Christmas gifts under £50
Osprey Quicklock RFID Wallett | £20
Not just a great looking and lightweight wallet but also sporting some finer details sure to appeal to the avid adventurer. With multiple card slots you'll need the RFID liner which blocks radio waves used to scan your contactless cards. The look has a definite outdoorsy vibe without being too ugly and there's a see through coin pocket so you can see how much shrapnel you've got without tipping it all into your hand.
Sea to Summit Aeros Ultralight Pillow | £30
Confession time, we're immediately attracted to anything with 'ultralight' in the name - like a crow to shiny stuff. And the Aeros pillow isn't just ultralight and ultra small but also ultra comfortable (well, for a blow-up pillow anyway). The teeny tiny stuff sack hides a pillow inside with shapely support which will take you 'from the aeroplane to the mountains'.
Lifestraw Universal Water Bottle Filter Adapter | £40
'Turn your favourite bottle into a powerful water filter' and what a great idea that is. With this simple kit you can convert most wide and standard mouth water bottles into a filter that removes bacteria and parasites as well as reducing chlorine and improving taste. It also comes with a carry bag and leakproof lid for the sports caps for a genuinely universal water filter solution.
Smartwool PhD Socks | £14-£27
No Christmas gift list would be complete without a pair of socks and why not make them damn good ones? Smartwools merino wool PhD line are some of the best out there and come in a range of options for men and women, from ski to run. In our experience these socks offer superb comfort and durability for getting active in the outdoors.
Aeropress Coffee Maker | £30
Whilst we obviously appreciate a decent cup of coffee, it can be hard to come across a Costa/Starbucks/Caffe Nero/Hipster Coffee Hub when you're on a multi-day adventure. Enter the AeroPress Coffee Maker. Easy to use and to carry, the AeroPress produces a really good cup of coffee on the fly. So good in fact, that we use it at home!
Craghoppers Nosilife Hudson Scarf | £28
An eminently stylish option for those cold winter days, the Hudson scarf marries simple elegance with Craghoppers permanent Nosilife insect repellent treatment which can reduce bites by up to 90%. Blended cotton and polyamide is both comfortable and warm to wear and the scarf is backed up by an impressive lifetime guarantee.
Christmas gifts £50-£100
Airinum Urban Air Mask | £69
Okay, this is a bit of a depressing sign of the times but if you're battling through the smog on a daily basis, whether commuting through London or sightseeing in China then a face mask might well be on your shopping list. And what better way to wear one than with a touch of style and plenty of protection. A million miles away from your run of the mill multi-pack face masks you might use to paint the house, the Airinum is breathable and comfortable to wear but features a 5-layer construction which filters out 98% of airborne nasties.
Joby Gorillapod 1K kit | £53
This nifty invention spawned a raft of copycat tripods but the original is still the best. Lightweight and portable, but with flexible legs that allow you to clamp on to an unlimited array of things including tree branches this little tripod could be all you need for the stability to capture your magic moments in the great outdoors. Holding devices weighing up to 1 kg the Gorillapod 1k is suitable for most mirrorless and point and shoot cameras and Joby also offer more burly options if your photography is of the more professional type.
Christmas gifts £100-£200
Danner Mountain 600 Hiking Boots | £165
Hiking boots are all the rage at the moment, but if you want to actually go hiking in boots that look great too then you should check out Portland based Danner's footwear. The Mountain 600's are lightweight, comfortable and waterproof and they look so good you won't want to get them dirty.
Blaze Wear Traveller Jacket | From £175
A great jacket on its own right but when the optional battery pack is added this becomes something of a wonder for those that feel the cold. Unobtrusive integration of warming heat elements into the core of the jacket gives you a hit of warmth powered by the rechargeable 5v battery housed in an inside pocket. With three selectable levels of heating the Traveller jacket can take the chill off arctic blasts or just provide steady heat for longer battery life, and it's machine washable too, just make sure you remove the battery pack before putting it through a cycle!
Salomon Ranger 2 C.Air MIPS Ski Helmet | £119
The name may be a mouthful but this piste charger of a helmet makes light work of protecting your head using a combination of MIPS and Salomon's premium EPS4D technology. Inside you get soft, warm and sumptuous material which is quick drying, cooling and wicks moisture away and an easily achievable 'custom fit' with the rather fancy custom air (C.Air) pump. Channels built into the liner allow for adjustable airflow across the whole head for a truly comfortable skiing experience.
Christmas gifts £200+
Casio ProTrek smartwatch | £399
An Android Wear smartwatch for the discerning outdoors person with functions for running, hiking, skiing, cycling and pretty much anything else you can throw at it. This watch allows you to track your activity, navigate using maps and get phone notifications all on the colour touchscreen, oh, and it tells the time too. Built to military standards and water resistant to 50 metres, the ProTrek can take the rough and tumble of outdoors life in its stride.
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Sleeping Bag | £500
One of the best lightweight sleeping bags we've ever reviewed, the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer is a hefty investment but it sure is worth it if you regularly venture into the wild under your own steam. 900-fill power hydrophobic down takes care of warmth to a comfort limit of -7 degrees c, which for a bag that weighs only 756g is impressive. Space and comfort inside are fairly amazing and the bag compresses down to a tiny size for optimal packability.
Land Rover Explore Phone | £599
Land Rover’s swap from rugged cars to the equally tough Explore smartphone isn’t just a clever gimmick – this adventure-friendly bit of tech is perfect for use in the outdoors. The swappable packs are what sets this phone apart, allowing you to pick the version that best suits your lifestyle. The Adventure Pack phone is waterproof and dustproof and adds an extra 3600mAh battery and a GPS antenna that boosts signal in far-flung places. Cyclist? Go for the Bike Pack, with extra battery power and a bike mount and there's also a subscription to ViewRanger with detailed maps included. If the A Team were around today we bet this is the phone they would go for.
