Looking for some camping gift ideas or maybe a gift for an adventurer?
You’ve come to the right place! Welcome to my epic guide to the 30 best camping gifts!
As a life-long camper, hiker, adventurer, and traveler, I’ve gotten my fair share of gifts from family and friends. And while it’s the thought that counts, many of the adventure gifts or hiking gifts that I was given were outright useless.
So I decided to make this insider guide to the best camping gifts in 2018! With the help of this one of a kind guide, you’ll be able to see the EXACT types of gifts that campers, adventurers, and travelers actually use and love.
This guide has brilliant gift ideas for all types of travelers, adventurers, and campers, and will help you find an awesome gift idea… and quickly!
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#1 (Best of all gifts for adventurers)
Travel Money Belt
Hand’s down, this is a must-have for any nomad, backpacker, hiker, adventurer or regular traveller. This is my favourite travel accessory and is vital for keeping my cash and Rizla papers safe when I am backpacking. I never travel without it, it’s one of the most epic gifts for campers and hikers too.
There are a ton of money belts on the market, but many of them are poorly made and are complete rip offs. This is hands down the best money belt on the market.
Buy it for the adventurer in your life and they are sure to be pretty stoked that they have the perfect way to hide their emergency money.
REI is one of America’s biggest and most-loved outdoor gear retailers.
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Join REI Today!#2 (Best gift for travelers)
Foldable Hat
This crush-resistant foldable hat can fit in your back pocket! Great for outdoor activities, it comes in four colors and has quick-dry, ultra-breathable material and tuck-flap brim design. This isn’t just for travelers too, it’s one of the best gifts for hikers and campers who need to keep the sun off their heads and faces when out in the elements all day.
#3 (Best gifts for campers)
GearLight Headlamp
When it comes to safety, every camper should carry a torch in their arsenal (and a backup!) which is why it’s one of the best gifts for the hiker in your life! Trust us, it’s essential outdoor gear which makes it one of the best camping presents you can give.
There are a ton of head torches on the market but the best one is the GearLight Head Torch – It makes some of the best head torches in the business. It’s got an awesome beam distance of up to 400m, the battery lasts up to 18 hours & it includes an easy-to-use push button, so no matter how many layers you’re wearing, it’ll be easy to turn on & off.
If you’re looking for camping gift inspiration – a headlamp is a solid choice and will help keep your beloved camper extra safe. It’s one of the most useful gifts for hikers and campers for sure.
#4 (Best gift for hikers)
Water Bottle
Water bottle: Every backpacker should hit the road with a water bottle – it’ll save you money and help reduce your plastic footprint on our amazing planet. For every Active Roots water bottle sold, we donate 10% to PlasticOceans.org – an awesome initiative aimed at educating people on the risk of single-use plastic and helping to clean up our oceans.
The Grayl Geopress is tough, lightweight and maintains the temperature of your beverage – so you can enjoy a cold red bull, or a hot coffee, no matter where you are. It’s one of the best camping gifts for 2021 and for many years after.
#5 The Pocket Rocket Stove
Worried your backpacker pal won’t get enough nourishment on their trip? You’ve stumbled upon the perfect gift for camping adventures.
With the pocket rocket stove, they’ll be able to cook up meals fast, irrespective of the climate around them. If you think a stove is a perfect gift for the climber in your life; check out this detailed comparison post on the best stoves to take on adventures. There are many different options and all of them make top camping gifts for 2021 and beyond.
Note that some National Parks have rules about using camp cooking equipment although to our knowledge, this will usually be permitted.
#6 Portable Stove & Cookware Set
Camping out means carrying limited, light food rations that don’t weigh you down as you hike through the day in search of a new campsite.
But sometimes, tinned tuna and spam on bread just don’t cut it. A tiny portable stove with the smallest amount of fuel can last you over 6 meals, and you can cook yourself a warm, filling meal before you hit the sack every night.
A portable cookware set is also safer, as it reduces the chances of you starting a wildfire near your camp! This is proper outdoor gear for serious campers and is one of the best gifts for campers in 2021 and beyond.
