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Best Gifts for Hikers in 2025 | 35 Practical Presents for Walkers

Top practical presents for hikers, walkers and backpackers, including editor-approved outdoor gadgets for birthdays, Christmas and beyond.

Gift buying for outdoorsy folk isn’t always easy. That’s where we come in. Here at Outdoors Magic, our team of outdoor experts have put together a curated list of tried-and-tested gifts for the outdoor enthusiast in your life. From maps and socks to hiking poles and backpacking water filters – we’ve included a little something for everyone here, with a range of different prices.

To make things even easier, we’ve broken down our gift guide into four sections. Here are the quick links to get you where you need to go:

£10 And Under Gifts

£10 to £20 Gifts

£20 to £40 Gifts

£40+ Gifts for Hikers

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 8/12/25 to ensure that all of our favourite gifts for hikers are still available for purchase. The Darn Tough Fastpack Micro Crew Socks were also chosen as the best outdoor socks to gift this year. You simply can’t beat a good sock.


£10 And Under Gifts


 

1. Adventure Patches

Best Budget Outdoor Gift 

If you know a hiker who loves summiting UK mountains and/ or multi-day hiking trails such as Scotland’s West Highland Way, a patch from the Adventure Patch Company is a really thoughtful gift. In the store you’ll find stickers, pins, magnets and more, but my personal favourites are the beautifully designed patches based on UK and European mountains and hiking trails. There’s even a British Wildlife collection for the nature enthusiasts among us.

Buy The Adventure Patch Company Patches: £5 at Adventurepatch.co.uk

 

2. Rite in the Rain Weatherproof Notepads

Now this is one of those items I reckon hikers see in the outdoor shop and think ‘Cool!’ but never end up buying (a.k.a. the perfect gift to receive). Maybe they’re trying to shift a little pack weight, or don’t deem it an essential item, who knows? Either way, I think these are a handy little gift for a hiker or walker that’ll suit creative outdoor types such as writers and illustrators, as well as keen wildlife watchers who want a meticulous record of their findings.

Buy The Rite In The Rain Notepads: £6 at Amazon.co.uk

 

3. Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews

A keen hill-walker and member of Mountaineering Scotland, Kerri Andrews is a lecturer and bona fide expert on women’s writing. With her debut book, however, she’s married her two passions together in the form of an exploration on ten women writers who, over the past three hundred years, have found walking essential to their practise and their sense of selves. Including portraits of writers such as Elizabeth Carter, Nan Shepherd and Cheryl Strayed, this book offers a much-needed telling of women writers walking throughout history.

Buy Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews: £9.99 at Amazon.co.uk

 

4. Nikwax Stain Scrub

Oil marks, mud or berry stains can often be very tricky to remove from technical outdoor clothing. What’s more, normal stain treatments can contain bleaching agents and harmful chemicals. This product from Nikwax is designed to remove marks safely, without stripping away any existing water-repellent treatments that might already be present.

Read our full Nikwax Stain Scrub review.

Buy Nikwax Stain Scrub: £7.99 at Nikwax.com

 

5. Gear Aid Tenacious Tape

Haters will say this isn’t the most exciting gift, but we say it’s GREAT. Tested and reviewed in our Greener Gear Guide, Gear Aid’s Tenacious tape is a practical solution for repairing damaged equipment. It’s a durable adhesive tape that offers a straightforward approach to extending the life of your gear, whether it’s a tear in your waterproof jacketdown jacket, tent, backpack, or sleeping bag. Instead of replacing broken items, Tenacious Tape allows you to make quick repairs that keep your gear functional. An essential for life on the trail, some might say.

Read our full Gear Aid Tenacious Tape review.

Buy The Gear Aid Tenacious Tape: £8.29 at Decathlon.co.uk

 

6. Firepot Bio Meals

We’ve been fans of Firepot’s dehydrated meals for a while now (that Chilli Con Carne one, ooooff), and since they’ve introduced the option of choosing between normal or biodegradable packaging, we like them even more. There are a bunch of healthy and high-fuelling recipes, including a number of vegan and veggie options and meaty stuff for the omnivores to sink their teeth into as well.

