(Kaitlin Brito / For The Times)
24 best gifts for L.A. people who love walking and hiking
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We felt like Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music” putting together this year’s list of the best gifts for L.A. walkers, hikers and those who love the great outdoors. These really are a few of our favorite things!
That said, we stand by these products and the ones we wrote about for the Gift Guide in 2024 and 2025. Using our three lists, you should be able to shop for every outdoorsy person in your life, surprising them with great gadgets, gear and garb from major retailers and cottage companies, including multiple items on this list that are from California small businesses.
Editor’s note: If you make a purchase using some of our links, the L.A. Times may be compensated. Prices and availability are subject to change. In some cases, listed websites may use location-based pricing.
Showing Gift Gifts
Seniq Trailmix Skort
Apparel $118 at Seniq
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(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
Meet the trail skort. (Yes, I said “skort.”) It may be the perfect combo of style and utility. Inspired by Swedish military uniforms, the high-waisted skort is made of lightweight, cooling and breathable nylon. It’s water-resistant, quick-drying and UPF 50+. Plus, it has multiple — zippered! — pockets along with a hidden, kangaroo-like pouch. Seniq is a local, woman-owned business that donates 1% of its sales (and 100% of event profits) to foundations providing mental wellness services to communities in need. It’s the perfect gift for your friend who goes on hiking dates.
TreePeople Embroidered Natives Sweater
Apparel $50 at TreePeople
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(TreePeople)
Some people request sports jerseys on their holiday shopping list. But what about your friend who loves native plants? TreePeople’s embroidered long-sleeve shirts are a great choice. Each shirt features a different native plant stitched into the front with the name on the back. These soft cotton shirts will become a staple in your friend’s wardrobe, and your purchase goes to a great cause. Over the last 50 years, TreePeople has planted more than 3 million trees across Southern California.
Alpenglow Gear Micro Inflators
Camping Equipment $60 at Alpenglow Gear
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Tom Liggett knows every ounce counts in backpacking. The former Tesla engineer-turned-inventor developed one of the lightest mattress pad inflators on the market, his Alpenblow Classic Micro Inflator. It has no internal battery — it runs off your phone or power bank — and weighs just 0.30 ounce. Still, it can inflate a regular-size pad in about three minutes while using less than 1% of a USB-C smartphone battery. The Alpenblow Lux Micro Inflator weighs slightly more at 0.49 ounce, but provides twice as much pressure, can deflate pads and has built-in lights. The fastidious ounce-counters in your life will thank you.
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The Huntington annual membership
Botanic Garden $175 at the Huntington
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Movement is medicine. So encourage your loved ones to walk. Even better: to walk in lush, fragrant gardens while relaxing and recharging. The Huntington in San Marino has 16 themed gardens across 130 acres. There’s a 2.3-mile paved loop, with gentle slopes, encircling the gardens, which inside offer steeper areas. An annual membership to the Huntington allows two individuals (from the same household) unlimited free admission as well as invitations to member events and other discounts.
RTIC 2-in-1 Chillout Backpack
Hiking Equipment $80 at RTIC
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(Sid Karimi)
Do you have a friend or loved one always asking to borrow your wagon for a beach trip? Enter RTIC’s 2-in-1 Chillout Backpack, a hands-free alternative that features a 10-can cooler, easily accessible through a zippered grab hatch, and 16 liters of dry storage space. Its convertible straps mean you can use it as both a backpack and tote bag. Available in blue, black, green and pink, this pack will be your giftee’s new bestie for excursions along the San Gabriel River and more.
Goodr Astro G sunglasses
Hiking Apparel $45 at Goodr
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(Goodr LLC)
My No. 1 question when buying this product was: How will these shades fare against my beloved $15 gas station sunglasses? Very well, it turns out. Goodr’s Astro G sunglasses provide wraparound sun protection with polarized lenses and UV400 protection, blocking out bad rays while serving good vibes. Your gift recipient can confidently walk, run, hike or break into dance thanks to their no-slip grips and adjustable nose piece. I cannot say the same for my cheap sunglasses.
Rio Los Angeles Adventure Bucket List Deck
Games $54 at Rio
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
This is for the adventurer in your life. The deck of cards offers 50 “scratch off” walking adventures throughout L.A. County. Shuffle and pick one, featuring a particular city or neighborhood. Icons on the card reveal what the adventure will be like, including price range, activity level and duration. A QR code provides more details. Pick fresh strawberries at Tanaka Farms in Irvine? Why not! Explore Hollywood history on a Warner Bros. Studio walking tour? That’ll increase your step count!
