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The holiday season is in full swing, and many of you are compiling gift lists for all the important people in your life. One of the most thoughtful things to do when purchasing gifts for anyone is to ask them what they need. If you have an outdoor lover in your life, they may need some new camping supplies. 

Even the most seasoned campers can use replacements and upgrades occasionally, but to avoid the hassle of gift returning or gear gathering dust in the garage, narrow it down to a few things and get their vote. Once you’ve identified what they need, you can find out the best options in those categories. If you want it to be a surprise, then hopefully you know them well enough to fill those gaps for them. 

You want the best camping gifts to enhance their camping experience, be useful, and be enjoyable to use. Especially if you are not someone that spends a lot of time outdoors, then using lists like this will guide you down the right path. 

We couldn’t list every type of camping equipment on this list, but we did narrow it down to a few important items that beginners to experts would both appreciate receiving. If you couldn’t find any good fits on the list below, check out our other gear guides for more camping gift ideas! 

Best Camping Gifts for Women: Rumpl Down Blanket

Best Gifts for Women

Durable, warm down throw that will hold up in all seasons outdoors. Rumpl

Rumpl down blankets are the ideal camping blanket for anyone on your gift list. They come in a variety of designs, and they are all durable, cozy, and water-resistant. Compact for travel and very easy to pack, these are a great blanket for a woman that loves car camping, RVing, or is simply looking for the perfect travel throw for extended road trips. Unlike a standard throw blanket, the Rumpl Down Blanket is designed with ripstop fabric repelling water, dirt, stains, and odors. The blanket insulates with a 600-fill hydrophobic duck down, making them warm, lightweight, and packable.

Best Camping Gifts for Men: Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket

Best Gifts for Men

Lightweight down design with windproof protection that is ready for any outdoor adventure. Patagonia

Every outdoorsman needs a quality jacket that can help them tackle camping expeditions in all seasons. Worn on its own during a cold autumn evening or as the perfect mid-layer in the depths of winter, the Patagonia Down Sweater Jacket is a comfortable, quality jacket for the outdoorsman in your life. As one of the most environmentally responsible outdoor companies out there, you can guarantee the highest quality products that utilize ethically-sourced down and recycled materials. You’ll feel good about this camping gift for men and no matter their expertise outdoors, there is no worry this jacket won’t be used. 

Best Camping Gifts for Teens: NOSO Patches

Best Gifts for Teens

Kids and teens are notoriously hard on outdoor gear, and NOSO patches give them a fun, personable way to repair gear themselves. NOSO

NOSO Patches are a unique gift with a purpose. As many parents can attest, kids love spending time outdoors, but they are hard on the gear they use. From jackets to sleeping bags and tents, somehow, they get caught up in the fun and end up with a tear that makes it hard to repair. Teach your kids early that it is easy and can be fun to repair their outdoor gear using NOSO patches. These patches come in many fun designs that allow the equipment to feel personalized and kind of cool once it is fixed. The patches make it easy to repair most outdoor fabrics without a sewing kit by using an aggressive adhesive to create a permanent patch. 

Best Car Camping Tent: Cabela’s Alaskan Guide Model Geodesic 6-Person Tent

Best Car Camping Tent

Outdoor sports don’t stop when it gets cold, and this Cabela’s tent design knows that you need quality protection no matter the season or conditions. Cabela’s

Choosing the best tent can be a somewhat personal endeavor. But many outdoor enthusiasts may not want to shoulder the price of a quality tent, especially one that will shelter them year-round. The Cabela’s Alaskan Guide Model Geodesic 6-Person Tent is field-tested and designed for the rugged outdoors person in mind making it the perfect camping gift. After 25 years of field testing in Alaska, this tent has undergone several improvements to provide the highest quality design to withstand strong winds and cold, wet conditions. The fabric is ripstop and moisture shedding with a full-coverage rainfly to keep you and your gear dry. A four-season tent is not for everyone, but for those that need extreme weather protection, this is a practical gift they’ll appreciate all year long. 

Best Camping Table: Camp Chef Sherpa Table

Best Camping Table

Provides an easy-to-use camp kitchen organization system that doubles as a storage bin and camp table. Camp Chef

A reinvention of the classic camp kitchen chuck box, the Camp Chef Sherpa Table is one of the best camping tables you can find. The design will make any car camper happy by keeping all of their kitchen supplies in one easy-to-move place while providing them with a dedicated space to cook and prep food. You can use the table with or without the telescoping legs, and when you’re ready to hit the road, pack everything back into the four-compartment box with side handles for transport. 

