It’s got to that time of year again, be prepared to start rushing around panic-buying presents for your loved ones. Never fear however, as Wild Tide is here to help you out with a few items that would suit the outdoor adventurer in your life. If you find this Christmas gift guide useful, you might like to check out my previous Christmas gift guides here.

 

Nalgene Everyday 1 Litre Wide Mouth Water Bottle

The Nalgene Everyday 1 Litre Wide Mouth Water Bottle is the only water bottle that you will ever need. They are incredibly tough and never leak – not a single drop! As you can see from my old scarred green Nalgene compared to my new spare red one, they can easily survive even the roughest drops and bangs on any surface.

I’ve had mine for years and have taken it all around the world. It’s been to over 20 countries in Europe and been as far as Vietnam. Not only this but it’s been to the top of the highest mountain in Slovakia, Slovenia, England and Wales.

On the side are markings which show how much water you have drunk or have left. This can be very useful when hiking to ensure you stay well hydrated or when you’re off the beaten track, when water may be scarce. At under £10, they are great stocking fillers for any outdoor lover or adventurer. The recipient will surely be chuffed with such a useful and tough piece of kit. For information on stockists check out First Ascent.

 

MPowerd Unisex’s Luci Solar String Lights

MPowerd Unisex’s Luci Solar String Lights are a brilliant camping gadget and are a permanent fixture in my camping box. These lights have been designed very cleverly in a way which makes them ideal for camping trips in the great outdoors. They can be charged from the sun using the solar power panel on them or they can be pre-charged at home using USB. This is very useful when camping in England where the sun is unfortunately not always very reliable.

What is great about the Luci Solar String Lights is that it charges in just 16 hours in direct sunlight, or if you are in a rush can fully charge in a mere 6-8 hours when plugged in using the a USB cable. What is even better is that it has three power modes, low, medium and high and lasts up to 20 hours on low mode. On high mode it has a 100 lumen output which will light up your camp nicely using 10 dual direction LED nodes (each node has two lights inside!).

Luci has a battery level indicator which lets you see how much charge is left and allows you to recharge the lights when they’re in need. The solar panel can even be used to recharge your phone or other gadgets which is really handy. One of my favourite features of the Mpowerd Luci solar string lights is the way the string lights wrap around inside the main solar unit. This makes it really easy to store and transport; lots of string lights end up in a horrible tangle but this handy feature stops this from happening. For information on stockists check out First Ascent.

 

Coleman 360 Sound & Light LED Lantern

An awesome gift for any keen camper or lover of the outdoors is the Coleman 360 Sound & Light LED Lantern. This is quite a unique camping lantern and is quite unlike any others which I have seen. This is because it is not only an LED lantern but also a Bluetooth speaker.

This makes it a really versatile piece of gear and one which is ideal for taking on camping trips. It is powered by a Lithium Ion battery which is rechargeable via USB. As I hate going out and buying batteries, I’m a massive fan of built in rechargeable ones in torches and lanterns, this is no exception.

The lantern has three different settings of brightness: high, medium and low:

• On high it outputs 400 lumens, with a beam distance of 8m and a run time of 7 hours.
• On medium it outputs 175 lumens, with a beam distance of 5m and a run time of 16 hours.
• On low it outputs 80 lumens, with a beam distance of 2m and a run time of 40 hours.

So you can see that depending on perhaps how long you are camping for, you can have either a very powerful light for several hours or a lower light which will last almost two days! Or if you’re anything like me, you can pop it on medium and be somewhere in between the two. I really like how the light comes out in an omni-directional and very diffused way. This makes the lantern great for hanging up in the centre of a tent or working around on a table.

The speaker itself is surprisingly powerful, whilst still being able to play for 20 hours, it is easy to connect via Bluetooth quickly and works smoothly as long as you don’t stray too far away. The sound is clear and ‘bright’, it really surprised me with the clarity of the sound considering it is also a lantern! The Coleman lantern is fitted with four control buttons: Bluetooth connect, volume up, volume down and play.

I really love the Coleman 360 Sound & Light LED Lantern as it packs so many great features into a lantern which is only 25cm high and weighs just 620g. I love how it can be easily charged at home before you leave. It functions brilliantly as not only a great lantern but also as a speaker. This is definitely something that any outdoor lover would love to unwrap on Christmas day.

 

Fire Dragon Compact Foldable Burner

The Fire Dragon Compact, Foldable Burner is an excellent stocking filler for any outdoor lover. This pocket sized piece of cooking gear measures in at just 8.4 x 11.4 x 2.6 cm. This makes it perfect for travelling, hiking, backpacking as well as just little trips out and about.

It is super compact and you can actually fit a small supply of the excellent, foodsafe and eco friendly Fire Dragon solid fuel blocks inside it, as well as the included windbreak and a lighter to get the thing started! One fire block will burn for almost 10 minutes which is long enough to cook a meal, boil water or melt some chocolate and smores!

I team the Fire Dragon Compact with the equally small and mighty: Go Travel Mini Floodlight. These two products both pack a whacking great punch in a pocket sized package and with a pocket money price tag, I’d highly recommend both!

 

Coleman BatteryGuard 200L Head Torch

Another excellent stocking filler is the Coleman BatteryGuard 200L Head Torch. This is a powerful and well designed head lamp which has some really great features. I really like the simplicity of the headband. It’s made from a soft, breathable and lightweight fabric but the best thing about it is how it tightens and fits.

It is fitted with an ‘easy-tug’ buckle which allows you to just pull on the loose end of the headband to tighten this ensures a very secure and snug fit on your head. The lamp itself is mounted onto a pivot which can then be adjusted to suit you perfectly. I find this really useful for walking at night as you can set the beam so it points just where you want it.

Running on 3 x AAA batteries the head torch can put out a whopping 200 lumens which translate into a beam of approximately 100 metres. On full power the battery will last 5 hours but on low mode (which is what I use most of the time) it can keep going for a staggering 200 hours. With Coleman’s awesome BatteryGuard technology you are actually able to disengage the battery without removing it from the head torch, this enables you to stop battery drain and protect against corrosion.

I think this head torch is an awesome Christmas stocking filler, it packs a punch in terms of brightness but is very compact, comfortable, lightweight (just 105.5 grams) and easy to use. The Coleman BatteryGuard 200L Head Torch is perfect for trekking, travelling, camping, outdoor pursuits and just daily activities at home.