bulky and heavy to pack. Not so with this one. Also, CoolMax is a great technical fabric that is moisture-wicking and super warm for its weight.
Filson Mackinaw Field Pants
For cold days, these are basically the warmest pants you can be wearing. I’ve owned a lot of outdoor clothing in my time, and my Filson garments are the only ones that truly last. Everything from the material to the stitching is of the highest quality. These pants don’t just look nice; they’re bombproof.
Westcomb Focus Rain Jacket
They call this a hoodie, but I’m gonna call a spade a spade. This is a rain jacket, and a mighty fine one. They also say it’s breathable, but like anything that’s made of nylon and is truly waterproof, that’s also not really true. All that aside, this is an incredibly light (7 ounces) and good-looking rain jacket. Perfect for backpacking.
HexBright FLEX LED Flashlight
This flashlight is barely longer than your phone, and less than twice as heavy. As flashlights go, that means it’s extremely compact and lightweight, but it’s also extremely bright, long-lasting (35 hours on low), and programmable (nerd alert). Because its rechargable battery can be recharged with USB, you can use your Biolite Wood Burning Campstove to charge it on the go.
Nalgene Tritan Wide Mouth Water Bottle
This is an old standard. I like the wide mouth, because it’s easier to drink straight from the bottle, and it also accommodates a range of water filters.
Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System
If you are a seasoned backpacker, or buying for someone who is, a water filter ranks up there with a tent and a sleeping bag among the things that are probably already part of the collection. This is a particularly great filter, though, that might be a nice replacement or upgrade. It gets the job done, and it’s super light, fast, and cheap. According to Craig Cannon, all the cool kids use Sawyer nowadays.
Bad Elf 2200 GPS Pro
If you go searching for GPS units, you’ll find everything from fitness watches to devices for turn-by-turn directions in your car. I like the fun stuff, like mapping a route and sharing that in real time. That’s what this GPS does, and it’s one of the few with Bluetooth support, so you can share with one or more iPhones and not have to rely on the less accurate iPhone GPS while you’re far from home (where it starts to matter more, because there’s no Wi-Fi around to help).
Therm-a-Rest ProLite Sleeping Pad
This sleeping pad is slightly lighter than the one I own, because of its unique shape (better suited for a mummy bag), but I can attest to its incredible comfort-to-weight ratio.
Teton Sports TrailHead Ultralight Sleeping Bag
This bag weighs less than 3 pounds and is rated to 20 degrees. Not too shabby. Also boasts a water-resistant ripstop shell, a mummy hood with shoulder baffle and drawstring (for when it’s really cold), anti-snag zippers, and a zipped inner pocket for valuables. If you need extra warmth for sub-zero temperatures, make sure you add a liner.