Hey guys! MAK here! The season of giving is upon us! This has undoubtedly been a weird year for all of us, especially for the small business owners of the world. I know that, because we too own a small business. Last year’s gift guide focused on environmentally friendly gifts, while I will always have that in the back of my mind when giving gifts, this year I wanted to focus mostly on small businesses.  

Before we get into it, I wanted to share a few gear items that we discovered this year that we love. I know that we have a lot of gear lovers out there and they don’t 100% fit into the small business category but I figured I’d share them for the inquiring minds. Then we’ll talk over everything small biz!

I do feel the need to add that in no way should you feel pressure to buy gifts this year. No one expects you to purchase gifts for them that could potentially put you in a bad spot. If you want them to know you’re thinking about them, give ‘em a call, write them a letter, or even make them a lil somethin’ somethin’.

This blog post does contain a few affiliate links but is not sponsored, just things we love and think you or someone you know might love too!

Gear Heads

I saw this wearable sleeping bag in an REI this summer and it stopped me dead in my tracks. We all know the person who likes to be cozy 100% of the time, well I think this gift is for them! Perfect for watching the sunrise from camp on cool mornings, or you know… around the house?!

Speaking of being cozy, we’ve had to start buying warmer clothes lately. This will be the first year that we aren’t going home to family for the holidays since being on the road. We wanted to keep our distance during this surge in COVID-19 and thus won’t be taking a month long break from the cold winter in Florida. So we’ve found some incredible warm layers from Patagonia that I havn’t taken off since I bought. Environmentally friendly, cozy, warm, I mean what else could you possibly want?!

Alright one more cozy thing! As I write this, I’m realizing that I’m the person who wants to be cozy! I digress. These wool and leather booties are something I’ve been lusting after. The floor of the camper gets so cold in the winter and these look like they’d be perfect! I love that they are made of wool which is a renewable resource and that they’re sold by United by Blue who removes a pound of trash out of water ways for every product purchased!

We were given three of these food jars this summer before the released and I won’t lie to you and say I was skeptical. I just didn’t see them fitting into our minimalist life. Than, over time I made a breakfast that we took to go in them, I made a dinner in them so we could watch the sunset and eat dinner away from camp, and I’ve made countless sauces in them. I’m officially a convert! They kept our meals hot for hours and we’ve even made a refrigerator cake in one and eat it on backcountry on a backpacking trip. I love the food jars so much! We have one 12 oz jar and two 20 oz jars.

We love having a tech watch for tracking our adventures, particularly while hiking. We recently picked up the Garmin Instinct Solar edition because we love the idea that the watch face is a teeny tiny little solar panel, hard at work charging while we’re out doing what we love. We have one of the surf editions, which has handy tide charts if you love being in and around the water. And we have the standard edition which offers more activity trackers than any other smart watch we’ve ever had. Again, it makes me so happy to see solar innovations making their way into this market!

Art & Home Goods

I suppose this is where I (somewhat) shamelessly plug our own tiny business! This holiday season we’ve released our very first print sale! Since we don’t have walls to hang things on, our photos can come live with you or a loved one in their home! ;) But in all seriousness, this has been a goal of ours for a long time now. Who said goals couldn’t get crushed in 2020?! And as always we have our web store with my illustrations, sticker, key chains, pins, and other small things for sale! We also have a new t-shirt* and sweatshirt* that just launched that I’m over the moon about!

*We decided to make these shirts available through a pre-sale that is different from our previous ones. We’re printing through Danger Press, a local ATL shop that I interned at post college. They’re the best printers in the business. Because we decided to go with a small shop we unfortunately can’t guarantee the arrival of your order before Christmas. Just know that your order is supporting not one but two small businesses. We appreciate your understanding and patience. Good things take time and we feel that if we are going to make something we should take the time to do it right.

Chase and Aimee are fellow travelers and fly fishing documentarians. In fact, you’ll be getting to know them really well in our new video series A Summer Adrift. Over on their website they sell prints of Chase’s scientific illustrations of various trout species. They’re utterly breathtaking and hyper-detailed. The Tight Loops also sells prints of Aimee’s breathtaking photographs so you can adorn the walls!

Cartography is a lost art, well, I thought it was until I came across East of Nowhere. James Farrell, the owner takes the art of map making to a new level by achieving three-dimensional looking maps on a flat surface. They are truly works of art!

Ira is a talented musician but also makes lovely wall hangings. I love her style and how she captures the outdoors in her weavings. All are made with love from the road!

Clothing & Accessories

Orchesa, created by Gianna Grace, is an incredible sustainable jewelry company that makes timeless pieces that are handmade using recycled metals and ethically sourced materials. Everything they make is of the highest quality. I love the Kedja Earrings and have been wearing them for about two years now. They are very light weight so you can wear them out or on the trail! If you take a spin around the website you may see me a few times because I have modeled and photographed for Orchesa on a few occasions. Orchesa will also be having a small business Saturday sale so keep your eyes peeled for that!

While on the topic of scarves, I have one more brand for you to check out Kit Santa Fe wild rags are a scarf that I’ve lusted over for a while now. Simple, sophisticated and made is small batches. 

Honey Dove Vintage is a new discovery for me. I think you all know I’m a sucker for bandanas. Bandanas are a simple way to make myself look more “put together” than I often feel. Honey Dove specializes in all natural dye processes that yield the most beautiful results! She also dyes vintage pieces giving them a new life!

Health & Wellness

CBD products have been something that Owen and I have used for years. We like them to manage inflammation from the many number of activities we do out here on the road. We’ve also come to love the other benefits such as improved sleep, stress management, and joint health that CBD provide. Windward created their CBD of sustainably sourced and wild harvested materials from around the world. They do good, so you can feel good and better your adventures! They too have a sale going on that you won’t want to miss!

I love a well branded and sustainable brand! Bathing culture is a purveyor of all thing needed for a good bath. I love that they sell soap in glass bottles to reduce waste as well as bath salts and wonderful body oils. 

Overlanding

Late last year we installed a 67 Designs dash mount to our rig to help keep our navigation tools organized. Now a year into owning it we love how organized it keeps our cab when we have a phone, the iOverlander, and a GoPro all mounted up on their place on the dash! We used to use a suction cup on the window, but this setup actually has improved our visibility!

Main Line is who built our truck Roxanne and they have everything you could possibly need for your vehicle. Whether you’re wanting to upgrade your lights all the way to a fully overhauled suspension, they have you covered. We love Main Line because they’re knowledgeable and in our opinion the best in the business. You can trust them to help guide you in all of your upgrades for any road trips you could have on the horizon!

Well that just about covers it! I didn’t want to overload you with a zillion different options. Mainly just trying to keep it short and sweet and really focus on brands that we know and love! Thank you all and I hope that you have a happy and healthy holiday season!

Love, MAK