Looking for the perfect outdoorsy gifts for the folks in your life who love to hike and play outside? We get it; we can be a tough bunch to shop for and tend to be particular about the clothing and gear we use. That goes double for those of us who make sustainability a priority. So we made it easy for you by rounding up 10 stellar gifts for outdoor lovers that we’ve personally used and would recommend to our own friends and family.
Ready? Check out these sustainable outdoorsy gifts for men, women, him, her and them.
Finisterre Nimbus Hooded Jacket
The most recent insulated jacket we’ve tested may be our favorite. Which means there’s a good chance they’ll love it, too. What makes it so great? Besides the cozy fit and solid warmth-to-weight ratio (it’s pretty dang light for how warm it is), Finisterre went all out with the details: there’s a two-way adjustable hood (rare on a midweight puffy), pockets are lined for warmth (always a welcome touch), and there’s a soft microfiber lining around the entire chin area of the collar!
Plus–it may seem like a small thing but makes a big difference–the stretchy cuffs are more fitted which keeps sleeves in place and cold breezes out. But maybe most notably, the inner and outer fabric is made with NetPlus material, which is crafted from recycled discarded fishing nets (the insulation is made of recycled ocean-bound plastic bottles) and the brand is a Certified B-corp. It’s available up to size 14 for women and XXL for men.
CNOC QuickConnect Adapter, QuickStraw, Hydriam Flask
Do you have a trail runner on your hands? Or a backpacker who prefers to keep their kit fast and light? Take a look at the Hydriam Soft Flasks and QuickStraws from CNOC. The former comes in a handful of sizes and the latter in multiple lengths and with multiple adapters to fit flasks and other CNOC bottles.
What makes these so great? They’re an excellent cross between a water bottle and a bladder. The flask allows them to stash hydration solutions in a running vest pocket or water bottle pouch on their pack and the straws let them sip hands-free (because no one enjoys drinking from a soft flask and then wrestling it in and out of a tight pocket). We love our Vesica collapsible bottles and new hard-sided ThruBottles, too.
Hartford Gear Zipper Trail Pouches
Multifunctional gear makes the best gifts. And while something as simple as a reusable zipper pouch might not be the shiniest and most envy-inducing gift, it might be the most useful. Hartford Gear is a woman-owned small brand that makes mostly Dyneema storage solutions for ultralight backpacking and we’re obsessed.
There are multiple sizes available (we recommend getting them a variety of sizes) and they can be used for everything from painkillers to snacks to first aid kits to water resistant phone storage to whatever they can dream up. They’re truly endlessly versatile.
Buff Polar Neckwear with Primaloft Bio
A comfy, cozy neck gaiter is a beautiful thing. And Buff recently released one that’s comfier, cozier, and slightly more sustainable: Polar Neckwear. How? This new gaiter is partially made of PrimaLoft® Bio™ fleece, which has been designed to be “more appetizing” to the naturally occurring microorganisms that live in specific landfill, marine, and wastewater environments. Meaning in these places, when the fleece sheds microplastics or is thrown away at the end of its useable life, it’s designed to biodegrade.
Most polyester can take a hundred years or more to fully break down. This achieves 93.8% biodegradation in 646 days in a landfill environment (longer in the ocean, shorter or less completely in wastewater plants). And it breaks down into only components already found in nature, not microplastics. And thanks to the soft, stretchy upper half and cozy fleece lower half, It’s the perfect neckwear for winter outdoor activities. Only the fleece section is biodegradable, unfortunately. Both sections are made of recycled material. And so far, the half-and-half style is the only one that features the Bio fleece.
Alpenglow Gear Alpenflow Fuel Transfer Device
If there’s one thing backpackers hate, it’s a half-empty can of IsoPro stove fuel. Nobody wants to carry one into the backcountry for a weekend trip and risk running out of fuel. So they often end up stacking up in a gear closet or garage. Not anymore with the Alpenflow Fuel Transfer Device. It’s easy to use, affordable, and allows you to transfer fuel from one canister to another so they can combine, consolidate, and recycle those empty canisters already.
It’s great for home use, but it’s also ultralight and ultra compact, meaning it’s a great gift for thru hikers, too, who can use it to top up their fuel canisters using mostly empties that can often be found in hiker boxes and shelters along their route. That saves weight, money, and stove fuel panic! It’s an unexpected and supremely useful hiking gift.
