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What a year.
While RV travel and state park hiking has always been a somewhat socially-distant activity on purpose, this year really took the cake!
No campfire visiting with campground neighbors, no walking into the Park Office to chat about bear or snake sightings, and no random shopping trips in small towns on the way home from the park.
Ugh, 2020- you didn’t make for the best RV weekend travel year, but we tried to make the best of you! We got to see new places, but we didn’t get to meet the interesting people we were used to coming across on our road trips.
We are still so thankful to have been out of our house and exploring new territory!
Which brings us up to the holidays and our Winter Gift Guide! Given the circumstances and options, we bet a lot more people on your list have got a lot more outdoorsy this year!
As in the past, we’re making recommendations for things we’re familiar with- generally things we’ve tried, still use, and really like- for the RVers and outdoorsy people in your life.
‘Tis now the gifting season – happy hunting!
After Russ pulled his Achilles, we knew he’d need some extra support hiking. But if you read our Little Buffalo State Park trip report, you may remember his poles weren’t real reliable!
For under $40, the hikers on your list will definitely appreciate these trekking poles – rated much sturdier than Russ’s!
During an exceptionally rainy season, we learned just how important it was to have ponchos stashed in our backpacks.
The outdoorsy people in your life have encountered the same situation -unexpected rain out on the trail with no cover. Keep them dry with this 5-pack for less than $10!
How do you find and research the places you might otherwise miss?
With cell service unreliable out in the wild- and with maps being SO FUN for planning when you’re tired of looking at a screen- grab your favorite outdoors person an atlas and field guide for the areas they frequent most.
The Sportsmans Connection provides details for state and national forest areas, campgrounds, wildlife viewing areas, trails and more for less than $30. Check for your state’s edition!
Whether you’re hiking with dogs large (or larger) like Franklin or small like Hazel, it helps to have a sturdy, well-fitted harness.
Franklin has been using the Expawlorer. We’re thankful for it’s single clip system and top handle, making him a little easier to control when he sees his nemesis (mainly small children).
Hazel is much easier to wrangle, so we went with the comfort (no clips against her skin) and quick-to-dry mesh of the Voyager Step In Air dog harness.
Both options are under $20.
After the summer RV season we had, Russ insisted I add a flexible lighter to the Winter Gift Guide.
Suffice to say the mention of “ponchos” above for wet-weather hiking only leads to wet-weather fire starting, and these helped him out tremendously! Bonus points for the flexible head variety that is able to get in under the kindling.
This variety pack comes in at just over $20, and provides a season of s’more fuel!
If you took our advice last year and picked up someone on your list a mini coffee-maker, listen to us this year and give them mornings of variety to pick from!
We have quite a history of coffee mistakes to draw from, and we know that mornings are just more fun when you have your choice of hot beverage!
This selection has everything from teas to hot chocolates to flavored coffees- all for less than $15.
Nothing is better on a long drive than a good leg stretch accompanied by a delicious snack!
If you know the areas your friends and family will be traveling through on their adventures, why not help out a small business in the area by ordering a gift card or certificate for them?
We’ve visited enough coffee shops, bakeries, ice cream stands, and delis along the way to know how much it would be appreciated!
We hope this Winter Gift Guide has inspired some great giving ideas for your outdoorsy friends and family.
Do you have some suggestions and recommendations of your own? Share below!
