Gift for a camping enthusiast
November 16, 2013 5:33 AM Subscribe
My aunt is a big camper. And we're talking serious wilderness mountain/desert camping, not loading up the RV for a weekend. She shops regularly for gear and thus has most of the basic things. I need to get a Christmas present for her.
What are some objects that serious campers/hikers can never have too many or too much of? Alternately, what would make a good gift as an object that is more attractive or otherwise superior to the basic utility version? (I'm thinking here of like a really good folding knife, but I am purely spitballing here.)
Price range would be ~$50.
This is a little out of left field, but could you make her some fire starters? They come in really handy when you are backpacking. You can make awesome fire starters with a cardboard egg carton, dryer lint, and any leftover candle wax. There's a link here: http://www.ehow.com/way_5444616_homemade-firestarters.html
posted by shortyJBot at 6:17 AM on November 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by shortyJBot at 6:17 AM on November 16, 2013 [4 favorites]
Came here to say what thebrokedown said. Camping gear is just so personal. As a data point the things I would want are different from what the thebrokedown listed because I already have some of them/aren't interested in others.
If you know some trips they are interested in doing maybe get them a book about that area/trail?
posted by rip at 6:21 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
If you know some trips they are interested in doing maybe get them a book about that area/trail?
posted by rip at 6:21 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Since it sounds like gear would be a not so great idea, what about a National Parks Pass? At $80, is it a bit above your price range, but it seems like a good solution to your quest.
posted by sciencegeek at 6:36 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by sciencegeek at 6:36 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Both books and the National Park Pass are great ideas.
I thought too of a smallish Maglite flashlight. Can never have too many flashlights.
posted by thebrokedown at 6:39 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I thought too of a smallish Maglite flashlight. Can never have too many flashlights.
posted by thebrokedown at 6:39 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Agreed that you can never have too many good flashlights. Perhaps a headlamp that can be worn or held in hand.
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 6:40 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Mary Ellen Carter at 6:40 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Does she have The Complete Walker? It's a terrific read, largely focusing on process and equipment reviews.
posted by suprenant at 6:57 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by suprenant at 6:57 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I agree that buying gear for a hiker/camper is difficult because everything is a care calculation of weight versus utility.
Some suggestions:
Light My Fire titanium spork. It's a useful design and lighter/stronger than their plastic version.
A titanium, waterproof pill fob.
Micropur water purification tablets. Even if she normally uses a filter, these would be good emergency items.
If she owns a printer, iGage Waterproof paper, good for printing maps.
posted by justkevin at 7:23 AM on November 16, 2013
Some suggestions:
Light My Fire titanium spork. It's a useful design and lighter/stronger than their plastic version.
A titanium, waterproof pill fob.
Micropur water purification tablets. Even if she normally uses a filter, these would be good emergency items.
If she owns a printer, iGage Waterproof paper, good for printing maps.
posted by justkevin at 7:23 AM on November 16, 2013
As someone who hikes and backpacks a lot, I'll echo what others have said. I've never received a camping gift from someone that was useful. Even something like a nice Leatherman tool might be useless if, say, it doesn't have a scissors on it or some other tool that they MUST have. It took me a while to find the right tool for myself.
No series camper would want or need a flashlight. Certainly not just any old flashlight. We wear headlamps and most of us are very choosy about what we use. Maybe a small flashlight for the car but chances are they have one already. A headlamp might seem like a great gift, but maybe they need one they can operate with mittens on, or that has a defuser, or that fits over their favorite hat. That sort of thing is very important.
I've received clothing, fire tools (when I only ever use a stove), hiking poles (when I already had some), and other stuff. They meant well, in some cases they put a lot of thought into it, but none of it was useful to me. Gear is personal.
If you can find out what sort of meals she eats on her trips, and she leans toward dehydrated instant meals, maybe get her a few of her favorite brand. But, again, even something like a ready-made meal is a very personal choice. Personally, I prefer to make my own meals so a gift like that wouldn't be useful to me.
Other expendable items are fuel canisters, if she uses a canister stove. Water filter cartridges, but you'd need to know the specific brand and model of filter she has. If she even has one. Maybe some really good beef jerky, if she's the jerky type.
Maybe a trip planning tool such as mapping software or guidebooks, but even that is something people might be picky about. Really I'd just get them an REI gift card or just ask them what they want.
This is tough. You're being very thoughtful in trying to get her something for camping but camping gear is almost impossible to buy for all but a beginner.
posted by bondcliff at 7:38 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
No series camper would want or need a flashlight. Certainly not just any old flashlight. We wear headlamps and most of us are very choosy about what we use. Maybe a small flashlight for the car but chances are they have one already. A headlamp might seem like a great gift, but maybe they need one they can operate with mittens on, or that has a defuser, or that fits over their favorite hat. That sort of thing is very important.
I've received clothing, fire tools (when I only ever use a stove), hiking poles (when I already had some), and other stuff. They meant well, in some cases they put a lot of thought into it, but none of it was useful to me. Gear is personal.
