When you’re gift shopping for a hiker who seemingly has everything, ideas might not come so readily – particularly if you don’t share their love of trudging up hills!
But fear not, with gifting season just around the corner, we’ve pulled together 21 gift ideas for those who love hiking – and we’ve split them into four budget tiers:
- Hiking gifts under £10
- Hiking gifts under £20
- Hiking gifts under £50
- Big budget gifts
So whether it’s a quick and low cost Secret Santa or something with a bit more budget, we’ve got you covered.
Gifts for Hikers Under £10
On a budget? Here are some solid ideas for quick, low cost hiking themed gifts.
We’ve gone largely with practical hiking gifts here with a couple of cute options too.
- First is the easy carry small first aid kit. Those doing multi day hikes will probably have something more substantial than this already. But for those shorter ones, does anyone want to be carrying a bulky kit? A quick first aid kit for hikers and ramblers is one of those always handy to have things!
- From there, we’re into the more cutesy! Key rings always feel like pretty “safe” gifts. People can’t ever have too many and it’s a decent option if you’ve landed the office hiker in a Secret Santa or similar
- Personally I love the third option of the hiking log book. I love to have a log of all my hikes though mine was held digitally. For ages and ages I meant to buy a specific log book and FINALLY did in March this year. Every walk I’ve taken since I’ve logged and I’ve encouraged my son to do the same as he’s getting into it
- A hiking boot bag for the boot of my car was the best thing I ever bought myself (well maybe apart from my Boot Buddy but more on that later). I Love hiking. Hate a boot covered in mud. So now when I get back to the car, I scrub most of the mud off and then put my boots in a bag. So low cost and a gift I would so have appreciated if someone else had bought it for me
- Finally – the compass! I know, I know… loads of people navigate using phones now. That includes me by the way – but I always have a paper map and compass as a back up. And I have broken more than one compass, so I think it’s also the sort of gift that you can buy someone even if they already have one. Back ups!!
So whether it’s a group Secret Santa or just a low budget gifting occasion, you can find all sorts of small ideas for the hiker in your life.
Wildcard idea – things like high energy snacks. Consumables are always a great idea because they get re-bought over and over again!
Gifts for Hikers Under £20
So let’s double the budget and look at hiking gifts for between that £10 and £20 mark. Now this is usually what my friendship group would budget for small gifts for another and I always get hiking related stuff – which I LOVE. SO here are some ideas based on the best gifts i’ve personally received.
- Dry bags might be the most practical thing ever made. I bought myself this exact set from the table above. I use the smallest one for my portable charge bank and cables and one of the bigger ones for spare socks and clothes on winter hikes. I also use one as a travel toiletries bag so I don’t get a soaked suitcase of a shampoo bottle leaks but that’s beside the point. They’re insanely practical. When it comes to hiking, you don’t need fancy features. So I have never spent the big money on the brands with the extra hooks and features you might want if you were paddleboarding or kayaking. These were a bargain and I’ve had mine for over a year with no problems.
- Particularly in Autumn and Winter, I would never dream of going hiking without a headtorch and ideally more than one in case of battery running out. It’s an Autumn and winter hiking kit list essential and one of those things I think always worth having multiple of. I do love a practical gift.
- If you’ve got a hiking fanatic friend or family member who is bagging Wainwrights or Munros, these scratch maps are a beautiful way of recording all the summits they’ve ticked off. The Munro one in particular is huge. Mine is on the inside of a cupboard door, but I definitely need to move and display that somewhere more prominent. My Wainwright one is displayed in my bedroom. I love them both!
These really are excellent gifts for hill and mountain baggers. Though I imagine I won’t be scratching these completely for many years to come!
- Finally the thermal tea/coffee cup. The finest coffee in the world is the one you have sitting on a mountain or a hill summit on a clear day. That’s an absolute fact and I’ll stand by it forever. I bought myself the Contigo cup in the table above (from Tesco) and I’ve used it heavily for 2 years. It’s still going strong.
And that right here ^ was the single greatest coffee I had all year, near Mam Tor in April 2023. It was the first hike of the year where I hadn’t had to wear all my winter layers and it was a beautiful blue sky day. Those are the best coffees.
Gifts for Hikers Under £50
So, I do a Secret Santa with the adults in the family each year. It means we each only need to buy one gift and we set a £50 budget for it. I almost always get something hiking related and this list of ideas for hiking related gifts under £50 includes some of my favourites.
- First up is the water filtration system. Water is HEAVY! So if your loved one is a hiker who’s out for long day hikes or even multi day hikes, the ability to filter water from a fresh water source can be really useful. I’d never used one before this was bought for me a while back and I used it a lot over the hot summer hiking days. I don’t like to carry more than 3 litres with me so if it’s a hot and long day hike, this great to have
- Next up is one of the Victorinox Swiss Army knives/multi tools. I bought myself my multi tool/Swiss Army knife (nobody gifted it to me – sad times). I won’t lie… I wanted one without knowing why I wanted one. But actually it has been incredibly useful. Icaught my hiking boot lace in vegetation while hiking and was able to cut it all away. It’s also a useful bottle opener if you’re planning a celebratory summit beer!
- The collection of Munro maps is an absolutely awesome gift for any hiker who collecting Munro summits. It’s made up of really detailed maps which helps no end with route planning
- I will never hike in anything other than merino wool socks ever again. It was game changing when I received some as a gift a few Christmases ago. It’s like a hug for your feet and merino wool has sweat wicking properties which can help reduce the risk of blisters
- Portable hand warmers: In the winter months, it sometimes feels impossible to keep your hands warm when you’re hiking, regardless of which gloves you wear. I have a set of these I keep in my bag and if it gets super cold, I’ll use them when I stop for a snack. I also use them back at the car after a hike if it has been a cold one.
- Finally, the electric boot dryer. I didn’t know this was a thing until quite recently and it is quite literally life changing.
Bigger Budget Gifts
If you’re really going all and spoiling the hiker in your life, here are some bigger budget ideas.
So if you’re really looking to spoil someone, here are some ideas:
- A really decent midlayer. Personally, I love Mammut ones (as you can see in the photo below I am always in that Mammut one when I hike. I hope it holds out for me). But I think good midlayers are useful in multiple seasons and it’s the sort of thing it’s useful to have more than one of so no harm in buying one even if you’re not sure whether your intended recipient has one already
I’m absolutely obsessed with this midlayer that feels light when worn but really helps regulate temperatures in all weathers.
- A satellite communications device is a pretty hefty price tag gift. I was bought one as a gift by someone who was rather concerned by me wandering off solo to areas with absolutely no mobile signal whatsoever for hours and hours on end. So I think it was as much for their peace of mind as a gift for me!
- I’m an Apple Watch wearer personally. But if the hiker in your life doesn’t have a fitness tracker then that could be an awesome gift. I do like to track my distances, steps and elevation so I can’t be without mine!
Two Bonus Gift Ideas
Did you know… an annual subscription to OS Maps is only £28.99! Cracking gift!
And, of course, booking a hiking trip is another idea. Is there a hike that’s been on their bucket list for a while? And could you arrange for them to travel to do it!
Failing this of course… vouchers for their favourite outdoor store!