Best Camping Chairs: Helinox Chair Zero

Best Camping Chairs

Backpack in optimal comfort with the Helinox Chair Zero. It is durable, compact, and lightweight enough to carry on multi-day trips with ease. Helinox

While standard folding chairs may be fine for car camping and RVing, they don’t work well while backpacking. The backpackers in your life may still want the comfort of a chair without the clunkiness of a standard folding model—queue Helinox Chair Zero. The chair’s portability, durability, and price make it an easy choice for a high-quality and truly loved camping gift. To make the chair suitable to carry while backpacking, it is closer to the ground than a standard camp chair. Don’t let that design feature fool you though, it is surprisingly comfortable for its size, and Helinox has several other design options to choose from. 

Best Sleeping Pad: Therm-a-Rest MondoKing

Best Sleeping Pad

Bring the comfort of home to your tent camping experience with the insanely comfortable and easy to inflate Therm-a-Rest MondoKing. Therm-a-Rest

Even if you have the room in the car for a full air mattress, it can be a hassle to lug from campsite to campsite. The Therma-a-Rest MondoKing Sleeping Pad provides a great in-between to a standard sleeping pad and a full-sized air bed. The extra-large design provides ample comfort and quality insulation on cold nights. Although it is bigger than other sleeping pad options Therm-a-Rest offers, it is still packable and easy to inflate. It is kind of heavy for a backpacker to love, but minimalist car campers will enjoy this camping gift because of the level of comfort and durability.

Best Sleeping Bag: Marmot Trestles 30 Degree 

Best Sleeping Bag

The Marmot Trestles is usable in most climates and best for campers that enjoy shoulder season treks. MARMOT

Not all outdoor lovers need equipment to get them through cold winter temperatures, but they’ll want a bag that will keep them warm and cozy the rest of the year. Peak camping times are often spring and fall, when temperatures can vary dramatically. The Marmot Trestles 30-degree bag is suitable for car camping and backpacking alike and is EN tested, so you know it is a trustworthy buy. The durable SpiraFil HighLoft insulation is not fully waterproof, (no sleeping bag is) but even in damp weather, this bag will insulate and keep you warm through the night. 

Best GPS: Garmin GPSMAP 65s

Best GPS

An excellent navigation tool for hikers or anyone that loves backcountry travel with easy-to-use controls and a system almost anyone can understand. Garmin

Navigation tools are essential in the backcountry. While understanding how to use and read maps is a must-have skill, gifting a navigation device like the Garmin GPSMAP 65s can give you peace of mind as your loved ones venture out. This device provides up to 16 hours of battery life, displays public land boundaries, and has expandable data storage. These features and more make this one of the best GPS options for hunters, backpackers, and other folks who want to get outside with a reliable navigation tool. 

Best Compass: Suunto MC-2 Mirror Compass

Best Compass

Suunto’s MC-2 provides features expert navigators will appreciate but won’t overwhelm a beginner when learning to read a map and navigate on their own. SUUNTO

Suunto has long been trusted by backcountry travelers, and the MC-2 Mirror Compass design will not disappoint. Equipped with useful features like a declination adjustment tool, a sighting hole and notch, and a clinometer, it may take some practice to understand how to use it. Still, it will soon become a trusted companion for any adventure. Even beginners can benefit from a high-quality compass like the Suunto MC-2, and you’ll be gifting a necessary and valuable tool they’ll appreciate for years to come. 

Thoughts on the Best Camping Gifts

Finding the best camping gifts for the outdoor enthusiast on your list can be tricky, and many of them may be gearheads themselves. The good news is that they’ll likely tell you exactly what they need. Then, all you have to do is narrow down the best camping gift option in that category. From the best navigation tools to the best tent for year-round adventure, they’ll appreciate the time and effort you put into selecting the perfect camping gift for them. If the perfect fit wasn’t on our list here, use one of our many gear guides to help you choose the right gift. 

Field & Stream wants to help you find the most useful and expert shopping recommendations for the best gift ideas. Searching for more unique gifts? Check out more gift guides here: Best Gifts for Hunters, Gifts for Gun Lovers