If you can find out what sort of meals she eats on her trips, and she leans toward dehydrated instant meals, maybe get her a few of her favorite brand. But, again, even something like a ready-made meal is a very personal choice. Personally, I prefer to make my own meals so a gift like that wouldn't be useful to me.
Other expendable items are fuel canisters, if she uses a canister stove. Water filter cartridges, but you'd need to know the specific brand and model of filter she has. If she even has one. Maybe some really good beef jerky, if she's the jerky type.
Maybe a trip planning tool such as mapping software or guidebooks, but even that is something people might be picky about. Really I'd just get them an REI gift card or just ask them what they want.
This is tough. You're being very thoughtful in trying to get her something for camping but camping gear is almost impossible to buy for all but a beginner.
posted by bondcliff at 7:38 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
I'm going to echo the difficulty of getting a gift for a serious backpacker as a novice. Also, if your aunt is mostly backpacking and not car camping, it's probably likely that she's not really starting fires outside of her camp stove, just due to regulations in National Parks, Wilderness Areas, areas above treeline, and other typical backpacking places. Although many areas do allow open fires, "leave no trace" is a pretty common backpacking ethical code and building a fire outside of an established fire pit goes against that ethos.
posted by LionIndex at 8:01 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by LionIndex at 8:01 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Seconding JBot in that a homemade gift can have great value for both you and your aunt— fire starters are great and easy to make at home.
If you know what she likes to eat and any food allergies she might have, I'd find some recipes for homemade snack bars, trail mix, or even your secret brownie recipe. Gear is so personal for most outdoor sport folks but we all love to eat! We have to eat so much while doing the activities we love that the same flavors of Clif and Kind and other bars get old after a while.
Make batches of trail mix, bag them in snack-size zipper bags, and fill up a couple pairs of these great hiking socks and you have yourself a nice $50ish gift.
posted by a halcyon day at 8:14 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you know what she likes to eat and any food allergies she might have, I'd find some recipes for homemade snack bars, trail mix, or even your secret brownie recipe. Gear is so personal for most outdoor sport folks but we all love to eat! We have to eat so much while doing the activities we love that the same flavors of Clif and Kind and other bars get old after a while.
Make batches of trail mix, bag them in snack-size zipper bags, and fill up a couple pairs of these great hiking socks and you have yourself a nice $50ish gift.
posted by a halcyon day at 8:14 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Even socks, I'm afraid. Hikers are very particular about socks. I've had long conversations about socks (smartwool with a bit of lycra for stretch, but not the heavyweight ones, and low boot cut, not the short trailrunner or the high winter/work boot cuts please).
posted by bonehead at 8:28 AM on November 16, 2013
posted by bonehead at 8:28 AM on November 16, 2013
Like others have said, but more generally, I find that buying gear for anyone who is an expert/enthusiast at something is a bad idea unless you're also an expert/enthusiast who does that activity with them.
The better you get at something, the more particular you get about gear, and the less likely someone who's not familiar with the activity is to know what to get you.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 8:50 AM on November 16, 2013
The better you get at something, the more particular you get about gear, and the less likely someone who's not familiar with the activity is to know what to get you.
posted by tylerkaraszewski at 8:50 AM on November 16, 2013
Response by poster: Some good thoughts. I really appreciate the insight from other camping enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, someone else is already getting her an REI card, apparently. :-( I wanted to make it a little more personal.
posted by Scattercat at 8:52 AM on November 16, 2013
Unfortunately, someone else is already getting her an REI card, apparently. :-( I wanted to make it a little more personal.
posted by Scattercat at 8:52 AM on November 16, 2013
Every outdoor person I know is secretly intrigued by the tiny alcohol stoves .
posted by hortense at 9:03 AM on November 16, 2013
posted by hortense at 9:03 AM on November 16, 2013
Camping and hiking gear is personal, but you could do something like a couple small things packaged in a cute way. Small box of waterproof matches, with a pair of smart wool socks and some different flavors of power bars or shot bloks. Buy it all from REI and tuck a gift receipt in with them. That way it's personal but if she wants to return it all or some she can and then has extra $$ to spend with her REI gift card.
posted by HMSSM at 9:39 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by HMSSM at 9:39 AM on November 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
There are two purchases I made which revolutionized my backpacking experiences: a self-inflating sleeping pad, and hiking poles. If she does not own the latter, I highly recommend them. They provide an amazing efficiency boost: she’ll be able to hike further, faster, with less effort. They do not need to be fancy, just durable and lightweight (contradictory, I know.)
posted by davidpriest.ca at 9:47 AM on November 16, 2013
posted by davidpriest.ca at 9:47 AM on November 16, 2013
Ditto on a gift from a store that has a good return policy, and maybe a gift receipt. Most serious hikers I know are outdoors-y most of the time, so the smartwool socks may not go in the backpack, but might be worn in town. Nice tea, chocolate, home-made granola and/or jerky are all nice gifts. I love my solar/crankable/battery/ or wall power light/ radio/ USB charger, because sometimes the power goes out. I wouldn't take it backpacking, but I might leave it in my car at the trailhead, in case of a dead car battery or whatever. Also, books.
