Jen and I are avid hikers, and in the last six months, we’ve hiked over 300 miles in 11 National Parks. We’ve included a mix of gifts for casual hikers as well as presents for more professional hikers. All vetted by us, we’ve included some of our favorite tools! As semi-minimalists, we choose quality first, and we hope that this list of the best presents for hikers in 2026 gives you some great ideas for the lucky hiker in your life.
Note: We use affiliate links which provide us a little kickback each time you use one of our links and make a purchase, without any additional cost to you. We do not recommend products that we don’t already love or have heard great things about, so you can trust we’re only suggesting great products to you.
1. Sun Shirt
Sun shirts are the most used gear in our collection! More than backpacks, hiking shoes, and other gear, sun shirts are the new standard for hiking. They are typically a breathable fabric with SPF qualities, making them the outermost layer. This means you don’t need to carry and constantly put on sunscreen.
We have two that we continuously rotate, but as we wear them every time we hike, having another is always appreciated. We love the REI hiking sun shirts, but any shirt with SPF qualities will fit the bill. Look for shirts with thumb holes and a hood for the best qualities!
2. Hat and Face protection
Along the same lines as the sun shirt, as a hiker, we can never have enough hats and face protection! We prefer two types of hats: either a wide-brimmed hat for sun protection or a lightweight running hat. A pair of good sunglasses is also a fantastic gift for hikers. Depending on your budget, the most critical aspect is that you’ll want to ensure they’re polarized. We love the Goodr glasses as they are lightweight, polarized, stylish, and inexpensive!
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3. Hiking Socks
I’m not sure if you can relate, but socks seem like the quintessential gift for the holidays. Everyone seems to need socks, and hikers are no exception, although our socks require some specific qualities as well. We prefer wool hiking socks, like these from Smartwool. They are naturally breathable and can dry out quickly after getting wet, whether from sweat or hiking through river crossings.
We also love socks from Darn Tough, as they donate a pair of socks to a person in need. If your hiker is more experienced or often does river crossings or hikes in the snow, they might like waterproof socks, which are more technical than average socks, but are great in a variety of hiking conditions.
4. Hi-Tech Emergency Gear
Ultimately, every hiker should carry the 10 Essentials. These are the bare minimum pieces of gear recommended for safety. A great, useful hiking gift is this waterproof electric lighter and light combo. These are two of the 10 essentials combined into one, and perfect for either a stocking stuffer or as a small gift for your hike-loving friend!
5. Portable Battery Bank
A portable battery bank has the benefit of being useful not only for day hikes and backpacking but also for everyday use! A portable battery bank is essential to make sure your phone stays charged, as that is more frequently the crucial piece of equipment for hiking – navigation, light, communication, etc. This is the portable battery bank we recommend!
6. REI Gift Cards
You can’t go wrong with a gift card for REI. Jennifer and I recently shopped at REI’s Memorial Day sale, and because we saved up a couple of gift cards, we could afford the extremely lightweight backpacking tent we’d been looking forward to. Your gift cards can be used immediately or saved for a future, larger purchase. We can guarantee that it will be appreciated regardless of its use. REI has a great e-Gift Card system, making it an excellent option for last-minute gifts as well.
7. Books and Travel Guides
Hiking books and travel guides are fantastic gift ideas for your hiker. Not only do they take up minimal space, but they can either inspire or help with a future trip. Obsessed hikers are always thinking about their next adventure, and this gift enables that!
8. Yearlong Hiking Access Passes
For this one, you may want to do some research to see if your hiking friend already has them, but consider getting them a year-long hiking access pass instead. The America the Beautiful pass, priced at $79.99, provides access to any National Park, Recreation Site, and many other locations, allowing visitors to explore as they please. Passes are valid for one year. If they already have a National Park pass, consider getting your hiker their local state pass instead.
9. SOS Tracker
Here’s the most expensive item on the list, our SOS tracker. These are used as one of the 10 essentials and are essentially something you keep on hand to call out to local rescue if you need assistance. These life-saving devices are a great gift idea if you’re concerned about your hiker and want a gift idea that gives you peace of mind as well.
We use the Garmin inReach Mini 2, but keep in mind that with this gift, the hiker will need to pay for a monthly subscription for the Satellite messaging features. This is why we only recommend it as a gift for obsessed hikers or backpackers who will use it enough!
10. Day Hiking Backpack
Day hiking backpacks are fantastic gift ideas, because even if someone already has a day backpack, there are endless variations of backpacks for other scenarios. At the minimum, every day backpack needs a water bladder sleeve, but you could get them an 18L day pack all the way to a 30L backpack, depending on how much they need to carry or how long they like to hike!
After using the 18L REI day pack, Jen recently upgraded to the Osprey 24L day pack, which has improved weight distribution, better organization amongst compartments, and back airation. She loves it!
11. Water Bladder
A water bladder is a great idea for a hiking gift because it’s specialized enough that your hiking friend may be using regular water bottles, but it’s incredibly handy, so they will be very grateful for their first one. Essentially, a hiking bladder fits inside your backpack and has a drinking tube wound to your shoulder. You can stay hydrated on the trail without having to stop, take off your pack, and take out your water bottle!
We have both a 2L water bladder for shorter hikes and a 3L water bladder for longer hikes. We recommend getting the larger size water bladder, which they can fill with water to best suit their hike duration.
12. Garmin Hiking Watch
As one of the most expensive gifts on this list, this product is one that we use every single day. The Garmin hiking watch we use features small solar panels built in, allowing the battery to last for days on the trail, as well as two GPS units for tracking trails, elevation, and all the other nerdy details we care about. This is the watch we recommend for hiking, but choosing a watch could easily be its own article.
13. National Parks Water Bottle
Our final gift for this gift guide is a National Parks water bottle. These water bottles are great gifts for hikers who love the National Parks. Not only do your purchases go to support our National Parks, but they are also the gift that keeps on giving. At each National Park that they travel to, there’s a new sticker to place on the bottle. We’ve loved seeing the progress of visiting all the National Parks each time we drink water!
What makes the best hiking gift?
At the end of the day, gifts are for the receiver, so think long and hard about what that special person wants! If you have any questions or need other gift ideas for the hikers in your life, leave us a comment below, and we’re happy to give tailored feedback to your situation!
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