November 18, 2024
Found in “Gear”
Sometimes shopping for the perfect outdoors gift can feel like a scramble (minus the scenic views on the way up). There are so many activities and gear picks that it can feel overwhelming, and balancing your budget with finding the perfect gift can really get your heart rate up—anyone else feel like they need to shed a layer already?
Luckily, we’ve got a little gift giving shortcut for you, a foolproof route to finding gifts for campers, runners, snow lovers and everyone else on your list that are guaranteed to spark adventures and unlock more memories outside.
How to choose the right outdoors gift
To you, it’s a camp mug, merino hiking socks or a fleece sweater. To them, it’s morning coffee in the Rockies, miles of memories on the Bruce Trail and cozy evenings by the woodstove after a bluebird ski day. A great outdoors gift can spark countless adventures, check out our tips below to help point you in the right direction.
- Find their favourite activities
Are you shopping for your belay buddy, a dawn patrol powder fiend or an ultralight thru-hiker? Understanding their passions or knowing what activities they’re interested in trying is key to finding a rad outdoors gift, but sometimes it’s a little less obvious. If your dad is a certified ski bum, he might like a pair of MEC Hut Booties for that post-ski-boot feeling. If your roommate is just getting into bouldering, then a chalk bag or hang board could be just what their gear closet needs. If you want to keep things under wraps (pun intended), we suggest checking out their social media to see what they’re into, but if you want to take the direct approach, just ask them!
- Consider the conditions
Are they year-round hikers or do they stick to summer? Are they snow lovers or is Send-tember their season? Performance is key, which means you’ve got to consider the environment and conditions where they’ll be using their gifted gear. For example, road runners and trail runners have different demands for their gear based on terrain, so make sure you get specific. Hint: if you’re not sure what performance needs their activity requires, our MEC staffers have all the know-how (and they love talking gear).
- Know their experience level
Skiers who are earning their turns on resort groomers won’t need ski skins or split boards for hiking up in the backcountry, the same way ultralight thru-hikers will want technical, lightweight gear – so that cast iron pan might be better suited for a campground chef, instead of your partner’s plans for the PCT.
- Choose from practical vs. novelty
We’re all about outdoors gifts that delight (Chalktopus anyone?), but when it comes to the outdoors, often the most practical gifts spark the best adventures. To you, socks, camp mugs and hey, even tents, can sometimes feel like a boring gift, but unwrapped in the right hands, they become miles of comfy hiking trails, a hot chocolate up at the cabin or the number one spot to hang their headlamp on a starry Algonquin night.
- Make it personal
Is there a trip you want to take together? Winter rock climbing in Utah with your belay partner , a family camping trip in Garibaldi, hiking the Bruce Trail – the right outdoors gift could be the adventure-fuel you’ve been looking for. If you want to add a personal touch, you can always get something engraved or gift a gear piece that reminds you of a shared memory, past trips taken together or a favourite type-2- fun campfire story.
- Go with a gift card
Letting them choose their own adventure is an underrated gift and perfect for far away gifting. Besides, what’s more fun than picking out gear for your next mission? Pro tip: go with them and make a day of it. The fun doesn’t have to start at the trailhead, sometimes the adventure kicks off in the camp section picking out [freeze-dried Pad Thai]/product/5053-600/happy-yak-vegetable-and-peanut-pad-thai?colour=NO_COLOUR) together.
TL;DR: Shop by outdoor activity, consider what adventures they are looking forward to and if you’re stumped, head to your local MEC store and ask a staffer.
Best outdoors gifts by activity
Our top gift picks for campers, cyclists, runners, skiers and more. These picks make our best-sellers list every year and they camp out at the top of wish lists everywhere. Fun, practical, newly released or favourites from top brands—each of these picks have their own claim to fame.
Best gifts for campers and hikers
MEC Hut Booties Like sleeping bags for your feet, these are perfect for some post-hiking-boot bliss.
Black Diamond Moji Lantern Small enough to fit in your pocket and still give your tent or picnic table plenty of light.
MEC Ultra Lite Chair Comfort for backcountry and campground hangouts alike.
Jetboil Flash Cooking System 2.0 Boiling water in about 100 seconds – this is a game-changer.
Garmin inReach Mini 2 No cell service? No problem. Stay connected while they roam.
Hydrapak Seeker Water Container 2L Packs down to almost palm-sized for paddling tours and road trips.
MEC Vista 28L Pack A durable workhorse for day hikes and commutes.
Best gifts for cyclists
MEC 10-in-1 Folding Tool For that friend whose garage doubles as a bike shop.
Muc-Off Bike Care Essentials Kit To keep their bike looking and riding in tip-top shape.
DeFeet Aireator 6in Taco Socks If they have a post-ride taco spot, this is for them.
MEC Provincial Saddle Pack For bikepackers and steel cowboys who put your camper van’s mileage to shame.
Best gifts for runners
Hoka Bondi 8 Road Running Shoes For when the training cycle swaps roots and rocks for rolling pavement.
Salomon Active Skin 4 Set Pack If they use the 3D map on Strava, they probably need one of these.
Salomon Soft Flask 500ml XA Filter Help them filter on the go and carry less water on races and ultras.
Best gifts for snow lovers
Smith Squad Goggles A rimless design for a massive view.
G3 Tension Strap Holds skis together for the skin up even in deep-freeze temps.
GoggleSoc Goggles Cover Protects ski goggles and comes in a flurry of patterns.
Black Crows Meta Ski Poles Lightweight in tons of colours for spotting in deep pow.
Looking for more outdoors gift ideas?
Explore mountains of gift ideas in our MEC Holiday Catalogue. It’s chock-full of inspired gear picks to help you spark a lifetime of adventures.