posted by theora55 at 10:44 AM on November 16, 2013
posted by theora55 at 10:44 AM on November 16, 2013
REI gift certificate, or maybe Petzel Zipka 2 headlamp. I like these cause they have a red LED as well as a white one. You can have illumination but you don't blind anyone you are talking to.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:36 AM on November 16, 2013
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:36 AM on November 16, 2013
Oh, Oops. Reading ALL the way through the answers would help me wouldn't it? So ixnay on the gift certificate. And I meant to say that on the headlamp you have the option of EITHER red or white LED so you have nice bright illumination when you need it or a gentle red light when you dont want to blind people. Very helpful for walking around camp. Also the strap is not some great nasty headband that traps sweat and dirt but rather a nice retractable cord that can also be used to secure the headlamp to your wrist.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:39 AM on November 16, 2013
posted by WalkerWestridge at 11:39 AM on November 16, 2013
Gift certificate for a camping supply store or site, because as many other have stated hiking/camping gear is personal.
Maps! Maps to trails far away from where she lives, even in other countries. They are usually cheap and get a person thinking about hiking places they haven't been yet.
Subscription to a magazine like Outside or something appropriate to her interests.
posted by Burgatron at 12:38 PM on November 16, 2013
Maps! Maps to trails far away from where she lives, even in other countries. They are usually cheap and get a person thinking about hiking places they haven't been yet.
Subscription to a magazine like Outside or something appropriate to her interests.
posted by Burgatron at 12:38 PM on November 16, 2013
Socks. they wear out, and nice ones are spendy. you can't have too many pairs of really nice hiking socks.
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:35 PM on November 16, 2013
posted by OHenryPacey at 1:35 PM on November 16, 2013
I love my mini-camp stove from MSR. It's 40 bucks and, while she probably has one, this one is probably better. Plus it's so lightweight, it's handy to have a couple for group trips.
posted by saul wright at 1:55 PM on November 16, 2013
posted by saul wright at 1:55 PM on November 16, 2013
Amazing socks. Get them from REI, and get her a membership at the same time (if she doesn't have one already). Ironclad return policy for life.
posted by arnicae at 3:36 PM on November 16, 2013
posted by arnicae at 3:36 PM on November 16, 2013
What about a food dehydrator? She could make her own camp meals and snacks, and they're useful for non-camping times, too.
posted by Empidonax at 7:12 PM on November 16, 2013
posted by Empidonax at 7:12 PM on November 16, 2013
Maybe a subscription to a backpacking/hiking magazine?
posted by aryma at 11:57 PM on November 16, 2013
posted by aryma at 11:57 PM on November 16, 2013
Hmmm... for $50 and a personal touch, I think you are better off going a non-gear route.
Do you know her favorite area to go backpacking? If so, you can find a high-quality photo of that place from a wilderness photographer and get it framed or printed on canvas. Or maybe someone has published a photobook that she can keep at home?
There are also good books about the outdoors. Basin and Range by John McPhee is one of my personal favorites. But a biography of John Muir might work, too.
A DVD box set of the BBC Planet Earth series could hit the mark.
Does she ever fly to go backpacking? If so, you can maybe pool resources with some other family members to get a gift certificate for air travel.
Another thing you can think about are nice things for when she gets back. Getting a massage or going to a sauna is great for easing back into town after spending some time outdoors.
posted by ohisee at 1:39 AM on November 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
Do you know her favorite area to go backpacking? If so, you can find a high-quality photo of that place from a wilderness photographer and get it framed or printed on canvas. Or maybe someone has published a photobook that she can keep at home?
There are also good books about the outdoors. Basin and Range by John McPhee is one of my personal favorites. But a biography of John Muir might work, too.
A DVD box set of the BBC Planet Earth series could hit the mark.
Does she ever fly to go backpacking? If so, you can maybe pool resources with some other family members to get a gift certificate for air travel.
Another thing you can think about are nice things for when she gets back. Getting a massage or going to a sauna is great for easing back into town after spending some time outdoors.
posted by ohisee at 1:39 AM on November 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you also get her an REI gift voucher she can put them together to get something more significant. Often happens among my outdoorsy friends - getting a £20 gift voucher is only so useful, but if several people get you vouchers for the same place you can get yourself a piece of decent essential kit that you'd otherwise have to pay a lot of your own money for, rather than just a pair of socks/spork/etc.
posted by penguin pie at 11:32 AM on November 17, 2013
posted by penguin pie at 11:32 AM on November 17, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Great socks and/or base-layer clothing (Underarmor shirts, for example)
Perhaps a memory card for her camera?
A fire steel
A Sigg or Camelback water bottle
Really good, lightweight tent stakes to replace the usually sub-par ones that come with even the nicest tents
A first-aid kit....
Really, though (and I know this is far less fun than choosing something for her) we as avid campers would be most pleased with a gift certificate to REI or another outdoor store that we could use online.
posted by thebrokedown at 6:05 AM on November 16, 2013 [2 favorites]