What makes a good hiking gift?
At first, I didn’t want to write an article about this topic. Why? Simple, there are so many articles about “best hiking gifts” already, I felt like I wouldn’t have anything to add.
However, once I looked at some of the top ranked articles I realized something. Most of these articles actually didn’t suggest a lot of gifts I would love to receive… Stay with me here, I will explain why in a minute.
Most articles about “gift ideas for hikers” or “best hiking gifts for him and her” are mainly trying to sell you stuff. They will provide an enormous list with stuff that you can buy from amazon. The problem with most of these suggestions is that there is a big chance that the receiver of this gift already owns what you will give him. Also, it would be possible that he/she simply doesn’t want to carry the additional weight of your gift.
See, hikers are generally very picky about what they bring on a hiking trip. Every additional ounce is an ounce that we have to carry up every mountain that we encounter. Simply put, we, “hikers” try to keep our backpacks as light as possible.
This results in hikers being easily disappointed when somebody buys him/her a hiking gift. That said, there are some gifts that are great for every hiker out there. I took my time to actually create a (somewhat small) list with the best hiking gifts you can buy.
Now that you understand why I had to write this article I hope you can appreciate my hiking gift ideas for hikers even more.
Oh and I know that this article is titled “best hiking gifts for him and her” so most of the suggested gifts are unisex.
List of best hiking gifts for him and her
In order to create a clear overview, I decided to split up the gifts in three different types: Food, Fun and Utility. As I said before, utility is the hardest type of gift to give to a hiker because you need to know a thing or two about the hiker in question. However, there are also certain gifts you can’t go wrong with – even in the utility section.
Food based gifts
The best hiking gift? Take some of these snacks/meals, put them in a basket and there you go!
Food is something that every hiker needs and it’s always fun to discover new flavours in meals and snacks!
As I already gave away at the beginning of this article. A basket with hiking meals and hiking snacks is my favourite hiking gift idea. Not only is this a useful and fun gift, you can also decide (almost) exactly how much you want to spend. However, you have to make sure that these snacks and meals do not spoil and are actually good meals/snacks for hikers. I have done plenty of research on the subject over the years, after writing articles like the best hiking meals and the best hiking snacks, I have plenty of recommendations!
1. Energy bar
This energy bar is pretty popular among hikers and backpackers. It tastes good and has a lot of calories. A great hiking gift because every hiker needs some good snacks for on the trail!
Link to amazon: Energy bar
2. Protein bar
As much as I like a good energy bar, these are not the perfect hiking snack. Why? Well, most hikers simply don’t eat enough protein. An energy bar only has a bit protein in it. The solution? A good protein bar!
Link to amazon: Protein bar
3. Beef jerky
Another awesome high-protein snack is
Link to amazon: Beef jerky
4. Dried fruit
Another something a lot of hikers lack, are vitamins. The main reason for this is that fruit and vegetables don’t preserve good. This can be an issue when you are hiking a long distance trail. The solution would be to bring dehydrated fruit.
Link to amazon: Dried fruit
5. Trail mix
Link to amazon: Trail mix
6. Almonds
Link to amazon: Almonds
7. Peak Refuel | Beef pasta marinara
The first real hiking meal on this list is the Beef pasta marinara from Peak Refuel. This meal contains two servings, every serving contains 490 calories.
You only have to add boiling water and you can eat straight from the bag.
- Calories: 990
- Protein: 49g
- Carbs: 50g
- Fat: 59g
Link to amazon: Peak Refuel | Beef pasta marinara
8. Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles
The next meal is one of my favourite meals. One meal contains around 2 servings and has the following nutritional values:
- Calories: 650
- Protein: 27.5g
- Carbs: 72.5g
- Fat: 27.5g
Link to amazon: Mountain House Beef Stroganoff with Noodles
9. Mountain House Breakfast Skillet
- Calories: 1000
- Protein: 35g
- Carbs: 75g
- Fat: 60g
Link to amazon: Mountain House Breakfast Skillet
Fun based gifts
The fun based gifts are not meant to be used while hiking. These are mainly gifts that hikers can use/wear when they are not hiking.
Books
Great Hiking Trails of the World
T-shirts
Take a Hike | for Men or Women T-Shirt
The Mountains are Calling, I Must Go | for Men or Women T-Shirt
Utility based gifts
The ulity based gifts are gifts that are actually useful (and non-edible) on the trail (or for prepartion) and there is a high chance that the hiker in question will actually use these.
Hiking flask
This gift is probably not for every hiker. However, for some hikes, it will be the perfect gift. If you are hiking a long distance trail and you enjoy a drink in the evening a hiking flask is going to be very useful. A glass bottle is way too heavy and a plastic bottle is simply not tasty. This present is the perfect solution!
DWR coating spray
Another very useful gift is a DWR coating spray. As I explained in this article about waterproof hiking jacket, nothing is completely waterproof. The best way to make sure your gear remains waterproof is to frequently apply DWR coating.
Paracord
Another must have for every type of hiker is paracord. Paracord needs replacement once in a while. Therefore, paracord is a good gift. You might want to combine this with some other gift on this list since paracord on its own is probably not the most exciting gift in the world.
Blister tape
Other hiking gift ideas
If you know exactly what the hiker in questions needs, there are obviously other options as well. Here are some potential hiking gift ideas:
Lightweight 2 person backpacking tent
cheap sleeping pads for backpacking
Conclusion
There are a thousand thing you can do wrong when buying a hiking gift for him or her. However, once you know what you should be looking for, it’s pretty easy to make a hiker/backpacker happy. The secret is FOOD! Combine some of the best hiking snacks and meals and put them in a nice looking basket and you have got yourself the perfect hiking gift.
You don’t absolutely need a basket by the way. You could also keep it simple and buy one/multiple bags of beef jerky. Even something as simple as that is an awesome hiking gift.
If you don’t want to give a food based gift there are still fun-based and utility-based gifts to choose from!
Do you have any other hiking gift ideas? Let me know in the comments below!