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Mother’s Day Gift Guide – The 10 Best Gifts for Outdoorsy Moms

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The View from North Kaibab Trail on the Grand Canyon's North Rim.
That’s my outdoorsy mom, second from the left, on a rim-to-rim backpacking trip across the Grand Canyon!

Mother’s Day is May 10! Which means ’tis the season to show moms some love. But forget the flowers and candy this year; flowers die and candy just gets swiped by tiny little sugar fiends (aka children). And your mom is sick of getting scarves, gardening tools and golf balls. She told us. Instead, get her something she’ll not only love but be able to take outside and play with (even if it is only in the backyard…). So without further ado, our annual Mother’s Day gift guide with the 10 best gifts for outdoorsy moms (for budgets of all sizes).

Mother's Day gift guide United by Blue utensil kit

United by Blue Utensil Kit

Good kids (and spouses) don’t let their moms eat with disposable plasticware. They just don’t. You know your mom deserves better than that! And you know she respects the planet too much to depend on single-use plastics! So first up on our Mother’s Day gift guide is a utensil kit from United by Blue. It comes with a double-ended fork/spoon, chopsticks, two reusable straws, a straw cleaner, and a handy dandy travel case (made of 100% recycled polyester) to keep it all together. In fact, you should probably buy her at least two so she’ll be prepared not only for work lunches and camp meals, but the lovely Mother’s Day picnic you were planning for the two of you. Oh, and make sure she knows that for every product you purchase for her, United by Blue removes one pound of trash from waterways. She’ll like that.

sustainable Cotopaxi del dia allpa35

Cotopaxi Del Día Allpa35

If your mom loves the adventure travel life, she’ll totally dig this Del Día Allpa35 bag from Cotopaxi. It’s made from repurposed fabric scraps so it’s super sustainable, and because every Del Día bag is designed by the individual sewing it, each one is different (and so colorful). And if she likes to stay organized, the inside of this bag will be a dream for her. Love the idea but mom more of a fun urban explorer than an off-the-beaten-path wanderer? There’s a bag for that, too. In fact, Any mom would probably love the Taal Convertible Tote or compact Tasra backpack just as much. Check out our interview with Cotopaxi about their sustainability efforts here.

Mother's Day gift guide BioLite camp stove 2 bundle

BioLite Camp Stove 2

Are camping, intimate backyard cookouts, and late-night s’mores sessions your mom’s thing? You must, must, must give her the Biolite Camp Stove 2 bundle. It’s quickly and easily fueled not by charcoal or gas, but by sticks you find in your yard or campsite. No joke! And it gets plenty hot enough to grill up to four veggie burgers at a time, some veggie kabobs, even a pot of chili! And when dinner’s over, remove the grill attachment and roast yourselves some marshmallows (remember, mom gets first dibs), all while charging her phone (the stove converts heat to energy and includes a USB port)! To wash it all down, add the BioLite French press attachment and make mom some coffee. Probably decaf. It is late, after all. Wanna hear about BioLite’s sustainability efforts and carbon neutrality? Read our interview with them here.

Gear aid gear repair kit

Gear Repair Kit

If your mom hates throwing away money on (almost) perfectly good gear, give her the gift of repair instead of simply replacing moderately tattered items. Gear Aid has a fix for everything: a shoe cleaning and waterproofing kit, zipper cleaner and lubricant, gear cleaning kits for tents and rain jackets, patches and repair tape, sewing kits, you name it. Get her one or get them all. That way, she’ll be able to repair her beloved gear, thus saving everyone involved a ton of cash and keeping a whole bunch of synthetic materials that never biodegrade out of the landfill. Huzzah!

Xero shoes z-trail sandals

Xero Shoes Barefoot Sandals

If your mom loves to travel and explore (or travel to explore), get her a pair of sandals that do double-duty as adventure sandals and ultralight packable footwear. The Z-Trail sandals from Xero Shoes have just enough squish to be comfortable, but still offer that near-to-nature barefoot feel she craves (there’s also the more delicate/feminine Jessie Sandal if she’s into that). They’ve got tread to take on all sorts of day hikes and lay nearly flat or roll into a tight little ball for easy packing. And if she plans to clip them on the outside of her pack to use them as base camp shoes, she’ll hardly notice they’re there (they only weigh 4.3 oz each).

