As promised, we’re comin’ atcha with our second gift guide leading up to Christmas! In fact, we’ll be posting another mini gift guide every week until the holiday. So if you still aren’t sure what to get for your outdoorsy friends and family, we’ve got you covered. Check out our camping gift guide, complete with 5 big-ticket items that’ll get them outdoors.
Tent
We love love love our Big Agnes Tiger Wall (check out our video review of it here). And we can honestly recommend it to anyone whether they are an ultralight backpacker or not. But we do suggest you upgrade to at least one size bigger than you think. If the recipient goes solo backpacking a lot, get them the 2-person. If they camp with a partner, get them the 3-person. It’s quite snug in there, so give ’em a little room to breathe if they aren’t obsessed with shaving ounces off their load.
Sleeping Bag
The North Face Cat’s Meow 20ºF sleeping bag is a great all-around bag. Fully synthetic (no down for us!), it’s a great three-season, all-weather bag that weighs in at about 2 pounds 6 ounces depending on which size you get. Plus, the fabric is comfy-soft. Need a bag for colder or warmer temps? Check out our list of down-free bags here.
Backpack
We’re Osprey fans through-and-through. They make some stellar gear, all of which come with a lifetime warranty (they’ll fix or replace just about any damaged gear). Our fave is the Osprey Atmos for the dudes and the Aura for the ladies. They are super comfy packs and come in two sizes: 50-liter and 65-liter. Check out our review of the previous generation here.
Cook Stove
No camping gift guide would be complete without a backpacking stove. And we love our MSR Pocket Rocket, which is a killer and super light budget stove option, but this MSR WindPro II is a definite upgrade. It works well in colder weather, windy conditions, and with pots up to 10 inches and weighs only 6.6 ounces. Don’t forget the fuel!
Sleeping Pad
Don’t let them sleep on the ground, man. And if they’re currently making do with one of those closed-cell foam pads, get them an upgrade in the form of a Klymit Static V. It will make sleeping on the ground a heckuva lot more comfortable (and they can still layer that foam pad underneath on cold nights).
That enough to get you started? Do you have a fave camping item you think should be added to the list? Share it in the comments! Wander on!
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Alisha is a freelance outdoor journalist and photographer based in Ogden, UT. She loves backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and snowboarding (even though she’s terrible at it). She’s also pretty sure she’s addicted to coffee. alishamcdarris.com