GIFT IDEAS FOR THE ADVENTURER IN YOUR LIFE
Sometimes there are too many options. Let’s narrow it down.
We all have that impossible to buy for person in our lives. Seriously, what do you buy for someone who only has what fits in a bag? And if you yourself aren’t an adventurer, figuring out what is and isn’t a good gift can be a stressful task. Never fear, I’m here to give you some gift ideas for travellers and help guide you towards the perfect gift.
My big piece of advice: Keep it small
It’s amazing that you want to get your adventurer that piece of gear they want but can’t afford. But unless you know exactly what that investment piece is, don’t guess. Instead, get them a small gift and a gift card to their favourite outdoor shop so they can purchase it themselves. We, as a general population of adventurers, tend to be pretty individual and picky about our big pieces of gear. Hours of research and decision making go into it, and we kind of love that part too. If you’re at a loss for what to get, here are some small gift ideas for travellers that will surely make them smile.
Think accessories
I don’t mean nice jewellery (though I wouldn’t necessarily say no to that myself). I mean gear accessories. They tend to be smaller, less of a commitment, and always useful to have backups even if your adventurer already has one.
Accessories don’t always have to be useful. Sometimes they’re just for fun.
A good headlamp is always appreciated because those get lost pretty easily.
One can never have too many multitools or pocket knives (I personally love my Opinel knife).
Camping cutlery, titanium crockery (Snowpeak are my favourite), or other camp kitchen bits and bobs.
Sturdy or collapsible water bottles – depending on if your adventurer is into Ultra-lightweight or not. The collapsible/rollable bottles are lightweight and wonderful but do tend to break and need to be replaced more frequently.
Dehydrated food. Which sounds a bit odd to get as a gift, but a lot of us want it but won’t buy it for ourselves because the price tag adds up quickly, and we’re more focused on our big purchases.
Down hut booties. If you don’t know what these are, check them out. They’re magical, especially if you enjoy any winter adventures, or just have cold toes. While getting a pair for your adventurer, I recommend getting a pair for yourself. They also have a great synthetic version for those of you not down with down.
Travel towels. In any and all sizes.
Packing cubes. So underrated, but when you’re living out of a backpack, they act like drawers and make finding your things in a dark hostel room at 3 AM a joy. Plus they come in all sorts of sizes, colours, and designs. If you’re looking for more direction, personally I like ones with some mesh for my clothes (it lets them air out, and let’s face it, backpacking clothes get smelly), and a small one for all my electronics and bits and bobs. Getting a variety of colours also makes a backpack more organized.
E-book reader, or e-books themselves. This one is for the avid reader/adventurer. As much as real-life books are the best, it’s just not feasible to carry that many books. And relying on book exchanges in hostels is definitely more miss than hit.
So when I say accessories think more along the lines of things travellers usually lose, break, or need to replace because they can get pretty rank after a few adventures.
Clothes without stressing about sizing
Take a deep breath, I don’t want to stress you out about having to guess someone’s size. I’m talking more clothing basics that don’t really require the same specificity of fit. Side note though, if you are trying to guess a size, eyeball a person working who is roughly the person’s size and ask them to help. Having worked in outdoor gear, I have tried on many things for many confused people.
Before we go any further, I’m just going to put this out there: I love merino wool. It’s magical, anti-microbial, non-itching (to the huge majority of people, even those like me that find regular wool incredibly itchy), and temperature regulating. It’s also more expensive. Which is why merino anything is the perfect gift idea for travellers. Now on to the list.
SOCKS! I go through socks like it’s my job, but rarely replace them, mostly because I forget. I love getting good socks as gifts, and a bonus for you, the sizing is super forgiving. I’m thinking specifically of more rugged hiking and active socks, less of the no-see-ums you get from Walmart. J.B. Field’s are my absolute favourites, especially their Hiker GX Merino socks that I use for keeping my toes toasty while I bike in the winter.
Buffs (we all refer to them that way, but it’s actually a brand name, like Kleenex) or whatever another company calls them. These are a multifunctional headwear, and they look literally like a tube of fabric. Get a merino one. And maybe a fleece one. As long as they’re stretchy and the material is soft, you can’t go wrong with a buff. Plus they come in a ton of different colours and patterns so it’s always fun. I think I have five, and I wouldn’t be upset to get more.
Base layers. Merino base layers. Because they’re what adventurers wear against their skin, they get rank and holey pretty quick.
Not-not gear
You might be thinking WTF is not-not gear. By this, I mean the things that don’t exist in physical space. Travellers tend to be conscious of the weight and size of their stuff, and usually want it as minimal as possible. Which makes gift-giving hard for you because there’s a strong potential that your gift receiver is very specific, and likely has what they want already. That’s where a not-not gear gift comes into play.
Workaway and WWOOF give travellers the chance to learn new skills.
Pay for a subscription to Workaway or WWOOF. If your adventurer is heading off on a longer trip, see if they’re thinking of doing some volunteering to help extend their trip and keep it in budget. Workaway and WWOOF are great places to find hosts and different volunteering opportunities, but there is a subscription fee to use the service.
Gift cards are an undoubtedly good option. They may not need any gear right now, but I guarantee at some point they will need something. And the nice thing about a gift card is that it’s tiny and will last until some gear needs replacing or updating.
Cover the cost of their travel insurance. This one isn’t so glamorous, but travel insurance is something we all need, even if we don’t want to think about it. Plus it’s a cost we all usually forget about until the last minute, so you might be saving them a huge amount of pre-travel stress. You’ll be a hero!
Get them a Hostelling International membership. Depending on where they’re going and what their plans are, an HI membership can end up saving them a bunch of money along the way on things like hostels, trains, museums, events, etc. And who doesn’t love saving money, eh!
So there you have it, some gift ideas for travellers to get you started. Now you can shop confidently and get them that perfect item, or non-item, that will save you from the awkward thanks of someone trying to figure out what they’re going to do with their fifth solar charger when they go to the arctic in the winter. And no matter what you end up getting them, they’ll love and appreciate the thought you put into it, and that you got to spend a bit of time in their world of adventure. Who knows, maybe it’ll spark a desire for gear and adventure in your life.
