Best Gifts for Outdoorsy Women: Ideas They Will Love
It’s that time of year when you may be looking for both unique and practical gift ideas for the woman in your life who loves spending time outdoors. Well, you’re in luck, because we’ve rounded up the best gifts for outdoorsy women.
From warm jackets to comfy socks, and everything in between, our curated list is based on our personal recommendations as well as those from friends, family, and colleagues. We’re making it easy for you to complete your gift giving needs this year!
Gifts for a Girl Who Loves the Outdoors
Does your nature girl move mountains or swim in the sea? An easy and obvious gift choice is anything they need for ordinary life, with their favorite part of nature emblazoned on it.
A coffee mug with mountains, a phone case with sea creatures, you get the idea. You may have some luck finding cute designs on a site like Etsy.
We’re going to dive deeper into a list of gift ideas they can actually use to explore and enjoy nature first-hand.
Outdoor Clothing for Women
The best gift for an outdoor woman is one that makes her time in nature even better.
In this top category of gifts for women, let’s focus on coats, tops, books, and gear. (No one likes to buy pants, even for themselves. So save yourself the trouble and steer clear of pants as a gift.)
PUFFY COAT
Every outdoorsy girl needs a puffy coat. The Patagonia Women’s Nano Puff Jacket is my personal favorite coat of all time. You can wear it on its own and it’s pretty warm. Or you can wear it under an outer jacket for extra warmth.
It’s versatile, cute, and comfortable. Plus it’s windproof and water-resistant, fair trade certified, and uses recycled materials.
LIGHTWEIGHT HOODIES
Any long-sleeve capeline top will serve your outdoorsy girl with great function and moisture-wicking and will be ready for any adventure. Plus, they make great sun shirts to avoid sunburn on a long day outdoors.
I especially like Patagonia’s Cool Daily Graphic Hoody.
BASE LAYERS
If you’re looking for something practical that outdoorsy women will wear until it dies, socks and base layers are it.
Anything merino wool base is best, and Smartwool is my favorite brand. They’re pricey, but they last forever. Any long-sleeve merino wool thermal crew would make a great gift she can wear for many years.
Wool socks are great for lots of outdoor activities, but especially for hiking. My favorite wool hiking socks are made by Darn Tough. They are generally available at REI, Backcountry, or EMS. Those high-quality socks last forever.
They also offer cute designs. We purchased a couple pair recently. One depicts big foot rowing a canoe and the other has a moose peeking out from behind a shrub.
In addition to the fun designs, we love these socks for multiple reasons:
- Fast-action moisture wicking Merino wool
- Machine-washable
- Lifetime guarantee from Darn Tough
- Made in the USA
While less practical from the perspective of keeping her feet warm on a winter hike, another wonderfully fun option are novelty socks by Lavley. They offer fun sayings such as “I’d Rather Be Camping” (or Hiking, In the Mountains, and more).
These socks are reasonably priced and great as a stocking stuffer.
Inspirational Reading
ADVENTURE STORIES
For a book to inspire new adventures, try She Explores: Stories of Life-Changing Adventures on the Road and in the Wild. This book is filled with practical tips for planning trips, adventure, and even a road trip kitchen checklist.
Stories of Life-Changing Adventures on the Road and in the Wild
FALCON GUIDES
For something more practical, a local guide to their favorite sport is a sure thing. Falcon Guides (like this one for Colorado) offer great resources for hiking, climbing, and paddling all across the US.
TRAIL MAPS
Pair it with a National Geographic Trails Illustrated map for bonus points. These maps are “trail-tough” to take with you on any adventure.
They also make for great and inexpensive wall art. Tailor your trail map gift for the gal you love by ordering a map of her favorite trail and place it in a nice frame.
Camping & Hiking Gear
Gear is a good gift because it’s often one-size-fits-all. It’s hard to go wrong with something like a double-wall vacuum insulation thermos.
TUMBLERS
On long adventures you want your hot to stay hot or your cold to stay cold as long as possible. One of these Yeti tumblers will make that possible.
These tumblers (whether Yeti, HydroFlask or another popular model) can easily be personalized with fancy stick on letters from Michael’s or another craft store.
CAMPING CHAIR
Another sure bet is a folding camp chair. I love this Moon Lence Compact Camping Chair because it packs down small but doesn’t sacrifice on comfort for long nights around the campfire.
Another great camp chair for your outdoorsy girl is this Sequoias Club Chair. The insulated cushion seat is perfect for lounging around the campsite.
SURVIVAL KIT
My mom would buy me something like the adventure essentials survival kit as her way of helping to ensure nothing terrible happens to me whenever I leave the house.
