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Are you shopping for someone who loves getting away from it all? Maybe you want to give someone a hint to do just that. Either way, I’ve got you covered with what I think are the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts. But, this isn’t just for Jeepers. Your giftee can drive a Camry and still be an avid hiker, mountain biker, or camper. I’ll bet you can find them something from the list below. I drive a lifted and bloated VW Golf(Tiguan) and my tires see as much dirt and gravel as most Broncos.
We all have budgets for gifting. That’s why I’ve rounded up the best gifts in all different price ranges. There are some items below that you may need to know the year, make, and model of the vehicle. If you don’t know, getting a car enthusiast to tell you is never tough; here’s how. “Hey (insert car owner’s name), I saw a (insert type of vehicle) that looked a lot like yours, but the (insert any random visible exterior details: i.e., Wheels, Mirrors, Grille, etc.) were a little different. Did they change those at some point?” You may get a 30-minute lecture on platforms, mid-cycle refreshes, and slight model year changes. But they will tell you the exact year, make, model, trim, options, and paint code of their vehicle.
Best Gifts for Outdoor Enthusiasts on Wheels
The Gift of Classic Looks: KC HiLITES Apollo Pro Off-Road Lights
If you asked me to think of an off-road vehicle and describe how it looks, one of the things I would list is auxiliary lighting with yellow KC covers. The bright yellow smiley face covers aren’t as common these days, but KC is still a leader in off-road lighting. Nostalgia. aside, performance is what makes this one of the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts and off-roaders. The HiLiTES are available in either 5- or 6-inch. The smaller is function as driving, fog, or spotlights and the larger as spotlights only. The housings are tough plastic with a glass lens. These are available either in pairs or individually. So, pay attention to the options when ordering.
A Light Bar for Ulitmate Clarity: Go Rhino Xplor Bright Series 30-Inch Double Row Light Bar
The light bar is a more modern alternative to individual lights like the KCs in this guide. The Xplor Bright Series from Go Rhino uses an aluminum housing and a polycarbonate lens. Everything is IP67 rated for waterproofing and the OSRAM LEDs are rated for 30,000 hours of use. It also includes a 5-year warranty for peace of mind. This bar is 30 inches wide and can mount just about anywhere on any car, truck, van, or SUV. It includes a wiring harness and mounting brackets.
Portable Traction: Rugged Ridge Traction Recovery Kit
I’m not sure you can legally call yourself an overlander if you don’t have traction boards secured to the outside of your vehicle. Clearly, they’re among the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts for that reason. Well, that and because off-roaders use traction boards to get out of sticky situations. These can get you out of a jam when your tires just won’t bite. These, along with the shovel, make this recovery kit from Rugged Ridge a must-pack item, especially if you’re heading out with just one vehicle. This is a great gift for long-time off-roaders who’ve so far refused to buy a kit like this for themselves or for novices just building up their vehicle.
Shelter on the Fly: Yakima SlimShady 4.5-Foot Awning
I keep threatening to buy an awning like this SlimShady from Yakima for my own Tiguan. I will have one before next summer. Whether my family is out at the RC airfield, driving RC cars, or even out mountain biking, it would always be nice to have a spot in the shade. Here in Las Vegas, where we seem to get our solar energy through a magnifying glass, it would be extra nice.
The SlimShady, which I’ve been told is soon to be renamed, mounts to your roof rack. Then unfurls out to polls that are also secured with tension wires. When rolled up, it looks like kind of like a rocket launcher tube on the roof of your car, which is awesome. But it also doesn’t add hardly any drag since the frontal area is so small. I’ve tested several Yakima products through the years and they’ve all impressed with me with their quality and durability.
The Ultimate SUV Organizer: Yakima MOD Trunk Organizing System
This is a new product from Yakima specifically targets the SUV market. Although I think you could get these in most hatchbacks or wagons. I got my hands on it for the first time at the SEMA show and immediately knew I needed to get this in my trunk. I don’t like everything rolling around back there while I’m driving and sometimes I need a workbench when in situ. The MOD System is exactly the solution I’ve been looking for.
