Fresh morning air. Hearing the birds call as you wake up. A cup of steaming hot coffee enjoyed next to a campfire. The scent of pine needles wafting through the air. Enjoying time as a family without the distractions of technology.
This is the camping life we all dream of, right?
I know that camping isn’t always quite as idyllic as I imagine. However, spending nights in the outdoors is always time well spent. Something about the closeness to nature, and the simplicity of tent life makes camping one of our favorite vacations, year after year. It’s why I am always looking for the best gifts for campers.
Have you tried camping, but want to take the enjoyment to the next level? Or maybe you already love it, and are just looking for gifts to get your family excited about the a new year of camping! Maybe you have camping friends or family and would love to bring a big smile to their faces this year. Below are 25 of our favorite ideas for making camping a great experience. All of this gear is something we have used and loved.
So, grab your favorite wool sweater and a warm beverage, and let us help you find the perfect camp gifts this year!
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, if you purchase something through one of these links and use the discount codes provided, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you.
All products and brands recommended are hand selected by our team, so thank you for supporting us by clicking through!
Camping Bags and Bins
Keeping organized when going camping can be a challenge, but these products from Rux Gear have been great! Rux has created a modular storage system that is great for families on the go…camping, biking, or just road tripping.
Rux 70L Collapsible Gear Box
This gear box can be used for just about any of your adventures and we have used ours for so many! Camping trips, bike races and road trips. We love that it is waterproof, is flexible to allow some give on odd shaped items and can be carried however is comfy for you with the adjustable straps. Read more about the Rux Gear Box here.
Rux 30L Waterproof Tote
This new waterproof tote is great! Use as a tote or a dry bag, it is great being able to set this on the ground and not worry about it soaking up water. Heading out on some water or getting caught in a rain storm? Pull the rest of the bag out that is tucked inside, roll down, and buckle to make a dry bag. I SOOOO wish we had this bag when we got caught in a rainstorm out fishing on the lake and we were scrambling to tuck things away.
This tote also fits in the bin above, like the rest of their modular items!
Campfire Cozy
One of my favorite parts of camping is time spent around the fire. Evenings around the warmth are fun, but honestly, any time of day is a good time of day to sit and enjoy togetherness around the flames!
Kelty Camping Couch
My kids can fight with each other like champions, but when a camping couch is around, they love nothing more than cozying up together on it! It brings together the best of a comfy camp chair and your family room couch.
S’mores Roasting Kit
This roasting kit is so cute! We have definitely gone the route of “go find a good stick” for roasting marshmallows, but it’s much easier and more fun to use these telescopic skewers, and the carrying case means that you don’t have to dig around in all your other snacks and supplies to find the all-important s’mores supplies.
Campfire Stories
This sweet book helps create those meaningful bonds that we all love about camping. Spend hours laughing and sharing memories around the fire until only coals and stars are glowing.
Camping Kitchen
Camping is wonderfully simple, but food preparation does still have to happen! In fact, that fresh outdoor air may make everyone a little bit hungrier. These are some of my favorite ways to streamline my camping kitchen.
For great camping recipe ideas, check out this cookbook from TMM founder Amelia!
Yeti Tundra 45 Cooler
When my family got started camping, we used whatever little coolers we already owned, and while I 100% support using what you already have, having a good cooler helps keep your family’s food safer for longer and makes camping for multiple days possible. When we upgraded our cooler, it was a game-changer for those longer trips! Check out some our favorite coolers here!
Lodge Cast Iron Griddle
Once again, I used to use whatever pots and pans we already had at home for camping, and had lots of charred and melted plastic handles to show for it. Cast iron is awesome for cooking over a fire, which I love to do. This griddle is so multi-purpose! Cook bacon or burgers or veggies or all three at once, and enjoy that smoky campfire flavor.
Need cast iron cleaning & care tips? We’ve got you covered so that cast iron can last for decades.
Coleman Cascade Camping Stove
My husband and I got our Coleman camping stove as a wedding gift over 20 years ago, and unfortunately, it still works great even after heavy use! I’m kidding about the unfortunate part, but this Cascade one is bigger and I would love to get a fancy new one. Maybe in another 20 years, our old one will finally die and I can upgrade. 🙂
Cozy Outdoors
You can camp in any season, but there is something particularly special about camping in cooler weather. That crisp air feels just right for time in the woods, especially if you also can feel cozy and warm via other means.
Rumpl Original Puffy Blanket
My kids love to snuggle in a blanket in a hammock or near the campfire, everything warm and snug except their nose and cheeks. These blankets are the best, and come with lots of fun national parks designs!
Cotapaxi Hooded Down Jacket
I love a good cozy down jacket, and this one is awesome! It comes in women’s and men’s versions, which is fun if you enjoy twinning with your spouse.
Camping Kettle
This kettle is a great size for a round of family hot chocolates! I have seven kids, and most teapots don’t hold enough water for all of us, but this one does. I can’t find any official info about what temperature the handle is designed to sustain, but I have used it over an open fire with success.
