Looking for ultralight backpacking gifts this holiday season? Due to the development of ultralight backpacking materials and fabrics, backpacking gear has become lighter. You can swap out old, heavier gear for new, lighter gear. The gear weight difference can be quite significant and makes hiking and backpacking a lot easier.

Here are 20 of our top gift ideas for the ultralight backpacker in your family.

1. Six Moon Designs Silver Shadow Carbon Trekking Umbrella

The Silver Shadow Carbon Trekking Umbrella is a full-size umbrella with a reflective silver surface that will protect your favorite hiker from the sun and the rain.  A sleek carbon fiber shaft, spreader, and ribs reduce this umbrella’s weight to a mere 6.8 oz while maintaining full coverage. Its rigid shaft prevents unexpected collapse, and its simple construction ensures years of trouble-free use. The Silver Shadow Carbon is the Rolls-Royce of Trekking Umbrellas.

2. Garmin inReach Mini 2 Satellite Messenger

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 is a pocket-sized satellite messenger that can send an SOS message to Search and Rescue in an emergency when you’re out of cell phone range. It can also send email messages and text messages to friends and family, whenever you want to update them or share your GPS coordinates. It has an easy-to-use push-button interface but can also pair with a smartphone via Bluetooth to display GPS maps and navigational information. Weighing just 3.5 oz, it’s small enough to tuck into your pants pocket.

3. Enlightened Equipment Torrid Jacket

The Enlightened Equipment Torrid Jacket is a purpose-built synthetic jacket made for hiking and backpacking. It is insulated with Climashield Apex, which Enlightened Equipment also uses in its synthetic quilts. The Torrid has two zippered handwarmer pockets, elastic wrist cuffs, and an adjustable hood opening to block side drafts. The construction is not sewn through to eliminate drafts through needle holes, which is a significant enhancement and departure from the norm for jackets in this class. Its raglan sleeves are designed to be used with a backpack, and its ultralight nylon exterior fabric has a durable water-repellent finish to repel mist and light precipitation. A women’s model is also available.

4. Petzl Actik Core Rechargeable Headlamp

The Petzl Actik Core headlamp is a rechargeable, multi-beam headlamp that provides 625 lumens of power to light the way during dynamic outdoor activities like running, hiking, and backpacking. It comes with a USB-C compatible 1250 mAh CORE rechargeable battery (included) and is also compatible with 3 AAA alkaline, lithium, or Ni-MH rechargeable batteries without the need for an adapter, which is a great convenience.

5. Hyperlite Mountain Gear Shoulder Strap Pocket

Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s (HMG) Shoulder Strap Pocket is a waterproof pocket made with Dyneema Composite Fabrics that is perfect for carrying a Smartphone, point-and-shoot camera, or travel documents. It has a built-in sleeve that can be used as a hiker wallet, as well as an external mesh pocket that holds a phone securely, even when you take off your pack or it falls over on the ground. It’s easy to attach to any packs from any manufacturer that have daisy chains on the shoulder straps.

6. Feathered Friends EOS Jacket

The Feathered Friends Eos Down Jacket is insulated with 900 fill power goose down that’s available in both men’s and women’s models. Recently updated, the Eos weighs 11.8 ounces (336g). It features a low-profile dual drawstring hood, a zippered chest pocket, two handwarmer pockets, Lycra wrist cuffs, and elastic hem adjustment. With a Pertex Quantum Shell and sewn-through construction, it’s lightweight enough to use as a mid-layer under a rain jacket but also makes a warm outer layer when worn over a fleece or a heavier baselayer. The Eos also makes a good adjunct to a quilt or hoodless sleeping bag, if you want more upper-body insulation and a draft-free hood.