Mother's Day gift guide Coalatree Kachula blanket

Coalatree Kachula Blanket

This is the only camping blanket/picnic blanket/beach blanket/pillow/cozy poncho/giant towel mom will ever need. I mean, we’d love one of these bad boys ourselves! Available in multiple colors and fun patterns in original and puffy versions (with synthetic insulation), they’re both even made with recycled materials and are Bluesign approved! Plus they repel sand, stains and water, can snap together for all-season solutions, transform into a poncho, and fold into their own pocket (yes, there’s a pocket) to become a pillow. Like we said, the last blanket she’ll ever need. Check out what Coalatree has to say about sustainability in our interview with the brand here. Need extra incentive? Use code HMD2020 for 15% off site-wide for a limited time!

Mother's Day gift guide GSI mini espresso maker

Coffee for the Campsite

If your mom loves coffee as much as we do, you should definitely treat her to not only a nice, oversized mug of it on Mother’s day, but a way to make it the next time she hits the trail or packs up the tent. You can check out all of our favorite coffee-making methods in this post (complete with video!), but at the top of our list are the portable Aeropress Go and the GSI Mini Espresso Maker for a nice, strong cuppa. And at under $40, neither of them are going to break the bank if you’re on a budget this year.

Mother's Day gift guide women who hike book

Books, Books, and More Books

For literary types, books are always a welcome gift, especially if they have to do with outdoor adventure! So if your momma likes to read, get her one (or two or ten) that will help her get out there and explore. Think she might want to learn something? How about Wild Edibles: A Practical Guide to Foraging or Be Expert with Map & Compass. Guides more her thing? Consider the National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States or Lonely Planet’s Epic Bike Rides of the Americas. For a more inspirational read, take a look at Women Who Hike or Rising: Becoming the First North American Woman on Everest. Read on.

Organic cotton hat toad&co

Cheeky Organic Cotton Hat from Toad&Co

Shirts, shoes, and hiking pants are all great gifts, but if you can’t ever seem to get her size right or your mom is particular about fit or color (aren’t we all), then opt to get her a hat this year. A good cap is a beautiful thing. Bonus points if it’s made of eco-friendly organic cotton and it has something cheeky like “Save the planet: hike nude” or “I’m with her” surrounding a graphic of our home planet. It’s a gift that will not only bring a smile to her face, but will keep the sun off of her pretty little face. An added benefit? Toad&Co is donating 20% of every purchase to support nonprofits who are helping communities that have been most impacted by COVID-19. So you can score mom a dope gift and tell her you helped a worthy cause in her name. Win-win. Pick out her new favorite hat here, then read up on what Toad&Co is doing on the sustainability front here. Just make sure you use code UNICEF during checkout so that–you guessed it–UNICEF receives that 20%!

Mother's Day gift guide luci string lights mpowered

Luci Solar String Lights

Last on our Mother’s Day gift guide: the gift of light. Don’t let her camp in the dark. Trying to sit around the fire roasting s’mores, playing games and hanging with friends and family is so much better with a little ambient glow to keep everyone from tripping over each other (or blinding one another with headlamps). That’s where these Luci solar-powered string lights from MPOWERED come in. They don’t require any electricity to charge (although you can plug them in via USB if you want a faster charge) and they provide a lovely glow for up to 20 hours. Plus, they give the campsite a real “firefly in the woods” sort of magic feeling that moms love. (Also dads. And kids. And pretty much everybody…)

There enough ideas in our outdoorsy Mother’s Day gift guide to get you started? We sure hope so! Wanna peruse the sale racks instead to see what deals you might be able to score on something specific you had in mind? Head over to our outdoor deals and sales page to see what online retailers are offering the steepest discounts this week. And if you’re still thirsty for ideas, browse around our other gift guides here. Happy Mother’s Day to all you rad moms out there!

*This post contains affiliate links. That means we may receive a small percentage of any sales that result in you clicky-clicking and getting your mom something nice. That means we might be able to get our own moms a card or some such. She thanks you for that. And so do we.