Hey thoughtfully clean people! We know you’ve got a laundry list of things to do this season and plenty of outdoor loving people you want to treat with the most amazingly thoughtful gifts imaginable, and we’re here to help. You’ll find a complete list of the best gifts for every outdoor lover on your list in this article. It's made with women in mind, but many are great gifts for everyone!
By purchasing from any of the companies highlighted in this post, you’re supporting passionate small businesses who 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 want to learn more, sign up for our newsletter for your free gift guide.
Keeping warm while enjoying the outdoors in winter
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 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). 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 you 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. Citizen Burro offers their sleeves in a range of sizes including sizes that fit baby bottles and sippy cups (in case you need a perfect stocking stuffer for babies and toddlers on your list).
There may be no better piece of clothing for anything than one of Nuu-Muu’s dresses. Multi-functional, intended for all types of bodies and any environment (lounging, traveling, running, hiking, even biking), quick drying, breathable, oh, yeah, and these dresses don’t show sweat. Nuu-Muu is also thinking ahead by including a pocket in some of their designs (sheer brilliance). 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 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.
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).
Speaking of the PNW, if the dog lover on your list lives in a place with frequent rain, 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 (and less of a chilly ordeal) once she gets home. 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.
Gift her something to warm her up when she returns home with a yummy & spicy hot toddy mix by Trail Toddy. Yes, 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 sans alcohol, 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.
There’s nothing better than enjoying a hot toddy at home than drinking it from a cool mug (metaphorically speaking). Becca Bee Pottery makes some marvelous mugs. They’re 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.
Warm her heart 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.
Help her warm up her living space with a Tawa Threads table runner in vibrant, bold patterns. Tawa Threads runners reflect the contours & silhouettes of the land 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. Tawa Threads is committed to inclusivity, donating to organizations that work with underrepresented communities to break down boundaries to the outdoors. The beauty of these runners is that she can use them for nearly anything – as a swimsuit wrap in warm weather, a head cover any time of year, and a scarf in winter time. She can also use as a wall tapestry and as a bed runner.
Trail Gifts (Stocking Stuffers) for Outdoor Lovers
If you’re looking for stocking stuffers for the hiker on your list, she will love 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. If she frequently does longer overnight hikes, add a meal of Southwest Stew or Mushroom Pot Pie (complete with gluten free dumplings). And, pop another hot toddy mix into her stocking too.
This one might sound weird, but trust me on this. 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 they pee. 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, and such pristine dryness she’ll likely consider swapping out toilet paper at home (seriously, I know it sounds weird, and she’ll probably think it’s weird too… until she tries it).
And, she’ll definitely appreciate 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 love Leave No Trace Rinse Free Cleanser by Rain Organica to clean her face 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. And, Rain Organica offsets their carbon footprint with carbon purchases through Gold Standard.
When she has access to running water on the trail and wants to take a quick shower, she’ll simply adore 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 doubles as a storage bag for your soap. The all-natural bars are made in Ohio, fragranced only with essential oils, 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 so much she uses them at home too.
The Ultimate Splurge Gift for (Tall) Outdoor Lovers
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.
Gift her a pair of wood burned earrings from Moss Tangle to step up the wow factor. These tall tree earrings (okay, are you not into puns like me?) include hypoallergenic nickel free posts and look great with Sequoia Clothing’s pants and a Nuu-Muu dress.
Best Gifts for Outdoor Lovers
This is our run-down of the best gifts you can find for outdoor lovers. We did the research for you so you can grab a hot toddy and enjoy shopping. Feel free to gift yourself a little something from one of these companies too.
And don't forget...
By purchasing from any of the companies highlighted in this post, you’re supporting passionate small businesses who 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 want to learn more, sign up for our newsletter for your free gift guide.
PS - Many thanks to Brandy Searcy at Rain Organica who collaborated with us in creating this guide. She's a lovely, thoughtful biz owner and has been a pleasure to work with!
Cheers,
Lisa