It’s the question that plagues gift buyers everywhere during this season: What do you purchase a mom, dad, son or daughter who has everything for the holidays? Sure a person could just buy a gift certificate, but how about a little personalized creativity? Read below for a bunch of nifty ideas that the outdoorsman or woman might not buy for him- or herself, but certainly would appreciate from a loved one.
For those good boys and girls, consider placing one of these items – most suitable for stockings – on Santa’s list. I’ve done the thinking, now you just enjoy the buying and giving.
The Gear Grabbar
Remember last summer fishing with Dear Old Dad when he was rapid-fire piling up his lures on the console of the boat? Laser-focused on discovering the hot lure, he kept spouting off about “being versatile,” but ended up with a pile of tangled hooks and lures. We’ve all been there, spending 15 minutes trying to tease apart nasty treble hooks after a day on the water.
No more! The Gear Grabbar uses magnets to hold lures conveniently apart, so Dad or anyone else on your Christmas list can change lures faster and maximize fishing time. The Gear Grabbar, from Magnetic Marine Products, attaches under your gunwale and allows super easy lure attachment and release, so users can stay organized and safe when managing their sharp-hooked lures. www.magneticmarineproducts.com
Real Avid 18-in-1 Shooter’s Multi-Tool
A fine, stocking-sized, stocking-priced tool that will make the outdoorsman in your life smile is the 18-in-1 Shooter’s Multi-Tool from Real Avid.
Firearms rarely malfunction at home. When you’re on the range or in the field, that’s when Murphy’s Law kicks in. The firearms and shooting experts at Real Avid constructed The Gun Tool because hunters and shooters have specific needs that general-purpose multi-tools just don’t satisfy. So bring along the one tool that can fix almost any problem. The Gun Tool changes choke tubes, mounts scopes, tightens screws and adjusts scope turrets. It handles breakdowns and break-down actions.
One day at the range with the 18-in-1 Shooter’s Multi-Tool, and the firearms enthusiast in your life will wonder how he or she lived without this product. Don’t take my word for it. How about the NRA’s? In 2012, the National Rifle Association’s American Hunter magazine awarded The Gun Tool their Golden Bull’s-eye award in the “Gear of the Year” category. www.realavid.com
Zippo Outdoors 4-in-1 Woodsman
Zippo says you can search the deepest, darkest primordial forest and never find a tool as versatile and capable as the 4-in-1 Woodsman from Zippo Outdoors. Last summer in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I took Zippo up on the challenge, and you know what? They were right!
When I’m heading afield, I like to consolidate weight, and this device does exactly that, without sacrificing quality. Carry this one Zippo product into camp and you have a bow saw that cuts hardwoods up to 4 inches in diameter, a mallet, a stake puller, and a hatchet with a 5-inch blade, all in one tool.
I’ve never seen an outdoor camping tool that gives you more capability for the weight or the money. And I don’t just use it for camping. I keep it in my garage for all sorts of work in the backyard, and I throw it in my pickup before heading out to scout treestand sites in the summer and early autumn.
Few pieces of gear make my mandatory outdoor list, but the Zippo Outdoors 4-in-1 Woodsman is one of them. Any outdoorsperson in your life will feel the same this holiday season. www.zippo.com
Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit
Here’s another fine product from Zippo that qualifies as a simple, but valuable tool any outdoors user would be thrilled to find in his stocking on Dec. 25. Quite frankly, it could save the life of the person who takes it afield.
The Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit is not a lighter (though it’s about the same size) and doesn’t even rely on a flame to start a fire. It uses a simple flint wheel to spark water-resistant, waxed tinder sticks that store in a waterproof case. So in emergencies, where matches or lighters are unavailable, this kit can start a fire almost instantly.
Some of the nation’s top people think pretty highly of the Zippo Emergency Fire Starter Kit, too. It was awarded the seal of approval by the North American Hunting Club.
A trustworthy companion through everyday life and uncommon adventures: that about sums up the Zippo Emergency Fire Starter – a great product at an affordable price.
Case Knives
Though any of these gift ideas would work for men and women alike, how about a product with a little extra emphasis on the ladies? Pocket knives make great universal gifts, but the outdoor man seeking a gift for the outdoors woman ought to consider the Mother of Pearl Peanut knife from Case.
It’s a beautiful little pocketknife and a great unique alternative to jewelry for the right kind of gal. Harvested from the inner lining of oyster shells, The Case Peanut’s handle is admired as much for its strength as its beauty. Other styles and blade choices also are available the Case’s Mother of Pearl Line.
Give a gal a knife this winter, and she just might accompany you to the treestand next fall. www.wrcase.com
The Speed Cinch
Whether it’s parking a boat on a dock or raising wall tents and screen tents, adjusting ropes is a pain. Here’s a nifty tool boaters or other outdoor users of all ages will appreciate. The Original Speed Cinch makes tying-off easier by taking knots and rope-tension adjusting bars out of the equation.
The marine version is a tie-down device designed to adjust and hold the working ends of lines quickly and securely, without tying a knot. It’s an innovative, affordable tool for boat mooring, rafting, fender management, and rigging applications.
