Gift Guide for Outdoorsy Families

If you are looking for gifts for outdoorsy families then here is a great selection of ideas suitable for mums, dad, children and the whole family to share. I have hand selected a range of gifts that are practical, beautiful and encourage an adventurous spirit for everyone who loves to the outdoors. 

Post contains gifted items and affiliate links, but all have been carefully chosen.

20 Gifts for Outdoorsy Families

Gift Guide for Outdoorsy Families


Gifts for Children Who Love Adventures


Let's Go - 52 Nature Activity Cards


These beautiful cards were designed by Roxie, blogger at mumdaysandescapades.com. Each of the cards has an activity idea which will encourage children to get involved in nature. On one side it has the suggestion eg "Spot Bugs" or "Make A Nature Bracelet" and on the other side it provides a bit more information about how to complete the activity. You could use these cards to inspire a new adventure every week for a year or keep them in your bag for when you need ideas to keep boredom at bay. They are well thought out and contain lots of activities you wont have thought of.

The box and activity cards from let's go nature activity ideas for children
This little pack of cards is full of activity ideas to inspire children to embrace being in nature

Away Book written by Dani Seatter and Ilustrated By Anna Stead

It’s not unusual for children to love being outside, but when they are outside playing and having fun they don’t always think about the impact of their actions of the world around them. In Away, a beautifully illustrated story set in British woodland a group of animals discover a plastic bag in their habitat, but what can they do? Aimed at 3 to 7 year olds reading this book will remind young and old about the beauty of nature and why it’s important to dispose of rubbish correctly.

Available in hard and soft back from Eco-Able, a shop founded by the books author, with a range of sustainable items for home, children and families.

front cover of a book called away which talks about the impact of littering with a black and white drawing of woodland with a deer on
Away is beautifully illustrated children's book

Illustration from inside Away showing some animals standing around some litter
The animals find a carrier bag and don't know what to do with it

Nap Mat 

If you love to be on the go and have a toddler then this Dinosaur World Nap Mat from Bloomsbury Mill is great to take with you on adventures. The all-in-one pillow, mat and blanket provides a cozy nap place that will be familiar where ever you are, whether it’s a friend’s house, tent or yurt. Not a fan of the dinosaur print? They have plenty of other designs including a Christmas Winter Wonderland print, safari animals and one with grey and white stars.

The nap mat rolls up and velcros together and even has a carry handle making it really convenient. Take the inbuilt pillow out and the rest can be washed easily in the washing machine. The outer layer is made from a polyester and cotton mix with a polyester filling. The sleep mat is 135cm long (including pillow) and 50cm wide making it perfect for toddlers and preschoolers.

A reindeer teddy in a dinosaur print all in one nap mat
The all-in-one nap mat is perfect for naps on the go

Bloomsbury Nap Mat rolled up in packaging
Bloomsbury Mill Dinosaur World Nap Mat

Flying Science Kit

Flying Science from Small World Science aims to help children discover the principles of lift and flight in this science set which will encourages children to head outside. This kit (recommended for age 8 plus)       contains 2 flying discs (mini frisbees), whirling propellers, balloons and parts to build 2 planes and a kite. Through 5 experiments children can learn to understand better why things stay up and float.

Flying Science science kit for children aged 8 plus
Contents of Flying Science Small World Science Kit

Animal Lovers - Where is Everyone? by Tom Schamp

Where is Everyone? is a lift the flap book by Tom Schamp and published by Prestel. The board book has an animal hidden behind each flap. Can you guess which animal is hiding from the clues? Aimed at children age 2 plus this is a sweet book which will stimulate toddlers minds.

Sample pages from lift up the flap board book with a peacock hidden in a bush and puss in boots behind a toadstall
A different animal is creatively hidden behind each flap in this board book

Shoe Skins

If you try to stick to the idea of buying children something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read then Shoe skins will tick at least one of those boxes. These cleverly designed covers for shoes pull on and keep the shoes dry (so no more soggy feet). Ok they wont help if they head for a deep puddle, but if you are walking on wet grass or similar they work well. They are waterproof and have grips on the bottom so you don't need to worry about slipping over. Shoe skins come in different sizes with small fitting children's sizes 11.5 to 2. They take up hardly any space in a bag and even come with a storage bag. A really clever and practical present.

a transparent silicone shoe cover on a trainer, one next to the trainer and the shoe skin packaging
Keep feet dry on adventures with shoe skins

MIXUPS Card Game

When travelling with children it is always a good idea to take a selection of games away, and card games that take up hardly any space are perfect. MIXUPS is a new card game (affiliate link) for 2 to 5 players aged 4 and up (although some 3 year olds could probably manage it). It's a version of snap where you have to collect as many cards as possible by calling "MIXUPS" when their card partially matches the last card turned over. Each card has an animal on which is a combination of 2 animals and to make it easy they can either work out what the animals are by looking at the animal, looking at the name (eg POG is a combined pig and dog) or the little icons on either side of the animal's name. 

