Top 3 Personal Camping and Hiking Gifts

Here are the top 3 personal camping and hiking gifts for today's campers. Of course the old standbys, like a camp stove or lantern, or even a new sleeping bag, still make great gifts - if you know there is a need for them, but they aren't really very personal are they?

Today's campers like the new technology camping gear, like; hand-held GPS systems, (geocaching is very popular now), and pocket and helmet digital video cameras, and the new powerful multi-LED headlamps. Camping gear that is just for them

A new camp stove might get a, "This is just what I needed, thanks," but a new waterproof pocket video camera or GPS unit will probably garner a much more satisfying, "Wow this is, (cool, great, awesome), thanks!"

*See the Campingwithgus.com link below for the cheapest camping equipment prices available online

Geo-caching, micro-chips, solar chargers, and other high-tech camping gear have added a new dimension to camping gifts. Campers still love the "standard" camping gift choices, like; camping stoves and lanterns, or tents and sleeping bags, but want they really love is the new stuff - sort of like the iPhone craze - only better.

Geocache hunting, (geocaching), isn't really new, but it sort of is. It has graduated from something that was a specific activist of it's own, to a popular activity to do while camping. Kids especially love it because it's like a great outdoors treasure hunt.

Parent's have found it's a great camping activity for kids that can involve the whole family.

Hand-held GPS systems have reached affordable levels, (some as low as $100), and technology has made them more durable and reliable. Camping and hiking GPS units are the driving force behind the expanding popularity of geo-caching as an outdoor recreation activity.

• Beware of brand names you have never heard of - cheaply made knock-offs of popular electronics flood the market every year, and they almost never work as reliably as well-known tried-and-tested brand names. Be sure to look for customer reviews of products you are not familiar with.
• You can use the Camping with Gus link at the end of this article for direct links to discount prices and "real" customer reviews

*These GPS systems work on satellite communications, so you don't have to be concerned with cell tower proximity like you do with cell phone systems.

Forget "boxy" and fragile hand-held video cameras, with cassette tapes and bulky batteries - the newest techno-gadget to save those special camping moments is a digital pocket video camera.

The Kodak Playsport dominates this camping gifts segment for good reason, it is designed for outdoor activity:

• Waterproof - up to 10 ft. below water
• Compact enough to fit in a shirt pocket, (or on a lanyard around your neck)
• Uses small, almost indestructible SD memory cards

The convenience of the SD memory cards, instead of cassette tapes, is one of the best feature of this camera. Depending on the size you can get up two hours recording time per card. (1 hr. on 4GB cards, and 2 hr. on 8 GB cards)

Popping them in and out of the camera or computer makes sharing and uploading your videos a snap!

Battery power is now a viable companion to fueled camp lights. From florescent camping lanterns to LED flashlights and headlamps, newer model camp lights are more energy efficient than ever.

They make great Christmas gifts too, because you can never have too many camp light sources.

When campers discover the convenience of a hands-free light source, both around camp and while hiking, they wonder why they didn't get one of these LED headlamps sooner.

Much improved from the original "bulb" headlamps that used up batteries in just a night or two, the new mulitple-LED headlamps available now can go for half a season on one set of batteries. And it will be years before bulb replacement is needed.

Plus, in most models you can choose from three or four light settings. From full headlight beam to lower "nightlight" glow.

Outdoor Camping from an experienced point of view:

• Campingwithgus.com

See more camping and hiking gift ideas;

Visit campingwithgus.com, (link on the right), for more camping equipment and gear gift ideas. Complete with photos, reviews, and direct discount shopping links.

Top Camping and Hiking Gifts: Camping Stoves, Camp lanterns, LED Flashlights and Headlamps, Gerber and Leatherman Multi-tools, Tents and Sleeping Bags, and time-saving camp accessories, like: Camp kitchen and cookware kits and sets, campfire cooking utensils, backpacking tools.

The author behind Camping with Kids is Gus, from Campingwithgus.com. An avid life-long tent camper that has camped in the mountains and on the plains, and in all four seasons - from 100+ to -10 degree weather. As a kid, with adults on week-long bear-hunting camps, and as an adult Boy Scout leader. Check the Camping with Kids profile to see more from Gu