We tested hundreds of products earlier this year to round up the best outdoor gifts currently on the market, all explicitly designed for your outdoor-loving loved ones. From travel gear to tech gifts to fitness products, from $20 to $1,600, we have something for everyone. Don't forget to check out the rest of our favorite picks in our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide.
At a glance
If you purchase through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. This supports our mission to get more people active and outdoors. Learn more.
Exped Mega Pump
The worst part of setting up camp is blowing up inflatable sleeping pads until you're blue in the face. It can take forever and the process always leaves you out of breath. That's why we love Exped's new rechargeable battery-powered pump, which does 95% of the work for you. The lightweight, portable pump can fill a large pad, or even a large one, in a minute or two. All you have to do then is top off the cushion with a few puffs and you're ready to relax.
James Brand The Palmer
$39 at James Brand $59 at Backcountry
Weight: 2.5 ounces
Designed to fit perfectly in the coin pocket of your pants or shorts, the Palmer is an ultra-versatile utility knife that you'll use for everyday tasks, from cutting paracord to preparing kindling. When your blade becomes dull, you can swap out a new one in less than a minute in the field. This year, James launched a host of clear and tinted color options, which offer a fun look at the mechanics of the knife.
Black Diamond Traverse Pro Ski Poles
Go ahead and throw these poles in the truck bed or use them to brush snow off your boots: thanks to a pure aluminum handle, they're virtually indestructible. They weigh more than the carbon options, but only slightly. The Traverse Pros also feature stronger locking mechanisms and extended handles, which provide better purchase and stability during sideways descents on the skin track.
Crazy Creek Air Cliner
Weight: 1 pound, 13 ounces
All the hours you spend hunting elk or chatting around a campfire just got a lot more comfortable. Made from high-density ripstop nylon, the AirCliner inflatable chair can brush past rocks and sticks without causing a leak, and it's easy to inflate in just a few breaths. You'll notice the 1.8 pounds when hiking with it, but for shorter trips, the weight is worth the comfort.
PAID ADVERTISING BY AMAZFIT
Amazfit T-Rex 3 ($279.99)
When it comes to rugged GPS smartwatches, the Amazfit T-Rex 3 is ready for any adventure. With over 3 weeks of battery life, the T-Rex 3 can withstand temperatures from 158°F to -22°F and is waterproof up to 328 feet. The large screen makes it easy to check GPS maps and activity data, even in direct sunlight. Plus, stay focused on your goal by fully controlling your watch with your voice and sending speech-to-text messages. With best-in-class data privacy, the T-Rex 3 also gives you the option to turn off GPS for complete privacy.
Monocular Nocs Provisions Field Tube 8 × 32
If you're like us, you always choose to leave the heavy binoculars in the car and always kick yourself whenever an eagle flies overhead or a moose wanders into a nearby field. That's why we love this lightweight monocular. We keep one in our glove compartment at all times, and since it only weighs eight ounces, throwing it in the bag is a no-brainer. A large button on the top makes one-handed focusing easy, and the glass is sharp and clear.
Freaks of Nature Daily Defender SPF30 100% Mineral Sunscreen
Legendary surfer Kelly Slater founded her sunscreen company Freaks of Nature this year, and the zinc oxide formula is one of the best we've tested. Not only does it leave very little residue, but it also hydrates your skin with the brand's biosynthesized squalane. Bonus: it's reef safe and the container is made from 100% recycled plastic.
Ski Salomon Stance 96
Sizing: 168, 176, 182, 188 cm
While other skis outperform the Stance 96 in one category or another, it proved to be the most well-rounded ski in our 2024/2025 ski test. It's an extremely versatile ski that we think will get along with everyone, from intermediates still working on their skills to seasoned experts venturing beyond the groomed slopes. An energetic carver and nimble mogul ski, our testers were impressed no matter where they pointed the Stance 96.
Fury X Ready Helmet
$220 at Backcountry $220 at Evo
Sizing: SL
The Pret Fury X and its female version, the Vision X, appeal to everyone. The EPS foam in the liner has an antimicrobial treatment to keep it from getting funky, and the front and top-of-head vents are all easily controlled with a single switch, making the helmet highly breathable. The comfortable wool earmuffs can be removed on hot days, and the magnetic chin strap is easy to attach and can even be secured with one hand.
Anon M5 Glasses
$300 at Evo $300 at Backcountry
The oversized Anon M5 had the strongest and most secure magnetic lens system of anyone we tested, making it a great outdoor gift for the skier on your list who loves changing lenses. A flat toric lens provided full visibility, even in hard-to-spot corners, and the hard, durable plastic frame seemed sturdier than glasses with softer, more flexible frames. Additionally, you can add a neck gaiter, which attaches to the bottom of the glasses via a magnet, for $32 more.
How We Tested Our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide
- Number of testers: 6
- Number of products tested: 125
- Number of states tested in: 7
- Age range of tester: 30-75
- Highest altitude reached during testing: 14,006 feet.
The best Christmas gifts often fall into two main categories. The first category is: “A gift that makes my daily routine even better.” “The second says something like, “This is a gift I would never splurge on, so it's amazing I got it from someone else. “With these parameters in mind, we searched everywhere for gifts both big and small, expensive and affordable, obvious and unexpected. A team of six testers tested more than 100 products and, after weeks of testing and comparisons, we established the final list.
For example, one of the products that made the cut in the “daily routine” Christmas gift category was the Suunto Race S watch in our fitness category. Running tester Meg Healy loved that it was the perfect training watch that kept her motivated and up to date throughout the week, no matter how long her workout was. Lead tester Jakob Schiller traveled all over the country (Alaska, California, Seattle) with the Mystery Ranch Mission Rover 45 pack and was always impressed with how it was perfectly sized for a three-day trip, fitting easily into a top compartment and was comfortable to carry when traveling through airports.
Gifts that fell into the “I would never buy this myself” category included items like the Sonos Ace headphones and the Howl propane campfire in the technology category. The headphones, worth as much as a car payment, seem excessive, but you understand their appeal once you hear how they truly enrich every piece of music, from John Coltrane to Taylor Swift to Cypress Hill. A $1,300 gas campfire seems absolutely ridiculous until you stand next to a campfire on a cold fall night and realize that this new technology is actually as hot as 'a campfire (if not warmer) and does a great job of setting the mood after dark.
Meet our lead tester
Jacob Schiller
Over the past decade, as editor and then columnist for Outside, Jakob Schiller got to know many UPS drivers by name through frequent stops at his house to drop off equipment. He's opened so many boxes he could start his own recycling facility, and his garage, as you might expect, is a mess. But thanks to all this gear, Jakob and his family of six (plus two dogs) were able to adventure around the world and visit many of the world's most beautiful places. When he and his family are not on the road, they reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
