Exploring new places is an exciting part of traveling and backpacking — from sightseeing to adventurous activities like hiking or rock climbing. Cultural experiences such as sampling the local cuisine can be just as rewarding, while relaxation and shopping always go well-spent.
For some of these activities, you’ll need specialized gear to do them safely and effectively – but keep that from putting you off!
Figuring out what gift to give a backpacker can take time, especially if you’re not an avid traveler. It’s hard for non-travelers to determine which items are necessary and useful on the trail!
If you are on the hunt for a unique gift for your globetrotting friend or loved one, look no further! You can find an endless array of options to choose from here.
This post will provide you with various amazing gifts suitable for all skill levels, from rookies to pro trekkers. Furthermore, all items included in this list have been tested and proven excellent. Let’s begin our shopping journey now!
The Best Gifts for Backpackers
Here are some of my favorite travel-related gift suggestions to make the recipient grin!
1. Osprey Nebula/Nova Daypack
The Osprey Nebula is an excellent backpack for day hikes, commuting, and even longer journeys for light packers. However, experts recognize that only some have the exact travel needs.
The variety and quality of Osprey backpacks are unparalleled, making them the top pick. Their packets are great investments since they come with a lifetime warranty.
2. Parachute Hammock
A hammock offers travelers, campers, hikers, or outdoorsy people a great way to relax under the stars without breaking the bank. In addition to being attractive, lightweight, and pleasant to sleep in, hammocks also provide you with a wide range of potential sleeping locations.
A parachute hammock is the best bet for those on a budget among the many alternatives for lightweight, robust, and durable portable hammocks. Don’t stress about figuring out how to put it to use!
3. Grayl Geopress
Disposable bottles are an environmental hazard, endangering the environment and animals in our oceans. Choosing to buy a filtered water bottle is an important step that will assist us in curbing global warming.
This revolutionary water bottle filtration system is a must-have for any backpacking enthusiast. Not only does it clean contaminated water, but it also has been proven to be consistently effective in the most extreme outdoor settings! I have come to rely on this amazing tool – and I guarantee you won’t regret getting one, either!
The Grayl Geopress may not be the least expensive gift, but it is sure to bring joy and usefulness to its lucky recipient, certain to become a treasured keepsake.
4. REI $25 Gift Card
Don’t settle for the simplest solution; send your travel-loving buddy a gift card! Show them how much you care by gifting them a $25 REI card, allowing them to get whatever they desire from the shop.
With their newfound funds of $25, they can now treat themselves to something luxurious like a Mutha Hubba tent or an outdoor camp coffee machine.
When the recipient of your gift card spends more than you had budgeted for them, it can cause an uncomfortable situation. However, you can rest easy knowing they already knew how much money was loaded onto the card.
5. Black Diamond Spring 225 Headlamp
A headlamp is an essential piece of travel gear. Gifting a traveler a flashlight is a terrific idea since they can use it whether they are stumbling home in the dark after a night of heavy drinking, exploring the depths of the earth, or just heading back to their camp.
The Spring 225 from Black Diamond is our top recommendation since it offers variable brightness and a long-lasting battery, making it one of the best head-price torches on the market.
It is one of the best presents you can give to a backpacker. Moreover, it may be charged several times, eliminating the need to purchase new, toxic batteries constantly.
6. REI Half Dome 2 Plus Tent
Camping gear, especially a tent, is an excellent present for travelers who like to explore off the beaten path or often hit the road through hitchhiking. They may be pleased with any of the following suggestions as a gift.
It’s one of the best budget tents out there, lasting hundreds of nights for a minimum of six years.
7. OCLU Action Camera
A camera is a must-have for each tourist, right?
While action cameras’ performance has improved dramatically, their total price has decreased, making them more accessible to a broader audience. While GoPros are still beyond reach for most vacationers, you can get comparable quality with the OCLU.
If you’re a backpacker, your ultimate wish is to have a fantastic action camera. You can’t go wrong with this present for the traveler in your life. The recipient can keep the camera you gave them and use it to capture special moments for years to come.
8. Adventure Bag From Stubble & Co
Stubble & Co. is a cutting-edge startup that makes a select number of high-quality backpacks. Their innovative new Adventure Bag is not a hard suitcase but a soft one that compresses down to carry-on size with the help of its straps.
The most versatile option from Stubble & Co, this bag is a safe pick as a souvenir for any tourist. In addition, the price is rational thinking about how good the audio is.
