The Best Editor-Recommended Gifts for Hikers

Backpacking takes a bit of strength and stamina, as does running and many other outdoor ventures. But hiking is for everyone, the young and the old, those with hiking skills and those just starting, the nature lovers, the adventure seekers, even kids and dogs. When I think of great hiking gifts, I think of things that are not only practical but also charming and fun, things that make outdoor time part of daily life, not separate. I’ve been covering hiking gear as a professional tester for over a decade, and I spend most of my days trekking in Tahoe National Forest, where there's something like 400 miles of designated trail, a connection to the PCT, as well as enough backcountry to last several lifetimes. This is the gear I’d recommend gifting to anyone who likes walking around in the woods. And if your giftee likes hiking—but very far, or very fast, or with lots of heavy things—we have gift guides for travelers, runners, and backpackers, too.
 

A Lightweight Hiking Belt ($40)

Though they’ve been around for years, every winter around gifting season, there’s someone in my life who hasn’t heard of Arcade Belts and could really use one. The original adventure belt is called the Atlas, and it’s a robust, stretchy elastic belt with a plastic buckle, ideal for hiking, biking, and travel (the plastic buckle is TSA-detector-friendly). Spend one day with this belt, and it becomes obvious how awkward leather accessories can be for a hike—they’re heavy, not weather-ready, and sometimes just not the vibe. With Arcade, I often see giftees still wearing this simple, ingenious item years later. The brand has since created several other lines for both men and women, including the utility-oriented Hardware Belt and lifestyle options like the Momentum Belt.
See the Arcade Atlas Stretch Belt
 

Reliable Hiking Shoes ($150)

I don’t wear hiking boots on day hikes, because it’s overkill if I’m not carrying a heavy load. If you have very weak ankles, a mid-height ankle boot might suit you better, but my go-to pair of hiking shoes are actually trail runners—the Salomon XA Pro 3D V9. Salomon shoes are notoriously comfortable out of the box, aren’t as narrow as brands like La Sportiva, and won’t be shredded after a year of heavy use like a regular pair of road running shoes (mine usually last about two years with constant seasonal use). And while I prefer regular, analog lace-up laces for nearly every boot I wear, for some reason, I like the quick-lacing system on the XA Pro. Rather than feeling like I’m “suiting up” to go outside, this pair of trail runners gets me out the door quickly, without a big fuss. If you’re interested in more options, our guide to the best trail runners delves into the highly technical aspects of trail running shoes and offers additional suggestions. We’ve also written about the differences between trail runners and hiking shoes, if you’re interested. 
See the Men's Salomon XA Pro 3D V9  See the Women's Salomon XA Pro 3D V9
 

Guided Mushroom Hike Gift Card ($89)

If your hiker is a nature-lover, a foodie, or an aspiring horticulturalist, why not treat them to a Wyldforest gift card? Available in 22 cities across the US, from Hartford, Connecticut, to Santa Rosa, California, Wyldforest offers 3-hour guided mushroom-hunting hikes for groups of up to 14 people. Your guide will help find and identify certain mushrooms in your local area, explain which are safe to eat depending on the season, and answer any questions you have about mushroom foraging. The hikes are beginner-level, easy-going group tours, most often held on weekends, depending on the time of year and local weather conditions.
See the Wyldforest Gift Card
 

Tick-Repellent Socks ($27)

Just one trip back East, and four panicked hours searching for tiny little critters on myself and my dog, and I was reminded what a problem ticks are in grassy and deciduous forests. So I picked up a pair of L.L. Bean Cresta Wool No Fly Zone Lightweight Socks. These socks are treated with permethrin, an insecticide that can be applied to the skin to prevent tick bites, and it also has utility as a fabric treatment. Socks are a particularly great piece of clothing to treat with repellent because ticks can’t climb up and onto your body without encountering them first—so buy the tall socks, not the quarter-crew height. They also come in kids' sizes. If you regularly hike in tick territory, you may also be interested in Sawyer’s Insect Repellent Treatment, a spray-on that can be used on everything from clothing to tents. Like many other repellent products, permethrin can irritate the skin—not common, but something to be aware of. You need to keep permethrin-treated items away from your pets, and wash them separately from your clothing, but I find those small hassles worth it. When you’re in East Coast forests, hiking through deer territory, or any other place where ticks easily multiply, these socks are worth it. And if you want to gift just some regular non-insect-destroying hiking socks, we have plenty of recommendations in our hiking sock guide. 
See the L.L. Bean Cresta Wool No Fly Zone Hiking Socks
 

