The Best Gifts for Women Who Hike: Things She'll Actually Use

Hi Kula Cloth friends!

If you’re shopping for a woman who loves hiking, I have one piece of advice: please do not buy her another mug that says “The Mountains Are Calling.”

She probably already has one.

As somebody who has spent a significant portion of my life wandering around outside—backpacking, hiking, teaching backpacking, working as a park ranger, and generally finding excuses to disappear into the woods—I have some opinions about what makes a genuinely great hiking gift.

The best gifts for hikers aren't necessarily the biggest or most expensive things. In fact, unless you know exactly what somebody wants, I'd stay away from highly personal gear like backpacks, hiking shoes, sleeping bags, or tents. Those things are incredibly specific to the person using them.

Instead, give her something she'll actually use.

Something that makes hiking more comfortable. Something delicious she can eat on the trail. Something clever that solves an annoying little problem. Or something she'd love to have but might not necessarily buy for herself.

Here are some of my favorite gifts for women who hike.

1gift no. 1A Kula Cloth

Okay, obviously I'm starting here.

I invented Kula Cloth because I wanted a better way to deal with something incredibly basic: what do you do after you pee outside?

A Kula Cloth is a reusable antimicrobial pee cloth designed for anybody who squats when they pee. Instead of carrying toilet paper—and then having to pack that toilet paper back out—you simply use your Kula after you pee, snap it to your backpack, wash it when needed, and reuse it.

It's one of those tiny pieces of gear that can make being outside significantly more comfortable.

And yes, I own the company, so I am obviously extremely biased. But I also created Kula because it was something I genuinely wanted for myself as a hiker.

They're also covered in art, which means you can choose one that actually feels like the person you're giving it to.

Not sure which design she'd pick? A Kula Cloth gift card lets her choose.

2gift no. 2A CNOC Water Bottle

Hydration gear is one of those things that hikers actually use constantly, which makes it a fantastic gift.

CNOC makes wonderfully practical hydration gear for hiking and backpacking, including lightweight collapsible bottles and water containers that don't take up much room when they're empty.

I especially love gifts like this because they fall into that wonderful category of “something useful that I might not think to buy myself.”

A lightweight bottle can live in a hiking pack, travel bag, motorcycle pannier, car, or backpacking kit without becoming another giant piece of gear cluttering up the house.

CNOC makes a few different styles of bottle, so take a peek at all the options. My favorite (pictured) isn't collapsible at all!

3gift no. 3Pangoo Apparel Hiking Pants

A really good pair of hiking pants can become one of those pieces of clothing that somehow gets worn everywhere.

Trail? Yes.
Travel? Yes.
Running errands while pretending you're about to embark on an expedition? Absolutely.

Pangoo Apparel makes outdoor clothing designed with actual movement and adventure in mind, and a great pair of hiking pants is an especially lovely gift for somebody who spends a lot of time outside.

Clothing can obviously be a little trickier because you'll need to know the recipient's size, so this is a good one for somebody you know well—or pair the idea with a gift card and let them choose exactly what they want.

4gift no. 4Trekking Poles

I know trekking poles aren't particularly glamorous.

But neither are knees.

And knees are wonderful.

A good pair of trekking poles can make a tremendous difference on steep climbs, long descents, rocky trails, creek crossings, snow, mud, and backpacking trips with a heavier pack.

They're also something that many newer hikers don't realize they want until they finally start using them.

If you're buying poles for somebody else, look for a lightweight adjustable pair with comfortable grips and an adjustment system that's easy to operate.

My favorite? The Black Diamond Alpine Carbon Cork poles — pricey, but they will last forever!

5gift no. 5Better Bars (Because Food Is an Underrated Gift)

I would like to make an argument for giving hikers food.

Seriously.

If somebody already owns a mountain of outdoor gear, the last thing they may need is another object.

Consumable gifts are brilliant because they get enjoyed and then THEY DISAPPEAR.

No storage required.
No gear closet required.
No wondering where you're supposed to put the 14th titanium camping utensil somebody has given you.

Better Bars are a fun trail treat to tuck into a stocking, hiking gift basket, or care package. You could even put together an entire assortment of hiking snacks—bars, chocolate, dried fruit, nut butter packets, drink mixes, and whatever else your favorite hiker loves.

And the beautiful thing about trail food is that it will almost certainly get used.

6gift no. 6A Peanut Butter and Jelly Kit

I LOVE PB&J sandwiches, and this is a super fun idea for a hiking friend.

