The Best Adventure Inspired Gifts for Everyone on Your List

The Best Adventure Inspired Gifts for Everyone on Your List

Image Credit: @mackmetz on Instagram. Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn PLEIN AIR a commission.

Tell us if this sounds familiar… You spend all of November and early December looking forward to the holidays. You picture yourself cozy at home, enjoying family traditions, and somewhat delusionally imagine yourself getting along with everyone in your family. Cut to the second day of celebrations: you're cramped in your childhood home, your parents are driving you nuts and you’re only one “how’s your career?” question away from having a full blown melt down. Sound like you? Yeah, us too. No matter how merry this season is, there is something about prolonged time with family that just makes us all want to get in the car and DRIVE. 


Fortunately, you’re not the only one who feels this way. Yes, even Mom who’s so excited to have you under her roof again will catch cabin fever at some point. Here lies the next shopping theme for your holiday gift list: adventure. Capitalize on your inclination to escape and encourage everyone on your list to do the same. By now, you should be familiar with our method to getting all of your holiday shopping done in one day.  If you haven’t read it yet, here’s the gist:

  1. Start with your list: Name everyone and anyone who could possibly need a gift.
  2. Implement a shopping theme for all recipients: We’ll be exploring adventure themed gifts in this article. 
  3. Set a budget: Decide how much you can afford to spend on each individual without breaking the bank.
  4. Make your gift meaningful: Ask yourself if “is this useful?” and “is it personal to them?” 

Need some inspiration to get started? We’ve got ya covered. 

Our Top Adventure Inspired Gifts Recommendations for Everyone on Your List: 

 

The Best Gift For your Surf Babe Bestie:  Sustainable Bikini (Top and bottom) and Sunscreen Stiq

Got a surf-obsessed best friend to shop for? Get her gear that will stay put on all of her surf trips this year. Field tested by our team, these knitwear swimsuits won’t go anywhere while your bff is surfing, swimming, or just plain relaxing on the beach. And of course, for all that time in the sun, she’ll need a recreation tested sunscreen to protect her skin. This SPF 50 Sunscreen Stiq from Utu will keep her shielded from the sun’s harmful rays, so she can spend less time thinking about her gear, and more time thinking about her next big wave.

The Best Gift For Your Cousin Who Won’t Stop Bragging About Their National Park Trips: Hike Planner

The next time your cousin tries to one-up you with a story about when they hiked half dome, tell ‘em to put it in the book, honey. 

This Hike Planner comes with bucket lists, note pages for wildlife observed, and checklists— so you don’t have to hear another word about how they “almost died.”

 

The Best Gift For Your Dad Who Needs a Nudge to Get Off His iPad: AllTrails+ Membership

Encouraging adventure doesn’t have to mean pushing anyone out of their comfort zone. If your Dad is happiest in his own backyard, or more often, in his living room recliner, then an AllTrails+ membership is a great way for him to discover nearby trails, without leaving your hometown. Like every other dad out there, he’s probably already an iPad king so mastering the AllTrails app is only a hop skip and a jump away from candy crush. 

The Best Gift For Your Dog Who Can’t Wait to Go on a Hike with You:  Springer water bottle

Your loyal hiking companion deserves a gift too! Keep your dog hydrated during all of your outdoor adventures with this flip top water bottle by Springer. The collapsible lid makes it easy for storing anywhere and the attachable clip means your hands will be free to hold the leash, or snap pics along the way. It’s a gift for them, but it’s also a gift for yourself too. 


The Best Gift For Your Brother Who Still Uses His High School Lacrosse Backpack: Travel Backpack

Now that he’s a full blown adult (at least technically speaking), your brother needs a backpack that fits the part. We love this Hugger Backpack from DB which is both sleek and functional. Built by snow lovers, this bag is sturdy enough to be used for ski trips but flexible enough for everyday use, like walking to work or heading to the gym. It’s the perfect excuse to throw out that smelly old lacrosse bag that should have been ditched yearrrs ago. 

 

The Best Gift for Your Partner Who Would Rather be Camping: A-Frame Tent

For the person who’d rather be lost somewhere out in the woods, we recommend gifting this beautiful A-Frame tent from The Get Out. With three base color options and six fly color options, there are 21 possible combinations for finding a color combo of their liking. We love how easy these tents are to set up and how gorgeous the silhouette looks against any backdrop. From testing these out all summer long, we can honestly say they are worth every penny. 

The Best Gift for Your Snow Loving Jet Setting Self: Ski Travel Bag

That ski trip you’ve been looking forward to all year? It will not be complete without a sick bag for your gear. Think about it this way, if you don’t have a ski bag, you’ll have to rent gear when you get there which is far more expensive than bringing your own. So thanks again to Girl Math, this purchase is deemed absolutely necessary. Beyond its obvious practicality, this ski bag is more functional than most options on the market since it rolls up to 10% of its full length size.  Meaning, you don’t have to mess around with storage issues when you get to the Airbnb. It also has an adjustable length that can fit to any ski size and it comes in 3 bold colorways: fiery falu red, moss green, and dark blackout. Can you tell we love it? 

The Best Gift For Your Mom Who (Still) Can’t Wait for the Next Family Trip: Cooler Backpack

While your mom may go a little stir crazy with everyone back at home, she is still counting down the days until the next family vacation. She’s a mom, it’s what she does. Do her a solid for the next family vacation by upgrading her old cooler from 1995 that leaks everywhere when tipped over. This cooler bag from The Get Out is both stylish and ultra-functional as it can be worn as a colorful, easy to carry backpack. She’ll love using this on family trips, at outdoor concerts, on boat days… the list goes on and on. 

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Quick and Easy Gifts For Everyone on Your List
How to Get the Best Gifts for Everyone on Your List (All in One Day)

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