MIXUPS card game by 7 pips which combines 2 animals into a fun snap game
A fun card game to pack for adventures

Packaway Puddlesuit

There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing (or so "they" say). In the UK rain can hit at any time so it's good to have waterproofs on hand. This KIDLY puddlesuit (affiliate link) easily folds away into a pocket making it handy to pack in a bag for days out. With elasticated wrists and ankles you can buy it on the slightly roomy side and keep it for longer before they grow out of it. It wont matter if they sit down on wet grass or fall in a muddy puddle, this puddlesuit will keep them dry. It's single layer with no padding so great for Spring and Autumn or with a few layers underneath it should work in Winter too. Available in a range of great colours and in sizes from 12-18 months to 4-5 years.


A photo of the top half of the Ocean teal coloured puddlesuit in age 3 to 4 with a hood and elasticated arms
The KIDLY label puddlesuits come in a range of great (and not very common) colours

The puddlesuit stuffed into it's bag
The Puddlesuit folds up into one of it's pockets making it compact enough to put in a changing bag

Weather Pop Up Book


This is quite possibly the most beautiful pop up book I have ever seen. The Weather: Pop Up Book is written and illustrated by Maike Biederstädt, although "illustrated" doesn't really do justice to the craft involved. Intricate cut outs illustrate this short book with detailed descriptions about various types of weather and climate change. A lovely gift for children old enough to look at it with care and an interest in what is going on outside.

The front cover of The Weather book by Maike Biederstädt
The Weather: Pop Up Book talks about the weather and climate change

pop up snowflakes from The Weather Pop Up Book
The book doesn't have many pages, but each one is beautiful

Pass The Pugs


Pass The Pugs is a great travel game aimed at players aged 12 and upwards. You might have played pass the pigs and this game by Winning Moves is the same concept except you play with a couple of cute dogs. Toss the pugs and see how they land to win points. First player to 100 points wins. It’s a compact case that fits into any bag so it’s great to take away on adventures.

Stock image of Pass the pugs travel game showing in packaging and out
A great game for players 12 and above



Gifts for Men Who Love the Great Outdoors


Waterproof Backpack

This waterproof backpack is a perfect size for a day out adventuring and no matter how wet it gets outside  everything inside it will stay dry. You could even drop it in a stream and no water would get inside (probably, I've not tested that). The 28 litre dry bag back pack is designed for adventures on and off the water. It has a sturdy design made from 3 waterproofing layers, the pressure bonded stitching removes seams and the top folds over multiple times and clips shut. The shoulder straps are well padded and there are hip and chest straps too helping to distribute the weight if particularly heavy.

The front of a waterproof backpack in black with a reflective strip
The perfect size backpack for a day out with children

backpack straps and top closing mechanism of waterproof backpack visible
This bag will keep everything inside completely dry 

Cozy Hat with Light

Whether camping, walking home in the evening or maybe even out for an early morning run this BRIGHT-i beanie hat will help keep the wearer warm and to be seen. Thanks to the LED light at the front it can help light where they are going and provide a way for vehicles to see you coming. It has 3 different light intensities created by the 4 LED's and the light can be easily removed from the hat too. One of my favourite features is it can be recharged by pluging into a USB socket giving about 4 hours of light per charge. The dark grey hat is made from soft polyester and it is one size which should fit most adults comfortably.

Close up of the front of the LED hat with a rechargeable light in the front
This cozy hat has an LED light in the front which can be recharged

The beanie packaging and the hat with the light turned on and 4 LEDs visible
The light can help guide the way when it's dark and help the wearer be seen

Walking Socks

With the right socks and shoes you can walk around all day and still have happy feet. These Alpaca walking socks are unisex and available in 3 sizes (4 to 7, 8 to 10 and 11 to 13). The natural properties of the yarn make these thick, cushioned socks warm, breathable and odour resistant. They are 75% alpaca and 25% nylon to help them retain their shape. They can be carefully machine washed too. Perfect for long walks or for keeping your feet warm at home. They are available in a range of colours.


Close up of Paul James Alpaca Walking Socks Label
These cosy alpaca walking socks from Paul James Knitwear are available in a range of colours

2 grey alpaca and nylon yarn socks next to each other
Whether going on a 10 miles hike or watching a film on the sofa these socks will keep your feet happy
 and warm

Identification Books

Parents are expected to know everything and while we might know far more than our children there are bound to be gaps in our knowledge. They don't need to know that though. Keep up the pretence that you know all the answers with books teaching you how to identify everything on your walks. If your memory isn't your strong point you can always encourage children to teach themselves and find the plants/ bird/ fungi or whatever it is in the book. Ok so there are apps you can download that give you the answers (I have Seek by iNaturalist which is very clever), but it can't always identify things and books help you to explore and understand the differences more.