Hiking Poles for Design Nerds ($195)

I was gifted the Gossamer Gear LT5 Three-Piece Carbon Trekking Poles at my last job, while testing gear for another publication. I would never have otherwise invested in ultralight hiking gear for my daily excursions, but these are a marvel of engineering. I don’t know how I dealt with the heavy, sweaty-gripped, sticky-latched aluminum poles of my past—these do none of that. The carbon fiber poles weigh 4.9 ounces per pole, telescope up and down using a latch-free twist system, and feature a cork handle that prevents grip slip. I use poles and love them, specifically for the downhill. I come off the trail, and my knees don’t ache, and they can support you and provide counterbalance if you want to fly down rocky slopes at lightning speed. Give these to the hiker who appreciates just how functional good design really is. We have other trekking pole recommendations in our guide for a variety of hikers. 
See the Gossamer Gear LT5 Three-Piece Carbon Trekking Poles
 

Culty Japanese Lip Care ($10)

Existing outside and then walking around in said outdoors requires an arsenal of lip balms, and Rhoto Mentholatum makes an incredible medicated lip treatment. This Japanese beauty brand has been around since the 70s, specializing mainly in lip care products. This tube has a menthol-like flavor that’s more reminiscent of a healthcare product than a flavored lipstick or lip balm, which I personally like, because it feels universal and unisex. It’s labelled in its original Japanese, so there is no English on the packaging or tubes. A delightful little trinket to pull out of your pocket after a long trek or to find waiting back at the car. 
See the Rhoto Mentholatum Lip Balm
 

An Iconic Lumbar Pack ($105)

I begged for a Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar Pack ($95) for my 16th birthday, and 28 years later, I still have it. I’ve tested dozens of daypacks and new brands, and the gear is always good, but when it comes time to donate, the Mountainsmith is the only one I keep. It’s been my hiking go-to for almost 30 years, because it offers lots of room to gear up for a full day outdoors, but the weight sits on your hips, not your shoulders. I find it easier to access my water bottle, easier to cinch it tightly to my body, and even better for recovery, because the weight isn't on my shoulders and back. The larger-capacity option of the Tour is called the Day (pictured to the right), and several different sizes are now also available. If you’re looking for something more traditional, such as a shoulder pack, we have numerous suggestions in our best daypacks guide. 
See the Mountainsmith Day Lumbar Pack
 

A Packable Sunhat ($46)

The most "fashionable" outdoor hat options right now are trucker hats and bucket hats, but neither is great for hiking. They either don’t protect your ears or have wide-enough brims to be effective for long stints in the sun. I found something I liked when I stumbled across the brand Sunday Afternoons, specifically their Sojourn hat, which comes in three colors and has some loose Panama-hat energy. But importantly, it has both a chin strap, which is good when there’s wind, and is packable, which will keep it out of the way of a backpack. That functional combo is tough to find! So as temperatures fluctuate, clouds roll in, and the day changes, you can stash it in your daypack or hang it over your back, and if this particular model isn’t to your liking, Sunday Afternoons offers a wide range of styles, from cowboy vibes to island style, for both men and women. 
See the Sunday Afternoons Sojourn Hat
 

A Fun Sun Hoodie ($59)

Sendero Provisions is a mostly lifestyle outdoor brand that makes a fun, unisex, bamboo-fabric sun shirt called the Hoodie Tech Shirt. It’s incredibly soft, hooded for when things get a little too hot, and the fabric is UPF 20+. Sunshirts are so worth it because UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) ratings block both UVA and UVB rays, while sunscreen (SPF) only blocks UVB. And while 20 may not sound as good as some technical layers that advertise 50+, know that it’s a game of diminishing returns: UPF 20 still blocks 93.3-95.8% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays to achieve that designation, so you should feel protected. If you like Sendero’s west-meets-southwest style, the men’s Wyatt Short Sleeve Pearl Snap Serape and women’s Boxy Tees are also worth a peek. If not, and you’re anxious to get back to minimalist, technical styling, you’re in luck—we have a guide to expertly tested sun shirts worth perusing. 
See the Sendero Provisions Hoodie Tech Shirt
 

A Protective Visor ($39)