7. CuloClean Soda Bottle Bidet

The CuloClean Soda Bottle Bidet is a simple screw-on attachment that lets you use a soda bottle to clean yourself after a poop. It’s designed to help reduce the amount of toilet paper used in the backcountry while preventing the dreaded chafing and “monkey butt” that results when your crack isn’t clean. This handy bidet attachment screws onto regular plastic water/soda bottles so you can clean up anywhere, even at the office. Very popular with thru-hikers and catching on with older hikers as well. It makes a perfect stocking stuffer and conversation piece!

8. Adotec Ultralight Bear-Resistant Food Bag

The Adotec Ultralight Bear-Resistant Food Bag is IGBC-approved, meaning it can be used in most United States National Parks and National Forests instead of a much, much heavier plastic bear canister. Weighing just 7 oz (199g), this 14L waterproof food bag can hold 4-5 days’ worth of food and is designed to keep your food safe from grizzly bears and rodents. It has a super strong rope cinch closure and gussetted corners, so it is self-standing, making it very easy to use come mealtime. This Dyneema food bag makes a hell of a gift and will be appreciated for years to come. 

9. UltraliteSacks Thru-Hiker Stuff Sack Bundle

The UltraliteSacks Thru-Hiker Bundle is made for the hiker looking for maximum simplicity and organization without adding the weight.  Made with Dyneema Composite Fabrics, the Thru-Hiker Bundle includes all of the stuff sacks (6) that you’d need for hiking the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Coast Trail, including: a large roll top dry bag, a regular-sized food bag, and a small stuff sack, a large pillow sack, a small stuff sack, small zippered pouch, and a regular zippered pouch. A minimalist fanny pack is also included as a bonus, providing mobile storage for walking around trail towns when you don’t need to carry an entire backpack.

10. Zpacks Duplex Pro Tent

The Zpacks Duplex Pro is a 19.5 oz two-person trekking pole tent designed for three-season use that’s a popular choice with section hikers and thru-hikers. It’s very easy to set up and provides good weather protection. The two rainbow-style doors and side vestibules make it easy to share with another hiker, but the tent is lightweight enough that it can even be used by one person. Any hiker would love to get a Duplex Pro as a gift.

11. Chicken Tramper Gear Water Bottle Sleeve

Can’t reach your water bottles when you get thirsty? That’s not a problem if you attach your water bottle to your backpack shoulder strap. The Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear (CTUG) Water Bottle Sleeve can attach to backpack shoulder straps that have a daisy chain in front or a hydration hose keeper loop making them compatible with just about every backpack in existence. The sleeve is available in two sizes and compatible with 0.7L and 1L SmartWater Bottles or soft bottles. Durably made with X-Pac, these sleeves are attached at the top and bottom so your bottles won’t fall into the dirt when you bend over to tie your shoe.

12. Hyperlight Mountain Gear Packing Pods

Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s Packing Pods are ultralight, kidney-shaped stuff sacks designed to use all of the space in a backpack and eliminate the voids that are leftover if you pack with conventional cylindrical-shaped stuff sacks. They’re made with an ultralight waterproof fabric called Dyneema DCF and have an attached top flap that zips closed for moisture protection.  All of Hyperlite’s Packing Pods are silver-colored. They also make great toiletry bags for business trips!

13. Katabatic Gear Alsek 22 Quilt

While some quilts feel like they aren’t wide enough to wrap around, the angled “wings” on the Katabatic Alsek 22 help keep the quilt secure around the hiker without a major weight penalty. The Katabatic Alsek weighs just 1 pound, 6 ounces with 900-fill down and a durable Pertex Quantum Ripstop. It also has a longer sewn footbox than some other quilt models, which helps trap more heat. We also like the Katabatic Palisade 30 for people who hike in more temperate conditions.

14. Durston X-Mid Pro 1

The Durston X-Mid Pro 1 is a 15.5 ounce single-wall trekking pole tent that is exceptionally easy to set up. This 2-door tent is made of Dyneema DCF, an ultralight and extremely waterproof material. All of the seams are taped and the inner tent is sewn to the fly so the tent can be pitched in the rain and still remain dry inside. This exceptional tent is quite stormworthy and includes extra guy-out points for extreme conditions.

