Not sure what to get the hiker or outdoorsy person in your life?
Start with this list of the Top 5 most popular hiking gifts and gear – based on purchases by our readers. If you need even more inspiration, try our big list of Hiking Gift Ideas!
#5 – Trekking Poles
We hike frequently and over rugged terrain and we’ve found trekking poles invaluable to reduce impact on joints, for cranky knees that hate downhills, and for stream crossings.
They give me more confidence on slippery terrain and have saved me from injury on many occasions.
We favor Black Diamond, with shocks and flicklock. Read our full trekking pole review.
#4 – Monocular
We like this compact, lightweight (6 oz.) alternative to binoculars and it appears others do too.
It’s not the same as a good set of binoculars – but it’s not meant to be. This answers “hey! what’s that over there?” without much fuss.
We chose this model due to its balance of function, size, and price and have been using it since 2014. Read our full Monocular review.
#3 – Buff
Buffs have always been a popular item on the list, and we’ve been using our Polar Buffs for years. We picked up original Buffs for our summer adventures.
This versatile tube of fabric can be easily configured into a hat, neckerchief, hairband, balaclava, and more.
It comes in original and warmer fabrics for winter plus a wide variety of colors and patterns. There are even ones for dogs! This video shows how a Buff is used: Original Buff Demo.
#2 – Hydration Backpack
A hydration backpack simply has a sleeve to insert a water bladder with a hole in the top of the pack to thread a drinking tube out. This is an alternative to using bottles and makes it easy to keep hydrated.
The Osprey Talon 22 is popular for a reason. Tom got this daypack in 2022 to replace a Kelty he’d been using forever. It’s a solid bag with all the right features and doubles as his carry-on bag.
Larger/smaller sizes and a women-specific version, the Tempest, is available.
I’ve been using the ever-popular CamelBak M.U.L.E since 2014 and it’s still perfect for me. See our full CamelBak M.U.LE. review.
Any backpack with a sleeve can accommodate a bladder. Tom is using the Osprey Hydraulics Reservoir 3 Liter but the Platypus Big Zip 3L is another popular option.
#1 – Winter Traction Aids
Winter traction is by far the most popular item on our site. These are like adding snow chains to your feet and totally increased our winter hiking when we started using them years ago.
The most popular are MICROspikes followed closely by YakTrax.
Runners up are Hillsound Crampons (very similar design to Kahtoolas but has a top strap), YakTrax Diamond Grip (multi-sided metal studs), and STABILiciers (metal pegs instead of spikes).
For a comparison of Kahtoolas vs YakTrax check out our review.