Western Mountaineering Flash Hooded Jacket
With colder temperatures settling into the Northern Hemisphere, a lightweight down jacket makes a great holiday gift that can be used day in and day out. And the Flash hooded jacket from Western Mountaineering is that jacket. This California-based company manufactures down garments and sleeping bags of the highest quality. Their dedication to sourcing humanely harvested down, combined with their sewing quality, adds up to an awesome jacket made in America.
$390 | Western Mountaineering
Hest Sleep System
Hest describes their sleep system as the “ultimate luxury sleep experience under the stars.” The multi-layer mattress allows for proper body alignment without creating pressure points. It also insulates from the cold ground while retaining body heat. Thanks to the inflatable base, the mattress packs down small for transport, and its washable stretch cover can easily be removed for cleaning.
$399 | Hest
Mountain of Moods/Snow Peak Thermal Boa Fleece Outfit
Cold temperatures and comfortable clothing were made for each other, just like this fleece top and bottom from Mountain of Moods and Snow Peak. Made from a lightweight, moisture-wicking, 100 percent recycled polyester fleece, they are perfect for layering under a waterproof jacket in cold environments. These unique items are being produced in limited quantities, and once they are sold out, c’est la vie!
$280/jacket, $240/pants | Mountain of Moods and Snow Peak
Big Oxx Expedition Series Gear Bag
If you are going to build a huge gear bag, it’s got to be extra durable and have smart features. The Expedition checks all the boxes. It’s a 7,600 cubic-inch duffel that is handcrafted from ballistic nylon in Billings, Montana. The stowable backpack straps are great when you need to carry it long distances, and the incorporated compression straps let the bag adapt to smaller loads. Red Oxx has been owned and operated by veterans since 1986, and all of their products come with a lifetime warranty.
$325 | Red Oxx Big Oxx Expedition Series Gear Bag
Cascadia Vehicle Tents St. Helens Rooftop Tent
The St. Helens is a pop-up-style hardshell RTT that can be set up in as little as one minute thanks to its gas-strut-assisted internal frame. The tent body is made from 280-gram ripstop nylon, with windows on all sides and no-see-um mesh to keep the bugs out. The floor of the tent is constructed from fiberglass-reinforced ABS with an aluminum frame for rigidity. With almost 40 inches of interior height, a 3-inch mattress, a lofted cargo net storage system, and two awnings, this 4-season tent is a welcome retreat after a long day of driving.
$2,695 | Cascadia Vehicle Tents
Sunflare Solar Panels
Adding solar power to your vehicle can literally change the way you explore and travel. You can power things like DC refrigerators, induction cooktops, lighting, computers, cell phone boosters, and more, all without the lurking fear of a drained starter battery. And when it comes to solar panels, Sunflare has some compelling offerings. Their flexible panels weigh about a quarter of what rigid, aluminum-framed panels weigh, and they come with the adhesive pre-applied, making installation easy and straightforward (no need to drill holes in your roof.) Bypass diodes allow the panels to remain functional, even if they are partially shaded.
$449+ | Sunflare Solar
Southern Expeditions Flat Pack Fire Pit
In the never-ending quest to make more efficient use of limited space in trucks, campers, and overlanding rigs, we’re always on the lookout for products that save space. The Flat Pack fire pit from Southern Expeditions is a perfect example of smart design which results in saved space. Made in the USA from laser-cut steel panels, this fire pit has a cooking grate so you can barbeque a meal while enjoying the ambiance of a campfire. Weighing in at 33 pounds, this clever and elegant campfire solution should last for generations.
$289 | Southern Expeditions
ARB Premium Recovery Kit
For the newcomers to the overlanding and off-highway travel world, it can be overwhelming how much gear is out there to make your experience on the trail seemingly better. But until you’ve had time to get your hands dirty and learn what the seasoned travelers think are the best and most important things to have in your rig, make things easy on yourself. The ARB premium recovery kit has everything you need to get started with vehicle recovery, including a snatch strap, winch extension strap, tree trunk protector, a snatch block, a recovery damper, shackles, and gloves. And while this kit has everything you need to help you get unstuck, you’ll still need to learn how to use the gear before you need it.
$429 | ARB
Garmin InReach Mini
This tiny (very tiny) satellite communication device lets users send and receive SMS messages from anywhere in the world. It also has an SOS button that can summon a search and rescue team in the case of a serious accident. A free account on explore.garmin.com lets the owner of the inReach share a personal link with anyone who wants to see their current location, which is shown on a world map (and updated at 10-minute intervals). If you have friends or family members who travel internationally, this little piece of gear can provide tremendous peace of mind and an extra margin of safety on those adventures that are way out there.
*Pairs very well with the next item on our list.
$350 | Garmin
GEOS Global Medevac Membership
The Medevac membership gives world travelers (and their loved ones) huge peace of mind in the event of a serious injury abroad, offering repatriation coordination and transportation services from almost any country in the world, returning the injured person to a local hospital in their home country. The International Emergency Response Coordination Center, which is staffed 24/7/365, acts as a liaison between the injured party and medical personnel. The membership includes “24-hour multilingual support, which has the ability to interact in over 200 languages and dialects. This allows our staff to coordinate and liaise with patients, their families, doctors, nurses, and specialists across the world—no matter what language is spoken locally.”