Campers, outdoor sports enthusiasts and property owners will find the Speed Cinch Stake to be a versatile, durable, low-cost tool for anchoring tents, temporary outdoor shelters, sports nets, trees and shrubs, holiday yard decorations, and more. Both are great stocking stuffers for the outdoorsman in your life. www.speedcinch.com
Universal Shotgun Skins
Back around Halloween, I was showing my firearms to my grandson. He noticed the nasty fraying of the camouflage tape on my turkey shotgun. Most turkey hunters have the same problem. We wrap our shotguns with the stuff, then it unfolds or the edges are sticky.
Eliminate that problem and keep your shotguns in great shape during the turkey offseason with Universal Shotgun Skins. Scope Skins and Rifle Skins also are available. The kits are pre-cut for covering most shotguns, rifles, and scopes with Mossy Oak camo. Why pay hundreds of dollars for a factory dipped camo package or mess around with irritating tape, when you can get the utility of camouflage and the versatility of being able to inexpensively change patterns based on your intended use?
This is a genius, affordable product that – again – will easily fit in a stocking!
Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo
I own a lot of rods and reels, for many specific kinds of fishing, but it’s amazing how often I fall back on one setup. Many anglers fall into the same “old reliable” mindset, and if that describes the angler in your life this holiday season, make that rod-and-reel setup the Ugly Stik GX2 Spinning Combo.
The new Ugly Stik GX2 rod and reel combos deliver in all aspects of performance and offer some of the best value and toughest low-profile spinning combos on the market. The new GX2 line is available in seven different lengths and actions, including a spinning reel that’s the first Shakespeare has designed specifically for Ugly Stik.
Put a new rod-and-reel setup in your favorite angler’s hand this holiday season for better success next fishing season. www.uglystik.com
Lifeproof Case
Tired of that nagging feeling when you’re out-of-doors with a $200 smart phone in your pocket? Fall into the drink, take a nasty tumble, or if water tops your chest waders, and you’ll fry that mini-computer. But place your iPhone or Galaxy phone in a Lifeproof waterproof case, and you’ll experience a new sense of freedom and confidence outdoors.
The Lifeproof case delivers protection over oceans, ponds, or even the shower. Experts have called LifeProof the best of all the iPhone cases and iPad cases because it is waterproof, dust-proof and shock-proof. It looks great, too, with a sleek low profile that barely increases the size of your device. Now available in Realtree camo, it’s hard for deer to see, too!
A common complaint about many gifts: “He’ll never use it.” Well, I use my Lifeproof case every day of the year! It’s a practical gift that keep on giving. www.lifeproof.com
360 Jig from Lindy Lures
The ice angler in your life needs to check out the 360 Jig from Lindy Lures. The fishing experts at Lindy have created an entirely new category of ice fishing lures with the 360 Jig. It features a body that spins on an internal axle that produces never-before-seen vibration and sound. That sounds acts as an attractant, but you also can work it slowly as a finesse lure. That means it performs for fish in active, neutral, or negative moods.
The oval-shaped jig sports a diagonal wing on each side resting on a color bead. It comes in 12 colors and four sizes. Put a handful of these babies under the tree, and you’ll be eating fresh fish for Christmas dinner. www.lindyfishingtackle.com
Clam – Dave Genz Tungsten Drop Series
Tungsten is the word this winter across the nation’s ice-fishing scene. The weight and density of this valuable metal plunges into the strike zone and provides a unique action that should electrify the ice fishing world this winter.
Leading the way is Clam’s Dave Genz Tungsten Drop Series which includes seven new jigs – the Drop, Dingle Drop, Half Ant Drop, Epoxy Drop, Ant Drop, Maggot Drop, and Duckbill Drop. These jigs accomplish what ice fishing legend Dave Genz has been preaching for years: They fish heavy for their size.
Each jig offers a unique shape and distinct color patterns and they are available in a variety of sizes. Hardcore ice fishermen demanded a quality tungsten jig and Clam has delivered with the Dave Genz Drop series. The ice angler in your life can be the first to hit the ice with these lures if you wrap them between now and Dec. 25.
Jason Mitchell hub shelters from Clam
It won’t fit in a stocking but a Jason Mitchell hub shelter from Clam will deliver years of fishing success for the hard-water angler in your life. Hub-style ice shelters became all the rage last season. With increased seating capacity, high ceilings, and amazing stability in windy conditions – while still allowing anglers to be mobile – hub-style shelters popped up on lakes across the ice fishing belt.
In time for the 2013-14 ice fishing season, Clam has introducing its Jason Mitchell lineup of hub shelters. The company took an already solid shelter idea and created a new five-sided hub shelter with top-of-the-line full thermal skin. The new 600 denier thermal skin on these units retains heat in harsh conditions and reduces condensation better.
It provides 63.5 square feet of fishable room and a center ceiling height of 82 inches, so the Jason Mitchell Thermal 5000 has a 9-foot diameter footprint. That’s enough room for up to six anglers in a single, portable shelter.
Clam uses the toughest hub assemblies, quality frames, and durable thermal fabric in this model as well, simply making it a better shelter that will last for years.
