You love the outdoors and so do your mates (whether or not they get a say in it!) We’ve pulled together our favourite outdoor gifts under $50 so you can spend more time out there getting after it.

 

Sometimes the best bits of gear are actually the cheapest. This outdoorsy gear punches well above its weight. Whether you’re searching for a stocking stuffer or a gift for Secret Santa for an outdoor enthusiast, check out our list of awesome Christmas gifts under $50 for runners, hikers, campers, and adventurous kiddos!

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Best Outdoorsy Christmas Gifts Under $50

1. Big Sky Insulated Food Pouch Cozy

RRP: $32.45

 

This Big Sky Insulated Food Pouch Cozy is essentially a thermos in the shape of a bag. It’s super versatile for campers and outdoor adventurers. It can be used to keep chocolate cool on hot days, or to insulate hot meals so they heat up faster when cooking and don’t get cold halfway through eating dinner.

It’s a bit of a luxury item but that’s precisely the reason your outdoorsy friends probably haven’t already bought one for themselves. This is a great bit of gear to elevate their outdoor experience, and they’ll have it forever. At under $35 this is the definition of good value.

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2. The Circle G Sunglasses by Goodr

RRP: $49.00

 

The author Tim has been rocking a pair for two years now

 

Got a mate whose sunnies are forever slipping down their nose? Grab them a pair of the The Circle G Sunglasses by Goodr. They feature a grippy coating so they don’t slip – even when hot and sweaty. While these only just make the cut for Christmas gifts under $50, they look like they’d cost more. 

The lenses are polarised, rated to UV400, and are scratch-resistant so they’ll keep up with all of your mate’s shenanigans.

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3. Australia’s 50 Best Multi-Day Walks

RRP: $39.99 (even less with our discount code, keep reading!)

 

Australia's 50 Best Multi-Day Walks cover, wendy bruere

 

While Australia certainly has its share of incredible and diverse multi-day adventures for hikers, the information has always seemed oddly hard to track down. Google ‘Multi-day hikes New Zealand’ and the official tourism site gives you a neat list with all the key details.

Google the same for Australia and – while there’s plenty of inspiration to be found amongst the hodgepodge of ads for guided walks, articles on sites like We Are Explorers, and blogs that come up – it’s harder to navigate than any real life bushwalking trail.

Australia’s 50 Best Multi-Day Walks book has been put together with input from multiple We Are Explorers contributors and brings together a great list of walks that any hiker would be thrilled to enjoy. Inspire your hiking mate with a book they can refer to for life. 

Inspired to grab a copy? Have a 15% discount code: WAE15. (This code works across the whole site.)

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4. Blackroll Mini Foam Roller

RRP: $19.90

 

Prepare you mate for their next outdoor adventure with a gift that helps them keep aches and pains at bay. The Blackroll Mini Foam Roller is the ultimate portable recovery tool for outdoorsy people.

If your gift recipient is always trying to bounce back from some new injury or strain, this is a perfect gift idea. Its mini size is super portable and ideal for massaging away tension or strain, particularly on legs and feet. If you’re buying for an avid hiker who never whinges, it’s also a good option – we’ve all got niggles. And it’s an absolute steal at just twenty bucks.

It’s also great for friends or family members who work in an office, or at a desk, and need a little TLC after a long day on the keyboard.

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5. Nalgene Sustain Bottle in 500mL or 1L 

 

 

Nalgenes are coming back! They’re the OG in tough drink bottle hardware and they have unlimited outdoor cred. They’re also a bit of a rejection of all the overhyped Stanley Cups and other nonsense.

The Sustain series is just as durable with 50% recycled plastic content using the Tritan Renew material, which we love. Available in the traditional 1 litre size or the underrated 500mL version.

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6. Stainless Steel Camping Cookset by Traverse

RRP: $49.95

 

 

Hunting for Christmas gifts under $50 but want it to look like you spent waaaaaay more? The Traverse 3-Piece Stainless Steel Camping Cookset with two pots and a pan, is great for car camping and backcountry hiking trips alike.

The pots are made of lightweight stainless steel and pack into each other for space-saving satisfaction. For a functional gift that’s damn near impossible to damage, you could do a lot worse than this one.

