Top 10 Valentine’s Day Gifts for Your Outdoors Man

Do guys even get Valentine’s Day gifts? I hadn’t really put any thought into it. Most of my thinking goes into whether or not I should get Mrs. Gent flowers. Don’t jump to conclusions just yet, hear me out. She said she didn’t want flowers and instead I should put the money towards a bigger spa package (I have witnesses!!!) but I still don’t know if doing that is going to come back to haunt me later.

Outdoorsmen, and backpackers in particular, are also pretty hard to shop for. Heck, half the gear I buy for myself ends up dumped in the bottom of the gear box or returned to REI. Don’t even get me started on what happens to the gear that well-meaning but unitiated friends and family get for me. With that in mind, here’s a list that (for the most part) should be appreciated by just about any gent without breaking the bank.

For the Gent Who Likes Trucker Hats: Montana Wild Backcountry Trucker Hat (Sage) —the guys at Montana Wild are a pair of gents that I can get behind (even though they are Griz fans.) I try not to hold that against them and their videos are spot on for when I need a little dose of Big Sky Country.

For Gent Who Needs Just One More Trucker Hat: Stone Glacier Trucker Hat Grey/Black Mesh Back — based in Bozeman, Montana, Stone Glacier packs have hauled big game out of mountains from Montana, Alaska, Central Asia and even New Zealand. I think they’re pretty awesome and what can I say, I’m a sucker for trucker hats. At the rate I’m going, soon I’ll have enough for every day of the week. It’s important to have a rotation. I think that’s what “on fleek” means.

For the Gent Who Keeps Wearing His Stone Glacier Hat with his Stone Glacier Shirt But Thinks That Might Be Too Much: Montana Wild Lifestyle Tee (Moss) — I try to wear something that says Montana on it just about everywhere I go. If that doesn’t sound like your gent, these first three may be a little redundant. Unfortunately, the current Stone Glacier trucker hat I have and the Stone Glacier T-shirt I have are two of my favorite items of clothing. I end up wearing them both together and looking like a walking Stone Glacier billboard way too often.

For the Gent Who Is On His Feet All Day: Darn Tough Boot Sock Full Cushion — a good pair of socks can feel just as luxurious as any spa date when you pull your work boots on. It helps that these are guaranteed for life, no questions asked. Between their running, hiking and work socks, I may start slowly converting all my socks over to Darn Tough socks. With this guarantee, hopefully they’ll be the last socks I ever buy.

For the Gent Who Works Up a Sweat: La Sportive Peak t-shirt — treated with polygiene, this is a synthetic t-shirt that manages odor. Normally you have to go with natural fibers like wool, or other treatments that wash out to control odor in your workout or outdoor clothes. Polygiene, however is bonded to the fabric at the factory and they claim it won’t wash out. If you’re looking for brighter colors, both Rab and Patagonia make polygiene treated t-shirts.

For the Gent Who Wants to Know the Temperature When He’s Out Hiking in the Winter: Weather Resistant Thermometer — sure, I could continue to come back and just look up the weather history for the closest station to figure out what the conditions were when I put my gear to the test, but knowing right on the trail would be much more fun. Plus, think of the selfies.

For the Gent Who Has More Boots Than Insoles: Superfeet Insoles — most boots come with terrible insoles in the box. Superfeet Green insoles are the consensus backpackers choice, but I go with the Orange insoles due to the heavier loads I carry at work and to keep consistency across all my boots. Check your gent’s boots. Chances are, he already has at least one pair of the insoles he prefers.

For the Gent That Needs Something To Wear When You Drag Him Out On the Town: Mountain Khaki’s Old Faithful Sweater — I have one of these.I have the same problem with this jacket as I do with my Pendleton shirt. It makes me wish the weather was cold enough in North Carolina so that I could wear it year-round. I get compliments on it just about every time I wear it somewhere. With the spring and summer months rapidly approaching, he may not get much more use out of it this winter, but he’ll gaze wistfully at this sweater until fall comes around and temperatures drop enough for him to break it out again.

If You Want to Go Big or Go Home For Your Gent: Backcountry Bed Duo — Sierra Design’s new Backcountry Bed concept is generating a lot of buzz. A zipperless design, with an oversized comforter-style opening, it’s supposed to feel more like a bed and less like a confined sleeping bag. At either $250 or $500, this gift is on the pricey side. The extra $250 for the down-filled version adds 10 degrees to the temperature rating while cutting 5 oz of weight. I want this sleeping bag for two reasons:

  1. I really like it when Mrs. Gent comes backpacking with me (except for when I don’t.)
  2. I have no idea how someone so small can be so strong when she gets a death grip on the comforter and steals it all. This sleeping bag ensures that I’ll look forward to midnight tug-of-war matches all season long when we go camping together.
  3. I take that back. I really only want it for one reason.

For the Gent Who Likes to Take in the Views: Smith Optics Outlier Ti Sunglasses — Smith came up with a patented Film-Free polarization process for their ChromaPop lenses. Supposedly it will stop the cracking and peeling that can happen to other polarized lenses (my Oakley’s are pretty bad after two years) as well as optimizing color, clarity and contrast. BONUS: These also have a lightweight titanium frame.

Well, there you have it. 10 ready-to-go gift ideas that will hit the spot with just about any gent. I’m still not sure if gents are even supposed to get Valentine’s Day gifts, and most of the time we’re too hard-headed to even mention it, but if you catch yourself looking at a teddy bear, think outdoors stuff instead.