1) Helinox Chair One

For the most part, hiking is all about the joy of outdoor walking. Walking here. Walking there. Walking flippin’ everywhere. However, from time to time, it’s nice to stop all of this walking malarkey and have a good old fashioned sit down. Now, of course, there’s nothing stopping you from sitting on a pile of leaves, or a boulder, or on a patch of wet grass. You’re an adventurer and you’re free to sit wherever the heck you please.

That being said, when it comes to sitting down in nature…nothing can beat the sheer unbridled joy of sitting somewhere comfortable. When you’ve hiked halfway up a mountain, your derriere deserves a bit of luxury. And so, with that in mind, why not treat yourself? Or, as it’s Christmas, treat someone else?

Earlier this year, the Helinox Chair One (see pictures) was voted the ‘best outdoor adventure accessory’ at the seriously prestigious ISPO awards in Munich. The highly-portable chair is lightweight, strong, simple, compact, reliable, and 7,000 times more comfortable than a sofa made of stinging nettles. We’ve tested this out in our office and have concluded that it’s a must-have throne for hikers and adventurers everywhere. As Helinox say on their website, “sitting is believing.”

Helinox Chair One – £75

 3) Quechua Forclaz 400

The Quechua Forclaz 400 Men’s Hooded Walking Jumper might not seem like the world’s most exciting Christmas gift but, rest assured when we tell you that, the hikers and adventurers in your life are guaranteed to appreciate it. Not only is this a wonderfully affordable mid-layer option in a world filled with overpriced mid-layer options, it’s also been proven to offer everything outdoor-enthusiasts could want from a hooded fleece.

The stretch fabric offers brilliant freedom of movement, the polyester knit – excellent breathability, and the fleece interior – warmth in all seasons. Oh, and we’re absolute suckers for thumb-loops in sleeves. There’s just something we like about them, and we can’t quite put our thumb on it.

Quechua Forclaz 400 Men’s Hooded Walking Jumper – £21.99

4) Helinox Passport Hiking Poles

Any hiker worth their salt knows that if you want to look the part, you need to get yourself some sort of walking stick. Now some hikers prefer to use a random branch they’ve found by the side of a trail, Gandalf-style, whereas many others prefer to splash out on a high-tech set of trekking poles.

If the person you’re buying for is the latter, then we reckon the gift of a set of Helinox Passport Poles will have them loving you forever. These are lightweight, strong, portable, extremely compact, adjustable and suited to everything from general wilderness and trails to urbanised environments. The DAC TH72M alloy that these are made from is super strong, and is considered to be the world’s best material for this sort of thing. Aces!

Helinox Passport Trekking Poles – £99/£149

6) Sherpa Himal Beanie

Hats, man. Everyone loves hats. If you don’t like hats you’re…you’re…well you’re a person that doesn’t like hats (and that’s ok with us). Hats keep your head warm. Hats tell the people around you that you are a person who wears hats. Hats. Hats might just be the ultimate Xmas gift option. So hyped on hats have we become just writing this bit here, that we’re genuinely thinking of quitting our jobs and setting up a website dedicated entirely to the appreciative critiquing of hats.

One brand that are seriously legitimate when it comes to hats is Sherpa Adventure Gear. Sherpa originated as a Nepalese start-up and has gone onto become one of the most authentic outdoor companies around. The Everest climbing-legend Kenton Cool,  for example, stands proudly as one of their ambassadors. Hat-wise, there’s plenty of options to choose from on their website, but we think this Himal beanie (“Himal” – Nepalese for mountain peak) is an absolute banger.

Sherpa Himal Beanie – £25 

7) Berghaus Touch Screen Gloves

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 21st century. It’s a time in human history in which it’s almost impossible to go more than seven minutes without whipping out your smartphone to snap a selfie and check your “socials.” Of course, getting touchy-feely with your phone screen while outside is often curtailed by extreme weather conditions (specifically weather conditions cold enough to turn your hands a shade of Papa Smurf blue). For some people, this is no big deal; for others, it’s the biggest deal of all.

Introducing the Berghaus Touch Screen Gloves; a problem-solving pair, that’s for sure. These gloves mean that never again will your gift receiver miss out on a killer Instagram opportunity because they didn’t fancy risking frostbite on their fragile fingers. This is a nifty little present, and is sure to turn your adventurer friend into a phone wielding ninja wherever their travels take them.

Berghaus Touch Screen Gloves – £26

8) Quechua Arpenaz 500

Casual hiking shoe meets cosy snow boot in the shape of the Quechua Arpenaz 500 X Warm. They look comfortable, they feel comfortable; they’re comfortable. Whether or not the person you’re buying a gift for is hitting some snow-covered terrain this winter, we still think they’ll really appreciate these tidy-looking foot-cuddlers. People like putting their feet in nice places, and these shoes are certainly nice places to put your feet.

QUECHUA ARPENAZ 500 X-WARM SNOW BOOTS – £34.99

10) Sherpa Vishnu Shirt

Will checkered shirts ever got out of fashion? Nope. No way. Surely not. Impossible to comprehend. With that in mind, why not buy a loved one this checkered shirt from Sherpa Adventure Gear? It’s versatile, warm, breathable, comfortable and, most importantly of all, it’s checkered.

Sherpa Vishnu Shirt – £50

11) Arc’teryx Sebring 25 Backpack

Adventurers love backpacks almost as much as they love hats. That’s just scientific fact. Ok, so it’s not a scientific fact in anyway and is not written down in any academic publication anywhere. But yeah, putting this over to one side for a second, backpacks are definitely a cool present and the outdoor-enthusiast in your life will love you more than biscuits if you hook them up with a good one.

As far as smaller-sized backpacks go, the Arc’teryx Sebring 25 is the absolute bee’s knees. It’s a fully opening climbing/hiking day bag that works well in a number of situations and scenarios. It’s well designed, breathable, and is constructed with durability in mind. This bag most certainly gets a big thumbs up from us.

Arc’teryx Sebring 25 Backpack – £80

12) Go Ape! (Gift Voucher)

Adventurers don’t just want a collection of inanimate objects for Xmas, they also want to absorb new experiences and breathe the outdoors at every available opportunity. With this idea coursing through your brain, you might want to get the outdoorsy person you’re buying for a ‘Go Ape’ gift voucher. Because nothing says “Happy Holidays” like giving someone the chance to lark about in some tree-tops…am-I-right?!

Go Ape! – Various Prices (£18-£45)

14) HEIMPLANET – The Cave

Is this the best tent in the world? Quite possibly. It’s certainly better than a kick in the shins, and a clip round the ear. The Cave is the first inflatable tent from HEIMPLANET, and we can’t stress enough how unbelievably awesome we think it is.

Buy this for someone and never again will they have to go through the stressful rigmarole of setting up a normal tent. All this tent needs is a pump, and in a less than a minute the shelter will be pitched and ready for visitors. The structure and ingenious design of it ensures outstanding stability, while the materials used are high-quality and weatherproof. If you want to treat someone in your life, buy them this very special tent.  

HEIMPLANET The Cave – 550,00 €

15) Celestron Elements Firecel+

This a multi-purpose and highly versatile gadget that the adventurer in your life won’t want to leave home without. It can warm hands, charge electronics, and act as a flashlight. Three bits of kit for the price of one? Can’t say fairer than that.

Celestron Elements Firecel+ – $54.99