But really, it’s a great gift for anyone who spends time in the wilderness. It contains all of the essential safety supplies you need, inside a military-grade aluminum LED flashlight. Now that’s handy!
Outdoor Adventure Subscription Boxes
What do you get an outdoorsy girl for her birthday? How about a gift that keeps on giving? Subscription boxes will remind your friend that you’re thinking about them every month of the year!
Lucky for us, there are many boxes that are specially crafted with outdoor lovers, women, and moms in mind.
NOMADIK
Cost: $34.99/mo
Nomadik is probably the most well-known subscription box for outdoor lovers. They guarantee a $50+ total retail value in each box and 3-5 premium gear items.
Nomadik offers monthly or quarterly boxes. I think it’s nice to have the option of choice. And the themes for each box change with the seasons, based on your interests.
WILD WOMAN
Wild Woman is a subscription box designed specifically for women who are passionate about the outdoors. Every month she will receive 4-7 items worth over $50 in product value. Their products come in four categories: gear, body, fuel, and inspiration.
They post every single one of their past boxes on their Instagram highlights if you want to get a sense of what you might be gifting.
What they say about their boxes: “the Wild Woman Box is curated to make the outdoors feel more accessible and inclusive with items that can be put to use right away or thrown in your pack for your next big adventure day!”
Their only option is a monthly subscription, but you can pre-buy for 3 months or 6 months and can cancel at any time with their month-to-month option.
THE ADVENTURE BOX
What do you get an adventurous girlfriend as a gift? She’ll surely love a whole bunch of curated dates! The adventure box is designed for couples, as it delivers “an entire date in a box” every month. Keeping the romance alive with unique dates, you can’t go wrong with this gift from Adventure Box.
ECO CENTRIC MOM
Last but not least, if you’re looking for gift ideas for an outdoorsy mom or mom-to-be, we’ve got you. The Eco Centric Mom subscription box celebrates what may be a woman’s biggest adventure: having a baby.
I love that they have rigorous product standards, are a plastic-free company, and are truly “ecocentric”. This is a company the outdoor woman can stand behind for doing her part to respect mother earth.
Grab Bag of Unique Gift Ideas
Finally, here is my grab bag of random gifts for outdoor lovers. As a bonus, these are all small in size, so if you need to mail your gift, or are looking for stocking stuffers, this is your section.
Sometimes simple is best, and these little gifts for outdoor women are sure to please.
- Parks Pass: a national parks pass is only $80 and provides an entire year of access to America’s national parks. Plus, it fits inside a card to make your gifting easy.
- Donation: Similarly, you could make a donation to the National Parks Foundation in honor of your gift recipient.
- Hand Warmer: Another great pocket-sized gift is a rechargeable hand warmer like the one made by OCOOPA. It’s a perfect choice for anyone who lives in a cold climate or loves snow sports.
Rechargeable
- Jewelry: You can’t go wrong with jewelry for the outdoor woman unless you think too traditionally. Go off the beaten path a bit to find something unique to her interests. I like to pour myself a nice drink and spend a bit of time searching on Etsy for “Woman Hiking Jewelry”. You will definitely find a lot of unique options at fair prices.
Christmas Gift Ideas for Outdoor Enthusiasts
I hope by now I’ve given you plenty of gifting inspiration not only for this Christmas but for many holidays and birthdays ahead with these best gifts for outdoorsy women.
If you’re looking to bring the outdoors into your Christmas celebrations, here are a few final gift suggestions.
- Christmas ornaments: these custom ornaments come in every adventure sport imaginable, plus you can put your loved one’s name on it.
- Solar-powered snowflake lanterns: I’ve seen these for sale on Wayfair. You may also be able to find something similar on Etsy or of course Amazon. They’re little solar-powered lanterns with snowflake designs. Super cute. And eco-friendly solar-powered. Plus, she’ll get to celebrate snowy Christmas even if she’s in a warmer weather location.
That wraps up this gift-giving guide for the outdoorsy women in your life. She’s a pretty lucky lady given that you’ve already done this much research to try and find the right gift.
I hope these ideas make you the hero of your next celebration. May it be merry and bright!
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Kristen Bates lives & works from her RV, primarily boondocking off-grid. She owns and operates a women-led travel company, Legit Trips. Kristen loves to explore new places and inspire others to do the same. If she’s not typing away on her laptop, she’s off on an adventure- hiking, biking, or SUP boarding. You can follow her RV adventures @PerpetualMoves and learn more about her travel company at LegitTrips.com.