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7. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard

RRP: $29.95

 

 

This gorgeous book is perfect for anyone in your life who talks with a starry-eyed reverance about how Patagonia dare to do business differently, or pretty much anyone who cares about ethical products and the climate crisis.

It’s a peek into enigmatic founder Yvon Chouinard’s life, philosophy, adventures, and approach to business that could have life-altering results. See if you can borrow it when they’re done.

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8. Blister Wool Blister Prevention Pack

RRP: $19.00

 

Top 14 Outdoorsy Christmas Gifts Under $50

 

Blister Wool has been around forever but for whatever reason it’s quite hard to find in hiking stores and is still off the radar for a lot of hikers. And that’s what makes it one of the best gift ideas on this list by a country mile. Your lucky recipient won’t be expecting it, and nothing beats a legitimate surprise on Christmas day.

The wool is made from 100% Australian-grown wool and is available in two sizes, 20g or 40g. The 20g is more than enough for multiple hikes. The lanolin in the wool is moisture-wicking and helps to reduce friction, protecting your skin and preventing blisters from forming. It’s a great item for hikers to keep in their pack as a borderline weightless solution to sore feet.

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9. Sea to Summit Airlite Towel

RRP: $25 – $33

 

 

‘What if we made a towel even lighter?’ said Sea to Summit, and true to form they shaved a whopping 35% off their standard pocket towel, which was already super light and absorbent.

It might sound silly, ‘what’s wrong with a towel?!’ you cry, but you’ve gotta experience one of these for yourself to be converted. They’re so much easier to pack in a tote or backpack, they actualyl dry you off, and then they dry rapidly when you hang them up. 

There are three sizes available and it’s the perfect gift for pretty much anyone who gets wet.

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10. The Backyard Adventurer – Beau Miles – Paperback Book

RRP: $34.95

 

Top 14 Outdoorsy Christmas Gifts Under $50

 

The last grand idea on our list of Christmas gifts under $50 is The Backyard Adventurer by our favourite outdoorsman Beau Miles, is about conscious experimentation with adventure, making meaning and inspiration out of tins of beans, bits of rubbish, and plenty of elbow grease.

It’s a great read for anyone passionate about the outdoors who likes to have a bit of a tinker or create completely unique adventures for themselves.

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11. Alton Ultralight Titanium Cutlery

RRP: $39.98

 

 

If you’re going to grab someone some cutlery, you can’t do much better than this ultralight titanium cutlery set from Alton. With long handles to suit pre-made dehydrated food bags and a handy carabiner-friendly hole in the end of each, this spoon and spork set is a no-brainer.

The cutlery is just as suited to gram counting thru hikers as it is trail runners who like to pack lunch, and families on camping trips. The best gifts are multifunctional and these are a great bargain buy for outdoorsy people who go on lots of different types of adventures. It’s a gift that’s hard to break and will be useful for years.

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12. Adventure Reels Ultimate Aussie Adventure Map

RRP: $27.50

 

 

What do you get the person who has absolutely bloody everything? As much as we love self-sufficiency, buying gifts for someone who buys what they need as they need it is a nightmare! This year we think we’ve found something that’ll knock their socks off.

The Ultimate Aussie Adventure Map by Adventure Reels includes 700 destinations to explore across Australia and we’re fairly confident your mate won’t have seen them all. It’s effectively an adventurers bucket list, with themed lists as well as locations on the map itself. 

Gift them a reason to get outdoors, see something new, and create memories with this budget-friendly Adventure Map. Headed off on a road trip with the kids? Grab them this so they can tick off locations as you go! 

Psst! Adventure Reels also has some pretty rad Adventure Greeting Cards with four unique adventure vouchers on the inside – essentially invitations to join you on an adventure at a time of their choosing. Cards start from $7.50. 

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Want more great Christmas gift ideas?

 

Header photo by @winnieawhyte

Table of contents photo by Benjamin Weisner

We teamed up with Wild Earth to put this list together and leaned-in to the expertise and experience of their adventurous staff members. We partner with Wild Earth because they're genuinely working to restore a range of ecosystems, as well as carbon offseting every purchase, using sustainable packaging, and even running most of their warehouse using solar power. No matter where our articles come from, all of our content adheres to our Editorial Standards every single time