Read our full FirePot Bio Meals review.

Buy The Firepot Bio Meals: from £7.50 at Firepotfood.com

7. Lifesystems Reusable Crystallised Hand Warmer

Considering they can be used over and over again and require no extra accessories to operate, the Lifesystems reusable hand warmers are great value for your money in the long run. We found that they were able to provide a good whack of heat for 40 to 45 minutes at most. This, we think, means they are best suited to lunch breaks on day hikes, for example, or on multi-day treks when you’ve got a stove handy to ‘recharge’ the warmers when needed. They’re also very compact so are perfect for slipping inside your gloves or coat pockets.

Buy the Lifesystems Reusable Crystallised Hand Warmer: £5 at Ellisbrigham.com

 

8. Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Long Handle Spork

The long handle is super handy for dehydrated backpacking meals.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. A spork? Really? But hear me out. This is one of those items that people ALWAYS forget to bring with them on their camping trips. It’s also one of those items that always gets lost half-way along a hiking trail, and frequently needs replacing. I personally have a habit of breaking camping sporks so think a sturdy option like this is a great gift. It’s perfect as a stocking filler too, and has the added comedic factor of receiving – well, in essence – a fancy spoon.

Buy the Sea to Summit Frontier Ultralight Long Handle Spork: £10 at Ellisbrigham.com


£10 to £20 Gifts for Hikers


 

9. OS Maps

You really can’t go wrong with a paper OS map. Whether you’re pouring over it at your kitchen table as you plan for your next multi-day hike, or you’re reading by torchlight in your tent after a long day’s walking; it’s the kind of gift that keeps on giving. If you don’t mind spending a bit more cash, you can even personalise the front or get a chosen section of the map printed and framed.

Buy OS Maps: £12.99-£16.99 at Shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

 

10. Silverstick Pennine Wool Socks

These are a no-fuss pair of hiking socks that’ll see you through all sorts of hiking in autumn through to spring. Unlike a lot of cotton heavy options out there, they also have the feeling like they’ll last a long time, or at the every least, can be easily repaired with some basic sewing skills.

Read our full Silverstick Pennine Wool socks review.

Buy the Silverstick Pennine Wool Socks: £18 at Silverstick.co.uk

 

11. LOMO Emergency Storm Shelter

Otherwise known as a ‘bothy bag’, an emergency shelter is essential when hiking in stormy conditions and for emergencies out on the mountains. It’s also a great gift for someone who’s new to hiking, and might have not thought to get one yet.

Buy The LOMO Emergency Storm Shelter: £19.99 at Lomo.co.uk

 

12. The Book of the Bothy by Phoebe Smith

Now this is a cracking book from award-winning writer, photographer and broadcaster Phoebe Smith. Spanning all across the UK, Phoebe shares with us her 26 favourite bothies, including her best stories to go along with them. Packed with expert advice on how to use bothies, including packing lists, bothy etiquette and the best walks into these remote locations – there’s a lot to get your teeth stuck into here. Way back in 2021, Phoebe wrote an incredibly important piece for us on women’s experiences in bothies which is worth checking out if you haven’t already.

Buy The Book of the Bothy by Phoebe Smith: £13 at Ellis-brigham.com

 

13. Camelbak Eddy+ 0.75L

This filter from Camelbak will still serve as an effective option in the UK’s mountains. It’ll also double up as a daily water bottle for improving the overall quality of your tap water. It does this by using an ion exchange filter that removes minerals that cause hardness and heavy metals. It offers a cheaper alternative to a lot of water filters on the market while still bringing a number of the same benefits.

Buy The Camelbak Eddy+ 0.75L: £19 at Ellisbrigham.com

 

14. Bushcraft Illustrated: A Visual Guide by Dave Canterbury

The latest guide from New York Times bestselling author Dave Canterbury, Bushcraft Illustrated explains the necessary tools and skills for an awesome outdoor adventure or even a survival situation – all alongside 300 beautifully drawn illustrations. From foraging and animal trapping to shelter building and fire lighting, it’s all explained here in a clear and easy to understand way.

