Ultimate Gift Guide for the Adventurer
- Caroline Murphy
- Nov 17, 2022
- 6 min read
With the holidays approaching, it can be hard to come up with gift ideas that are thoughtful yet practical. To help you in your search I have compiled some of my favourite items for hiking, camping, and just spending time outdoors. I have split my recommendations into four categories of gifts, including Adventure Gifts, Stocking Stuffers, Local Newfoundland Adventure Gifts, and Handmade Gifts.
Disclaimer: I ultimately think it is worth checking Facebook Marketplace for some of these items. Let’s normalize second-hand gifts!! I have bought gear on Marketplace and for the most part, it is in good condition for a significantly lower price!
Adventure Gifts
All of these gifts are relatively pricey and I bought them over a few years but I find that good camp gear is an investment. Ultimately there are some items where you can find cheaper alternatives (knockoff buffs) but there are other items that you will want to invest the money in such as a good sleeping pad.
Klymit Insulated Static V Lite Sleeping pad - $133.30 CAD
This sleeping pad can be used in all four seasons and is so easy to inflate/deflate. It is ultra-light at only 22oz and deflates to be super compact. I have also dealt with this company as I had some shipping issues and the company has superb customer service.
Inflatable Camp Pillow
I have used my clothes as a pillow when camping for many years but recently I decided to go ahead and get an inflatable pillow and it is actually worth it. The one I have is the Therm-A-Rest down inflatable pillow, however, when I bought my Klymit sleeping pad they sent a free pillow as well, so check on that deal if you are thinking about the pad too.
Buff
This is my favourite outdoor accessory because it is stylish yet so practical. I have worn mine for literally every type of outdoor activity imaginable and you can fashion them as a hat, headband, balaclava, scarf, hair band, and more. It's also a great way to cool down when outside, just dip your buff into the water and wear it around your head or neck!
Power Bank - $89.99
This is a game changer when hiking in my opinion. My phone dies so quickly so a power bank gives me peace of mind when on a longer adventure. I bought the Bluehive 20,000 mAh Power Bank from Canadian Tire. The weight of this specific one is 0.43 kg and it charges an iPhone 13 over 4 times.
Camping Cooking Set
I got this as a Christmas gift many years ago and I use it A LOT. The one I have is the duo set and comes with a decent size pot, two bowls, and two mugs, all of which fit inside the pot. You can also get a single set if you are solo hiking.
Solo Set - $72.21
Duo Set - $99.95
Stocking Stuffers
Emergency Blanket - $7.49
I think buying someone survival products is a great gift idea. For one, they are so handy for any kind of adventure and could be vital in the case of an emergency. And also these items might be overlooked in preparation for adventures. You can find this at any outfitter or on Amazon.
Compact First Aid Kit - around $13-20
The one linked below is the one I use, it's for two people, one day. You can get ones that are more tailored to your specific adventure or to longer trips but this one has worked for me so far!
Moleskin $3.30
If you are doing any kind of adventuring outdoors, moleskin comes in handy. This is usually already found in a first aid kit but honestly, you can never have too much.
Headlamp $30 - 60 for a good one
Honestly, if you are not doing serious adventuring a cheap headlamp and backup will probably do the trick. But if you are going on multiple night trips etc a good headlamp can make a huge difference. Definitely not necessary but it is very convenient to actually be able to see your way to the squat toilet at 4 am on an overnight hike LOL. The one I have is a bit pricey (or maybe I’m just cheap) at $64 but you can get ones that are only marginally inferior for like $30.
Newfoundland Adventure Gifts
RELIC staple beanie - $25
This is my favourite hat, I don't know why but they are so warm and I love the way it looks. They come in so many colours and once you get one, you want them all lol. You can pick them up at Relic on 181 Water Street in St. John’s, or you can order them online.
Hikes of Newfoundland Book - $29.95
This is a must-have guide to the must-do walks and hikes for those who wish to explore the island on foot. If you are more interested in a particular area of the island you can also get Hikes of Eastern Newfoundland and Hikes of Western Newfoundland.
Hidden Newfoundland Book - $29.95
Speaking of books, this one seems really cool! It includes 120+ ghost towns, natural wonders, and other off-the-beaten-path destinations in Newfoundland. This would definitely inspire some really interesting and unique adventures.
Local Trail Merch
This doesn't have to be specific to Newfoundland, but the examples below are! This is such a great way to support your local trail network.
The East Coast Trail has such a great lineup of merchandise including repair patches,
ball caps, and beanies, Buffs, water bottles, pins, t-shirts, embroidered patches, stickers,
And postcards. I have a beanie and I live in it, they are top quality.
The Rockcut Twillingate Trails is a somewhat new trail network, but don’t let that fool you. Although they are new, their merchandising is quite great! The image below shows their offerings as well as how to order
Great Northern Trail Association is a trail network on the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. They sell their merch mainly in the Rebel Coffee House in St. Anthony but also keep up with their Instagram page for when they do orders!
Damnable Trails is a relatively new trail on the Eastport Peninsula and wow! Again for a new trail network, they have great merch. You can get anything from a t-shirt to a backpack as well as stickers and hats.
Maps
Local maps that show the topography of the land as well as access trails, campsites, and important info are so so valuable. I have the full set of East Coast Trail maps and they help so much with trip planning, especially for the longer hikes and overnighters.
Handmade Gifts
Honestly, sometimes the gifts that you don’t spend money on can mean more than anything else. My siblings and I do only handmade gifts for Christmas so I have a lot of experience to base this on and a lot of good handmade recommendations up my sleeve. Although these are cheaper gifts they can be more time-consuming. The following are some general ideas for thoughtful handmade gifts tailored to the adventurous.
Playlist
My sister made me a shared playlist titled Adventure With Car that included all songs that reminded her of adventure, travel, and me! It was so thoughtful and it means so much to me to listen to songs that she specifically picked thinking of me. She included a card pictured here that was the physical gift and it is a drawing of the playlist and cover photo!
Procreate Map Art
I can’t take credit for this one and you need to be a bit artsy. This was created by my brother's girlfriend using the Procreate App. This app allows you to create graphic art using an iPad and pen. The app is around $13CAD on the app store. If you are not familiar with the app but want to learn, try Pinterest for tutorials! This gift was a map of Spout Path on the East Coast Trail with some sentimental touches all drawn on procreate and then printed off and framed!
Homemade Piggy Bank
This can be made quite simply, using a shadow box bought from the dollar store. On the front, you paint “travel fund” or “adventure fund” and then glue a picture of an adventure to the back of the shadow box on the inside and cut a hole where you can insert money.
Clay Art
This is such a cute way to make an image come to life and there are so many ways to incorporate this into a gift. Using this with a shadow box or gluing string to it and using it as a tree ornament are some examples. The clay can be bought at Micheals and is relatively cheap! You can model it as you wish and search online for which oven settings to use and how long to leave it in!
Comments