#7 Scratch Map
What’s cooler than a map? A scratch map is an ideal gift for backpackers who have just returned from their adventures and want to keep track of where they have been in the world… It can also do wonders for post-travel blues.
#8 Parachute Hammock
Hammocks make an excellent gift for campers, travelers, hikers and outdoorsy folks who want to watch the stars and save some money on accommodation costs, whilst they drift off.
Hammocks are sexy, lightweight, fun to sleep in and offer you a ton of options for where to spend the night. There are a lot of hammock options out there but if you don’t want to spend so much, I recommend getting a parachute hammock; they are super light, strong and durable which makes them one of the best gifts for campers and hikers.
#9 Electronic Candles
One of the coolest camping gift ideas – these electronic candles are a total game changer.
When you’re camping out, enjoying a cheeky smoke beneath the stars or getting cozy with your camping buddy, these candles are awesome for setting up some ambience. They flicker convincingly, don’t blow out like normal candles and won’t set fire to your tent… They are also super cheap with a whole pack of 24 costing less than $10. If you’re looking for some great budget gifts for campers and hikers, these are the perfect option.
#10 Hippy Dippy Yoga Pants
Slip into your adventure in style with these bohemian elephant pants, suitable for raves, yoga, chilling out on the beach and endless Instagram selfies. Best of all, a percentage of all sales goes towards supporting the endangered Asian elephant at the Laos conservation center! 🙂
#11 Nemo Helio Portable Pressure Shower
Do you remember that time you were crossing a stream and your foot landed in slush and slipped, landing you straight into the aforementioned slush? Well, I do. And let me tell you this, it wasn’t pretty. Obviously, I got up and dusted (wiped?) myself off ready to keep going, but all I could think of that day was how great a hot shower would feel.
Portable camping showers may not guarantee you hot water, but at least you get the shower experience, which is why it’s one of the best gifts for hikers and campers. It’s definitely one of the best camping gifts I’ve received to date.
The Nemo shower is perfect for quick showers while camping out on the beach, after a long swim or surf session in the ocean and best of all it’s super lightweight making it one of the most ideal gifts for hikers and campers.
#12 Coleman Two-Person Camping Tent
The Coleman two person camping tent is a great camping gift for someone who has just started to explore the joys of the outdoors. Their Two-Person is waterproof, with a water protection layer that is more waterproof than more popular tent brands.
The tent covers an area of 7 x 5 ft and is around 4 feet tall at the center. As someone who has used this tent, I can tell you that it is well-ventilated, comfortable and I’d rate it up there with some of the best gifts for hikers and campers from personal experience.
#13 Therm-a-Rest ProLite Apex Sleeping Pad
Giving your friend a sleeping bag is great for camping out, but you know what would be even better? Changing your friend’s life with a camping gift that’ll give them one of the few things money can’t buy: a good night’s sleep.
Sleeping pads come in all sizes, and although the shapes are largely uniform, I’d recommend a compact pad like the Thermarest Prolite Apex, it’s one of the best camping gifts for 2021, 22 and beyond.
Check out this post for a detailed breakdown of the best sleeping pads on the market right now.
#14 Microfibre Quick Drying Towel
Whenever you are hitting the road, pack a microfibre towel for the journey. No matter if you are camping, hitching or partying hard, you should always have a super fast-drying towel to keep you clean on the road. If you are looking for a gift for a hiker or traveler – this could take the gold.
#15 Solar Powered LED Headlamp
As previously mentioned, A headlamp is one of the best camping gifts you can offer a friend. Not only are they compact and lightweight, they are also super useful when the sun goes down.
Upgrade your camping buddies’ headlamp and buy them a solar-powered LED headlamp as a gift this Christmas. This is one of the coolest gift ideas for hikers and a lovely piece of gear. It’s also one of the best best camping presents for those who are going to be going off grid.
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#16 Emergency Survival Pod Kit with Cord
One of the coolest gifts for adventurers – camping emergencies do happen! One of the most useful camping gifts you can give someone is an emergency survival pod kit.
The 12 Survivors Kit comes with a 12-in-1 pocket survival card, a compass, needles, alcohol pads to sterilizes surfaces and wounds and a whole lot more. The best part? It’s so compact, it weighs less than 100 grams, and can be latched onto your backpack for easy access. All this makes it one of the top camping gifts for 2021 and beyond.
