To find the best gift ideas for backpackers in your life, first you should know a bit about backpacking! Backpacking is an incredibly challenging yet rewarding pastime where we give up creature comforts and venture into the wilderness for days with only the essentials in our packs. In turn, we are rewarded with some of the most breathtaking views and FINALLY some peace and quiet!
Although we sacrifice comfort for beauty and isolation, comfort is not the only cost. It’s honestly insane how much it costs to live off of nothing. At least that’s what I tell my friends and family when they see the piles of gear I have to fit in my backpack for a week-long trip into the backcountry. From the cooking stove to the lightweight jacket to the sleeping pad, it all adds up rather quickly.
If you’re reading this, chances are you have a friend who has this passion for the wilderness that you might not quite understand, but that you want to help support. As an avid (yet unremarkable) backpacker myself, these are my top seven gift ideas for backpackers. If I didn’t already own and love these items, I would be SO STOKED to unwrap them this holiday season!
I didn’t include the basics (pack, tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad) because most backpackers already have these necessities and are very particular about their personal favorites. Instead, the best gift ideas for backpackers are either upgrades or refills for things that most of us already own. Click on the ones you’re interested in to find out more!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links, designed to allow The Unremarkable Climber (me) to earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. This really helps support the site and lets me know you find this information valuable! That being said, all of my gear recommendations, commission based or not, are genuine recommendations for gear I personally use, so I hope you love them as much as I have! Feel free to drop any questions in the message box below.
This gift idea for backpackers has saved me both in the backcountry and in my own backyard. I don’t love covering myself in harmful chemicals, especially when I won’t have access to a shower for multiple days. This little lightweight mosquito repeller is a nice substitute for topical sprays.
Unfortunately, mosquitos love me, so this mosquito repeller is a necessity, especially in the spring and early summer! The best part is that it’s small, lightweight, and uses the same fuel canisters as most backpacking stoves (including gift option #3), so I can maximize space and weight in my pack.
As someone who backpacks in the Sierras, bear safe canisters are a MUST. They’re really the best option for keeping bears out of your belongings, but I can only fit so much in one of them.
Unfortunately, buying multiple is quite expensive. My mother and I struggled to cram four days and three nights of food and toiletries in to one BV500 on our last backpacking trip in Mammoth Lakes. Most backpackers I know have one size, but adding to the repertoire is always helpful, especially on longer excursions!
Additionally, they are required in many National Parks, including Yosemite National Park and Sequoia National Park.
Peak Refuel is one of my favorite gift ideas for backpackers because it’s my favorite brand of backpacking food! Obviously, backpackers have to eat which means they have to keep buying more of these expensive little pouches, unless they happen to own a dehydrator and a lot of extra time.
My personal favorite flavors are Chicken Pesto Pasta and Sweet Pork and Rice. Unlike the cheaper Mountain House options which I find all taste similarly freeze-dried, Peak Refuel tastes like real food that I’d honestly eat at home if it were more cost effective.
The other major benefit is that my favorite meals above require very little water in comparison to other brands. This feature is incredibly important when water isn’t readily available at my backcountry campsite, like at many locations within Channel Islands National Park. Water is the heaviest thing we carry, so conserving it as best as possible is SO important!
Ok, so most of us already have one, but they’re one of the cheapest and easiest gift ideas for backpackers that will always get put to use. Unlike a traditional water bladder, Nalgenes are lightweight and don’t puncture or leak easily.
My Nalgene was an absolute LIFESAVER on my Eastern Sierra backpacking trip along Deer Lakes Loop in Mammoth Lakes this past fall. I would fill it with boiled water and tuck it into the foot of my sleeping bag as a little heater that stayed the perfect temperature until about 3am when I would quickly turn over and reboil the water with my Jetboil to stay warm and comfy through the early morning hours in freezing temperatures!
A Jetboil is one of the most useful gift ideas for backpackers. Almost every one of my outdoorsy friends owns one of these. They are literally so easy to use and only take a couple minutes to boil water, which comes in super handy when I’m tired, hungry, cold, and I need to conserve fuel.
Whether I’m reboiling my hot water bottle at 3am or quickly getting dinner started, these little powerhouse stoves accompany me on every trip into the wilderness! Even though they take up more space, they’re a solid upgrade from the little compact cooking stoves of the past that literally take FOREVER to boil water. Don’t let your backpacker friend stay stuck in the past!
If you recreate in the backcountry in any capacity, you are the first line of defense for your friends or any other backpackers around you. Having a basic understanding of wilderness first aid is SO incredibly important and could make all the difference!
I personally took a more in-depth wilderness first responder course last year and honestly, now I think it’s pretty reckless that I didn’t take one sooner. However, a shorter and cheaper WFA course covers similar topics and is a good intro into the realm of wilderness medicine!
In addition to a WFA course, this little satellite device is, in my opinion, the MOST IMPORTANT gift idea for backpackers or anyone recreating in the outdoors. Giving an inReach Mini 2 is giving the gift of safety and security. If you are at all concerned about your loved ones when they venture deep into the backcountry, this little device will ensure they always have a way to call for help when they need it.
Whether they need to push the button and call search and rescue, need to reference their GPS location, or just want to check in with you each evening to let you know they’re safe, every backpacker should have one of these. If they already have one, AWESOME. Maybe consider pitching in for the monthly Garmin subscription instead!
I really hope you and your friends get some use out of these gift ideas for backpackers! If you’re still having trouble deciding, feel free to contact me and I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the gear above or any other gear I personally find useful!