Wondering what to buy someone who loves travel but can’t at the moment? Here are some gift ideas for campers and travellers that they can look forward to using next summer.
After a lifetime of camping, these are our most treasured finds that we no longer travel without – our essential non-essentials.
Gift ideas for campers categories
Setting up camp
Give your pitch a mini-makeover for more of a festival vibe with the campers’ gifts of mystical blue fire, a twinkling of fairy lighting and sunny summer bunting.
Blue fire
Want a blue campfire? Or maybe green? Sprinkle on a sachet of Mystical Fire to create your own world of wizardry.
Top tip – wait until you’ve finished BBQing your food on it first, as blue chemicals are not known for their health-giving properties. And don’t leave empty packets in your pockets unless you want a matching blue coat.
For more top tips on hosting a family beach bonfire, check out Million Miler Mom’s handy guide.
Details of gift ideas for campers 1 - Mystical Fire
Cost
£10 for a pack of 8
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
My sister used to have to ship it from Canada, but luckily for you Amazon now deliver.
Things to think about
One sachet lasts for about 30 minutes, so pack a few for the weekend.
Fairy Lights
Transform your dusk-dark tent frontage into a twinkling festival of light with a battery powered string of fairy lights. Also handy for finding your way back to your tent after a loo trip in the dark.
Details of gift ideas for campers 2 - Fairy lights
Cost
From about £5
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Things to think about
Make sure you select outdoor lights.
Plastic coated wires are easier to untangle.
Go for the longest one you can find.
Plug ins are brighter and last longer if you have a hook up. (I’ve yet to find a solar powered set that light up.)
Bunting!
Add a festival vibe to your campsite territory by stringing it with bunting. Instant party.
Warn children/drunk adults that you are doing this to avoid garrotting incidents as they run past.
Details of gift ideas for campers 3 - Bunting
Cost
This cloth set is about 20m long and cost about £20.
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
I bought mine in Frome. Always good to buy it from somewhere you had a lovely holiday! As a gift, I like this one on Amazon.
Things to think about
Cloth is not so good if you are expecting rain. Think about a waterproof plastic one.
Don’t go for the cheapest or you may have to thread it yourself. Took me about 2 hours for my garden set!
Al Fresco dining
Camping goblets
Glasses are a travelling disaster, but prosecco/beer from a plastic cup never tastes that great.
Instead, invest in an unbreakable but lightweight shiny silver or copper camping goblet and become a king of the road.
In the UK these are great as they chill your drink in the evening as the temperature drops so double as a drinks fridge.
Details of gift ideas for campers 4 - Camping Goblets
Cost
From about £15 for 2
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Things to think about
The stem of the wine glass variety is very tippable. If you are not using a camping table you may be better off with a tumbler/tankard design. Some of them come with lids.
Portable milk frother
Taking this to a caravan or a tent with a hook up has transformed our drab flat whites into Costa-esque lattes.
Use a bit of Azera Nescafe coffee and you’d never know you were drinking instant.
Details of gift ideas for campers 5 - Aerocino
Cost
£15 – £50
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
The real deal from Nespresso cost about £50, but you can buy one which looks almost exactly the same from Aldi for £20.
Things to think about
Red, white or black?
MASSIVE marshmallows
Go large with the smores with some comedy over-sized marshmallows.
Details of gift ideas for campers 6 - Marshmallows
Cost
£6.20 for half a kilo.
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
In supermarkets or online here.
Things to think about
Not for vegetarians (sadly I have yet to find supersized veggie ones).
Camping clothes
Waterproof socks
Miracle feet-saving devices to stave off the cold and wet. I cannot sing their praises highly enough. Who knew you could buy such a thing? For about £20 water simply does not get through, even if it gets in your shoes.
Details of gift ideas for campers 7 - Waterproof socks
Cost
About £20
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Online here, they currently cost around £20. If you spot them in Aldi they are about £15.
Things to think about
Go for a mid-calf length. Anything shorter and water gets in the top. Too long and they are just annoying to pull up.
