2022 Gift Guide for the Hungry Outdoor Enthusiast in Your Life

It’s that time of year once again! Camping season is largely over in the U.S. and it’s time to start looking at the gear that your outdoorsy friends have on their wish lists.

Maybe you or your friends are getting into shoulder-season hiking with your micro spikes; maybe you’re putting on the skis and skins and heading into the mountains. Whatever your vibe is, there’s no denying that everyone like to stay warm and well fed in the backcountry.

Every hungry outdoor enthusiast knows the value of a hot meal and drink on trail. Whether it be hot coffee in the morning to wake you up, or a warm meal at night after a long day, the ability to make hot food or drinks anywhere, at any time, is what gives us all comfort in the backcountry. Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple, and that’s why we decided to put together this gift guide—The Ultimate Backcountry Cooking Setup—for the hungry outdoor enthusiast in your life.

Gift Guide

To stay warm and to keep a full stomach in the backcountry, you’ll need just 3 things in your backcountry cooking setup: (1) a water filter, (2) an electric camping stove, and (3) a battery.

Together, these 3 items allow you to cook just about anything, anywhere, anytime, no matter the conditions. See why we consider these items together to be The Ultimate Backcountry Cooking Setup.

Water Filter

For everyone who loves the outdoors—hikers, campers, backpackers, fishermen, hunters, climbers, backcountry skiers and more—water filters are always great to have.

The newest water filtering technology gives you pure water almost instantly: gone are the days of needing to boil water to purify it; gone are the days of iodine purification; gone are the days of hand pumps.

Our favorite: Katadyn Befree

Why we love it: The filters themselves are small and lightweight. They filter water instantaneously, straight from the source, and come with a lightweight bag that is useful as an extra water storage container for anytime you’re going long-distances between fresh water sources (we’re looking at you Zion Traverse).

Why it’s a great gift: It never hurts to have a spare water filter. You can keep one in your fishing vest, another in your backpack, another in your daypack. Once you get used to having one around, you’ll notice how often you’re grateful to have it. Have a long, steep hike with lots of vertical? Ditch (some of) your water weight and filter new water as you climb the mountain. Standing in a strong current while flyfishing and need a quick drink? Just reach your filter to the water and drink immediately—no more having to return to share (where your movement might spook the fish)!

Flameless Backpacking Stove

There are a few ways to make hot food or drinks in the backcountry, and almost all of them require burning wood or fossil fuels. Not anymore. With EcoSimmer now on the market, cooking in the backcountry is electric, flameless, and sustainable.

Our favorite: EcoSimmer Backpacking Stove (of course)

Why we love it: the EcoSimmer Backpacking Stove can be used to make hot drinks or food anywhere. It’s as simple as adding what you want to cook then plugging it into a power source (see the EcoSimmer battery guide)—backcountry cooking has never been easier. (To be fair, maybe we’re a little biased here…)

Why it’s a great gift: The best gift you can give to anyone in the backcountry is less weight in their pack—whether they’re hiking, backpacking, skiing, climbing, or something else, nobody wants to lug around a ton of equipment when they can have just the right equipment. With EcoSimmer and a battery, you can replace pots & pans, stoves, fuel canisters, bowls, cups, and more. Batteries are rechargeable, so you only have to buy them once, and EcoSimmer makes everything else redundant: you can cook in it, eat from it, and more!

Battery

Since the advent of smartphones, almost everyone we talk to or meet in the backcountry also brings a battery with them when backpacking. Phones are your communication device, your map, your camera, and more. Pretty soon they’ll be able to operate as satellite phones too! Anyways, the point being—you do NOT want to run out of power on your phone, so people bring spare batteries with them.

Unfortunately, not all batteries are made the same, and, while they’re great for charging your they can be used for so much for—such as for cooking with EcoSimmer!  

Our favorite: Anker 737 Power Bank

Why we love it: The Anker 737 has all of the right tech specs for an outdoor enthusiast. The Anker 737 Power Bank:

• Can simultaneously power EcoSimmer and charge your iPhone at the same time
• Shows a highly detailed colored LED display (showing exact % charge remaining and other battery statistics)
• Has a sleek formfactor: 6.13*2.15*1.95 in

Check out more info with our Battery Guide and on our detailed Battery Blog.

Why it’s a great gift: First of all, batteries are multi-functional. The Anker 737 can be used to charge your laptop, your phone, your camera, and more! It can be used for A LOT more than just cooking in the backcountry. Second, it outputs 100 watts, meaning it charges things your devices, fast, REALLY FAST! Finally, you’ll never need to buy another battery! The Anker 737 Power Bank can charge just about anything—if a device has a USB-A or a USB-C port, this battery can charge it!

The Ultimate Backcountry Cooking Setup

Together, the Katadyn Befree, EcoSimmer Backpacking Stove, and Anker 737 Power Bank empower everyone to be well fed in the backcountry. They allow you to purify water quickly, as well as to make meals and drinks reliably and sustainably. For an added bonus, you could add a solar panel to the setup (though the technology is still early—more on that later).

For anyone who loves the outdoors and who loves to eat, having clean water, hot coffee, and a warm meal at night will make the difference between a good time and a great time. This year, use sustainable technology to make your meals and ditch the traditional gas-powered stoves. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or for your outdoorsy friends and family this year, this Ultimate Backcountry Cooking Setup has you covered!