*This membership, as well as additional international evacuation services, can be set up to work seamlessly when you press the SOS button on the Garmin InReach Mini.
$200+ | GEOS
Overland Journal L.T. Wright Camp Kitchen Knife
These beautiful, limited-edition, handmade camp kitchen knives are manufactured in Ohio by the L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knife Company. Constructed from Austrian AEV-L high-carbon steel (the same steel used for making razor blades), this knife holds an edge, resists rusting, and is easy to sharpen in the field should the need arise.
$200 | Overland Journal
Primus Tupike Stove
A favorite amongst outdoor enthusiasts, the Primus Tupike is a refined two-burner camp stove that combines elegance with performance. Wood accents and a slim profile look quite fancy, but the 10,200 BTU output results in a stove whose function is paramount. Additional smart designs like fold-out legs, multi-fuel adaptors, a locking lid, and a removable drip tray add up to one awesome backcountry cooking experience.
$250 | Primus
Goal Zero Yeti 6000x
This is it, the biggest off-grid power solution that Goal Zero makes. The Yeti 6000x boasts 6,000 watt-hours of lithium-ion battery storage combined with a 2,000-watt pure sine wave AC inverter and an MPPT charge controller all in one unit. The Yeti will run just about any AC appliance that you could possibly need, including full-sized refrigerators, microwaves, power tools, and more. Because it is so large, the 6000x comes on wheels, making it easier for one person to move it around. While it might be a bit bulky in your overlanding rig, it is certainly one of the simplest and easiest-to-operate off-grid power solutions out there.
$5,000 | Goal Zero
Theragun Prime
After a long day of driving, there’s nothing better than getting a deep tissue massage. But unfortunately, there aren’t many massage therapists in the backcountry. But this is where the Theragun Prime comes in. It’s a battery-powered percussion massage tool that can pummel your sore muscles into relaxation. Its unique triangular shape means that you can hold it in all sorts of different positions, making it easier to reach tough spots like your back and shoulders. There are many competitors out there, but few boast the power and strength of the original Theragun.
$299 | Theragun
Overview Custom Carved Wooden Topographic Map
Perfect for the traveler’s home, these laser-cut wooden topographic maps make an excellent conversation piece. They are made to order from open-source satellite data. Get creative and memorialize your favorite mountain range, overland route, or special destination.
$372+ | Overview
Rhino Ready Companion Readiness Kit
The Companion is an emergency preparedness kit that is designed to get you through the first 72 hours. With supplies for two covering warmth, first aid, food, water, tools, sight, air, light, and comms, the contents are organized into easily identifiable compartments. Everything comes neatly packaged in a waterproof, fire-resistant, quick-access bag that can be grabbed at a moment’s notice.
$399 | Rhino Ready
Overland Journal Collector’s Set
Overland Journal has been in print since 2007, offering some of the best adventure writing and photography from around the world. If you are a fan of the magazine, this is the ultimate collection and includes every issue from 2007 to 2017. That’s 54 issues of beautiful journalism, each sealed in an acid-free archive sleeve to keep them fresh and crispy.
$1,200 | Overland Journal
Sony RX1R Mark II Digital Camera
There are not many point-and-shoot style cameras that can go toe to toe with the image quality of the bigger DSLR or Mirrorless cameras, but Sony’s RX1R Mark II is a different story. Featuring a 42-megapixel full-frame image sensor, digital image stabilization, and a Zeiss Sonnar 35mm f/2 fixed lens, this pocket-sized camera produces incredible photos. Could it be the perfect travel camera? You’ll have to be the judge of that. An alternative holiday gift idea: the new Sony 7C.
$3,298 | Sony
Fjällräven Vidda Pro Wool Padded Jacket and Pants
Swedish clothing maker Fjällräven has an interesting solution to create water-resistant, breathable clothing. It’s called Greenland wax, and it can be used in conjunction with all of their garments constructed from G-1000 material (65% polyester 35% cotton). The Vidda Pro jacket and pants are cold-weather garments that offer wind and water protection and come pre-treated with Greenland wax from the factory. This offers a surprising amount of water resistance, but if you need additional protection in key areas like the shoulders, hood, or front of the legs, you can add additional wax for improved weather protection.
$400/jacket, $155/pants | Fjällräven
Pelican 1535 Air Carry-On Case
Overland travelers know how rough the road can get. All of your gear needs to be secured properly in the back of your rig; otherwise, it can take a serious beating. And delicate items like cameras and computers don’t do so well with the rough impacts that overlanding and international travel can subject them to. But Pelican’s 1535 Air carry-on case is an excellent holiday gift that will protect your most delicate items while on the move. The case is lighter than previous Pelican cases, thanks to the HPX proprietary polymer that it’s constructed from. The 1535 Air is carry-on legal (but double-check as this can vary from airline to airline), has smooth-rolling wheels, and an extendable handle, letting you roll it instead of carrying it long distances.
$238 | Pelican
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