Best Hiking Gadgets 2021 – Gift Guide

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You are in the perfect place if looking for new hiking gadgets. We collected for you the best hiking gadgets you want to carry with you on your next trip. Electronic items, cooking accessories, and utensils, or just basic navigation items? Using these items will make your trek more enjoyable and easier. Check out this list of must have hiking gadgets!

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Best Electronic Gadgets for Hiking 2021

Solar Backpack: One of the Cool Hiking Gadgets

Do you want to charge your electronics while trekking on an easy trail or camping? A backpack with a built-in solar charger is your best choice. Actually, there are various solar backpacks, and even the mid-priced ones are such a bargain.

Cons and pros of solar backpack

• The backpack is not suitable for longer hikes, and all your friends will inspect your bag! 🙂

Hiking Electronics: Solar Chargers

Personally, we prefer a smaller solar charger on our trips, whether we head to the mountains or just road tripping. Solar chargers can be made from one solid piece or foldable, which is a convenient feature.

Solar power bank with flashlight

Are you planning a tougher or longer hike? Instead of a backpack, you can carry this small item. A solar power bank has saved us a few times already. We would never embark on a trip without taking ours. If you plan to spend a longer time in nature, your phone will run out of energy sooner or later. And as we (often) use our phones for navigation and sometimes for photos, it is a bummer. To avoid this, get a 20000mAh Power Bank with Solar Charger. It is not only waterproof and lightweight but will provide sufficient energy to your phone or iPad. As for extras, it has a built-in LED flashlight and compass too.

We recommend choosing one with at least 10 000 mAh, but if you are a couple, or you want to help out your friends too, go for a bigger one. Alternatively, this 12000mAh Solar Power Bank with 4 Panels can do the work too. You can strap it to your backpack, and it will charge while you are hiking.

Pros and cons of solar chargers

• free and (almost unlimited) energy to power your gadgets
• lightweight
• you can charge through the network as well (not all types)
• requires sunlight

Do you love road tripping too? Check out our ultimate road trip packing list!

Best headlight for hiking and camping

Nothing is more practical to have your hands free whether you are trekking, putting up your tent, or preparing dinner. The best to use a headlight, and personally, we love it if they have red LEDs too. It gives enough light for packing in the tent when you don’t want to wake up your partner or friends with a strong, sharp light. Choose headlamps that are water-resistant and lightweight. It looks a bit bizarre, though!

Pros and cons of headlights:

• free up our hands
• it points the light where you need (where you look)

Camping Lanterns – Useful Hiking Gadgets

Sometimes a bit more light can be handy too, especially if you go out camping, and the weight of your equipment is not a concern. Get a collapsible LED lantern or a small one to hang up to your tent.  So cute!

Pros and cons of camping lantern

• makes more light than a simple headlight or fleshlight
• perfect for camping, less ideal for carrying on a multi-day hike
• bulky and need for replacement batteries

The must-have items for preparing a meal in the wilderness

Camping stove for warm meals while hiking

A camping cooker with a small gas tank is the cheapest way to eat something warm on your days outside of civilization. We used a similar one while camping across NZ. If you don’t want to bother selecting pots and other necessities for cooking, a Camping Cookware Kit that contains all the necessary cutlery and pots for preparing a delicious meal is your best choice. Another plus of owning a gas cooker that even on rainy days, you can easily use them.

The advantages of camping cooker

• can be used in (almost) any weather conditions
• you can set up a light aluminum windshield if needed
• no need to carry (and keep dry) a box of matches
• no need to chop food

Advantages of cooking on a campfire

• campfires have their cozy atmosphere
• cooking big amounts is easier

Thermos for hot coffee and tea

Don’t believe in fashion, coffee mugs like this are not practical for your hiking gear. You will worry about keeping them stable, upright, or accidentally they will soak all your belonging and gadgets in your backpack with your delicious coffee. Get a proper thermos!

Trekking Gadgets: Eat with a Spork

Have you thought about saving space by combining your fork with a spoon? Why carry two of them when you can get a spork! Practical, lightweight, and your friends will definitely be a little jealous. This is not only a useful but fun hiking gadget.

Why do we love spork?

• lightweight,
• practical, two-in-one utensil
• COOL!

 

Necessary tools for not getting lost on your hike

Compass: the best for navigation

Yes, I know, your phone has a compass…which is nice, but nothing beats a real one. A compass is a must if you go trekking in the forest or mountains. It doesn’t have batteries that can run out. They are water-resistant and shake-proof. More likely that your phone would not survive if you drop it on a rock accidentally, unlike a good compass. It is fun, too, to earn how to navigate in the wilderness using a (paper) map and a compass. You will always be able to figure out your location.

Advantages of hiking with a compass:

• no battery issues
• more precise than a phone’s compass
• waterproof
• less fragile than a mobile
• you can navigate with it better
• you can measure distances on a map
• can be used in rainy weather

Waterproof map case

A  Waterproof Case will protect your most important item, your map. Conveniently, you can hand it on your neck. You don’t need to open and close your backpack’s pocket all the time. You would like to take a quick look at the map. It saves time, and your map stays intact, even in harsh weather conditions.

Advantages of a map case:

• light
• practical
• inexpensive
• it will protect your not so cheap map

Best Card Games for Camping

There is always a bit of space in your backpack for a deck of cards. These Mini UNO Cards can bring extra fun in the evenings to (almost) every age. If you look for something more unique, you can try Games on the Go or Mad Libs on the Road. Guaranteed laughs and joy for the tired hikers.

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