As you may have guessed from the name, it is modular. The base is a giant drawer, that comes in three sizes, Medium, Large, and Extra-Large. I guess Small has a stigma attached to it. You can then add more units on top with different functions and sizes. The bottom unit attaches to the cargo hooks in your trunk and then additional units attach to the base. It comes in and out in a few minutes. The downsides I see are, it’s on the expensive side, and when I need my whole trunk, I have to store it someplace. A small price to pay.
A Cooler That Actively Cools: BougeRV Rocky Dual Zone 12V Portable Fridge
I have a BougeRV Rocky running in my house right now that I’m testing for a future review. The days of the styrofoam cooler are long gone. This fridge/freezer combo can run on the 12V socket in your car or you can use a solar panel to recharge the battery while out camping and is easily one of the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts. The inside of the unit can be divided or used as one huge storage box. The divider allows it to split into a fridge and a freezer. So you can keep sandwich meat cold while your ice cream stays frozen. If you don’t have power, it also works as a regular old cooler. It makes almost no noise and it just might be tough enough to Indian Jones a bomb explosion.
Portable Power for All Devices: Jackery Explorer 1000 v2 Portable Power Station
It doesn’t matter if I’m out in the wild for as little as a few hours, I always seem to have some device that needs power. For phones or action cameras, my car’s USB ports are enough for a quick recharge. If I’m out and want to charge several RC batteries or if I want to make coffee or marguerites, I need more juice. I tested this Jackery Explorer 1000v2 a few months ago. I found it to be more than adequate for powering devices. It even charged two e-bikes at the same time. I paired mine with a 200-watt solar panel. That would allow me to power my devices for days without ever tapping into my car’s electrical system. This makes a great gift for campers, cyclists, RC enthusiasts, and anyone who spends a lot of time outside and needs power.
A Backpack With Juice: Bluetti Handsfree 1 Backpack Power Station
Many years ago, I was a professional photographer. I had to carry mounds of batteries for my DSLR, action cameras, and handheld video cameras. I sometimes even had to bring a laptop along to check my results on the go. Portable power, other than bringing extra charged batteries, wasn’t a thing. Dead batteries were very much a thing. Now, you can use this Blueti backpack as your shooting bag, and it has a small power bank built-in. I just started testing one of these, and so far, it seems great. You can even use the small solar panel to charge the battery on site. If you’re hiking into a campsite, this is way easier to carry than most power banks. At least ones with a 270 Wh battery capacity.
Tranquility: Tentsile Duo 2-Person Double Camping Hammock
I don’t always need electronic devices and appliances when I’m enjoying the outdoors. Sometimes, the whole point is to leave all that stuff behind and stare up at happy little clouds while listening to birds. But lying on the ground is lame. This hammock from Tentsile strings up between three points, which can be trees, poles, buildings, or even cars. Its tripod design means you can’t fall out of it(as easily) like a traditional two-point hammock. There are add-ons to turn it into a tent. Or you can throw sleeping bags on top to spend a night under the stars.
The Blanket They Can Take Everywhere: Rumpl Puffy Camping Blanket
You should always have a blanket in your car whether you are off-roading or just driving around town. This Puffy blanket from Rumpl is stuffed with recycled polyester, packs down to almost nothing, and has a print on the front that is themed after Great Smoky National Park—it’s got bears! Who doesn’t love bears? The company has tons of different designs and even has matching water bottles and other accessories if you want to give someone a whole bundle of matching stuff.
Lighting on the Go: Coast EAL22 1250 Lumen Dual Color LED Emergency Light
I have Coast Lantern sitting next to me as I type this. If you don’t know the name, Coast is one of the oldest EDC companies, making everyday carry gear before anyone knew to call it that. This EAL22 lantern has adjustable color and brightness settings, along with being water-resistant and ruggedized. One of the things I like best about Coast Lanterns like this is you can power them with a rechargeable battery pack or use regular alkaline batteries. Look for a review of several Coast products in the near future.