Put together single serve squeeze packs of nut butter (or granola butter) and jelly + make them a loaf of homemade bread, or include a loaf from your favorite bakery so that they can have gourmet PB&J on their next hike.

(Or choose a peanut butter free or alternative nut option if allergies are an issue.)

I love the squeeze packs because you can make your sandwich on the trail, but if you want to go really gourmet you could even make your own jam and nutbutter!

7gift no. 7A PackIt Mini Freezable Lunch Bag

This one isn't traditional hiking gear, which is precisely why I like it.

PackIt's small freezable lunch bags have cooling material built into the bag itself. You freeze the entire thing, fill it with food, and suddenly you've got a tiny portable cooler without needing a separate collection of ice packs.

This is fantastic for day hikes, road trips, trailhead lunches, picnics, travel days, or keeping snacks cool in the car while you're out adventuring.

It's also one of those gifts that can be used for a million things that have absolutely nothing to do with hiking.

I keep my burritos cold in my PackIt snack pack!

8gift no. 8A Lemosho Field Kit

Sometimes the best outdoor gear solves the problems nobody really talks about.

The Lemosho Field Kit is one of those things.

It's designed to make outdoor hygiene easier and give you a simple little system for taking care of yourself when you're away from indoor plumbing.

I love gifts like this because hygiene gear isn't necessarily the first thing somebody thinks to buy when they're getting into hiking or backpacking—but once you have a good system, you wonder how you ever went without one.

A Field Kit also makes a particularly fun gift for somebody heading out on their first backpacking trip, a big thru-hike, an international adventure, or a camping trip.

9gift no. 9Wild Batch Outdoor Body Care

There is something deeply luxurious about getting back to your car after a hike, taking off your boots, changing your socks, and cleaning yourself up a little bit.

Wild Batch makes wonderfully useful outdoor body-care products that are easy to tuck into a hiking kit, travel bag, or backpack.

And this is another category where you can have fun putting together a little collection instead of giving one giant gift.

Soap. Deodorant. Something that smells amazing. Something that makes a grimy human feel slightly less feral after several days outside.

In fact, we loved Wild Batch so much that we collaborated with them to create our own scent called Forest Bonbon, inspired by the French La Vosgienne pine pastilles. It's warm, sweet and cozy, with salted caramel and balsam notes—and it smells approximately like I imagine a tiny enchanted cabin in the forest should smell.

10gift no. 10A Hiking Experience

Not every hiking gift needs to be a thing.

Pay for a campsite.
Buy an annual parks pass.
Book a cabin near a trail they've always wanted to hike.
Pay their entry fee for an event.
Take them on a weekend hiking trip and cover the hotel afterward.

Or simply make a plan to go hiking together.

Some of my most treasured memories from the outdoors aren't connected to any piece of gear at all. They're connected to people, places and experiences.

11gift no. 11A Hand-Painted Watercolor of a Place You've Shared

A great option might be a handpainted watercolor of a place you have visited with a friend.

This is a special, non-digital way to capture a really cherished moment and it's truly personal and from the heart.

Here's one I painted from one of my favorite trips.

12gift no. 12Build Her a Tiny Hiking Gift Box

If you can't decide on one thing, this might actually be my favorite option.

Get a little box or reusable bag and fill it with a few small hiking luxuries:

You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to give somebody who loves hiking a wonderful gift.

The magic is in choosing things that say:

The Best Hiking Gift Is the One That Gets Used

Outdoor people can be surprisingly difficult to shop for because we tend to be extremely particular about our gear.

Ask a backpacker about their backpack and you may accidentally trigger a 45-minute conversation about torso lengths, hip belts, load lifters, fabric weights, and why the backpack they used three years ago was ALMOST perfect except for one pocket.

So you don't need to buy the biggest or fanciest piece of gear.

Choose something useful. Something consumable. Something comfortable. Something that makes an adventure a little bit easier or more joyful.

And if you're completely stuck?

Give her snacks.

Quick Answers

Nobody has ever reached the top of a mountain, pulled a delicious snack out of their backpack and thought: Ugh. What a terrible gift.

Love,

Anastasia

Founder, Kula Cloth®

about the author

Anastasia Allison

Anastasia is the founder of Kula Cloth, a former park ranger, backpacking instructor, and wilderness first responder who has spent a significant portion of her life wandering around outside — and has some opinions about what makes a genuinely great hiking gift.