Midwest Adventure Gift Guide🌲✨
gear deals, midwest experiences, cabin stays, & more!
Looking for the best gifts for the midwest adventurer in your life? From gear tailored to adventures you can find near home and afar to local gifts and experiences, here are the best holiday gifts for midwest outdoor lovers:
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Best Gift Ideas for Midwest Adventure Lovers:
From midwest adventure experiences to outdoor gear, here are the best gift ideas for Midwest hikers, skiers, and adventure lovers:
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1) Gift an experience
More and more, people value experiences over material items. Gift the adventure of a lifetime to someone you love! Here are some adventures to consider:
Rock Climbing Adventures in Wisconsin and Minnesota
Kayak the Apostle Islands Sea Caves with Lost Creek Adventures (I work here!)
Join one of my custom women’s multi-day paddling adventures summer 2025 (code: Maddy25 for $50 off)
2) A top-notch day pack
Nothing says “have a great adventure” like gifting a hiking day pack! Check out the Cotopaxi Luzon Del Dia 18L for a ultra-packable option, the Gregory Nano 18 [CURRENTLY 25% OFF] for a pack with a 3L water bladder and specialized compartment for keys, or the REI recycled 18L ruckpack [CURRENTLY 25% OFF] for a sleek, minimalist option.
Left: Gregory day pack in a slightly larger size day hiking in the North Cascades . Right: Cotopaxi Luzon while hiking in Olympic National Park.
3) Adventure Guidebooks & Maps
Inspire an adventure by gifting a guidebook and setting your loved ones up for their next adventure! Check out these midwest adventure resources:
Hidden Gems of the Northern Great Lakes, an indie-published guide to exploring the upper great lakes region, written my me 🙂
Explore the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with this guidebook
Gift a guide to exploring the Apostle Islands of Wisconsin
note! hiking guidebooks cost money due to printing costs and to compensate writers, editors and researchers. at the same time, i believe that access to the outdoors should be as free as possible. check out all the free, detailed trail guides to many of these regions in my full blog archive.
4) A Puffy Jacket
One of the nicest, more expensive gifts to give your midwest outdoor lover is a puffy jacket. Puffy jackets are thin but very warm jackets designed for the cooler months as a quintessential layer. These jackets are perfect for everything from layering winter camping to meeting friends after work at the bar.
Check out the wildly popular, top-of-the-line Patagonia Nano Puff for the most classic and sought after puffy, or check out the Helly Hansen Lifaloft [CURRENTLY 24% OFF] for a nearly half as expensive alternative (this is what I own!). Also check out the Fjallraven Expedition X-Latt, the Kari Traa Down Jacket [CURRENTLY 30% OFF], or the Cotopaxi Capa [CURRENTLY 50% OFF].
I recommend sizing slightly up in a puffy jacket to allow for best fit while layering.
5) Locally-made functional art
One of the most thoughtful gifts to give is locally-made functional art. Here are a few of my favorites for your Midwest adventure lover:
check out my etsy shop for handknits from nordic mittens to sweaters 🙂 Use the code GIFTGUIDE for 30% off all my handknits
Emily Wick’s North Woven Goods for handmade tapestries and rugs
Hannah Palma Ceramics for Lake Superior-inspired pottery
Wilderness Effects for handcrafted Scandinavian heirloom quality knives made in Northern Minnesota
The Wilderwood Shop for handmade charcuterie boards
Custom engraving from The Pinnacle Supply CO
6) Sauna Experience Gift
Gift a sauna adventure to your Midwest friend who is learning to love the winter! Things like sauna time, cross country skiing, cabin stays and embracing hygge can turn winter from dreaded dark months to someone’s favorite time of year. Start here:
7) A Bucket-List Cabin Stay
Give the gift of a getaway and book your partner, best friend, mother, or sister a cabin stay! Here are some dreamy getaways you have to check out:
Summer only cabins:
Escape-in-a-frame, camper rental, southeast Wisconsin
left: Ely Log Cabin. right: St. James Social.
Year-round cabin getaways:
St. James Social, Bayfield, Wisconsin (Boutique hotel, 1920s vibes plus sauna. Romantic winter getaway>>)
Nordlys Cabin Co, Wisconsin (so far out of my price range but this is a dream stay)
8) Gift a tent for Adventures
One of the best gifts you can give to open up a whole world of adventures is a tent for camping! Gifting a tent opens up all sorts of possibilities from hike-in to car camping. Here’s a quick quick guide to choosing the right tent for your Midwest outdoor lover:
My Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 ultralight backpacker tent I’ve had for years and love! It’s a super light and very small but great for someone looking for something reliable for solo adventures. [CURRENTLY 30% OFF]
Entry-level, budget-friendly, most uses:
The Kelty Late Start 2 [CURRENTLY 25% OFF] is a great budget choice for adventurers looking for the best all around tent for everything from car camping to backpacking on a budget. This is a small tent, best for one person (and maybe a dog).
The next step up both in price and size would be the REI Half Dome 2+ (CURRENTLY 40% OFF) The only reason I would recommend the half dome over the Late Start is if you know the person you’re buying for will want to share their tent with another hiker.
Pricier, top-of-the-line tents:
Big Agnes Copperspur 2 or Copperspur 3 [CURRENTLY 30% OFF] depending if you are a solo camper or want room for a partner. The Copperspur is the perfect tent and I feel very strongly about this.
9) Bedrock Clogs
Okay hear me out. I know they seem a little silly, but think of these as your Birkenstocks on steroids. The Bedrock Clog is your perfect chilly weather meets traction bottom, ideal for days where you might hit the trail between errands (which is my ideal version of life but very much not real for me).