The Ultimate Road-Ready Tool Set: Craftsman Versastack Metric and SAE Mechanic’s Tool Set
As our regular readers know, Hank is a big fan of these Craftsman Versastack toolsets. He’s beaten his set half to death, and it still keeps coming back for more. If you’re heading out into the wilderness, this is exactly the kind of tool set you want to have with you. It’s got sockets, Allen wrenches, torx bits, and combination wrenches. Just add some channel locks, needle nose pliers, and the dead blow I have below and you have just about everything you need. The best part is that the plastic tool,box is lightweight and durable, plus everything has a place, so it won’t make a ton of noise like boxes that everything rolls around inside. These are on sale constantly, as I’m writing this, it’s $179.00 at Ace Hardware, further solidifying its place among the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts and off-roaders.
The Most Valuable Tool in Any Setting: Craftsman 28-Ounce Dead Blow Hammer
When people ask me, “What tool do you use all the time that most people wouldn’t expect?” or “What cheap tool have you gotten your money out of several times over?” I always say, “My dead blow.” I’ve had mine for over 20 years, and I really do use it all the time. If you’re unfamiliar, this is basically a mallet filled with steel shot. So when you hit with it, it hits like a heavy mallet, but it doesn’t bounce. I know there are a lot of toolboxes out there that don’t have one of these. It is a perfect inexpensive gift that will see use all the time.
Seat Covers for the Occasion: Canvasback Outdoor Seatcovers
When I’m outside, I get dirty. Sometimes I don’t even know how it happens, but it inevitably does. To stop making a mess of my interior, I got these covers from Canvasback. I’ve been in love with them since. You can read my full review if you would like. But, to sum up, these aren’t meant to be everyday seat covers, but they aren’t bad for it. What makes them great one of the best gifts for outdoor enthusiasts is that they can put them on only when they need to. They go on and off in minutes and keep dirt, water, and sweat off your seats. I have them for the front, back, and trunk. They are available in several colors and patterns so you won’t have trouble matching them to your giftee’s interior.
Navigation, No Matter What: Garmin Tread Powersport Off-Road Navigation System
We are all huge fans of all of Garmin’s products. From smartwatches to navigation, even cycling products. If you want to go offroad and think paper maps belong in museums, then Garmin’s Tread GPS Navigation systems are for you. These are specifically for use when you don’t have any sort of wireless data available and have millions of miles of trails stored in the unit. You can also pull up camping data, topography, and loads of other info essential once you’re off-road. This particular unit is made for side-by-sides, but will work great in any vehicle and is a great value.
Communication in the Deep Woods: Cobra 19 Mini AM/FM Radio
Cobra 19 Mini AM/FM Radio
I think it was Teddy Roosevelt who said, “Anywhere worth going, doesn’t have cell service.” I think it was him; I’ll have to check. Anyway, once you’re away from civilization you won’t be able to FaceTime your friends, so bring along a proven communication method, a CB Radio. For a hundred bucks, this Cobra unit will let you call for help, talk to trailmates, and give you an excuse to give yourself a cool handle.
Best Smartphone Protection And Vehicle Mounting: Quad Lock Cases And Mounts
Quad Lock Car Windshield Suction Mount
Quad Lock Car Vent Mount
Quad Lock V2 Wireless Car Charging Head
I sometimes get overwhelmed with the number of car phone mounts and car charging systems that companies either want to or send to me unrequested. I tested a number Quad Lock components a while back, and it was the first time I was impressed by not only the function but also the quality of the car phone mount. Using Quad Lock does require you to use its proprietary cases, but they are also topnotch in terms of protection. This stuff also isn’t cheap, but it will last for years, unlike the disposable stuff that Amazon is littered with. There are components to mount your phone to pretty much any vehicle in any way imaginable. One mount with a phone case would make a great stocking stuffer, while a case with mounts for the giftee’s car/truck/SUV, motorcycle, bicycle, and UTV, along with charger heads would be a full-on blockbuster gift.
