The best outdoor gifts for 2024

An excellent gift for the hophead or hopwater enthusiast in your life, the Hopsulator Trio has been a staple of my beach trips and backyard hangs for years now. The 3-in-1 system keeps 16-ounce cans cold and offers a freezable puck to keep 12-ouncers even colder. When you’re not using it for cans, the Hopsulator also works as an insulated tumbler and it comes with a lid to help you limit spills.

There’s no denying how durable Ultimate Ears’ portable Bluetooth speakers can be versus the great outdoors. However, those products consistently lack the fuller, high fidelity sound that more seasoned music lovers crave. And for that purpose, I recommend the new Beats Pill if you’re looking to give a speaker for outdoor use this year. The Pill is still durable enough to safely take outside (IP67), and it has better bass performance than UE models for more robust sound. You can expect the speaker to provide up to24 hours of playtime, so that person on your list will have no trouble keeping the tunes going all day.

Stanley cups remain insanely popular, but my family stumbled upon Simple Modern tumblers while looking for similar performance at a lower price. The Trek Tumbler is our go-to for cold drinks, so it gets the most use at our house. The entire thing is dishwasher safe, which is a biggie for my family, as is the leak resistant lid and the cupholder friendly design. Plus, the double-walled, stainless steel construction can keep beverages cold for over 24 hours.

I’ve been using Thermacell repellers for years and can confirm their effectiveness in keeping mosquitos at bay. There are several affordable models, which makes them a great gift for anyone who spends time outside – whether that’s on the porch or at a campsite. The EL55 is a rechargeable unit that uses Thermacell’s liquid pods to create a 20-foot bug-free zone. This model also has a dimmable LED light should you need it. The EL55 lasts up to nine hours on a charge or up to five and half hours with the light turned on.

Solo Stove’s smallest and most portable fire pit makes a great option for camping. Like the company’s larger models, the Ranger has a smokeless design that sends everything upward rather than in your face. The second-gen model also features a removable ash pan, so you don’t have to tip the entire thing over to remove any leftover mess the next day. Sure, you could splurge for a larger fire pit, but if the person on your list is camping with any regularity, the Ranger is your best bet.

I’ve been a huge fan of RTIC coolers for a while now, mostly for the combination of performance and value. When the company announced its 2-in-1 Chillout Bag, I grabbed one immediately as a supply pack for both long and short family trips. This tote has a 24-can insulated cooler in the bottom with a separate compartment on top for snacks and other supplies. There are also multiple internal pockets for phones and more, making this a great gift for the beachgoer, pinicker or daytripper on your list.

ThermoWorks may have been tardy to the wireless food probe party, but the company has more than made up for it with the performance of the RFX. The RFX Meat is a wireless probe that sends internal temperatures to the company’s app. The grillmaster on your list will also need the RFX Gateway receiver, which comes in this combo, so that the probe’s stats are viewable anywhere they go once the Gateway is connected to their Wi-Fi network. And to keep accurate tabs on grill temps, the kit includes a wired Pro-Series Air Probe that plugs into the receiver. Two- and four-probe configurations are also available for an additional cost. No matter which one you choose to give, the RFX series is a powerful remote monitoring tool from the best in the business in terms of temperature accuracy.

While the Meater+ is great for monitoring food throughout a cook, an instant-read thermometer is handy in any kitchen – indoors or out. The best option for any culinary nerd you might be shopping for this year is the Thermapen One. Capable of readings in one second, it’s also accurate to within half a degree Fahrenheit. A brightly backlit display allows you to see clearly in the dark and the whole thing is IP67 rated, just in case you drop it in sauce or water. That display also rotates based on how you’re holding the Thermapen One, so no more awkward neck bends when checking temps of foods, liquids or baked goods.

It’s not always a great idea to take glass bottles on your outdoor activities, and it can be a pain to procure single-serving spirits before a trek. For the camper, hiker or other adventurer on your list, the Aero Flask is a great option for taking up to eight ounces of bourbon, whiskey or other spirits without the risks of a glass bottle. The attached cap means that person won’t have to worry about losing it and the tapered design feels great in the hand.

Lightweight, compact and extremely packable, this portable hammock won’t take up too much room in a backpack or backseat, and it sets up in as little as one minute. It comes with carabiners and straps for attaching to a tree or post, allowing you to have a comfy nap spot almost anywhere outdoors. Wise Owl offers both single and double versions, rated for 400 and 500 pounds respectively. The nylon hammock is also machine washable (once you remove the carabiners) and the material is rip resistant. Plus, the storage bag is built into the hammock, and once set up, it doubles as a pocket for your phone or a cup holder.

The Pi Prime is one of the most affordable outdoor pizza ovens you can buy, which makes it an excellent gift option for the aspiring pizza maker in your life. Featuring a similar stainless steel construction to Solo Stove’s fire pits, the Pi Prime is a gas-burning oven that churns out pizzas in as little as 90 seconds. The round, wide opening makes launching and turning pies much easier than some of the competition, and the gas burner means you can set the temp and focus on making pizzas instead of feeding the fire.

When it’s time to fire up the grill or smoker, there’s nothing worse than having to make a dozen trips outside to carry supplies. Weber has a solution for that with its caddy/tray combo that can haul seasonings, sauces, tools and whatever else the culinary mastermind on your list might need from the kitchen to their outdoor cooking station. The handle folds down, so the tray closes off the inside for easy storage. Two holders can securely accommodate rubs, sauces or spray bottles and side compartments are big enough to hold grill tools. And if they have a Weber Slate griddle, this accessory can serve as a modular side shelf.

I was once skeptical of the Shibumi Shade hype. Going to the beach in North Carolina, it’s hard to avoid them, so after fighting with a wind-blown cabana for the last time I gave in – and I haven’t looked back. The easily packable beach shades can be set up by one person and it uses the wind as a benefit to keep the thing up. For the avid beachgoer on your list, the mini version is a great gift. That’s not only because it’s a little cheaper, but because it works well for two people. That means it’s still a solid option for a family of three or four, since younger kids aren’t likely to sit still for very long anyway. Plus, it packs down small so it’s easy to grab for a couple’s week (or weekend) away.