Published: November 1, 2020
Thoughtful gift ideas for hikers & nature lovers
If you’ve been wondering what to gift the hikers & nature lovers on your list this Christmas, you’ll find the perfect gift in this article. And, if you need more ideas (or had rather browse by pics instead of prose), be sure to sign up for our newsletter to get a free downloadable gift guide with even more products to choose from.
Trail Gifts (Stocking Stuffers) for Hikers
If you’re looking for stocking stuffers for the hiker on your list, gift her a few repair patches offered by Sisu Magazine/Coalition Snow. These make clothing and gear repairs on the trail easy for when she hits a snag.
She will adore Fernweh Food Company’s vegan, gluten-free meals. Each meal can be cooked right in its 100% compostable bag, just add hot water.
If she’s an early bird, she’ll really appreciate the thoughtfulness of Fernweh Food Co’s Breakfast Bowl. And, if she frequently does longer overnight hikes, add a meal of Southwest Stew or Mushroom Pot Pie (complete with gluten-free dumplings).
For overnight trips, Leave No Trace Rinse Free Cleanser by Rain Organica will let her clean her face without waste at the end of a day outdoors. This cleanser, made from plant-based ingredients and dead sea mud, offers gentle cleansing. If she doesn’t wipe off all residue, no worries. It’s surfactant and soap-free and includes vitamin C to help protect her skin if any product remains.
The best thing about Leave No Trace is that she can use reusable facial rounds to cleanse – no more wipes that have to be thrown away. Here at Rain Organica, we offset our carbon footprint with carbon purchases through Gold Standard and also supports Outdoor Outreach, an organization that removes barriers between under-resourced youth and the outdoors.
When she has access to running water on the trail and wants to take a quick shower, she’s going to appreciate that you gifted her a Redbudsuds 4-in-1 shower bar in a bag. This bar lathers as her shampoo+conditioner+soap+shave bar in an exfoliating recyclable bag. That exfoliating bag doubles as a storage bag for your soap.
The all-natural bars are made in Ohio, fragranced only with essential oils (and speaking from experience, smell amazing!... citrus sunshine is my favorite), and come in plastic free packaging,
Redbudsuds is also a member of 1% for the Planet. (A little known fact… the Hydration Station Shower Bar already has a cult following of wavy-haired girls who’ve said goodbye to plastic in the shower.)
While both Redbudsuds and Rain Organica solve problems of cleansing on the trail, she’s going to love these gifts so much she uses them at home too.
This one might sound weird, but trust me on this… I am literally gaga over Kula.
If she hikes,… at all, long or short, overnight or not, gift her a Kula Cloth. What’s a Kula Cloth? It is a game-changer for peeing in the wild. A real Leave No Trace option for drying a person after she pees. It has a waterproof side to keep her hands dry and a super absorptive anti-microbial side for drying.
With a double snap to keep the cloth folded in half and firmly attached to her pack or belt loop during her hike (or long-distance run) and such pristine dryness she’ll likely consider swapping out toilet paper at home
(I know it sounds weird, and she’ll probably think it’s weird too… until she tries it – but, I often wonder, how did I not know about Kula during the great TP shortage of 2020).
The Ultimate Splurge Gift for (Tall) Hikers
If you are looking for the most perfect gift for the tall girl on your list, Sequoia Clothing offers well-designed robust pants that fit right and are made for tall women. Sequoia is brand new, and the co-founders are already prototyping some of their designs with a few lucky product testers. Even if you can’t buy their pants just yet, get her a gift card from Sequoia Clothing.
Help her bring nature indoors
Winter can be a difficult season (at least for some) to enjoy nature in all its glory. If she tends to hibernate in winter, gift her a planter or vase by Becca Bee Pottery. These nature-inspired creations are all hand-thrown in Portland by an avid outdoors girl (and gardener), and the scenes on these pieces reflect Becca’s love of the outdoors. Custom order today to get the perfect mug for your outdoor lover by Christmas and tuck a hot toddy mix inside to surprise her.
Wrap her new planter or vase in one of Tawa Threads table runners in vibrant, bold patterns. Tawa Threads runners reflect the contours & silhouettes of the lands she loves to wander letting her bring the outdoors in and let the colors of fall, spring, & summer spill over into the white of winter. The beauty of these runners is that she can use them for nearly anything – as a swimsuit wrap in warm weather, a headcover any time of year, and a scarf in the wintertime. She can also use it as a wall tapestry and as a bed runner.
Bring the wild to her with Run Wild & Be, a collection of poems & stories by Syd Zester about outdoor spaces and endurance running. Definitely consider a subscription to Sisu Magazine for her. She’ll receive one of these magazines each quarter and be reminded of your thoughtfulness with each edition.
