Sierra’s Holiday Gift Guide for the Outdoor Enthusiasts in Your Life

By Katie O'Reilly

December 12, 2016

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This holiday season, give the adventurer in your life the best gift they could hope for—more reason to scale that mountain, thru-hike that trail, or camp farther off the grid. Adventure-seeking friends, after all, are all about the journey, and they tend to appreciate those accoutrements—tents, vessels, and cordless tech gadgets—that make it possible. And who knows? Our gift recommendations just might inspire you to join your outdoor-loving pals on their next adventure.

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Tentsile Tree Tents

Ever yearned to go camping in a portable tree house? The architect behind Tentsile—once a young boy enchanted by the Ewok tree village portrayed in Return of the Jedi—did, too. Designed to be suspended over the ground—thus offering increased protection from snakes and bugs, and sparing campers restless nights on wet, bumpy grounds—Tentsile tents ($450) combine the versatility of hammocks with the security of multiperson-occupancy tents. With polyester floors and tear-resistant mesh walls, they can also be pitched conventionally, on the ground. And, for each Tentsile sold, the company plants three trees. Tentsile founder Alex Shirley-Smith reasons, “If we’re all hanging out in trees, they can’t cut them down.”  

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Fulton Powered Handlebar Bike Bag, from Po Campo

There’s nothing worse than a battery dying midadventure. It’s why Po Campo, a new company, is offering portable, weather-resistant bike packs that come equipped to charge Apple and Android smartphones as well as tablets and Bluetooth earbuds. Fulton Handlebar Bike Bags’ batteries store power for months and only need to be recharged once every couple of weeks. The idea is to ensure cyclists are never caught in a lurch with a dead or water-logged cellphone. The bag ($150) is made from faux leather, gunmetal hardware, and reflective accents, and is simple to attach and detach from a bike.

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Heated Snow Gloves, from Maxima

Protect winter adventurers’ hands with heated, fleece-lined gloves. These nonbulky, lightweight gloves ($200) not only come with batteries equipped to keep hands warm for up to 12 hours, but their nylon shells also boast leather accents to offer extra grip. Constructed with a breathable and waterproof membrane, they’ll stay dry on the slopes, in the backcountry, and/or until that snowman is fully constructed.

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Insulated Reusable Water Bottles, from 50 Strong

Available in a range of colors and designs, these BPA-free bottles ($5 to $13) are made in the United States, come with a lanyard for easy carrying, feature a “bite-friendly” pull top, and keep drinks cold. For those gift recipients most likely to be hitting the trails, we recommend the insulated Gym Bottle, which is designed to hold credit cards, cash, and keys, and offers added grip for sweaty hands. In addition to helping prevent single-use bottles from entering landfills, 50 Strong puts 10 percent of sales into scholarships for U.S. manufacturing industry workers.

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Charcoal Chimney, from CampMaid

This latest unveiling in CampMaid’s line of compact, portable outdoor cooking tools fetched a Best in Show award at last summer’s Outdoor Retailer show. The Charcoal Chimney rapidly heats charcoal for better, more efficient adventure dining. How? Its funnel sucks up air and creates a surge of powerful (and safely contained) flames, making it easier to cook, even in wintry, windy environments. It can be used with any BBQ or grill, cools down quickly after use—allowing users to pack and store it quickly—and comes with a heat-safe handle. What’s more, it’s a single, lightweight piece that folds down for storage (it was made to fit inside CampMaid’s 12" Dutch Oven), meaning it’ll help keep beloved campers’ loads light.

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Reel Rock 11 DVD, from Reel Rock Film Tour

Reel Rock is one of the largest climbing and outdoor adventure film festivals, and its latest production, Reel Rock 11, just became available on DVD ($25). Among other accolades, Reel Rock 11 clinched Best Climbing Film at this year’s Banff Mountain Film Festival. A compilation of five 10-to-30-minute films following different pro climbers—globe-trotting men and women bouldering their way up the previously unclimbed walls of six different continents—it also includes 45 minutes’ worth of bonus climbing footage and deleted scenes.The climber in your life can glean some inspiration while enjoying music, pro tips, and tantalizing footage from Japan, Norway, the Canadian Alpine Wilderness, the Arctic Circle, Patagonia, Yosemite, and beyond.