Twas the week before Christmas,
and all through the trails,
not a present was purchased,
not even in sales,
But once in a while,
adventurers descend,
and buy Christmas presents,
for family and friends …
It’s a wild and windy day, and I’m wrapped in a dry robe on my couch, ticking off the mental gift list I’ve been compiling for the last month. It’s close to done, but not quite there yet …
Inspired by the time of year, and the 12 Days of Christmas, here are 12 Christmas Gift Ideas, featuring my favourite outdoorsy items for adventures big and small
1. The MSR Pocket Rocket Stove
This stove is so small, so simple, and so effective at doing its job. You can get the Pocket Rocket Stove by itself for around €60 (I’ve had mine for almost nine years), or the Pocket Rocket 2 Mini Stove set for €115 and have the ultimate tiny stove kit.
2. Hillside Coffee Makers
As a coffee lover, the next step after getting the stove, is sorting out a coffee system to go with it. My first choice is a Moka Pot (going for a one or two shot option to keep everything small and easy).
If you already have a stove system like a jet boil or wind burner, you can check out if they make a coffee press that fits your stove - like this one for the MSR wind burner. A speedy boil leaves more time for a relaxing brew.
My final coffee brewing option is the humble MugMate Coffee/Tea filter. This really simple reusable filter is possibly the simplest set-up of them all. My parting advice is if one of you likes tea, and the other likes coffee; have separate, marked filters so there’s no cross-contamination of flavours.
3. Coffee Containers
Once you coffee is steeping, you need something to drink from. Outsider.ie have some gorgeous classic enamel mugs that work for when you’re on an adventure, or at home dreaming up the next one. My personal favourite is the John Muir mug - “of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt”.
4. Maps
Maps are special in that they provide both function, and are beautiful. If you’re looking for a functional map for getting out hiking, in Ireland you pretty much have to get the laminated ones. If you’re thinking of something beautiful as a gift, you can scour old charity shops for old maps and frame certain sections - of significance, or where the contours and colours just create something inspiring.
All OSI and East West Mapping Maps have Ireland’s long distance National Waymarked Trails marked too!
5. Socks
For anyone who says socks are a boring or unthoughtful gift - they have not experienced the magic of pulling on a really nice pair of hiking socks right before heading up the hills.
Good quality socks will probably cost you close to or upwards of €20, but if you’re giving them to someone who spends their life outside, they will be deeply appreciated and constantly put to use! My favourite brands are Bridgedale, Darn Tough, Smartwool, and 1000 Mile Socks.
6. General Outdoor Books
Winter is often when we dream up future adventures, and a good outdoor book has been the catalyst for many an idea for me. Here are some of my favourite outdoor books of all time:
Wanderlust British And Irish Isles by Gestalten
Gathering Moss by Robin W. Kimmerer
A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit
7. Irish Outdoor Books
And some fantastic Irish outdoor books from this year include:
The Hike Life by Rozanna Purcell
Wild Embrace by Anja Murray (pictured)
8. A Battery Bank
We’re all becoming more reliant on technology when hiking - and that’s not a bad thing. However, it does require a couple of specific safety considerations. One of those is to bring a battery bank.
When buying a battery bank, I’d recommend aiming for a minimum of 10,000mAh, which will give you plenty of charge for more than one item. An extra bonus is to put your battery bank into a little insulated sleeve (as cold weather drains batteries even faster), and then put that into a dry bag! Now you’re ready for whatever the Irish weather throws at you.
9. Dry Bags
Dry bags are part of my essential kit list. They keep all your gear dry, and are great for packing and knowing what is where in your bag (forevermore in my mind, a blue dry bag means clean clothes, and a red one will mean dirty clothes).
10. Sit Mats & Camping Kit
Stopping for a summit snack, having something to sit on during the 8 wintery Irish months can be a game changer. There’s a variety of different types and the only bit of advice in choosing is to go for one that can fold up. The easier it is to pack into a side pocket, the more likely it’ll be used!
If you have a bigger budget for gifts this year, a therm-a-rest sleeping mat is one of the best bits of camping kit. A lot of focus can go to the sleeping bag, but if you’re not insulated from the ground all the heat is going to leach away. Carl and I have been using the same therm-a-rest mats since 2015, and they are going strong!
The same can be said for our tent - we have the MSR Hubba Hubba (with a footprint to protect it), and it has survived storms, countless nights in forests and open mountainside, and shows no sign of packing it in any time soon.
11. A Hiiker Subscription
Having mentioned our phones and battery banks - one of the best places to get high quality maps of Ireland on your phone is the Hiiker app! You can gift a pro subscription for one year for €50 (and they email you a nice printable gift voucher).
The pro subscription includes printable maps, live location, map region downloads, exclusive access to the digital copies of maps like East West Mapping - loads of features, and you’re supporting an Irish company!
12. Prints
Lots of artists local to your area will be attending the winter fairs and weekend markets. A few that I know of who have online shops include:
Le Mo Lamh - Prints and woven artwork by Clare Comiskey
The joyfilled whimisical art of Bronagh Lee
The Limited Edition Artic Prints of Irish Photographer Chris Barrett
And for any Dublin swimmers - I have a couple of copies left of my very one Riso print: Vico
Bonus Round: Fun Gifts
There’s always items that make us smile or do a double take, but we rarely buy for ourselves. Below are a couple that I’ve been given in the past, and actually really enjoyed.
The rechargeable hand warmer: for whoever you know that gets cold extremely easily (in my case, Carl). Keep this as a gift for your very cold friends so it will get the love and use it deserves
Pocket Backpack: packing down into a ball smaller than your palm, these 20L pocket day packs are wonderful thing to have on rest days during long through-hikes.
An outdoor course: have that one friend that always gets lost? You can always book them in for a day on learning the basics of how to read a map, all the way up to booking them onto a Mountain Skills Course.
If you’re still shopping, I hope these ideas have helped make some decisions. And for everyone else, I hope you’ve enjoyed this christmassy window-shopping moment, and that it’s sparked other inspiration for you.
I’ve done my best to link to Irish retailers, and list quality products. Shop local and support Irish businesses over big global giants 💚