It’s that time of year again and people are going to start rushing around panic-buying presents for their loved ones. In order to help you out, I’ve group a few items that would suit any outdoor lover. If you find this Christmas gift guide useful, you might like to check out my camping Christmas gift guide here or my Christmas Gift Guide for travellers here.
HJ Hall Merino Wool Commando Outdoor Socks
Socks are a proper Christmas cliche, but the same as chocolate selection boxes and Christmas jumpers – they’re one that everybody loves. This year though, instead of buying the same old tacky novelty socks, why not get the outdoor-lover in your life a pair of proper socks that they will really like. The Commando Outdoor Socks socks by HJ Hall are made to exacting NATO defence standards. This means that they are more than tough enough to cope with anything that is thrown at them.
As they have been designed to cope with military use, they present the ultimate in hard-wearing performance. HJ Hall are very confident with this and even offer a 6 month guarantee! This doesn’t mean that they’re just tough as nails – because they’re made with a merino wool rich yarn blend, they are fantastically soft and comfortable. Merino wool also has lots of other natural qualities such as being sweat wicking and odour resistant making these perfect for lovers of the outdoors.
My favourite feature of these socks however has got to be the length of them; they stretch up nice and high which is perfect for chilly days. Insanely tough, protective and cosy socks – I’d defintiely recommend the HJ Hall Commando Outdoor Socks for lovers of any outdoor pursuit. They’re great for use in the harshest of elements as well as relaxing on your sofa after a long day outside!
Master Lock Portable Safe
The Master Lock Portable Safe is an ingenious little invention which solves lots of problems which outdoor enthusiasts often have. How can you secure your valuables on the go? This could be whilst at the beach, camping or travelling. For example what do you do with your car key, wallet, or phone when you’re at the beach and fancy a dip? How do you safely store your things when backpacking? Where can you keep your gadgets and money when camping? This solves all these issues and more.
On the front of the Portable Safe, there is a four digit combination lock. This is covered by a nice rubber piece which is excellent for use at the beach or in the wild as it will keep it clean and free from sand, muck and grit. You can personalise this four digit code so that it is easy to remember. Once you have punched in this code there are two buttons (one on either side) that you can press.
The button on the right opens the portable safe and allows you to place your things inside. A nice touch from Master Lock is that the inside of the box covered with foam to prevent your gear from scratches. There is also a very clever slot for headphones or a charger for listening to music or charging a device that is stored inside. This is really smart as you may want to use the Portable Safe as an additional level of security in your car, van or camper. There is plenty of room inside and I was able to store my iPhone (in a waterproof case), wallet, SunGod Sunglasses, keys and watch inside and still had a little bit of room.
The button on the left of the combination lock unclips an integrated cable. I think it’s very smartly designed so that the cable is not really noticeable when it’s not in use as it just sits in a grove around the edge of the Safe Space. When it is released the cable measures 50cm which more than long enough to wrap around a post or other immovable object.
You can then use it to tether the travel portable safe to a fixed point. I love this, it’s the best feature of the portable safe as it makes it very secure; no longer can an opportunist thief run away with all your valuables. It’s not the thickest of cables but it’s way more than enough to ensure that anyone without bolt cutters wont be able to get it off whatever you’ve attached it to. I think that the Master Lock Portable Safe is a fantastic little invention which will definitely give the owner piece of mind when enjoying the great outdoors.
SunGod Sunglasses
I’m a huge fan of SunGod Sunglasses and they would make a great Christmas present for almost anyone. What is even better is that you can personalise them to suit the friend or loved one that will be receiving them. I’ve written a couple of reviews of SunGod, first here, then after travelling around Europe with them all summer here.
I think the option of adding polarised lenses is always worth the extra few quid. It not only makes mundane things like driving a lot clearer but is brilliant when at the beach or in intense sunlight. The fact that they are super flexible means you can accidentally sit on them without breaking them. To make it even better they come with a lifetime guarantee so you know that SunGod Sunglasses are a gift that’s going to last.
LifeStraw
A final stocking fillers that’s definitely worth a mention is the LifeStraw. This is simply an incredible invention that no adventurer should be without. Basically, it is a personal water filteration unit. It will remove 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, including E. coli and salmonella as well as 99.9% waterborne protozoa, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium. You’d imagine something that could do all that, would be a big chunky machine. However, the LifeStraw does not need power or batteries. It is also impressively light, weighing in at just 57 grams. Being just 22.5 cm long and 2.5cm in diameter, it can fit in almost any bag and won’t take up much space when packed.
There are other filter bottles etc available but what I love about the LifeStraw is that it needs no replacement parts and will filter. It lasts ages; it can filter up to 1,000 litres of water and doesn’t have a short, limited lifespan like some other filter units. This makes it perfect for anyone that is planning on going off the beaten path, be it travellers, hikers or wild campers.
