Gift Guide for the Eco-Friendly & Outdoor Enthusiast
Hey guys! MAK here! The season of giving is upon us! With every passing year I’ve found that I put more importance on giving people gifts that are checking off one or more of the following boxes:
Is it environmentally friendly?
Is it practical or something that is really useful for them and what they like to do?
Does this produce waste? Better yet does it help prevent further waste?
Will this help them get out and make a new memory doing something awesome? (This is my favorite type of gift to give)
In the past, I’ve found gift guides to be really helpful in discovering new things that I otherwise might not know about, so I figured… Being one that loves gear, does research on these things for fun, and loves sharing the things that genuinely make a difference in our lives… I should make a holiday gift guide! So here goes nothing!
This blog post does contain some affiliate links but is not sponsored by anyone.
Eco-Friendly Gear
Stasher Bags
Owen and I were given our first Stasher Bags last Christmas. Our small collection of two has grown into a collection of over 10 covering all the different shapes and sizes. Having Stasher bags has eliminated our need for single-use plastic zip-lock bags. Bonus! You can actually cook in them too! They’re great for everything from carrying a sandwich on a day hike to holding your liquid toiletries in your carry on!
Travel Utensils & Reusable Straws
We love having a set of travel utensils because you never know when you’re going to find something to eat. When you have your own there is no need to use the single-use plastic ones that most places have to offer. I love these because they come with a case to protect them and the cleaning brushes. We keep a set inside our center console and if we know we’ll be eating we carry them with us in my purse or backpack! Bonus: For every item purchased from United By Blue they remove a pound of trash from our waterways!
Bee’s Wraps
Last year was a very eco-friendly holiday for us because we also received our first pack of Bees Wraps! They’re great for using in place of plastic wrap, to cover food, wrap a sandwich and things like that. In our experience, we find that they stick best to themselves and get a bit less sticky once you stick them in the refrigerator. Being that we keep our produce out of the fridge they are perfect for life on the road!
Travel Mugs, Water Bottles, & Beverage Containers
Hydro Flask is our favorite water bottle company, but they’ve recently branched out to making all sorts of cool gear to help you take your drinks with you, no matter the adventure, or climate. Last year we got Owen’s sister a little collection of our favorite Hydro Flask gear. The great thing about a great water bottle or travel mug is that every time you fill it up that is one less plastic water bottle or disposable coffee cup going out into the world! Here are our personal favorites all of which we carry with us out here on the road!
Reusable Shopping & Produce Bags
Reusable bags at the grocery store are more and more common! There are so many out there to choose from. We carry three of them in varying sizes and use them for everything from groceries to carrying our laundry to and from the laundromat. I also like to carry a small stuff-able one that is my purse at all times:
Large Grocery Tote (great for laundry)
Large Tote, great for laundry
Standard size tote
Perfect for carrying with you at all time
Produce bags are one of our favorite zero waste items that we’ve recently added to our collection. It’s funny how many conversions they spark up at the grocery store! We like carrying bags that come in different sizes and have a fine mesh so you can also use them for bulk items like grains, flour, sugar and trail mix!
Muslin Produce Bags
Outdoor Gear
Bedrock Sandals
Hands down, best outdoor adventure sandal anywhere. They’re comfortable, versatile, they last a very long time. Bedrock also has a re-soul program to breath new life into your trust sandals so you can keep your Bedrocks on the trail and out of the landfill. Everyone in our family now owns them ;)
Garmin InReach Mini
If there is anyone in your life who likes to spend a lot of time in the backcountry or in remote places without cell service, this is an incredible tool to have. We recently got the InReach Mini in preparation for the John Muir Trail and it’s been incredibly handy to send updates to our families back home. Now that we’re off the trail we like to send updates when we’re spending long periods of time out of service. It’s a great piece of mind for us and mostly my mother who I know waits up for our “We made it to camp safe and sound” updates every night!
Food for the Backcountry
For those who have all the gear, how about some food to help them get out on an adventure and stay there for longer! Backpacker meals are a practical gift that makes for awesome stocking stuffers. Food is gear too and is often overlooked! We love keeping a stash of backpacker meals with us at all times because you never know when you’re going to suddenly have an overnight camping trip pop up!
We love Wild Zora because they use real food that is minimally processed in their meals and snacks. Wild Zora produces a wide range of meals, soups, snacks, and drink mixes that cater to many different dietary needs. We also love that they are low in sugar which always helps us feel sustained for so much longer. In addition their meals are Paleo, Gluten- and Grain-free, Dairy-free, Whole 30 compliant, and made with meat raised without added growth hormones or antibiotics! Use discount code for boundforzora15 for 15% off your next purchase! They’ll also have a gift box of all of their best sellers coming out Monday, November 25th!
We also enjoy Three Sisters Stew and Louisiana Red Beans and rice by Backpacker Pantry. There is the added bonus that the packaging can be recycled through Terra Cycle!
Rumpl Blankets
For anyone who loves camping, we firmly believe that you can’t go wrong with a Rumpl blanket. They’re great for tent camping, car camping, or using on your bed every single day (which is what we do). Since purchasing ours Rumpl has redesigned their tried and true blankets to now be made of post-consumer recycled insulation and materials! They’re lightweight, warm, and super snuggly. We’ve used ours anywhere from the deserts of Utah all the way up into the arctic circle of Labrador! This is seriously one of our favorite pieces of gear that we carry!