Nighttime Magic
There is something inherently magical about being in the true darkness of a camping location. I live in a city, and it just doesn’t ever get that dark, so nighttime at camp is special! But it is still nice to have light around, and the right lights can even add to the magic.
Camping String Lights
The soft light of camping string lights gives a lovely ethereal feel to your tent or camper while also providing enough light to move around after dark. These are rechargeable so you aren’t relying on having electrical hookups, and can use the lights even deep in the woods.
Firefly Garden Projector
I first saw these lights at a friend’s campsite, and they were so beautiful, I was in awe. It really does feel like you are in a fairy garden. Shine them up against a tree for that magical firefly effect!
Nite Ize Micro Lantern
My kids like to take our two-man backpacking tents camping and have their own spaces even when we are camping by our car. I love looking over and seeing the glow of these mini lanterns in their small tents as they giggle or read in their tents. They can also use them to walk to the bathroom at night.
Fun and Games
Hiking and campfires are timeless camping activities, but there are some really fun outdoor games that can keep kids happy while adults either play along or just watch and relax. Below are some favorites!
Axe Throwing
When my family hiked the Appalachian Trail this past year, we stopped at a hiker hostel with this axe throwing game outside. My kids could not get enough, and my 7 year old son talked about it for weeks! We got it for his birthday, and it is a huge hit with all of my kids and all of their friends.
Outside Inside Racket Games
Hitting balls or birdies back and forth is a great camping activity! If you are lucky, your kids can burn off plenty of energy chasing down errant hits as well.
Prism Designs Kite
If you are camping at a beach or another location with a wide open space, a kit is a perfect addition to your camping kit! It’s so peaceful to watch kits floating on the breeze. Bonus if you can embarrass your kids by belting out “Let’s Go Fly a Kite” for all the local wildlife.
CrossNet
This game is really fun for all ages–my teens down to my first grader had a blast playing it together. The only thing I would suggest for smaller kids is getting one of those lightweight plastic grocery store balls to use instead of the included volleyball, which is a little bit heavy for that younger age group.
Kids Camp
Kids love to have their own gear! And providing some of the right pieces can foster their future as lifelong campers, but can also help simplify things for you.
REI Stuff Sack
When my kids started packing their own camping overnight gear, it both helped me and built skills of independence and judgement for them. They each have their own bag, I provide the packing list, and they do it themselves! I find it MUCH easier to keep track of their clothes in individual sacks. Of course, you may want to double-check their work. 😉
Nalgene Bottle
These bottles are sturdy for heavy use, easy to decorate with travel stickers, and large enough for long hikes. I know there are lots of water bottle styles out there, but for camping these are my favorite, partly because the simple design (no straws or other bells and whistles) makes them very easy to clean.
Kindercone Sleeping Bag
This sleeping bag is great for three seasons of camping, with a temperature rating of 25 degrees (which means comfortably warm sleep down to about 35 degrees). We’ve had ours for years, on tons of camping trips, washed many times in our regular home washer, and it holds up great.
Sunday Afternoons Ultra Adventure Hat
I love that all day outdoor sun on camping trips, but don’t love having to remember to put sunscreen on little people. These hats can go on kids’ packing lists as they gather their own gear, and you can skip those sunscreen reapplies!
Camping Adventures
Camping is of course an adventure in itself, even if you spend the entire time relaxing around your tent site and fire pit. But if you want to branch out just a bit, here are some great gear suggestions for doing so!
Osprey Daylight Pack
A good daypack is something I spent years going without, just carrying things in my hands or managing with some other kind of way to carry day hike supplies, like a shoulder bag. Do not do this. A real daypack is so much more enjoyable on a hike! Osprey is my personal favorite pack brand; their comfort focus is hard to beat.
Animal and Track Identification Guide
When we are camping, I like to think about great explorers of the past and all that they knew about the natural world. And then feel a little bit embarrassed at how little I know. These ID guides are a great gift for the aspiring naturalist in your life, perfect to take on a camping trip.
Waterproof Binoculars
Kids and adults alike can have a lot of fun searching for birds among the foliage, trying to spot deer in distant tree lines, or getting close up looks at each other’s faces. Binoculars are just a lot of fun to have around when outdoors!
Gift that Camping Magic
I truly love the simplicity and magic of camping, and try to limit our own family’s camping set-up and gear to items that only enhance the joy and relaxation rather than detract from it. All of the gifts above have done that for our family, and I’m sure they could do so for yours as well!
Check out our books in the Mountain Mama Shop!
- The Easy Camp Cookbook
- Camping with Kids Cookbook
- Camping Activity Book for Kids
- Outdoor Family Adventure Guide
Looking for more outdoorsy gift ideas?
Best Gifts for Campers
© 2025, Tales of a Mountain Mama. All rights reserved. Republication, in part or entirety, requires a link back to this original post and permission from the author.