Warm waterproof "soft shell" trousers
These were a real find! They look pretty much like normal trousers but are fleece-lined to keep away the night time campfire hypothermia, and waterproof for the inevitable UK rain shower.
I wear mine for winter walks, sledging, playground duty and campfires.
Details of gift ideas for campers 8 - Soft shell trousers
Cost
£15 (child) – £100
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
You can get an adult pair for £20- £30 in Aldi or in the sales at Mountain Warehouse, Trespass or online from Amazon.
Things to think about
Decide how cold you are going to go. If you will be wearing layers underneath them, go for a larger size. In Russia, I wore thick cords and leggings under them just to be sure (nightmare in the shops mind!)
Hooded blanket
To stop me having borrow these from fellow campers, I’ve put one on my own Christmas list.
Wear it for sitting outside the tent on chilly nights, for warming up after the sea or for sleeping.
Details of gift ideas for campers 9 - Hoodie blanket
Cost
About £20
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Search for hoodie blanket and you can get something like this.
Things to think about
Check out the reviews. How thick you want it to be (and still be packable) and how long? Do you want to prioritize walking or leg warmth?
Go towelling of fleece depending on how much sea action you are expecting.
Dry robe
For a luxury gift item, go for a full-on Dryrobe. About one and a half times the width of a normal coat, you can tuck your arms in for warm and unseen clothes-changing. Popular with wild swimmers.
Being waterproof and fleece lined, it can also be worn as a massive coat.
We’ve only got one in our family for sharing – just get one big enough for all to borrow. One size really can fit all, as it’s like a portable tent. (2 teenage boys can still fit inside ours at the minute, and that’s a small).
Details of gift ideas for campers 10 - Dryrobe
Cost
A steep £150
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
The Dryrobe website.
Things to think about
There are cheaper non-brand versions online.
Think about sleeve length. Mid- sleeved varieties are cheaper, but I’m thinking if it’s cold enough to be wearing one, you want warm arms too.
For more wearable and nifty gadgets check out these gifts for hikers.
Luggage
Dry bag
Keep your post-sea wet clothes away from your lovely warm dry ones, by stuffing them safely away into a dry bag. Go small for costumes and towels, or large for full on wetsuits.
As a bonus feature, when used as general luggage they also keep your clothes dry if your tent springs a leak in the night (as ours does on a regular basis).
Details of gift ideas for campers 11 - Dry bag
Cost
From about £15 for a large
Things to think about
What size and strap type works for you? Over the shoulder is better for longer treks.
Technology
Portable charger
Not as fun as the others, but this gift idea for campers will save your bacon by resurrecting your phone from death if you’ve spent a day taking photos and also using google maps to find out where you are.
Also just mighty handy if you are away from a socket overnight. Never go anywhere without mine.
Details of gift ideas for campers 12 - Portable Charger
Cost
From about £10 – £35
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
The Anker Powercore 20100 gets good reviews
Things to think about
Low capacity power banks are smaller and cheaper, but carry less charge any may not have multiple ports.
Waterproof speaker
A brand new addition to my camping packing list but brilliant! A portable party. Go for blue tooth waterproof versions in a small packable size to connect to your phone for beach/campfire good times.
Details of gift ideas for campers 13 - Portable Speaker
Cost
From about £20 – £60
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
I got this one – a small, blue Sony from Curry’s. Shop around on the internet for the best deal.
Things to think about
Go for long battery life, waterproof and a brand you have heard of. Weigh up size versus sound quality.
Battery operated pump
Save tempers and your breath by investing in this battery powered air bed pump (also for dingys and rubber rings). It is a life and time saver!
Don’t forget new batteries. We did. Gutted.
Details of gift ideas for campers 14 - Battery powered pump
Cost
From about £6 – £15
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
We have bought these from Wilkinson, Aldi, and Amazon.
Things to think about
If you travel with a hook up, a plug in version is more powerful. We carry both in case electricity is available.
We bought the cheapest one, but I imagine the more expensive deliver more power.
Plug in cool box
Keep your food cold for longer buy buying a cool box that plugs into your car on the journey, and then a hook up when you arrive. Godsend for a cold beer to celebrate tent construction success.
