6 Holiday Gift Ideas For Camping Enthusiasts
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We've all got outdoorsy people in our lives, the kind of camping enthusiasts whose idea of a great weekend is waking up at sunrise to do a hike that would put most people out of commission and who never sleep peacefully unless they're under the stars. But you probably don't know what to get your outdoorsy giftee. After all, if they're an avid camper, they likely already own a tent, sleeping bag, and other basic camping essentials.
To be your camper's favorite gift-giver this holiday season, get them something beyond the basics. After all, the best gifts are things you've always wanted but never justified buying for yourself. We've got six camping gift ideas complete with product suggestions that range from simple, inexpensive comforts to powerful tools that will take a campsite to the next level. Give someone one of these, and fair warning, you're definitely getting invited on the next camping trip.
Portable generator
Unless your camping enthusiast friend or loved one is the kind of person who tries to camp totally tech-free, they'll need a way to charge devices, power lights, and fans, and do anything else that requires electricity. But traditional gas-powered generators are noisy and smelly, ruining the pristine vibes of a camping excursion. Instead, the camper in your life will appreciate the quiet efficiency of an electric power station. It's a simple concept — nothing more than a big battery with outlets and ports — that has transformative implications for their next camping trip. There's also never been a better time to shop for electric generators. We've seen a wave of new products that aim to provide serious power with maximum portability.
If you want a gift that's pure overkill, the Anker SOLIX F2000, has a 2,048 Wh capacity and outputs at 2,400 W. It can power a small household, yet it's totally portable, with an extending handle and wheels. It can be connected to solar panels for totally renewable energy but also charges from an AC outlet. Around the outside are four regular outlets, a 30 Amp RV outlet, two cigarette lighter-style DC car outlets, two USB-C outlets, and two USB-A outlets.
For something that won't break the bank quite as much, consider checking out the EcoFlow River 2 Pro, a power station the company rates with a 768Wh capacity and 800W of output. It's still plenty of power for a camping expedition with four standard AC outlets, one DC outlet, three USB-A outlets, and a single 100W USB-C outlet. It's also much lighter than the Anker, weighing 17.2 pounds.
Camping pillow
When everyone heads to their tents for the night, getting good sleep can be the difference between leading the morning hike and being the person who wishes they'd stayed home. But pillows are often the last thing someone thinks about when stocking up on camping gear, not realizing their omission until they're tucked inside the sleeping bag and realize they'll have to make do with a rolled-up coat or blanket. Make sure the camper in your life gets their Z's by gifting them a camping pillow.
The HEST Pillow is worth checking out, a camp-sized memory foam pillow that turns inside-out to become its own zippered pouch with a strap handle. Its cover is machine washable to get any debris cleaned off after an expedition, but it's also got a dirt and water-resistant coating to help avoid that in the first place.
For another option, the Therm-a-Rest Compressible Pillow Cinch follows a similar idea to the HEST at a lower price point. As its name suggests, the compresses down into itself for taking on the go, and when unfolded, the cinch cord can be tightened to control firmness.
Solar powered lantern
The concept of a solar-powered lantern is fun all on its own. You're literally harnessing the power of the sun by day to generate more light at night. That on its own makes one a great gift for the camping enthusiast in your life. But it's also genuinely useful since as long as you leave it out to charge, you never need to worry about changing the batteries or finding an electricity source to keep your lantern lit.
The LuminAID Packlite Max 2-in-2 Power Lantern is a solar-powered light source that goes above and beyond by being collapsible, water and dust-resistant, and including a USB port to charge your devices. LuminAID claims the 2,000 mAh battery provides up to 50 hours of lighting up to 150 Lumens of brightness and takes up to 14 hours to charge in direct sunlight. If it's used to top up your phone, don't expect it to fill up the entire battery (most newer smartphones have a capacity well over 2,000 mAh), but in a pinch, it's a handy feature to have.
Emergency satellite link
When venturing into the great outdoors, you've always got to be prepared for the very worst, which is why an emergency satellite link can be lifesaving. They're simple but advanced devices that let you piggyback on a satellite connection when you don't have service or if your phone is dead to let people know where you are, and even trigger an SOS in an emergency. As a gift, such a device is a great way to show your camping enthusiast friend or loved one that you care about them and their safety, and it's the perfect size for a stocking stuffer.
The Motorola Defy Satellite Link is a carabiner clip accessory about the size of a car key fob, small enough to clip on your belt or backpack and forget about it. It has a few buttons, including an SOS button that sends your location to emergency services when held down. It works with a smartphone and a companion app to connect over Bluetooth for satellite text messaging, but that essential SOS feature works with or without a phone.
Another great option is the SPOT Gen4, which although slightly bulkier than the Defy is still plenty pocketable. It will automatically send your location to contacts every hour and also has a dedicated SOS button to summon search and rescue operations. You can program custom text messages to send to contacts, which will also trigger at the push of a button.
Coffee maker
Enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee each morning is a campsite tradition, but making that coffee delicious is hard to achieve. If you have a coffee-loving camper on your gift list, you can brighten their mountaintop mornings with a new camping coffee setup. On top of being genuinely useful, camping coffee makers can be surprisingly cheap, and they're small enough to fit in a hiking pack, making them excellent stocking stuffers.
One camping coffee maker many of its users swear by is the AeroPress Go. What sets it apart is its use of air pressure to force hot water through coffee grounds without any electronics involved. One simply puts the grounds on top of a filter, adds water, and then pushes down a plunger to create the pressurized chamber, creating a coffee concentrate not entirely unlike espresso to which water can then be added. The entire setup fits inside the mug it comes with, requiring only hot water and ground coffee to function.
For something even more simple, though with admittedly less wow factor, pick up a pour-over kit like the one made by Stanley, which uses stainless steel components to keep everything rugged. Pour-overs are the simplest way to make coffee on the go, since all you're doing is pouring water over coffee in a filter, and many coffee connoisseurs insist they're the best way to make drip coffee, no matter where you are.
Camping slippers
While every camper likely already has a pair of boots, most probably don't have a pair of camp slippers. But when they're relaxing in their tent or chilling by the fire, they'll probably wish they could take their grimy boots off. That's where you come in, champion gift giver, to offer them the comfort of an insulated, rugged pair of slippers that will feel like a warm hug for their feet.
North Face, the most renowned outdoor clothing brand, offers the ThermoBall Traction Mules V, camping slippers that come in both men's and women's styles. With rubber outsoles that feature a lot more traction than normal slippers and insulated padding on the rest of the shoes, they're designed to keep feet warm on cold camping nights. They're even water-repellant, meaning they should be able to handle a little rain.
Another brand well-known to crunchy granola types, Teva makes a similar product, its ReEmber line of slip-ons. They feature a similarly rugged outsole, with a quilted upper, and a water-repellant coating. They're also made from recycled materials, which may make them a more appealing option for environmentally conscious giftees.