They’re the shoes you throw on when you’re done with your long hike before you go walk the rocky shore to watch the sunset. They’re the shoes you throw on when you finish up your paddling trip and finally get dry socks on. They’re the shoes you throw on on the way to the grocery store. You get it.
10) Patagonia Black Hole Duffle
The Patagonia Black Hole Duffle is the perfect gift for the travel lover in your life. I’ve had my duffle for seven years and still use it regularly, for everything from international travel to car camping.
11) A Wintergreen Jacket
Gift the classic, Ely, Minnesota-made Wintergreen Jacket. These beautiful jackets are specially designed for harsh winter conditions and make the perfect heirloom-ready gift.
12) Cold-weather Down Sleeping Bag
Give the gift of an extended camping season with a cold weather-ready down sleeping bag. Check out the Nemo Disco 15 [CURRENTLY 40% OFF], the Sea to Summit Ascent 15 [CURRENTLY 25% OFF], or custom order an Enlightened Equipment (Midwest-based!) down sleeping quilt.
13) Wintery cozy sweaters
No gift hits quite light a cozy sweater. Here are some of my 2025 winter sweater picks to dial in the hygge:
the Fjallraven Ovik [CURRENTLY 30% OFF], (one of the most classic and consistently highly reviewed wool sweaters on the market)
the Kuhl Alpina, the budget alternate to the Ovik [CURRENTLY 25% OFF]
the PrAna Laurel Creek (cozy loungewear vibes)
Patagonia Recycled Wool Sweater (shockingly affordable!?)
14) Socks (no for real though)
For some reason a good pair of socks actually makes for a truly excellent gift, whether as a stocking stuff or something thoughtful and small for a close friend. Here are the best cozy sock choices for anything from winter hiking to lounging:
REI Trailsmith [CURRENTLY 30% OFF] These have 1970s vibes and I love it
Smartwool Hiker Classics [CURRENTLY 25% OFF]
Smartwool traditional snowflake crew [CURRENTLY 25-71% OFF]
15) Luci Lights
A fun present for the frequent car camper in your life, Luci solar-powered string lights [CURRENTLY 25% OFF] might seem a little silly at first, but they are actually a super fun thing to add to your camp.
I used these as a light in my Subaru while I was solo car camping this spring, and while living in a canvas tent to basecamp while guiding all summer, a set of Luci solar-powered string light near the screen of the tent to charge during the day made it feel like we had light features all year in the tent. These have also been super fun to break out at women’s hiking meet ups and big group camping when we’re setting up basecamp.
16) Coffee Subscriptions & Luxury-Granola Bars
Give a year round gift that cuts grocery expenses in gifting a coffee subscription to the coffee lover in your life. Personally, I love Minnesota-based Ember Coffee Co for rich, full-bodied coffee.
Gifts like coffee subscriptions and edible treats that go beyond groceries make a really wonderful gift on two fronts– your giftee is saved the expense of buying their own coffee, while also getting something perhaps a little nicer than they would buy for themselves. Along the same vein also check out Olympia Granola, Gluten-free delicious granola bars made in Wisconsin.
17) Toe Socks: simultaneously a gag gift and a real gift
I simultaneously love these and think they’re hilarious. When it was chilly this summer I’d wear them with my bedrock sandals and they were basically a jump scare. It was excellent.
18) Shop Wild Brush Handmade Packs
Gift a handmade backpacking bag, hip belt, or chalk bag from Wild Brush, (aka wyldjules on Instagram). Julianne makes absolutely awesome, beautiful gear that makes for the perfect gift for the outdoor adventurer who loves art and is looking for something a little more special than what you can find at REI.
19) Madi Stitches National Park Sweaters
Give the gift of a thoughtful sweater inspired by your favorite national park! Feel like there’s never any good Midwest merch? Check out Madi Stitches’ national park sweaters for Sleeping Bear Dunes, Isle Royale, Mammoth Cave, and Cuyahoga Valley! Or check out the Madi Stitches T-shirts here.
20) Trekking poles
Looking for a life-improving gift for the hiker in your life who loves to go a distance? Check out a set of trekking poles[CURRENTLY 25% OFF]. Trekking poles make a huge difference on tricky terrain and are pretty much essential for any backpacker with knee problems (me).
21) Snowshoes
Snowshoes are the perfect gift for someone looking to get into winter outdoor sports. Snowshoeing is a great workout, and allows you to get out into the winter without necessarily having to learn to ski or ice skate. Check out…
MSR Ascent Snowshoes –
$389.95$311.89 [CURRENTLY 20% OFF] top of the line but overkill for most usersMSR Evo Trail Snowshoes –
$169.95$135.89 [CURRENTLY 20% OFF]Tubbs Wayfinder –
$199.95$159.89 [CURRENTLY 20% OFF]
A few quick things to keep in mind when buying snowshoes:
If you plan to snowshoe on ice, you’ll want to make sure there are decent studs or spikes in the bottom, some sort of metal hardware for traction. Microspikes [CURRENTLY 20% OFF] might be a better choice for frequently hiked trails. In general, the larger/longer the snowshoe, the more “float” you’ll have in snow. Snowshoes are best used for breaking trail or hiking in heavy snow areas. I use snowshoes for hiking on frozen lakes and exploring the land near my grandparents house where there are no trails in the winter.
When hiking on the North Shore, however, most trails are well broken within two miles of a trailhead and microspikes make for a better choice.