9. OXO Outdoor Campgrounds French Press
Backpackers love coffee. Mornings are rough everywhere, but you genuinely want your cup of joe when camping or hiking. This gift allows them to satisfy their coffee cravings from anywhere.
If you know someone addicted to caffeine, you should get them a gift basket full of delicious coffee. It’s a portable coffee maker, perfect for the coffee lover on the go.
10. Planner Journal
The Moleskine Travel Passion Journal is the best travel journal available today. As a traveler, one of the most beneficial activities is keeping a notebook. Kodiak’s Drifter Leather Journal is our top pick since it’s versatile enough to serve as a planner or a dream journal, depending on your needs.
Don’t allow the events of your life to derail your ambitions, activities, and private recollections. This one is bound in high-quality leather, making it attractive and durable.
11. Nomatic 30L Travel Bag
The finest and most stylish luggage available; a perfect holiday present for the world traveler in your life. The finest and most elegant luggage available; an ideal holiday present for the world traveler in your life.
A backpack is a need for the avid hiker, you know. However, we don’t suggest just any ordinary backpack; the Nomatic 30L Pack is the finest item of gear available.
It’s been tried and true for a long time! If you’re a traveler who prefers to keep your belongings to a minimum but still has to bring them along on your trip, this is the bag for you.
12. Leatherman Multi-Tool
This is the kind of thing you’d want to have with you if you were stranded on a desert island and had to take just one item with you, so it makes a perfect present for adventurers who like to set out into the wilderness. One of the constantly most remarkable features is the carabiner’s ability to function as a bottle opener.
Leatherman produces a wide variety of them, each with its features. However, the traditional Skeletool is the favorite among professionals.
13. Travel Money Belt
This is essential for nomadic, backpackers, hikers, explorers, or frequent flyers. The belt’s clasp isn’t made of metal, and you can wear it through airport security scanners without worrying about setting off the scanners.
Travel Money Belt is perfect for bringing on a trip as it offers travelers a safe place to keep their cash and important documents. Gifting this to your explorer friend will (without a doubt) make them happy.
14. Abaco Sunglasses
These sunglasses are nearly indestructible and affordable, making them the best adventure sunnies. Plus, you can customize one online before purchasing to make them suitable for the recipient.
15. Montem Rain Jacket
Backpackers travel wide and broad, and they’ll need clothes for all, whether in their packing list. A reliable raincoat is a must-have for every traveler since rain is expected. Stylish the Montem jacket is stylish, affordable, and packable. Plus, it is compact and lightweight, making it ideal for day trips to the mall or other errands, even when the sky is overcast, and for use on hikes.
Over the years, many individuals have tried a variety of raincoats, and by far, this one has provided the finest efficiency of any comparable.
16. Moment Phone Lens
Moment Camera lenses are your best bet to take better pictures without breaking the bank. If you’ve been using their products for some time, you may have noticed a marked improvement in the quality of your previously unremarkable photographs.
One of the best things about these lenses is their affordability compared to lenses for DSLR cameras. Moreover, most professionals advocate using an ultra-wide angle lens.
17. Roam Master Class Subscription
Roam is a new media and education platform dedicated to content about exploratory experiences. A new collection of classes is available, including topics like “adventure photographing and narrative” and “solo travel.”
Join Roam today to get insight from some of the world’s most accomplished explorers, athletes, and photographers.
As there is always something new and fascinating to discover on the Roam platform, this is the perfect gift for every kind of traveler.
18. Fingerprint Padlock
This still needs to be given the green light, and you can only speculate how excellent it is.
It’s a lock for your bag, beneficial for airport security or securing it to the bus. It helps ensure your room locker or tie someone’s wrist to a seat as a practical joke.
It is claimed that the padlock’s battery, once charged, would allow for up to 30,000 unlocks and a lifespan of two years. A vast number of keys are opened. This is the kind of thing that every traveler, at some time, has to have.
19. Travel Guitar
The evolution of portable guitars has been phenomenal. Travel guitars used to be costly, prone to breaking, or both. Thankfully, times have changed, as today’s top portable guitars are robust, sonic, and cheap as chips.
20. Goal Zero 36 Power Bank
When you spend significant time outdoors, access to power could be better. It doesn’t matter how many electronic devices you bring to keep you occupied on the 15-hour bus travel; they’ll all be worthless once their batteries expire. Fortunately, external batteries that are both small and strong are now available.
The Goal Zero 36 Power Bank allows you to charge your phone for weeks. Consider these portable batteries if you’re planning on gifting your adventurous buddy.
