Gift Ideas For Tent Campers

It never fails. You have someone in your life that you want to buy a gift for, but you’re stymied at coming up with good ideas. Sure, a gift card is a common answer, but that just seems like a cop-out. You want to give them SOMETHING, but what is the RIGHT something for them? You could spend weeks racking your brain trying to come up with a few ideas, or you could turn to the collective wisdom of what I’ll refer to as “the group”. This is a group of people that have a similar interest, and in this case they have a love of camping. These ideas came from a Facebook group of tent campers, and they were the most interesting ones that I saw in all of the comments. If that someone in your life also loves camping, especially tent camping, then this is a list you’ll want to come back to several times for inspiration.

These gift ideas are designed to be under $100 so they should work for nearly anyone that you have a gift need for. And if you have other ideas to add to this list, leave them in the comments for all of us to consider. Now, on with the list!

Gift Ideas For Tent Campers

Welding Gloves

Okay, you might be thinking that I’m joking by leading off the list with welding gloves, but hear me out. Welding gloves are designed to be used around very hot metal without the user getting harmed. How does this translate to tent camping? Well, having heavy duty gloves would be great for manipulating a fire and partially burnt wood. It could also be handy for moving around grates for cooking over fires, or the hot handles of a dutch oven. The fact is, once you have a pair of welding gloves in your camping kit, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without them.

Camping Signs

And no, we’re not talking about traffic signs. What we mean by camping signs is a sign with your name and home city on it. These are always fun to see on other campsites, and can sometimes generate a conversation with the campers and maybe make new camping friends. You can regularly find people on places like Etsy and other hobby websites that would make you a camping sign as a gift for someone. Pair it with a nice holder so they can use it right away on their next camping trip.

Headlamps

Maybe you know a camping friend or family member that still doesn’t have a headlamp. Do them a favor and get them one. They might not think that it’s worth it, but once they have one they’ll quickly migrate to using that headlamp before they grab the old flashlight. The modern ones have different features, but options such as a red light for using at night without causing eye issues, dimmable lights for adjusting to different lighting conditions, and even differences between a focused and a wide lens are all options available these days.

Headlamps

Binoculars

When you are out in the wilderness, there will be times that you see something in the distance, and you’ll wish you had some binoculars so that you could see what it was. Having even a small set of binoculars in your gear gives you that chance. They can also help with seeing birds and identifying them, plus much more. With all of the needed gear that people tend to get, binoculars are often overlooked to keep in that gear. Help your camping friends out and get them a small set of binoculars.

Bellows Or Long Hollow Tube

When you are trying to start a fire, you aren’t always doing so in optimal conditions. Part of the fire equation that you have some control over is the oxygen. While we can use our lungs to provide that oxygen, getting it to the right place in the fire can be difficult. Having a small bellows or even a thin hollow tube to direct the extra air will really make a difference in how fast you can start that fire, as well as to reactivate coals into a roaring fire.

Solar Charger

Maybe you know some tent campers who tend to bring a number of electric gadgets that need to be recharged, such as portable GPS units, cell phones, or other items. Especially useful if you are going on an extended trip, having a solar charger to keep those things charged up and ready will be a welcome gift. These usually offer multiple solar panels that unfold to provide maximum charging ability. They don’t take up much room and should last for years.

Solar Charger

Pie Irons

If you have ever used one, you know how great pie irons are. You can cook nearly anything you can think of, and it’s great for the kids because they can make food that they like. There are a number of different varieties of pie irons, but the best ones to get are cast iron as they are very forgiving with the harsh outdoors and are nearly indestructable. Aluminum ones transfer heat too quickly, leading to burnt outsides and uncooked insides. I also prefer the round ones to the square ones because they seal better.

Pie Iron Recipes

And of course, if you are buying a pie iron for cooking, you should also buy a copy of my recipe book “Pie Iron Recipes”. This book is a compilation of more than 100 recipes that cover everymeal from breakfast to lunch to dinner, plus desserts. And at less than $10, this is a great idea for a stocking stuffer as well for lots of people. You could also pair this with the other recipe books in the Northwoods Cooking Series, “Dutch Oven Recipes” and “Tin Foil Recipes”. Just because you are camping doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have yummy meals.

Wrap Up

These are some interesting and practical gift ideas for the camping lover that you have in your life. Odds are that they do not have one or more of these items in their gear set already. But these are just a few ideas, what other ideas do you have to share with everyone? Put your ideas in the comments for everyone to check out.

Got some feedback on this topic? I’d love to hear from you! Comment below, send me an email or share it on social media! Happy Tent Camping!

Leave a Comment