Stance Socks
Stance socks are a game-changer, and this is coming from someone who used to hate wearing socks! Stance has a huge line of socks for hiking, running, snow sports, biking, people who are sports fans (ie. NFL, college, NBA, and MLB) and the list goes on. Our personal favorites are the Feel 360 socks because they’re made of performance wool making them soft, warm, and they seriously just DON’T bag out! Not even after 220+ miles of daily wear on the JMT! PS. The link below will give you 10% off your entire order!
Used Gear
REI Used Gear
Quality used gear is a sustainable alternative that reduces waste and conserves natural resources all while being a great deal!
Patagonia Worn Wear
According to Patagonia “One of the most responsible things we can do as a company is to make high-quality stuff that lasts for years, so you don't have to buy more of it. Keeping clothing in use just nine extra months can reduce the related carbon, water and waste footprints by 20-30%. (WRAP, 2012)” Those are some pretty impressive stats and is why we love programs like Worn Wear!
Gift Cards
Ensures that they are getting something they need and want. Owen is a huge fan of both giving and receiving gift cards so this one is for him! REI gift cards are great because of the wide range of gear that they have available. You also, if shopping in-store, usually leave with a solid education on what your gear can do! Bonus gift cards especially when they are digitally sent create zero waste.
Gifts that Give Back
Planting Sea Grass to Offset Carbon your Carbon Footprint
SeaGrass Grow & the Ocean Foundation: This year, this is what Owen and I are giving to each other for Christmas. As people who are very environmentally conscious, sometimes driving a big truck around feels a little counteractive. So this year we’re offsetting the carbon footprint of our office/home on wheels through SeaGrass Grow and The Ocean Foundation. The organization plants seagrass with the donations because the grass habitats are up to 35x more effective than Amazonian rainforests in their carbon uptake and storage abilities. They have a handy little calculator to help you find the size of your carbon footprint for a trip, your home or office. Then it will tell you roughly the size of your carbon footprint. We have driven 20,000 miles this year and our total footprint comes to roughly 17 tons. To offset the that will cost just shy of $350 for our entire year’s worth of driving. I’m a fan, and this will be an annual tradition for us going forward.
Adopting Coral to Restore the Reef Eco-Systems
The Coral Gardeners: Sadly, with rising global and oceanic temperatures coral reefs are dying off at an alarming rate. In fact, estimates predict that if things don’t change we could lose all reef systems as soon as 2050. However, this is an incredible organization, The Coral Gardeners, that are hard at work! They transplant coral cuttings onto degraded areas of reef. When these coral fragments grow, they help to recreate reef habitats. This allows other life to return and strengthens the reef against future damage. So how does this translate into a gift? You can adopt pieces of coral, name them, and receive a certificate that includes the coordinates to where your little piece of coral now resides! Swoon. I’m so into this!
Experience
Experiences are our favorite type of gifts. Owen and I actually stopped exchanging gifts back in 2016 when we went on the road because space is tight, we truly don’t need anything, and our favorite thing in the world is to go out and make a new memory together. So this is typically the route we take for gifting to one another. Here are a few of our suggestions:
National Parks Park Pass
A National Parks pass gains you entrance to over 2,000 sites managed by the Forest Service, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation. There are endless possibilities for new experiences with a parks pass! We’ve had one every year since 2012. With parks like the Grand Canyon that are $35 a vehicle, two visits to a National Park nearly cover the fee of that pass! Also by purchasing the pass through REI, they will donate 10% of sale proceeds through 2019 to the National Park Foundation. Win/win. One pass covers the entrance for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle at per-vehicle fee areas or up to 4 adults at sites that charge per person (kids 15 & under get in free).
Outdoorsy Rental
Outdoorsy is a great resource if you’re interested in making you next road trip in something a little different! They can help you rent anything from a travel trailer, camper van, pop up trailers, truck campers, fifth wheels, and motor homes. It’s a great way to get the family together for a trip, or test the waters with vanlife or overlanding!
* Side note: if you have one of those types of rigs that you don’t use full time they’re also a great site to list your vehicle to be rented out while you’re not using it. We actually have a friend who is renting out her fully built out sprinter van and says it’s incredibly easy and is a good way to get her car payment paid every month!
A Trip to Costa Rica with Us!
This is obviously a shameless plug for our group trip to Costa Rica next year, but just think about how fun it will be! We will be doing all of the following:
La Fortuna Waterfall Trek
Arenal Volcano Slopes Trek
Hot Springs Entrance
Santa Elena Cloud Forest Trek
Selvatura’s Hanging Bridges Tour
Though we’ve never been Costa Rica has long been on our bucket list and we can’t wait to explore the rainforest on this trip. It’s going to be doubly awesome to explore it with some of you all! There are only a few more spots available at the early bird pricing, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions at all!
Other ideas
Some of the “experience gifts” that Owen and I have exchanged over the years are as follows: Sky Diving, dive with the whale sharks in the Georgia Aquarium, meals at cool restaurants, a camping trip to a new National Park… You get the picture!
Well, that just about covers it! I hope that you all enjoyed my inaugural gift guide as much as I enjoyed putting it together! Happy gifting and a very happy holiday season to each and every one of you!
Love, MAK (& Owen)
NOTE: Some of the links provided in this blog post are affiliate links. If you end up purchasing some of these pieces of gear we receive a very small portion of the sale. Thank you all as always for supporting us and our life on the road, it gives us the opportunity to share so extensively with you all! - MAK & Owen
