BOISE, Idaho — Black Friday is this week, so is small business Saturday and Christmas will be here before we know it and with supply chain issues finding the right gift can be a challenge.
So we wanted to put together a small list of outdoor gear gift ideas that make the wilderness more enjoyable, convenient and safe.
Adventures start with gear and it is a key component to having an enjoyable time, if you are like me you have a never-ending gear wishlist, but I wanted to share a few of my favorite pieces of gear.
I hardly ever leave home without my hammock as this piece of equipment takes relaxing in nature to a whole new level.
Consumers have several different brands to choose from and I have the Eagles Nest Outfitters double nest hammock which costs $70 and I also have the Atlas straps from ENOS that retail for $30 because of how easy the straps make it to hang the hammock.
Hammocks work well in Idaho because of all the trees and I've even found places to hang my hammock in the desert using one tree and the roof rack of my car for a second anchor point.
Another piece of gear that I've found that's invaluable is a camp table and once again consumers have several different choices depending on what they want to use the table for.
I have the REI Co-op camp roll table which allows me to set up a table in dispersed camping areas that don't have picnic tables, this table has been a staple of our river trips and it also has several different uses like tailgating at BSU or providing a table for the back porch.
The table costs $75, breaks down into a bag similar to a camp chair and can be set up or broken down in about a minute.
The final piece of gear is a backpacking stove that can boil water quickly in a manner of a few minutes and again there are several different brands out there.
I have the Jet Boil flash which goes for $110 and not only does this help me eat out in the wilderness I also view it as a safety item that allows me to boil water in three and a half minutes on average.
Backpacking stoves break down nicely and can boil water for decontamination, hot water can be used for oatmeal, backpacking meals or coffee.
All of this gear that I own is at least five years old so it is nice to see some of these items still pretty high on the list of reviews, but the market is always changing and companies continue to develop newer products usually designed for a special segment of the outdoor population.
That's the cool part about outdoor gear, there are so many brands, variations and it's up to you to decide how to customize your outdoor adventure gear.
We just wanted to give you a couple of ideas on some of the favorites that we take on outdoor adventures.