This is also a good gift for day hikers, who have a tendency to go underprepared on hikes.
#17 Coleman Broadband Mesh Quad Camping Chair
No other camping gifts can make your friend feel quite ‘like a sir’ as when you give them a camping chair. They may seem like an odd, unwieldy object to gift and carry, but it’s the small luxuries that count.
When it comes to outdoor gift ideas, you’re giving your friend a chance to kick back and stretch after a long day of driving, riding or hiking. The Coleman camping chair also has a mesh backing that makes sure air flows through the chair and keeps things cool.
Admittedly this is not an ideal gift for die-hard hikers but more for folks who like to camp on the weekends or who are traveling in a campervan.
#18 Portable Battery Charger
While we’re out traveling, and sometimes even while camping, we’re all likely to be stuck in a situation where we have time to kill and end up using our phones or devices until they are drained of all life.
This is where it’s useful to carry a portable travel charger for the devices you use most often. It’s one of the best gifts for campers in 2021 and even more so in the future as we become more and more reliant on electronics.
#19 Travel Notebook
This is one of the cooler camping presents ideas. I never hit the road without a notebook, or three, in my pack, and as a camper I can tell you that they are super useful.
When I’m camping out, I love to chill with my thoughts and write down any revelations that hit me! These funky notebooks from Marco Polo make for the perfect gift for the adventurer in your life!
#20 Outdoor Portable Camping Binoculars
One of the most unique camping gifts you can give someone is the power to get closer to colorful, chirping birds and the clear, starlit night skies at camp.
Binoculars may sound large and unwieldy but science has changed them plenty. There are now options that aren’t just lightweight, but also have magnifying capacities of up to 8X, making them great camping gifts.
Occer’s binocular offers you dual focus, with 100% optical glass to help you take in the world around you better at camp. This is definitely one of the better gifts for day hikers.
-> Check out our full review of the Best Travel Binoculars.
#21 Garmin Vivoactive Smart Watch
It may seem crazy to spend the time and energy to go camping far away just to still be connected to “the real world”, but sometimes you want to share a view from the most remote locations, or in an emergency, find your way back in the dark without relying on a compass and a map.
Enter the Garmin smart watch. The Garmin watch is a bit expensive as a camping gift, but is also extremely useful when it comes to tracking health and fitness, social networking and has tons of fun entertainment apps – something to keep them occupied on arduous train journeys and long haul flights!
#22 Grayl Geopress Water Filter/Purifier
When you set up a camp, you probably prefer to set up by the side of a water source or river. While it’s most likely that this water is good to drink being in the great outdoors and all, you may not always want to take the risk when you are on the move.
In an emergency situation or when you are away from the campsite, you’ll have to make do with any whatever water you find. Being debilitated by stomach pain (or worse a stomach upset) is the least ideal camping situation. So how do you make sure water is pure enough to drink?
Enter the Grayl Geopress. The purifier can remove 99.9% of waterborne bacteria such as salmonella, cholera, and E.coli. The filter can purify up to 1500 liters of water, so you’re good to use it for a long time.
Now, you could spend a fat chunk of $$$ on the WRONG present for someone. Wrong size hiking boots, wrong fit backpack, wrong shape sleeping bag… As any adventurer will tell you, gear is a personal choice.
So give the adventurer in your life the gift of convenience: buy them an REI Co-op gift card! REI is The Broke Backpacker’s retailer of choice for ALL things outdoors, and an REI gift card is the perfect present you can buy from them. And then you won’t have to keep the receipt. 😉
Buy on REI!#23 30000mAh Dual USB Solar Panel Power Bank
This solar powered power bank is one of the best camping gifts for hikers. Just strap one onto a backpack and let it catch the harsh rays of the sun while you trudge through the day sweating it out. Your reward? A fully charged power bank that can power your phone for days on end with a single charge.
It’s a great hiking gift for somebody anybody who loves multi day adventures.