A Multi-Tool

I tried, but I couldn't do it, what gift guide for outdoor loving people would be complete without some sort of  multi tool? I like this one for it's range of useful attachments whilst being small and easy to transport. With young children around any tools have to be kept our of reach, but you also want them to be accessible enough you have them when needed. This multi-tool seems like a good balance and doesn't come with tools that give me nightmares.


Gifts For Women Who Love To Be Outside


Bottlesoc Bottle Cover

We all know that reusable bottles are best, but they aren't always practical. What happens if you aren't out with a big bag? And at the price of some of those reusable bottles you will want to protect them from bangs and scrapes. Bottlesoc bottle covers are designed to protect bottles and make them more practical while giving them a whole new personality. You can choose from a wide range of prints and to have them personalised with your name, a short motivational phrase or to let the pattern do the talking. Comes with a carry handle (which can clip on to anything) or add on a shoulder strap so you can wear it hands free. It's washable and stretchy so will fit most 500ml bottles (including plastic ones). 

A washable bottle cover with personality (and optional shoulder strap)

Warm Scarf from Paul James

When you love being outdoors and you have young children it generally means spending a lot of time standing around, or walking very slowly in the cold. I find dressing appropriately is the best way to keep me happy and in winter a cozy warm scarf to keep the chill out is a great investment. Paul James Knitwear is a British company producing beautiful knitwear in Leicestershire like this chunky wide ribbed scarf knitted from Merino wool. At 170cm long it is a good length whichever way you like to wrap your scarfs and it is available in a range of colours. Hand wash only, but it wont need washing often and it will stay looking better for longer that way.


A warm ribbed chunky grey wool scarf from merino wool
Grey chunk merino scarf from Paul James Knitwear

Grey merino wool scarf rolled up and showing the label saying Paul James
A soft and warm scarf is perfect for cold days out


Love Leggings

Whether she loves to be super active or laze around at home Love Leggings will have something that meets a woman's needs. Pictured are super soft black leggings from the Revitalise range, but they also have treggings, maternity leggings and sportswear and more. Ensuring comfort, support and a lack of chafing, a good pair of leggings quickly becomes a favourite item of clothing. Oh and there is no transparency so the patterns on their pants will remain a secret.

pair of black leggings from Love Leggings
Love Leggings Revitalise leggings are super soft

close up of Love Leggings label for size 14 27inch trousers
The leggings are available in multiple lengths and sizes (including a plus size range)

T-shirt from Wilder Waves

A light t-shirt, that's ethically sourced from a small business that reminds them that they love to be by the sea AND donates money to marine conservation with each purchase? Yes that should tick a few boxes. This Vitamin Sea t-shirt is from Wilder Waves. They sell a range of t-shirts, hoodies and other items which will appeal to anyone who loves to go for a walk on a windswept beach and feel sea spray in their hair.

White t-shirt with logo saying Vitamin Sea with a pink wave
A walk by the sea makes everything feel a bit better

Enamel Mugs

Whether you are on a camping holiday or just sharing a flask of hot chocolate on a winter’s walk, having a few enamel mugs to hand is a good idea. Jina Gelder paints wildlife art which is then printed onto a range of gifts and homeware including enamel mugs. I absolutely love the illustrations which show the animals full of personality.  The mugs have an illustration on each side which means that whether you are right or left handed you can enjoy their cuteness. Check out the full range of wildlife art and giftware to see all the different birds and animals available.

two white enamel mugs one with a hedgehog illustration and the other with a rabbit
Really cute illustrations on a practical present


Garden bird feeders and wild bird seed from Henry Bell

Loving the outdoors often goes hand in hand with appreciating wild life so attracting more birds into the garden is likely to be a popular gift. Henry Bell have a range of bird seed and feeders targeted to meet the needs of different types of wild bird. The family owned British business, established in 1825, have created this stunning Sterling Feeding Station with metal leaves that can hold multiple bird feeders like the Grand Sterling Seed Feeder. This large plastic and metal feeder is great for feeding small birds like House Sparrows and Dunnocks.  The products can be found in garden centres nationwide or online.

Bird feeding station in box, a large bird feeder and a bag of bird food
Bird feeding station, bird feeder and Robin blend wild bird food

Part of the Sterling feeding station from Henry Bell on a blanket showing the silver arms with leaves and central pole
The feeding station has 5 arms with leaves on which attach to a central pole which goes into the ground

A close up of the end of a bird feeder for smaller birds with wild bird seed suitable for robins and tits
Henry Bell sell a range of bird seeds target at different birds, this is the Robin mix

Gift Guide for Outdoorsy Families Practical and Beautiful present ideas for Men, women and children

Disclosure: Most items in this guide were gifted on request for inclusion. There are some affiliate items included which means if you click through and make a purchase I may received a small commission. Thank you if you choose to do this.

While I have separated this guide out into men, women and children these sections are pretty arbitrary and other than the women's clothes they are all unisex. While I'm on this ramble "outdoorsy" is a bit of a weird one too isn't it? "Gift Guide for Families that love to be outdoors" is a bit long though.



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