21. Buff Headwear
Most individuals are Buff collectors, with a minimum of six in their collection. Even if you just use it to protect your tattoos from the sun or to keep your lips covered in cloudy Asian towns, you should always have one on your wrist. With all these perks, your outdoor enthusiast will be delighted to receive Buff Headwear from you.
22. Luci Base Solar Light
For quite some time, these lights have been a fan favorite among members of the TBB crew. Backpackers take them on all their hiking and camping outings and places indoors with poor or bright lighting.
They are excellent for camping trips, but many appreciate that the gentle, warm light can transform even the most dreary hostel room into something like a home.
23. Portable Speaker
This speaker is great for making musical connections with people across the globe since it is powerful, portable, water-resistant, and cheap—a perfect present for the male world traveler.
While plenty of wireless speakers and USBs are on the market, each model’s quality varies greatly. Consider this one if you’re looking for a headset that can connect to several devices and has decent battery life without sacrificing sound quality.
24. MSR Rocket Stove
This camp stove’s small size is its greatest asset. You can help backpackers from getting hungry by giving them something so they can eat well wherever they mind themselves.
Your MSR pocket rocket is a must-have if you’ve used it to make meals in hostile environments like deserts, by the roadside, and on the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.
25. On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac’s On the Road is widely regarded as a classic of American literature. It’s a first-person, non-linear narrative of two friends’ road trip across the United States in the ’50s, complete with drugs, jazz, and good times.
The authors’ actual experiences provide the basis for this low-budget, high-adventure guidebook that has become a classic in the genre of “buddies on the road” stories. Regarding travelers, this Kerouac is the granddaddy, and his prose reads like a dream.
26. Garmin vívoactive Smartwatch
Travelers who are frequently on the go would love a smartwatch. The switch features a variety of fitness and health applications, social networking apps, and a ton of entertaining games to keep kids entertained on grueling train rides and lengthy flights.
This is unquestionably a costly present, but it’s also great!
27. Swiss Army Knife
The Swiss Knife is undoubtedly the finest blade in all other knife collections. It has a good blade and many fantastic extras that are perfect for travelers, such as a tin opener, bottle opener, and tweezers. It also has a reasonable price tag.
If you’re searching for the ideal present to give a traveler, whether she is male or female, a knife is usually the best option to consider.
28. Nomatic Toiletry Bag
A nomatic toiletry bag is a great space-saving accessory for backpackers. When you don’t have much room on your counters, it’s a huge help to have everything you need in a single, easily accessible bag. Easy access to your belongings is a must, whether you’re turning your bag from a tree when hooking on the wall or camping.
This one will serve you well for a very long time since it is impervious to water and stains. It’s a fantastic gift for any adventurer since it’s high-quality, necessary hiking equipment.
29. Kula Cloth
When it comes to outdoor hygiene for women, this little patch of cloth is a game-changer! The Kula Cloth is a disposable or reusable pee cloth manufactured from antibacterial material. A loop allows it to be fastened to a bag, and a snap secures it when it is closed. Furthermore, there are many adorable designs to choose from.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Makes a Great Gift for Travelers?
The GoPro Hero9 Black is not the least expensive present, but it is unequivocally one of the finest ones you can get for someone who enjoys backpacking.
What Would Be a Cheap Present for a Backpacker?
The cheapest gift idea for backpackers is Drifter Leather Journal. Backpackers should always keep a journal or diary of their travels so they may reflect on experiences with fondness. Therefore, a Drifter Leather Journal by Kodiak is the most inexpensive present you can acquire for a pal.
What Gifts Can You Give an Expert Backpacker?
Experienced travelers are aware of how difficult traveling can be at times. In certain circumstances, giving your buddy a Carry on cocktail kit can lighten the atmosphere.
What Makes a Great Gift for Female Backpackers?
The ideal present for your female travel companion is a Travel Funnel Urinal. That way, you can use the facilities at any hostel, no matter how gross they may be.
How Do I Give a Travel Gift?
A gift card to an activity is a simple and reliable method to send someone on an adventure. Give them the freedom to go anywhere they choose with a gift card to their favorite airline. Gift certificates are available from many different hotels.
What Do Millennials Want When Traveling?
Many are now mature adults at the prime of their financial lives. The urge to visit new US cities is also crucial to Millennials, who prioritize meeting friends and family like their younger Gen-Z counterparts. After the last few years, this may be good news for nearby attractions.