If you have a lot of hair—a big ponytail, a mountain of dreads, or any glorious moptop—you may prefer a visor, instead of a hat, for keeping the sun off. I prefer the Patagonia Terrebonne; it’s a lightweight, sweat-wicking, recycled polyester visor with no bells or whistles—just the color of your choice to match whatever you’re wearing. And that’s a great thing, considering visors have so many uses, whether you’re hiking, fitting it under a helmet, or using it under a rain hood. 
See the Patagonia Terrebonne Lightweight Visor
 

A Phone Case That Covers the Charging Port ($70-$80)

I recently had to replace the charging port in my iPhone because it got clogged with dust. I kept jamming the cable in too hard to connect to power, and eventually I broke the internal pins it needed to function. If you use your phone while hiking (and who doesn’t), you may want to consider a case that covers the charging port. The Otterbox Defender Series does, and also offers many other drop-resistant, scratch-resistant, slip-resistant features, all of which are helpful when stuffing a phone in and out of bag pockets. Otterbox makes products compatible with Apple, Samsung, Google, and Motorola devices, as well as wireless charging. The cost of this case is about half what it cost to replace my broken phone port. 
See the Otterbox Defender Series Phone Cases
 

A Hiking Umbrella for Long, Exposed Treks ($45-$55)

Though it may seem clumsy to go hiking with something that requires an entire hand, I implore anyone who is sick of reapplying sunscreen, wrestling with a tangled sunglasses/hat combo, or taking sun layers on and off to give an umbrella a try. The Six Moon Silver Shadow Ultralight Umbrella is a lightweight, reflective, and surprisingly unobtrusive piece of gear for a dayhiker. It will protect you in exposed terrain, to the point that the air actually feels cool beneath its reflective fabric—a wonder and delight for anyone who’s ever sweated it out through a long, sun-drenched afternoon on the trail. This umbrella features a rigid shaft, which allows it to stay tall even when folded; however, this is a good thing for high-wind areas and for blocking gusts of debris from hitting your face. If you’re backpacking or thru-hiking, you may like something that packs down, and Six Moons has a mini version that telescopes down to 40% the length of their primary offering, and a carbon version that weighs about 2 ounces less than the original. 
See the Six Moon Designs Silver Shadow Ultralight  See the Six Moon Designs Silver Shadow Carbon
 

Inspiration for Dark Sky Hikes ($20-$100)

Anyone lucky enough to see Arches National Park at Night, or to visit Great Basin for bat watching, knows that hiking at night is wondrous, like existing in another world separate from the hot hikes and fussy sun prep of trekking in the day. The Lonely Planet Dark Skies guide is a great resource for anyone who wants to understand what to take or where to go for a stroll under the stars. In addition, Falcon Guides makes two dark sky guides specifically for hiking in Utah and Arizona. And finally, if your giftee is merely looking for inspiration, independent photographer Jeff Pfaller has created an astrophotography book that explores night skies in 40 of the US’s national parks and public lands. I bet you didn’t know the moon could make rainbows.
See the Lonely Planet Dark Skies Guide
 

A First Aid Kit for Little Ones ($9-$12)

Adventure Medical makes the pre-packed red and blue first aid kits you see everywhere, from REI to Dick’s Sporting Goods. They’re compact, complete, and a no-brainer to pick one off the shelf. But they also make cute animal-themed Backyard Adventure Medical Kits for kids—small, hand-friendly starter first aid kits with a carabiner clip-on and an animal pouch. It includes hand sanitizer, antibiotic ointment, and bandages to treat cuts and scrapes—the perfect way for a little one to flex their first wilderness rescue skills. There’s also extra room to store personal medication or additional items. If a fox isn't to their liking, other animal options include a llama, raccoon, sloth, owl, and unicorn designs. 
See the Adventure Backyard Adventure Kit
 

The Best Dog DooDoo Day Pack ($52)

My favorite bag for a short morning hike with my dog is this Baggu Fanny Pack. It’s neither a hiking-specific piece of kit nor a dog-specific piece of gear, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever found for jaunts with the dog due to one key feature: two separate pockets. One for my everyday carry, and one where I can zip up his multiple gross little doggy bags and pack them out. I will neither see nor smell them ever again until we’re home. If I forget to take this functional little bag, I have to carry his poop bags the entire way (a total drag), store them in a pocket with other personal stuff (no), or stick them in a water bottle pocket where I’ll forget them (every time). It comes in a great selection of colors and patterns, has an extra interior zip pocket, and, best of all, it’s machine washable. 
See the Baggu Fanny Pack