Gift her something to warm her up with spicy hot toddy mix by Trail Toddy. These hot toddy mixes may be meant for the trail, but that’s no reason not to enjoy them at home too. Each of the blends is a mixture of organic ingredients packed into 100% biodegradable pouches and just waiting to be paired with a cup of hot water and shot of her favorite liquor (or enjoyed alcohol-free… either way, they’re delicious).
The really great thing? Each set of hot toddy mixes comes in sets of four (even the sampler set), so you can split one set between four of your outdoorsy friends. And, each pack includes its own cinnamon stick for stirring.
If she loves learning new hobbies (or is looking for the perfect winter hobby to bring nature indoors), gift her a DIY woodburning class with Mosstangle Arts. Mosstangle Arts offers a wide variety of woodburning classes throughout the year (like wood-burning Christmas ornaments, making fall leaf inspired coasters, and mountain range cork trivets). If that sounds like some ideal bonding time, pick up two tickets for one of Mosstangle Arts' classes.
Winter Gifts for Nature Lovers
If there’s one thing the outdoor lover on your list will appreciate, it’s anything that helps keep her warm while she’s outdoors in the wintertime. Help her keep her hands warm with these wind and water-resistant run mitts by White Paws Run Mitts. These mitts are designed to hold a hand warmer and make it easy to peel back the outer flap so her fingers are free for whatever activity requires dexterity (without having to take her glove/mitt completely off to use her fingers freely). The design is also perfect for runners to keep peeling back the mitts during her run as she warms up. White Paws Run Mitts also sells face gaiters to keep her face protected from the cold.
Blanket her coffee tumbler, steel pint cup, or water bottle with Merino love. The sleeves allow her to pick up wool softness rather than cold, hard steel on a chilly day. Wool is naturally anti-microbial, and these sleeves are machine washable. Moreover, you can find these sleeves, handmade in New Mexico, in a range of sizes including sizes that fit baby bottles and sippy cups (in case you need a perfect stocking stuffer for any babies and toddlers on your list).
Gifts for the dog lover
If she travels with a four-legged friend, she’ll appreciate Wag Theory’s hands-free dog leash to help keep her hands warm (since she can keep her hands in her pockets while still traveling with her pup). These leashes are well-designed: complete with an accessory ring for her keys or bag holder, and they’re also waterproof (just as you’d expect from a brand founded in the Pacific Northwest).
Wag Theory’s Urban Trekker jacket, made from waxed canvas, offers a water-resistant layer perfect for the rain. Thoughtfully designed features - like a full coverage chest & adjustable buckle straps - make it easy to adjust the fit of the custom-made jacket making clean-up a breeze once she gets home and making cleaning up less of a chilly ordeal. If you’re running short on days before Christmas, select from a selection of in-stock inventory – Wag Theory’s size charts make it easy to size appropriately.
Versatile gifts for nature lovers
There may be no better piece of clothing for anything… lounging, traveling, running, hiking, biking, yoga class… than one of Nuu-Muu’s dresses. Multi-functional, intended for all types of bodies and any environment, quick-drying, breathable, AND… these dresses don’t show sweat. Nuu-Muu is also thinking ahead by including a pocket in some of their designs (sheer brilliance, and I’m head over heels in love with their design). These exercise dresses elevate the day and are the most incredible gift for the girl on your list who’s always on the run… trying to fit her social life, work-life, and active outdoor lifestyle all into a day. The dresses are sewn in the US, and Nuu-Muu is a member of both 1% for the Planet and The Conservation Alliance.
Best Gifts for Hikers & Nature Lovers
This is my run-down of the best gifts you can find for hikers and nature lovers. I did the research for you this year, so grab a hot toddy for yourself and enjoy shopping. In case that suggestion was too subtle, feel free to gift yourself a little something from one of these companies too (and, yes, you can blame it on me 😊).
By purchasing from any of the companies highlighted in this post, you’re supporting passionate small businesses that are doing good in the world.
We’ve only just touched the surface of how these companies are impacting equality outdoors and sustainability, so if you’d to learn more, either about how each company gives back or the other products they have to offer, sign up for our newsletter for your free gift guide.
About the Author
Brandy's a formulation scientist and self-proclaimed health geek who loves hiking, gardening, bird-watching, and body boarding.
Her struggle with acne during her teens and 20s led to a holistic and healthy approach to skincare, embracing skin as an organ to be loved and cared for rather than a canvas to wage war on.
Since 2008, she's been developing all-in-one products for a simple routine at home, & Rain Organica started when her backpacking friends asked for a portable skincare routine to keep their skin healthy & happy on and off the trails.
You can try Rain Organica for yourself with The Essentials Kit, a complete skincare routine in just 3 steps.
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