#24 One For The Ladies: Camping Travel Women Urinal Funnel
These travel ‘urinals’ may seem like an odd camping gift to give to somebody, but in terms of how much confidence they will give your lady friend and how they empower her in the outdoors, this is definitely a winner. Also worth considering because of the laughter that’ll ensue when the gift is opened. Make sure you’re there for it!
#25 The Amazon Kindle
The Amazon Kindle is one of the unique camping gifts you can give someone. It isn’t exclusively for camping, and you can also use it indoors, outdoors and on-the-go. Books become heavy and burdensome to carry on a camping trip. A kindle is light and is the perfect way to store multiple books for a long trip.
#26 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker with Outdoor Camping Lamp
The awesomeness of listening to your favorite tunes in the outdoors, who doesn’t love it? Who wouldn’t want one of those camping gifts? With less than 5% distortion, this is a great speaker to dance it out in the outdoors. The speaker can last up to 6 hours on a single charge, making it one of the best camping gifts out there.
#27 Grizzly Bushcraft Ultimate Survival Knife
Another one of the coolest camping gift ideas – get your loved one an ultimate survival knife!
The Bushcraft knife is sharp and efficient wrought from stainless steel. The handles are strong and provide great grip. Whether you are cutting rope or fruit, your knife stays sharp. The knife also has a safety lock feature to prevent sudden closure that may hurt the user.
Overall, a great camping gift that never stops being useful and really stands the test of time.
Alternatives are campfire starters, a useful accessory when you’re in the backcountry.
#28 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
This little speaker is powerful, lightweight, water resistant and inexpensive. Amazing for sharing tunes with new friends from around the world, while making sure you aren’t giving anyone nearby a sleepless night!
#29 Pocket Blanket
This lightweight, waterproof, super compact pocket blanket is a must for all adventures. Doubling up as an emergency poncho, this picnic blanket is worth its weight in gold when chilling, or camping, on the beach.
This tear-resistant blanket has rustproof metal ground stakes and sand pocket corners to keep blanket secure on beaches.
#30 Faye Travel Insurance
When your friend hits the road on travels, one of the most useful ways to plan the trip involves backpacker insurance. Even the most avid backpacker has had to use travel insurance at least one time. You never know when sudden mishaps occur. In my case, a wisdom tooth my dentist had warned me to watch out for made a grand, painful entrance and had to be taken out.
Faye is one of our favourite insurance providers and we love that you can buy, review and manage your policy through an easy-to-use app. They are also great for those wanting policies that cover more than just cover for their trip but your health, gear and even your pet.
How To Choose a Gift For Hikers & Campers
Choosing the perfect gift for the hiker in your life can be a tough gig. Choosing gifts is seldom easy but can be especially tough when you are looking for a piece of specific hobby gear if it is an area you know little or nothing about.
You will note that we have not included anything like hiking boots or trekking jackets as this kind of gear tends to be highly personalised and the only person who should choose it, is the user.
Hopefully our list will have offered some epic insights and ideas but maybe you still don’t know which item to plump for? Here are a few suggestions to help you choose the perfect gift for hikers!
- Subtlety Ask Them What They Need – Next time you speak to the hiker in your life, ask them whether they have done much hiking or camping recently or where they are intending to fo next. From here, bring the conversation round to “Say, do you need to buy a lot of gear to get into hiking…do you have all the gear you need?” and see what gems of insight you can glean.
- Ask Somebody Else – If your daughter is the hiker in your life, then ask her boyfriend (or girlfriend) what she thinks he needs. If your boyfriend is the hiker, then ask his hiking buddies.
- Break Into Their House and Look Around – Ok so maybe don’t try this one!
FAQ about the Best Camping Gifts
Still have some questions? No problem! We’ve listed and answered the most commonly asked questions below. Here’s what people usually want to know:
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Final Thoughts on Gifts for Adventurers
So there you have it. The ultimate mix of camping gifts — from basic survival necessities to campsite luxuries and even a few for entertainment on camping adventures. I hope I’ve inspired you with this list of gifts for campers and if you think I’ve left something awesome off the list, let me know in the comments!
Don’t forget to throw in some smores with your camping gift so your friend can toast ‘em over a bonfire!
World Nomads provides travel insurance for travelers in over 100 countries. As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
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