Adotec Backcountry Bidet
Camping Equipment $9.60 at Adotec
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
This might be the least expensive — but most useful — gift out there for the clean-freak backpackers in your life. The lightweight portable bidet screws onto the opening of a water bottle and, well, you can imagine the rest. A utilitarian splash! It weighs just 9 grams, or 0.32 ounce, and is admittedly handsome-looking. The best part: No toilet paper left behind.
No Matter Antimatter Chair
Camping Equipment $110 at No Matter
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Billed as the lightest camping chair on the market, this “featherweight champion” camping chair weighs just 8 ounces without its fanny pack and comes in four colors. It’s made of waterproof nylon with carbon fiber poles. At first, it might look and feel like nothing more than an empty day pack, but tension makes it stronger — not unlike a hammock — so it can support up to 250 pounds. Now everyone in your life can relax and take in the view from the summit.
Rawlogy Cork Massage Balls for Recovery
Exercise equipment $24 at Rawlogy
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Marek Bowers was an ultralight backpacker suffering from plantar fasciitis and back pain, so he developed these lightweight, antimicrobial and eco-friendly cork massage balls to relieve his pain. Now his Toluca Lake-based Rawlogy (a certified LGBT Business Enterprise) sells them in hiking stores, spas, yoga studios and massage centers (and on Amazon). The combo set includes a tennis ball-size massager (1.4 oz.), which provides moderate-intensity pressure and aids overall muscle recovery, and a golf ball-size one (0.7 oz.) that applies deeper pressure and is a “backpacker/hiker favorite.” Give the gift of happy feet.
Mustard Beetle Organic Fair Trade bandannas
Accessories $28 at Mustard Beetle
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(Natalja Kent)
Does your loved one often don the same ol’ red bandanna on every walk? Consider surprising them with one of L.A.-based Mustard Beetle’s organic cotton bandannas. They’re wearable art, each screen-printed by hand using eco-friendly dyes and featuring a design inspired by our local public lands. I purchased the Malibu Creek design and, upon its arrival, asked myself whether I should wear it or hang it on the wall. Your recipient will likely feel the same!
Wise Owl Outfitters ‘the Snoozy’ Camping Pillow
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(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
For years, I’ve taken the cleanest clothing in my backpack to form a pillow while camping. But on a recent trip to the Channel Islands, I tested out the Wise Owl Outfitters’ medium camping pillow. (It comes in several colors.) I fell asleep rapidly thanks to the pillow’s memory foam and micro suede exterior. That same trip, my friend sleeping next to me used her clothing as a pillow. She coveted my pillow the following morning.
Flamin Fitness Rechargeable LED & Bluetooth Beanie
Hiking Apparel $56 at Flamin Fitness
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Take it from an avid night hiker: Illuminated beanies are a game changer. They’re far cuter — and warmer — than wearing a headlamp. And this one has three brightness settings (one is a blue and red SOS strobe) that lights the way up to nine meters away. A one- to two-hour charge keeps it going for about eight hours straight and it uses Bluetooth 5.0 technology, so your giftee can listen to their favorite tunes sans headphones.
Falour Solar-Powered Cooling Hat with Dual Fans and UV Protection
Hiking Apparel $66 at Falour
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Let’s face it: Part of the appeal of hiking is the gear. This hat has nearly everything for hiking in warm climates: two solar-powered, removable fans that are USB rechargeable, a wide brim and UPF 50+. It’s also waterproof, lightweight and quick-drying. Sadly, the fans aren’t strong enough to ward off bugs, but the hat got us through a heatwave hike comfortably. Got someone in mind who’s willing to celebrate their inner gear geek? This might fit the bill.
Town Shirt Co. Sun Hoodie
Hiking Apparel $85 at Town Shirt Co.
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(MZ / Town Shirt Co.)
Town Shirt Co.’s ultralight sun hoodie is the perfect top for Southern California trail runners and hikers. It’s thin, soft, quick-drying and offers UPF 40, blocking most of the sun’s rays. It has thumb holes and pockets. And it comes in a lot of fun patterns, including plants and animals found along the Pacific Crest Trail such as a bright yellow top with blue Steller’s jays, which I got several compliments on while testing.
Joshua Tree Skin Care Healing Skin Care Gift Set
Beauty Supply $45 at Joshua Tree Skin Care
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(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
The skin is the largest organ in the body — you know that. But how best to care for it after a day of exposure to harsh sun and wind while hiking? This healing gift set from Joshua Tree Skin Care includes the company’s OG JTree Salve, an organic, unscented, moisturizing “skin-healer,” with essential oils, that treats chapped skin, chafing, abrasions, scrapes and cuts. It also includes three petroleum-free lip balms, made from organic cocoa butter and beeswax, in yummy Mountain Mint, Healing Mint and Luscious Lavender flavors.
