What's a good mixed-skill, active gift?
July 10, 2015 8:37 PM   Subscribe

GiftFilter: what active/outdoorsy gift can I give my athletic boyfriend to use together with my wannabe-active self?

As part of a gift, I'd like to give my boyfriend something that we could enjoy together that is active and/or outdoorsy. We both live (carless) in NYC so camping and serious rugged stuff is difficult, but he's in a number of sports leagues (soccer, field hockey, baseball, basketball, and cricket) and has a serious mountain climbing background. I'm...less talented, but enthusiastic. Neither of us own a lot of stuff for any sport (aside from his climbing stuff).

I was thinking a physical item (like a set for some sort of lawn sport) but I'd consider an experience-based gift if it's super great. On a budget, so ideally it'd be under $30 but I could stretch to $50-60 if it was perfect. If something is amazing and out of budget, I'd still like to hear about it for future occasions, too!
posted by R a c h e l to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (11 answers total)
 
Badminton.
posted by General Malaise at 8:49 PM on July 10, 2015 [1 favorite]


If you have access to an ocean, kayaking is easy to learn on your first try. A guided kayaking lesson is fun for varied skill levels.
posted by blnkfrnk at 8:55 PM on July 10, 2015 [2 favorites]


How about an intro to bouldering together? Google gave me this. It is experiential and sounds like it is not something he is already doing so, while he may be sporty, you'd be learning together.
posted by girlpublisher at 8:57 PM on July 10, 2015


(Sorry: misread your Q as seeking experiential!)
posted by girlpublisher at 8:59 PM on July 10, 2015


Kayaking is super fun! I've heard of people where I live finding discounted rentals on groupon and similar sites.
posted by MadamM at 9:00 PM on July 10, 2015


Racquetball or handball? The former is more equipment oriented, the latter could include a couples massage.
posted by kellyblah at 10:27 PM on July 10, 2015


A slackline? Though I have no idea whether you'll have any chance to use it in NYC.
posted by themel at 10:39 PM on July 10, 2015


My first thought was Kan-Jam but I just noticed it's for four players. You could play bocce with two people.

I googled and found this link of active date activities around NYC, you can filter by location and price.
posted by AppleTurnover at 11:55 PM on July 10, 2015


Seconding/thirding/nthing kayaking or canoeing. NYC Park & Rec has a kayaking & canoeing activities list. There are a bunch of basics classes throughout the summer.
posted by carrioncomfort at 6:59 AM on July 11, 2015


Is there a disc golf (frisbee golf) course near you? There's one near where I am right now and I see a lot of couples out playing together. It's outdoors and involves moving but it's not a performance sport by any means, and most people seem to have a pretty good time regardless of how well they're doing.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:26 PM on July 11, 2015


Go to the REI on Houston (or just use the web) to get a list of the classes offered (many for free) at the other REIs in the area (Long Island, Paramus, NJ). These are accessible by bus and train. Take a class in finding your way home with only a map, a compass, and a pocket knife. Get him the compass for his birthday!
posted by cleroy at 5:05 PM on July 11, 2015 [1 favorite]


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