The female hiking enthusiast on your list will enjoy one of these stocking stuffers on Christmas Day. Even though these gifts are more expensive than most stuffer trinkets, they will fit in her Christmas stocking. Prices listed are the 2011 retail cost for the item without shipping, handling or sales tax included.
Credit Card-Sized Tools
Long distance hikers need lightweight, easy-to-carry accessories for trailside emergencies. The tools found at toollogic.com fit in an ABS plastic case the size of a credit card. Card-sized accessories include tweezers (for removing splinters), a red LED light, compass, magnesium fire starter, serrated knife and signal whistle. Prices range from $25.75 to $33.
Personalized Whistle
A whistle is an important accessory for a hiker to carry with her in case she loses her way or gets injured in the wilderness. The engravable whistle/key chain combination sold by Caribbean Charm is about two inches in size and arrives in a gift box. Constructed of stainless steel, it sells for $16 with engraving costing extra.
Head or Neckwear
Avid summer and winter hikers need head and neckwear which serve multiple functions. House of Buff, a company established in 2002, has a number of designs which will provide cooling or warming comfort and UV, wind or insect protection. The original tube Buff neckwear has been a staple for contestants on the CBS show “Survivor.” Buffwear is also sold as a bandana, headband, hood, hoodie or buff with visor in a variety of fabrics. Costs range from $14.99 for the Buff headband to $43.76 for the Buff hood.
Hiking Socks
Hikers require quality socks which wick moisture away from the foot so that blisters do not develop. Altrec sells women’s hiking socks made from Smartwool, a wool blend which is warm, non-itchy and moisture-wicking. Choose from crew or mini (ankle) socks in ultra light, light or medium weight thickness. A pair of ultra light hiking mini socks cost $12.95. Women’s medium crew socks for hiking cost $17.95.
Hiking Logo Shirts
A number of designs just for woman hikers can be found on t-shirts, tank tops, long-sleeved shirts and hoodies on cafepress.com and zazzle.com. Sayings include “If I’m hiking I’m happy,” “Not all who wander are lost,” “Weekend wanderer” and “Hiking chick.”
There are also printed shirts with images from specific “dream” hiking locations like Yosemite, Yellowstone and Rocky Mountain National Parks. If your female hiker has completed the distance on a popular trail, a shirt to commemorate the achievement is a great gift. Most of the shirts are from $20 to $30.
Hiker Tree Ornament
The ornaments at ornamentsandmore.com are made of resin. Each can have the year the ornament was given or the recipient’s name or favorite hiking trail printed on it. Choose from a unisex boot or backpack ornament or a female hiking figure with either a walking staff or backpack. Prices are from $11.95 to $13.95.
Christmasspiritshop.com sells hiker ornaments handcrafted by artists. My favorite is a wooden ornament showing the outline of a female hiker. It costs $14.95 and is made of maple. Other ornaments are hand-painted scallop shells or clay figures. Prices for ornaments on this site vary from $8.25 to $19.50.
Hiking DVDs
Even if she has never experienced one of the trails on many hikers’ bucket lists, your female hiking enthusiast will enjoy a DVD offering a comprehensive view of some of the best known trails in the United States. TrailVista offers a series of hiking DVDs for this purpose. They serve as excellent introductions to trails in Grand Canyon, Yosemite and Zion National Parks as well as the Red Rock Canyon and Blue Diamond Hills and Charleston Peak Trail of Nevada and Mt. Whitney Trail in California’s Sierra Nevadas. The cost for the DVDs are from $12 to $28.
Another series of DVDs is produced by Lynne Whelden with subjects including edible trailside foods to blind hiker Bill Irwin’s Appalachian Trail journey. These range in cost from $15 to $40 for DVDs about specific trails. Lynne Whelden is not only an experienced cameraman but also has completed a number of thru-hikes on some of America’s best known long distance trails.
Other Suggestions
Request trail maps from the state parks and state and national forests in the state in which your friend or relative lives. Have the maps laminated either as a wall poster or in a foldable version to be carried along on her next trek.
If you know your friend will be hiking a specific trail, give a certificate from a nearby restaurant or gift shop she can visit after she has finished her hike. Some of the long distance trails like the North Country or Appalachian Trails have trailheads which lead to small towns where the hiker can get supplies.
Whatever level of experience the female hiker in your life has, something in this list of Christmas stocking stuffers will please her.