10 Unique Camping Gifts For Outdoor Lovers
Finding unique camping gifts for an outdoor lover can be a bit of a chore. Let’s face it — most camping equipment is functional, practical, and also … just a little boring.
It’s hard to get excited about another sleeping bag, camp stove or camp chair. It’s difficult, too, because the camping enthusiast you’re trying to buy for probably already has a full complement of gear. How do you find something unique, that they don’t already have?
Of course, you can always take the easy route and buy a gift card from a store like REI or Amazon. Gift cards are a great way to ensure that the giftee gets something they really want; however, they’re also a little, well … unimaginative, don’t you think?
If you really want to buy your loved ones some interesting, different, yet practical gifts, never fear. I took some time to dig around, and I found 10 unique camping gifts. You’re sure to find something here that will please the outdoor lover in your life.
Camper’s Dream Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker
No Dairy Queen near your campsite? No problem. Just grab the Play and Freeze Ice Cream Maker.
Here’s how this unique camping gift works: throw ice and rock salt in one end and sugar, cream and other yummies (can anyone say chocolate chips and cookie dough?) in the other end.
Then throw it, roll it, kick it (okay, don’t kick it) around for 20 minutes and —
Presto! A pint of delicious homemade ice cream will magically appear!
REI Comfort LTG Chair
The REI Comfort Low Chair may not look like much, but looks can be deceiving. It packs a lot of comfort into a small package. It’s sturdy and because it sits low to the ground, it is extremely stable.
An attached lumbar pad slides up and down for back support. And it’s light and easy to pack up–just fold it and go. No fumbling around with multiple legs and armrests or skinny carry bags. That’s my kind of chair.
Tool Logic SL Pro 2 Folding Knife
Multiple-use tools are logical, indeed; instead of packing four different tools, just grab one.
The Tool Logic SL Pro 2 integrates a sharp half-serrated blade, flashlight, magnesium fire starter, and emergency whistle into one compact unit.
The blade opens with one hand and locks into place. A belt clip and lanyard hole provide carrying options.
Snow Peak Hozuki LED Lantern
This is one of the most unique camping gifts I’ve seen. As beautiful as it is practical, the Snow Peak Hozuki LED Lantern hangs inside your tent or sits on a camp table.
There are 3 brightness settings and even a dimmer feature, allowing you to set the precise level of light you want.
But here’s the fun part: there’s a “candle mode” (also with 3 brightness settings) that actually flickers in response to the wind or nearby sound!
Talk about ambience. Sounds like the perfect accessory for a romantic camping getaway.
NEMO Cosmo Air and Pillowtop Sleeping Pad
It can be hard to get a good night’s sleep when camping. Fortunately, it just got easier. The NEMO Cosmo Air and Pillowtop Sleeping Pad delivers serious luxury, with a ridiculously comfortable 3 inches of air mattress PLUS another 1 inch layer of foam padding!
The pillowtop foam layer can be removed and the air mattress used on its own for backpacking.
It’s extra long and extra wide — no rolling off this pad during the night. As if that’s not enough, there’s also a foot pump for easy inflation and a pillow baffle at the head. You might like it better than your bed at home!
Magellan eXplorist GC Waterproof Geocaching GPS
You’ve heard of geocaching, right? If you haven’t, try looking around near that rock you’ve been living under; there’s probably a cache close by.
The Magellan eXplorist GC Waterproof Geocaching GPS makes it easy to join the worldwide geocaching craze, with a bright screen, intuitive menus, lots of memory and preloaded caches.
You can also use the picture viewer to cheat, with spoiler images (don’t worry, I won’t tell).
Eton Soulra Solar-Powered Sound System for iPod/iPhone
Let the good times roll! Crank it up with the solar-powered Etón Soulra for iPod and iPhone. It’s built for the outdoors, with a rubberized, splashproof body.
The solar panel recharges the lithium ion battery to keep the tunes blasting all day. Why listen to the boring sounds of the forest when you can rock out to Lady Gaga? (But please, people — respect your neighbors!)
Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium
Embrace your inner astronomer with the Celestron SkyScout Personal Planetarium — a unique camping gift if I’ve ever seen one.
This is one cool gadget. A GPS chip and other sophisticated sensors that I don’t understand identify over 6,000 stellar objects — just by pointing at them.
Rugged construction and a wealth of information (both text and audio) about the different night sky objects promise hours of entertainment and wonder.
Popular Playthings Crazy Campers Puzzle
If you thought you knew how to set up a campsite — think again. The Crazy Campers Puzzle will challenge you with 36 different configurations of varying difficulty.
Place the tent in its designated spot (according to the card you draw) to start the game. Then try to place the rest of the pieces (they only fit together certain ways), leaving no empty spaces.
Try not to be embarrassed when your 8 year old trounces you.
I hope at least one of these 10 unique camping gifts enables you to make your favorite camper happy this year. We all like to be around happy campers, right? 🙂
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