Gifts for Campers: A Family Gift Guide

Three rules before you shop

• Do not guess on the big stuff. Tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks are personal and expensive, and most campers have opinions about them. Unless they named the exact model, give something else, or give a gift card toward it.
• Upgrade what they already use. Everyone has a flashlight; few have a headlamp they love. Everyone has a pot; fewer have cast iron. The best gift replaces a thing they tolerate.
• Consumables are never wrong. Hand warmers, fire starters, and batteries get used up every season, so a second box is always welcome.

Prices below are approximate and change often, especially in November and December. Check the current price before you buy.

Stocking stuffers under $25

• HotHands Hand Warmers, 40 Pairs. Air-activated, and the box lasts a whole fall and winter of cold mornings, football games, and campfires.
• EverBrite LED Headlamp, 5-Pack. Five headlamps with a red night mode, one for everyone in the family. Ideal for a family that still shares one flashlight.
• UCO Stormproof Match Kit. Matches that keep burning in wind and rain, with a waterproof case. The backup every fire builder should have.
• Opinel No.7 Carbon Steel Folding Knife. A classic carbon-steel folding knife with a beechwood handle and a locking collar. A good first real knife for an adult or an older teen, at the giver's discretion.
• Lodge 10.25" Cast Iron Skillet. Pre-seasoned, made in the USA, and good over a campfire grate or a camp stove. It will outlast everything else in the camp kitchen.
• TempPro TempSwift Instant Read Meat Thermometer. For the camp cook who has ever cut open a chicken thigh at dusk to check it. The backlit display is easy to read after dark.
• The Night Sky 30°-40° Star Finder. A rotating star chart: set the date and time and it shows what is overhead. No batteries, no signal needed. Pair it with our free night sky bingo printable.
• Kidde Carbon Monoxide Detector, AA Battery Powered. Not exciting, but a battery carbon monoxide alarm is a genuinely thoughtful gift for anyone who camps in cabins, yurts, or an RV, or who uses a heater on cold trips.

Useful upgrades from $25 to $75

• THERMOS Stainless King Vacuum-Insulated Beverage Bottle, 40 oz. Boil water once at breakfast and the family has hot cocoa and soup all day. On cold trips this is the most-used thing in the kitchen.
• Lodge 10-inch Camp Dutch Oven (with lid lip). Legs and a flanged lid for coals on top, which is what makes campfire baking, chili, and cobbler possible. A gift that comes with a new hobby attached.
• Black Diamond Spot 400 Headlamp. A bright, waterproof headlamp with a red mode, for the person who handles every after-dark campsite chore.
• LuminAID Titan 2-in-1 Solar Lantern. An inflatable solar lantern that doubles as a phone charger. Packs flat and lights the whole picnic table.
• Anker Zolo Power Bank, 20,000mAh. Keeps phones and rechargeable headlamps going for a weekend away from outlets.
• Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol Foam Sleeping Pad. A folding foam pad that adds warmth under any air mattress or inflatable pad, cannot pop, and doubles as a seat by the fire. The cheapest real fix for cold nights, as sleeping pad R-values explain.
• Sea to Summit Reactor Extreme Sleeping Bag Liner. An insulated liner that makes an existing sleeping bag warmer and keeps it cleaner. A smart gift for someone whose summer bag struggles in October.
• Celestron Outland X 8x42 Binoculars. Binoculars for birds by day and the Moon and bright planets at night. The usual first step before anyone buys a telescope.
• ENO DoubleNest Hammock. The well-known camping hammock. Check that their usual parks allow hammocks hung from trees before giving one.
• GSI Outdoors Backpack Bocce. A real bocce set that packs small. A game the whole family, from kids to grandparents, can play on a campground lawn.

Bigger gifts, $75 and up

• GCI Outdoor Freestyle Rocker. A camp chair that rocks. It sounds like a small thing until you spend a whole evening in one by the fire.
• Outland Living Firebowl 893 Deluxe Propane Fire Pit. A portable propane fire pit with no sparks or embers and an instant off switch. Many fire restriction orders allow propane devices like this when wood fires are banned, though not all do, so it can save a trip during a burn ban.
• Coleman Triton+ 2-Burner Propane Stove. A two-burner propane stove for the family still cooking on a single burner. Propane also handles cold mornings far better than butane does.
• TETON Sports Celsius XXL 0°F Sleeping Bag. The one sleeping bag that is reasonably safe to give unasked: a roomy, warm rectangular bag for someone who sleeps cold. Still, check whether they already have a cold-weather bag.

Gifts for kids who camp

Kids treat their own gear completely differently from the family bin. A headlamp with their name on it, their own roasting stick, or their own sleeping bag makes the next trip something to count down to.

• CARPATHEN Smores Sticks (8-Pack), with dull tips and telescoping handles that keep small hands back from the coals.
• Carson BugView 5X Bug-Catcher Magnifier, for turning bugs and leaves into an afternoon.
• Peterson First Guide to Trees, organized by leaf shape so kids can work out a tree on their own.
• THERMOS FUNTAINER Kids Food Jar with Spoon, 10 oz, for hot soup or chili on a cold trail lunch.
• TETON Junior 20°F Kids Sleeping Bag, a kid-size 20 degree bag that fits kids up to 5 ft 5 in. Sizing and temperature ratings for kids are covered in the best camping sleeping bags for kids.
• Quokka Trivia Card Game, 500 Questions, for long evenings after dark in the tent or around the fire.

Our free camping printables, such as the junior ranger activity sheet and the constellation wheel, make good extras to tuck into a gift bag.

Gifts that are not gear

• A national park annual pass. In 2026 the America the Beautiful pass costs $80 for U.S. residents and covers entrance and standard amenity fees at national parks and other federal recreation sites for a year. It does not cover campsite fees.
• A state park pass. Many state park systems sell an annual vehicle or day-use pass. For a family that camps close to home, it can get more use than a national pass.
• A booked campsite. Reserve a weekend at a favorite park and wrap the confirmation. Popular sites book up months ahead, so this is a gift that takes some planning; the timing is in recreation.gov reservation strategy.
• Your time. For a family that has never camped, the best gift may be an offer to come along on the first trip. Start them with camping for beginners.

What to skip

Novelty gadgets that do one thing, cheap multi-tools that bend the first time they are used, and anything that needs a generator tend to end up in a drawer. So do fuel heaters meant for inside a tent, which are a carbon monoxide risk; see tent heater safety. For more on what campers leave at home and why, see what not to bring camping.

Frequently asked

What do you get someone who loves camping?

Skip tents and sleeping bags unless they asked for a specific one. Give the gear they use every trip but rarely upgrade: a good headlamp, hand warmers, a vacuum bottle, cast iron, a comfortable chair, a power bank, or a national park pass.

What are good camping stocking stuffers?

Hand warmers, a headlamp multi-pack, stormproof matches, an instant-read thermometer, roasting sticks, a pocket field guide, or a star finder. Most are under $25.

Is a national park pass a good gift?

Yes, for anyone who visits federal parks and public lands. In 2026 the America the Beautiful annual pass is $80 for U.S. residents. It covers entrance fees, not camping fees.

What camping gifts are good for kids?

Their own gear: a headlamp, roasting sticks, a bug magnifier, a pocket tree guide, a kid-size food jar, or a sleeping bag sized for a child.