15. NEMO Tensor Elite Sleeping Pad

The NEMO Tensor Elite Sleeping Pad is an ultralight 8.5-ounce air mattress that is three inches thick and super comfortable to sleep on when backpacking or camping. The Tensor Elite also rolls up quite small, which is essential when using an ultralight backpack that may have less than 40L in capacity

16. Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System with Cnoc 2 Liter Bladder

The Sawyer Water Filter with Cnoc 2L Bladder is one of the most popular portable water filters available today, letting hikers drink from natural water sources if they run out on hikes or backpacking trips. While the filter can thread onto many standard water bottles, we recommend this model with the Cnoc 2L soft bottle because of its fast flow rate and adaptability, letting you use the Sawyer as a squeeze filter to rapidly filter one liter of water or as a gravity filter for preparing larger quantities. The Cnoc bottle is amazingly durable and rolls up when not needed, making it easy to store.

17. Enlightened Equipment Visp Rain Jacket

The Enlightened Equipment Visp Rain Jacket is a 3-layer waterproof/breathable jacket made with a thin 7D ripstop nylon, a non-porous PU membrane and a soft tricot lining for a comfortable next-to-skin feel. Weighing 5.6 oz it’s very lightweight, but less puncture-proof as a result. It has pit zips under the arms with waterproof zippers. The jacket has a fitted hood with a stiffened visor that adjusts at the front and back and shaped wrist cuffs with a velcro adjustment for added wrist warmth and utility. Made for hiking, the Visp has a drop-tail hem that offers extra coverage in the back to keep the jacket from riding up under a pack as well as an elasticated waist to prevent drafts from below. Sizing is unisex.

18. Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 – Women’s Sleeping Bag

The Feathered Friends Egret UL 20 is a top-shelf technical sleeping bag tailored for women that has extra fill in the footbox and around the chest. It also provides more room in the elbows, including space to draw your knees up in the bag if you like to sleep that way. The contoured hood opens wide in warmer weather and makes it easy for side sleepers to use, while a two-way zipper makes the bag easy to vent. The Egret has a draft collar to help seal in the heat around your shoulders, while a trapezoidal footbox allows your feet to fall in a natural pose without compressing the sides. Available in two lengths: 5′ 3″ and 5′ 9″, the Egret UL 20 is insulated with 950+ fill power goose down and weighs just 1 lb 9.6 oz. That’s seriously light!

19. Far Pointe Polartec Alpha Fleece Hoodie

With a streamlined design, FarPointe’s Polartec Alpha fleece hoodie is made for layering or as a stand-alone piece when you’re on the move. Soft to the touch and lighter than your typical long-sleeved shirt, it is the perfect midlayer because it dries quickly when you perspire while keeping you warm and toasty even though it’s gossamer light. Polartec Alpha fleece fabric offers an incredible warmth-to-weight ratio, providing active insulation and helping regulate body temperature for optimized comfort during stop-and-go activities. Its lightweight lofted fibers, mesh knit, and hydrophobic qualities make Alpha warmth-to-weight dependable, highly breathable, and fast-drying. Polartec Alpha hoodies are all the rage in the hiking community!

20. Gossamer Gear LT5 Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles

Ultralight and easily adjustable with a twist lock, Gossamer Gear’s LT5 carbon fiber trekking poles have a three-piece carbon construction that can be adjusted from 23.5” when collapsed to 51” fully extended. The foam handle absorbs sweat, and the strap is padded and adjustable. The set weighs under 10 ounces, which is feathery light making them a joy to use.

Check out all of SectionHiker's Gift Guides

• 50 Best Backpacking Gifts for $50 or Less
• Lightweight Backpacking Gift Guide
• Dyneema Ultralight Backpacking Gift Guide
• Winter Hiking Gift Guide
• Hiking Survival Gear Gift Guide

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