One fun thing about being an outdoor writer is that I get to test a lot of new gear. It amazes me how many new items come out every year. I have seminars at all of the big shows in January: the Dallas Safari Club Convention & Expo, the SHOT and the Safari Club International Convention in ‘Vegas. So of course, 99.999 percent of the manufacturers will be there displaying their new gear for 2022 as well as their old tried and true products.
If you just met an outdoorsman/woman and don’t know what to buy them for Christmas, don’t panic, Santa’s little helper is here to help you out. In some ways, outdoorsmen are easy to buy for. We love our gear. And if we just had the latest greatest item, we’re convinced that we will finally be successful. BUT — it does have to be the exact item or you might as well burn your money and give them a bag of rocks because it will have the same effect.
But the good news is, you don’t necessarily have to spend a bundle to light up their eyes. Everyone has a budget. So I will list some economical gifts on up to the blow-their-socks-off items. So with the above said, here are some items that tested out well for me over 2021 or items that have stood the test of time.
— Fishing lures. Make sure you get the exact ones/colors that he prefers.
— Browning Hiking socks. Great for hunting, fishing, backpacking or hiking.
— 5.11 tactical pants. Katy and I both love these. They’re nice looking, durable and functional.
— XGO base layers.
— Axil electronic hearing protection.
— Smith’s knife sharpening gear. I use their fine diamond stones. They’re the best.
— Smith’s electric knife sharpener for the kitchen.
— Otis Lead Free Wipes.
— Flashlight — the ASP Dual Fuel Raptor.
— Hi Mountain Seasoning — they make awesome jerky and sausage seasoning packs. The best on the market.
— Real Avid cleaning rods.
— Caldwell Sandbags.
— Trulock shotgun chokes.
— Alps Mountaineering Taurus 2 tent, Blaze +20 sleeping bag, Nimble air mat and Dash backpacking chair.
— Versacarry holsters.
— Boyds’ Gunstocks, they make some cool wood stocks.
— Blackfire Clamplights, great for working on your truck in the dark or in camp while backpacking.
— Chard Jerky Gun.
KNIVES
— Knives of Alaska Professional Boning Knife.
— KOA Elk Hunter.
— If you want some economical folders, check out the line up from Smith’s Consumer Products.
— For a nice kitchen set check out the Smith’s Cabin and Lodge Cutlery Set.
— Spyderco Counter Pups, great kitchen knives.
— Benchmade Claymore, nice assisted opening knife.
ULTIMATE GIFTS
If you want to cut to the chaff and blow him/her out of the water here are the ticket items.
— Mantis X10 Elite Shooting Performance System. The Mantis X10 is a great tool to help you become a better shot.
— Diamond Blade Knives. They have too many cool ones to list but check out their Summit, Heritage or Surge knives. DB has won numerous awards.
— AR: Who doesn’t love an AR? For an economical AR check out the Anderson Mfg. AM-15, M-LOK, 5.56.
Henry’s lever actions. How can you not love lever actions? Check out their .22, .22 mag, 30-30 and 45-70. All super cool!
— Airguns are super popular. Check out the Umarex Synergis or the Umarex .25 cal. Gauntlet. Love these guns or another fun one is the Umarex Steel Force BB gun. It shoots 6-round bursts.
— Boots. I love the Danner Recurve Moc Toe and my daughter likes the La Crosse Lodestar.
— Caldwell Stable Table and Hydro Sled.
— 5.11 Atmos Warming Jacket.
— Riton Optics 10x42 binoculars and their 3-9x40 or 4-16x44 scopes.
STOCKING STUFFERS
Here’s where you can impress them with little economical items that they’ll love.
— Flies. I get them cheap from flydealflies.com.
— Adventure Medical Kits first aid gear. This is the gear I use.
— JSB pellets for their airguns.
— Aquimira filtered water bottles.
— Mountain House backpacking meals (these are almost gourmet!).
— Ammo: Very specific what caliber, manufacturer and grain he shoots. Testing some Nosler ammo right now.
— Mister Twister plastics and jigs.
— Pautzke Fireballs.
— Swab-Its cleaning gun cleaning swabs.
— Clamtainers, plastic ammo containers. Great for flying.
— Talon Snap pistol cleaning kit.
— Freedom Baby ABC, an outdoors ABC book for kids learning their alphabet.
— IOU that you’ll go fishing/hunting with him. This will be the best gift you could give him.
Tom Claycomb lives in Idaho and has outdoors columns in newspapers in Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana. He also writes for various outdoors magazines and teaches outdoors seminars at stores like Cabela’s, Sportsman’s Warehouse and Bass Pro Shop. He can be reached via email at smileya7@aol.com.
