This holiday season, treat your RV-loving loved (or yourself) one with one of these great gifts. Most are great for any traveler, outdoors person, and adventurer. Editors Jason and Abby cover all the below gifts on this week’s Episode of the RV Miles Podcast, which you can listen to here.
Ozark Trail Stainless Steel Wine Glass
We much prefer the Ozark Trail stainless steel insulated mugs over Yeti’s versions, if only for their rock bottom sub-$10 prices. The newest addition is a wine “glass” that is about the best wine vessel we’ve seen for traveling, and it’s under $6, available only at Walmart.
The New Camp Cookbook
This cookbook is that gorgeous coffee-table style book cookbook that we’ve been dreaming of for camp cooking. Full of modern exciting recipes and gorgeous photos, it’s sure to get you excited about cooking outdoors. Available on Amazon.
Instant Pot
The Instant Pot, or “InstaPot” as they are affectionately known, is now almost a required appliance for RVing. But it’s great for the home, too, replacing your crock pot, rice cooker, pressure cooker, steamer and more, this gadget is so useful. You can even sautée in it.
Membership at an ASTC Affiliated Museum
Visiting museums and science centers across the country is incredibly affordable with a membership to a museum that participates in the Association of Science and Technology Centers Passport Program. Just buy a membership to your local museum and get in free at hundreds of other museums across the country.
Celestron Travel Telescope
The Celestron 21035 70mm Travel Scope is a great stargazing option for throwing in the back of a car or heading out on a night hike, since it comes with a tailor-made backpack. There’s nothing like gazing at the night sky in the middle of nowhere away from city lights, but this telescope is a great device for viewing wildlife at a distance during the daytime, too. Available at Amazon.
Grand Trunk Hammock
Parachute-nylon hammocks are all the rage these days, and rightly so. Packing up about the size of a softball, they take very little room in an RV or a backpack. They’re affordable, and hold a lot of weight. We love Grand Trunk’s hammocks, especially for the many colors and patterns available. Make sure to get tree straps or a hanging kit to go along with your hammock. Grand Trunk has a great hammock and hanging kit set, available on Amazon.
Kelty Shindig Blanket
We included this Kelty blanket in our fall gear guide, and we’re adding it again here, because it’s just that cool. 2 blankets in one, the Shindig is a blanket great for around the campfire, at a ballgame, or on the ground at a music festival. It’s actually 2 blankets, with a pocket across the bottom of one. You can lay one on the ground and then pull the other out of the pocket when you want to cover up or stick your toes in the pocket to warm them up. Or you can just separate them and have two individual blankets for a couple to keep warm under. Available on Amazon.
Kindle Oasis
The new Kindle Oasis is the best Kindle yet for travelers and outdoor adventurers. It’s got a large paper-white screen that’s readable in the bright sun, it’s waterproof, audible is built in, and one charge of the battery will last for weeks. Available on Amazon.
Atlas Obscura: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Hidden Wonders
Atlas Obscura is a worldwide guide to the odd, weird, and obscure. It’s full of places off the beaten path and not in other travel guides. If you travel the US exclusively, it’s full of plenty American oddities. And it’s a beautifully designed manuscript to boot. Available on Amazon.
Rand McNally Deluxe Edition Motor Carrier’s Road Atlas
The laminated and spiral bound Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas is the #1 selling trucker’s road atlas in North America, and it’s incredibly useful for anyone with a large RV. Us it to plan routes and avoid low clearances and weight restrictions. With its laminated pages and spiral binding, the Deluxe Motor Carriers’ Road Atlas can stand up to all of the wear-and-tear from the road. Available on Amazon.
National Geographic Guides
These travel guides are affordable, hardcover, and thorough. There’s a National Parks guide, A Secrets of the National Parks book, a kids NPS guid, a night sky guide, and so many more. They’re uniform in size and shape, so they look great together on a shelf. We particularly love the Guide to the State Parks of the US, as it’s the best book out there on the subject.
The National Parks: An Illustrated History
Another National Geographic creation, this coffee-table book is full of stunning photography from the country’s greatest wonders, as well as a fair bit of history. Great for paging through and dreaming about places to visit. Available on Amazon.
National Park Scratch-off map
Another great gift for the National Park explorer, this map allows you to scratch off an arrowhead for every park you’ve visited. It’s quickly becoming a favorite among RV travelers. Available in two sizes on Amazon.
America the Beautiful Pass
What better gift for outdoor travelers than a pass to visit all the National Parks? The America the Beautiful pass provides entrance to any National Park or federal recreation land for $80 per year. Seniors should get the $80 lifetime pass, which also includes half-off camping and tours. Available from the USGS online store or at any fee-collecting park service site.
National Park Edition Amex Gift Card
For the person who is hard to buy for, gift cards are always a great option. The American Express National Park Edition Gift Card is accepted anywhere AMEX is, and the company donates to the National Parks Foundation with every purchase. Available from American Express.