Buy The Bushcraft Illustrated book: £12.30 at Awesomebooks.com

 

15. Quechua 0.8L Insulated Steel Flask 900

This was a solid performer in our hiking flask temperature tests and also happens to be one of the lowest cost flasks in our tests. It’s smart looking, very durable, and the flip top makes it very easy and convenient. We found we were able to drink from it one-handed, and the textured base made it usable while wearing gloves too. A practical gift if you know anyone who’s in dire need of a flask upgrade.

Buy Quechua 0.8L Flask 900: £15 at Decathlon.co.uk

 

16. Osprey Daylite Toiletry Kit

Online editor Sophie Nicholson from our sister site Active Traveller reckons this is a great gift for the outdoor lover. She said: “The Osprey Daylite Toiletry Kit is the wash bag upgrade every outdoorsy soul deserves. It’s tough, water-resistant, and brilliantly compartmentalised, so your shampoo doesn’t launch a stealth attack on your toothbrush mid-trip. Bonus points for looking like it belongs in a mountain hut, not a hotel bathroom. A practical gift they’ll use every time they leave home – and possibly even at home, too.”

Buy the Osprey Daylite Toiletry Kit:  £20 at Osprey.com 


£20 to £40 Gifts for Hikers


 

17. Darn Tough Fastpack Micro Crew

Best Outdoor Socks to Gift a Hiker in 2025

OM editor Will recommends this item as an excellent gift for hikers. He said: “I’ve been testing Darn Tough’s socks for over half a decade now and I really like the brand and its products. The socks are very comfortable, they always appear to be carefully made and they last very well. I’ve no shame in saying that I’ve got pairs in my sock drawer that are over five years old and they’re still going strong and actually don’t look anywhere close to wearing out.”

Read our full Darn Tough Fastpack Micro Crew Socks review.

Buy the Darn Tough Fastpack Micro Crew socks:  £28 at Darntough.uk 

 

18. Buff Five Panel Cap

Buff are perhaps best known for their protective neck tubes, but they do also make a great range of running hats. This, the Buff Five Panel Cap features a streamlined design, with stretchy mesh to promote airflow across the head. The materials used are predominantly polyester and elastane, a bi-stretch fabric which keeps clothes adaptable and lightweight. It also has a stretchy and adjustable fit to make it both suitable for a variety of head sizes, and for everyday use when you might not need it as tight.

Read our full Buff Five Panel Cap review.

Buy The Buff Five Panel Cap: £13 at Amazon.co.uk

 

19. Light My Fire LunchKit BIO

Best Sustainable Gift for Hikers

Light My Fire are a Swedish brand known for clever, practical outdoor gear with a strong focus on sustainability. OM tester Will has been using their LunchKit BIO while surveying routes in the mountains for the walking guidebook, and during a gear testing trip in the Lake District. His verdict? “It’s proved really handy. I love its use of bioplastic but I simply like the fact it encourages me to think about reusability rather than disposability. Also, we’ve all accidentally lost a snack wrapper to a sharp gust on the hill at some point, so I think it’s good that this encourages me to unwrap and prepare my food prior to a trip, eliminating that risk.”

Buy the Light My Fire Lunchkit Bio:  £29 at Ellis-brigham.com 

 

20. Nikwax Outdoor Complete Protection Kit

Best Practical Outdoor Gift

The Nikwax Outdoor Complete Protection kit is your one-stop-shop for keeping your core items of gear in tip top shape. For under £30, you get a bottle of Nikwax Tech Wash, TX.Direct, Footwear Cleaning Gel, Fabric and Leather Proof, a handy boot brush and a waterproof storage/ carry bag too. Altogether these are going to safely clean your boots, waterproof jacket, and trousers, AND restore a water resistant barrier to them all in an eco-conscious manner. Not bad, not bad at all.

Here’s a useful video we made in the past that details exactly how to apply the footwear solutions to your kit from your own home. For advice on cleaning and re-waterproofing your rain jacket, here’s the guide for that.