Aicutti Air Compression Leg and Foot Massager with Heat
Wellness $70 at Amazon
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(Rebecca Peloquin / For The Times)
Recovery is all the rage in fitness right now. But good compression boots — in which pockets of air massage post-workout muscles to increase blood flow, flush out toxins and reduce inflammation (and soreness the next day) — can cost many hundreds of dollars. Aicutti’s leg and foot massager is an excellent budget solution, offering targeted massage (I like the calves/feet setting), different levels of intensity and heat. I plan to gift it to myself this holiday season.
Poe & Co. Folk Foods Black Garlic Ramen Bowl
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(Jamie Poe / Meg Sandu)
I’ve eaten a lot of freeze-dried meals that I don’t remember. And then there’s Santa Barbara-based Poe & Co. Folk Foods’ Black Garlic Ramen Bowl. The flavor, with its garlic-miso broth, made me say, “Mmm,” at my campsite’s table. It includes onions, carrots, cabbage and edamame, so even in the woods, you can get some veggies. And the packaging is whimsical and clean, making it look like an actual gift. Throw this in the stocking of your favorite camper!
Topo Designs Klettersack
Hiking Equipment $120 and $127 at Topo Designs
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(Topo Designs)
After years of watching me hike with a small, overstuffed pack, my best friend gifted me with Topo Designs’ Klettersack, which comes in several colors. Over the last four years, I’ve easily hiked over 100 miles with the Klettersack on my back — including once when I dropped it off the side of a mountain and into a river — and it was fine! The Klettersack sturdy exterior is made from 100% recycled nylon. It has several pockets and comfortable straps. I have put this bag through the wringer, and it still looks new. Your loved one will find the same!
OOFOS OOahh Slide Sandals
Hiking Apparel $60 at OOFOS
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(OOFOS)
As an outdoors journalist, I walk a lot for my job. I’ve suffered from plantar fasciitis and have high arches. I never go anywhere without orthotics inserted in my shoes. That’s to say, I take my foot care seriously, but I still hadn’t added a recovery sandal into the mix. Testing the OOFOS OOahh slides, I was amazed at the sandal’s impact-absorbing foam. I wore them after multiple hikes and found my recovery time shrunk. These sandals, which come in several colors, will make the walker or hiker in your life say, “Oooh, ahhh,” when they open up their gift.
YoColorado Yoveralls
Hiking Apparel $145 at YoColorado
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(MZ / YoColorado)
While hiking in YoColorado’s Yoveralls, I felt very zen knowing exactly where my keys were: inside the zippered pocket against my chest. For someone who accidentally locked themselves out of a car in the middle of nowhere, this was especially important. YoColorado’s Yoveralls offer different cuts and features for their men’s and women’s Yoveralls, including different pocket placement and color patterns. Choose whatever style best suits the hiker or walker in your life!
Theodore Payne Foundation Lizards of TPF Long-Sleeve Shirt
Apparel $42 at Theodore Payne Foundation
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(Hannah Perez / Theodore Payne Foundation)
Outside of mosquitoes and crows, lizards are the most common (read: easiest) animals to spot while out hiking. The Theodore Payne Foundation’s rustic orange Lizards of TPF long-sleeve shirt lists the four that L.A. hikers are most likely to see. That includes my personal favorite, the Southern alligator lizard, arguably a tiny dinosaur in our midst. This shirt will serve as your giftee’s wearable guide for our local reptiles and supports a local nonprofit.
Ecology Supplies Loupe Magnifier
Hiking Equipment $8 at Ecology Supplies
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(Ecology Supplies USA LLC)
As I was testing Ecology Supplies’ loupe magnifier, I found myself thinking about the kid at my church who loves bugs and, separately, my best friend who enjoys touching plants on hikes (despite my warnings). This is a stocking stuffer or Hanukkah gift for all ages. The loupe offers 10x magnification with a glass lens in a sturdy nickel-plated case. Your loved one will easily examine the underside of a mushroom or observe the fine details of a native wildflower and more.
Ultra Gam Ankle Gaiters
Hiking Apparel $22.74 at Garage Grown Gear
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(MZ / Susan Cole)
I am a recent convert to trail running, in large part because my body feels better than when I canter along concrete. What doesn’t feel great, though, is running with a rock in my shoe or coming home with socks dyed dirt brown. Ultra Gam’s ankle gaiters can fix that, covering your ankles on the trail, and they are available in a variety of fun designs. Ultrarunner Teresa Hillstrom, who lives in the Bay Area, has sold the gaiters on Etsy for 13 years. I think more than 2,600 five-star reviews of her product speak for themselves.
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