Top tip: some of them have a heater switch too. Watch out for this if you don’t want hot cheese.
Details of gift ideas for campers 15 - Plug in cooler
Cost
From about £40 – £80
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Again, Aldi delivered for us but check out Amazon for bargains.
Things to think about
Think about size – do you want to be able to fit a bottle in standing up? Noise can be an issue so watch out for this in reviews. Make sure it has both kinds of input – car and mains.
For some more hi-tech traveller gift ideas, especially for those with a photographic bent, head over to BevandSham’s ideas page.
Toys
Glow sticks
Never lose children (or just big kids) in the dark again, by distributing glow-stick glasses. Also great for holiday snaps.
The linking pieces are fun for your creatives – think glow-in-the-dark sunflowers
Details of gift ideas for campers 16 - Glow Sticks
Cost
About £18 for a party bag.
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Shop around but the Amazon link is here.
Things to think about
How big is your party?
Stomp rocket
Get very competitive by leaping on a small brick-sized box of air in an attempt to shoot your rocket into the clouds. You can literally lose sight of it with the naked eye when dads get involved. Measurable distance shooting is also a game (to avoid an experience similar to paintballing, do not walk across the line of fire).
An all round winner.
Details of gift ideas for campers 17 - Stomp Rocket
Cost
About £15
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Shop around but the Amazon link is here.
Things to think about
The rockets go for miles and do split after a while so invest in a pack of spares.
Waterproof cards
If, like me, you are partial to a bit of Gin Rummy with your camping/caravanning rhubarb gin – invest in some snazzy black and gold waterproof cards to save them from the rain and/or drink spillage.
Details of gift ideas for campers 18 - Waterproof cards
Cost
About £5 – £10
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Shop around but the Amazon link is here.
Things to think about
Black or gold? Depends on the individual affection for bling
Water shooters
Simple but devastating. These can transform a lazy campers’ field into an aquatic warzone for an entire day for about £2 a head. Not just for little kids!
(Don’t forget to pack your swimmers.)
Details of gift ideas for campers 19 - Water shooters
Cost
About £5 – £10
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Shop around but the Amazon link is here.
Things to think about
How many will you need? One each and a few for pals is a good ratio.
Water bombs
Again, the cheapest of party items are often the most deadly fun.
Buy a pack with a multi-fill facility. All out war or organised games are both options depending on how feral your child is (I find this increases in direct proportion with amount of time spent in the field).
Details of gift ideas for campers 20 - Water bombs
Cost
About £10 for a large bag
Where can I buy this gift idea for campers?
Shop around but the Amazon link is here.
Things to think about
Get the multi fill or the fiddling around will kill you.
Or the gift of Glamping!
Instead of a physical gift, why not give the gift of glamping itself? I can totally recommend the fabulous yurts in Mawgan Porth. Check out my Group Accommodation post for details.
Or check out this amazing glamping site discovered by Travel Bugs.
What are your top camping items? Would love to hear about your essential non-essentials in the comments!
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Love these ideas for a gift! The coloured fire is so much fun – what a great idea of a camper who has it all. And the massive marshmallows are always a must for any of my camping experiences. And the battery-operated pump is a must as well, all of these are such fantastic shouts.
Lots of cool ideas! Agreed on the waterproof cards — definitely a good idea to have a durable deck so they’re not ruined if drinks spill 😉
Great post! These are all creative, useful gifts for campers! Thanks for sharing!
I am not a camper, but these are great gift ideas for my friends! 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing.
This is a very useful list. I have lots of friends who love to camp. I really like the blue fire! Thank you for sharing these suggestions!
Some really great ideas for gifts here!
I love the practical stuff here but I also love the water shooters and water bombs! A great list!
What unique ideas- loved the blue fire, its new for me. And that fairy lights sounds very practical too. You have compiled an excellent list here.
Great list. Those waterproof trousers look really useful, I might look into getting something like that in the future. Love the fairy lights, I can always add more fairylights to my life 🙂
I have never even thought about waterproof cards! Such a great idea!
Great ideas! These gifts are perfect for my camper friends.
Awesome article.
Wow lots of wonderful tips.