Read our full Nikwax Outdoor Complete Protection Kit review.

Buy The Nikwax Outdoor Complete Protection Kit: £26.49 at Amazon.co.uk

 

21. Stanley Perfect-Brew Pour Over Portable Coffee Maker

Best One-Of-A-Kind Outdoor Gift

If you know a coffee-loving camper who’s also keen on sustainability, the Stanley Perfect-Brew is a great stand-out present to buy. In particular, we can see it working well on multi-day backpacking trips where that little bit of extra luxury in the morning really pays off.

Read our full Stanley Perfect-Brew Pour Over review.

Buy The Stanley Perfect-Brew Pour Over Portable Coffee Maker: £33 at Uk.stanley1913.com

 

22. Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew

We’ve tested out a lot of Darn Tough’s socks here at Outdoors Magic over the years and we can confidently say they’re one of the most reliable sock brands out there. The first and most important thing to know about Darn Tough is that they offer an excellent lifetime warranty on their products. If you have any kind of problem with them, you can simply swap them out for a new pair – no receipt needed. There’s a lot to admire there. 

Read our full Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew review.

Buy the men’s Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew:  £29 at Darntough.uk 

Buy the women’s Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew:  £29 at Darntough.uk 

 

23. Montane Prism Glove

The Montane Prism Gloves are like an insulated jacket for your hands. Made with PrimaLoft Gold insulation, they are ideal for runners or anyone moving fast and light – unsurprisingly for Montane. Given the outer fabric is Pertex, so the gloves are mostly composed of insulation, they pack down into an impressively tiny stuff sack, provided. The gloves have a thin micro-fleece lining and touch screen patches on forefinger and thumb. There is elastication at the wrists and at the end of the medium length cuff.

Buy The Montane Prism Gloves: £35 at Blacks.co.uk

 

24. Savotta Happy (Or Grumpy Stove)

Simple but effective we absolutely love these two little stoves by Finnish brand Savotta. This is a bio fuel burner, don’t expect it to manage any other types of fuel. You pile your sticks and leaves all inside, spark them up, let the air holes create some nice convection and then plonk your kettle or pot on top of the cross bars and wait.

Read our full Savotta Happy Stove review.

Buy The Savotta Happy Stove: £27.86 (sale) at Alpinetrek.co.uk

 

25. Joby Handypod

Weighing just 185g, which is roughly half the weight of a can of soup, the Handypod is absolutely perfect for photographers, vloggers and filmmakers searching for that lightweight, portable, and easy-to-use support system which can take their image-capturing to the next level.

Read our full Joby Handypod review.

Buy The Joby Handypod: £26.99 at Currys.co.uk

 

26. Sealskinz Waterpoof All Weather Socks

It wouldn’t be a list about gifts for hikers without mention of a pair of socks. These, however, are no ordinary socks. They’re waterproof socks. OM editor Will recently tested Sealskinz’s waterproof ankle socks in the Scottish Highlands and was mightily impressed.

Read our full Sealskinz Waterproof All Weather Ankle Socks review.

Buy The Sealskinz Waterpoof All Weather Ankle Socks: £30.39 at Ellisbrigham.com

 


£40+ Gifts for Hikers


 

27. Fjällräven Abisko Trekking Cap

OM editorial assistant and gear tester Jazz reckons this would make a great gift for a hiker. She said, “If you know someone who lives in a town or a city but finds themself frequently escaping to the countryside – this is the hat to have. It works in pretty much every context. The shorter brim in particular makes it great for transitioning from peak to pub. It’s also very foldable which is handy for stuffing away into your pocket or backpack when you don’t need it.”

Buy the Fjällräven Abisko Trekking Cap: £40 at Trekitt.co.uk

28. Silva Smini Head Torch

OM editor Will has been testing the Smini out on a bunch of night time runs and hiking adventures of late and confirms: “this thing is a total pocket rocket. In fact, I’d say it’s now going to be my head torch of choice for future adventures.”

Read our full Silva Smini Head Torch review.