Pact Outdoors Ultra Lite Bathroom Kit
We love Pact Outdoors and all the brand does to spread awareness about how to poop in the woods. We appreciated their first Pact Bathroom kit, then the Pact Lite, and now the Pact Ultra Lite, which is the smallest and most useful complete backcountry bathroom solution we’ve ever seen. The small aluminum tube reassembles to function as a small spade and the hollow interior holds both Pact compressed wipes (that turning a 9×9 wet wipe with a few drops of water) and mycelium tabs that help waste and wipes break down way faster.
True ultralight backpackers may still find it a bit heavy when compared to the most ultralight spade options out there, but we love to keep this little all-inclusive tool in our daypacks where we hardly notice it’s there but it’s always ready to deploy the moment nature calls. It’s one of the best gifts for hikers we can think of.
No Normal Instant Coffee Paste
Can’t be bothered to spend time making camp coffee in the morning? We get it. Sometimes you just need a quick cup to get you moving so you can hit the trail pronto. If that’s the case, this coffee paste in a zero waste recyclable aluminum tube tastes a heckuva lot better than most–if not all–instant options out there.
It’s super easy to make: just add the paste to hot water. Heck, you can even add it to cold water or squeeze it right into your mouth for an instant shot of caffeine. There’s an unsweetened and sweetened option available and once you open a tube the paste inside is good to go for 18 months. Coffee lovers couldn’t ask for a better stocking stuffer.
Royal Robbins Camino Pucker Shirt
We found our new favorite camp/hiking/mountain biking shirt this season and it’s the collared button-up Camino Pucker from Royal Robbins. Available in a standard fit for men and in a delightfully boxy cropped fit for women, it’s an excellent multi-sport option that transitions seamlessly from trail to town. It’s even available in a wide variety of prints and patterns.
It’s made of 75% TENCEL modal (which is made of responsibly harvested wood pulp) and 25% recycled polyester. The material isn’t as light and breathable as some other shirts we’ve tried, but it’s super durable, so we don’t mind. It’s also a loose enough fit to let in plenty of breeze while riding or hiking and it dries fast.
Uyn Beemotion Barefoot Shoes
You know we love barefoot boots, shoes and sandals here at Terradrift. And these ultra minimalist slip-ons from Uyn are no exception. Why? Because they span the gap between shoes and sandals, dry fast, wick sweat, are comfy, and feel almost like wearing nothing at all. They’re good for everything: walks around town, chill hikes (for true barefoot enthusiasts only), recovery after a long hike or trail run in bulky shoes, and so much more. Plus, they’re perfect for travel because they are super compact and can be rolled up or smashed flat AND weigh so little they’ll hardly notice them in their bag.
In fact, these might become our new camp shoes when backpacking because they weigh less than our barefoot sandals and are easier to pull on and off! Are they perfect? Well, no. We’d prefer if they had a foot-shaped toe box because they squeeze our piggies closer together than we’d like, but when it comes to flexibility, groundfeel and barefoot functionality (the soles are super duper thin) they can’t be beat. Bonus: The uppers are made of 100% plant-based “synthetics” (read more about that here)!
Astral Hemp Apparel
We’ve sung the praises of plenty of plant-based apparel before, but Astral might make some of our favorite items of hemp clothing. Surprised? We were, too, since the brand has always focused on footwear and PFDs. But turns out, they make some baller natural fiber clothing, too. We love their Kinisi Shorts (Josh is obsessed) and Pants (soooo light, loose and comfy) and are obsessed with the Sunset/Sunrise Hoodies (comfy and breathable), but our newest fave is the High Noon Hemp Hoodie.
In fact, Josh tested that shirt and it’s one of the rare articles of clothing I’m ready to spend my hard-earned cash on because I’m jealous every time he wears it. It’s semi-fitted, made entirely of sustainable hemp and organic cotton, super breathable, and the perfect weight for cool fall or spring hikes, layering or lounging around the house. Gift one and it might become their new fave, too.
Bottom Line
We’ve tested, tried, and approve of all these gifts, which are also more sustainable gifts for outdoorsy people. So if you want to gift more responsibly this season, you can feel good about any of them. Of course, used gear and clothing is always the most sustainable option–find great places to find used gear in this article–and there is always the option to avoid the consumerism of the season altogether. If you’re open to it, check out our anti-gift guide for thoughtful, sustainable gifts that either don’t require spending any money at all or support small local businesses. And don’t forget to take a look at our list of gifts your outdoorsy friends absolutely DO NOT want. 😅
Then enjoy the season and wander on.
Check out These Articles Next:
Great places to find used gear
Our anti-capitalist buy-nothing gift guide
Gifts your outdoorsy friends DO NOT want