Buy The Silva Smini Head Torch: £39.99 at Amazon.co.uk

 

29. Ticket To The Moon Lightest Pro Hammock

The Lightest Pro from hammock experts Ticket To The Moon includes features such as an integrated bug net, a roomy length of 325cm (carabiner to carabiner), and a tough Ripstop nylon build. We can see it being a great option for rugged multi-day adventures where you’re likely to come across lots of woods and forests. Think multi-day adventures through a valley in the Cairngorms, where you’ll have plenty of trees to pitch up on, but need some extra protection from the elements, and perhaps a little more luxury – including bug protection.

Read our full Ticket To The Moon Lightest Pro Hammock review.

Buy The Ticket To The Moon Lightest Pro Hammock: £115.32 at Tickettothemoon.com

 

30. Leatherman Bond Multitool

There’s now a Leatherman for almost every use and occupation – but there’s only one designed with Brits specifically in mind. That’s the Bond (pictured above): a light and compact 14-feature multi-tool that conforms to the UK’s strict knife laws thanks to its non-locking, sub-3 inch blade. It’s ideal for active outdoorsy types who want a versatile bit of kit that isn’t too bulky or heavy to carry around.

Read our full Leatherman Bond Multitool review.

Buy The Leatherman Bond Multitool: £69.95 at Uk.leatherman.com

 

31. Smartwool Classic Merino Base Layer

This base layer from Merino wool experts, Smartwool, is pretty much the creme de la creme of base layers. Made from 100% Merino, it brings all of the super wool’s excellent properties along with a pretty smart look too. A great gift for hikers that like the colder climates.

Read our full Smartwool Classic Merino Base Layer review.

Buy The Smartwool Classic Merino Base Layer: £63.99 at Amazon.co.uk

 

32. Jetboil Stash Stove

The Jetboil Stash Stove includes a pot (125g), a plastic lid (16g), a burner (58g) and little sack for it, and then a stand (30g) for a gas canister. The pot has a 0.8 litre capacity with volume markings on the inside and outside and a folding handle with a heat-proof silicone casing. We can see the Jetboil Stash Stove being a great gift if you know a loved one in need of a kit upgrade, and you don’t mind splashing a bit of cash. Perfect for multi-day hiking adventures, it’s the kind of stove that will last you a very long time.

Read our full Jetboil Stash Stove review.

Buy The Jetboil Stash: £155 at Ellis-brigham.com

 

33. Skinners Barefoot Socks

OK, we’ll be honest here. Your family member or friend are either going to love you for getting these as a gift for them or they’re going to hate you for it. They’re basically sock shoes. Thanks to the specialised rubbery lining on the base you can actually hike or even run in these things and you won’t suffer from any splinters or cut feet.

Read the full Skinners Barefoot Socks review.

Buy The Skinners Barefoot Socks: €60 at Skinnersfootwear.eu

 

34. Highlander Nap-Pak Arctic Air Sleeping Mat

OM editor Will recommends the Highlander Nap-Pak Arctic Air as a great gift for a hiker. He said, “From my experience, this is a mat that’s light and packable enough that I’d be happy to use it for summer backpacking trips, but its R-value of 11 makes it warm enough for winter too. At £100 I think this is a very strong contender for being the best value winter-rated sleeping mat on the market – with the big added bonus that it’s light and packable too.”

Read our full Highlander Nap-Pak Arctic Air Sleeping Mat review.

Buy the Highlander Nap-Pak Arctic Air: £99.99 at Highlander-outdoor.com

 

35. Katadyn BeFree AC Water Filter 500ml

This is the latest iteration of Katadyn’s BeFree water filter, with an added activated carbon stage to improve taste, reduce odour and filter chlorine, delivering reliable, fresh-tasting water. It’s passed our tests with flying colours and is available in 500ml or 1-litre bottles.

Read our full Katadyn BeFree AC Water Filter review.

Buy the Katadyn BeFree 500ml AC: £42.95 at Alpinetrek.co.uk

 

Here’s some photos of the Outdoors Magic gear testing team using the chosen products over the years:

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