When in doubt, buy the outdoorsy friend in your life something food-related. After all, few are more fanatical about food than those who spend their weekends working up a sweat. What are the best gifts for those who oil their cheeseboards with the same meticulousness as waxing a surfboard? Glad you asked.
Toadfish Outfitters Put ’Em Back Oyster Knife ($48)
Shucking oysters is both faster and safer with a proper knife. has the perfect blend of sharpness (for extracting the oyster) and leverage (for prying open the shell). It’s made from recycled water bottles, and for every knife sold, the company plants ten square feet of oyster beds on a threatened coastline. Get your recipient the engraved version for an extra $10 to keep their friends from walking off with it at an oyster roast.
Cafflano Klassic ($95)
For frequent travelers not willing to take chances on finding good coffee, this is just right. Whir fresh beans in the ceramic burr grinder, then send them through the drip kettle, which is designed to pour like a high-end gooseneck kettle. Even the mug you pour into is well-designed with double-walled stainless steel and a nonslip bottom.
Cowboy Cauldron (From $1,695)
Your gas grill may be handy, but it’s never going to infuse your supper with smoke like cooking over a fire. Enter the —a steel bucket suspended from a heavy-duty tripod. The starter package comes with grates that can be placed directly over the flames to sear a few rib-eyes. At the end of the night, let the fire die as you finish off the last of the wine.
GSI Outdoors Nesting Wine Glasses ($8 Each)
Who says you can’t have real wine glasses in the backcountry? These are lightweight and easy to pack—the stems pop off and nest inside the cup. There’s properly shaped stemware for reds, whites, and champagne.
Hochstadter’s Slow and Low Rock and Rye ($4 Per Can)
The first-ever full-strength , this 100-milliliter puck contains aged rye whiskey, a drizzle of honey, a squeeze of orange, and angostura bitters. It’s more boozy than sweet, as any cocktail you pack into the backcountry should be.
Back to the Roots Organic Oyster Mushroom Kit ($20)
Growing mushrooms outside isn’t hard, but it does take a bit of room and patience. , however, brings the whole process inside and accelerates the timeline. Water the spores, and ten days later you’ll have fresh, totally organic oyster mushrooms.
Their Next Favorite Cookbook
Right now, we’re obsessed with by Paula Marcoux, which walks budding pyromaniacs through roasting just about anything—from mussels to a whole pig on a spit—over a fire. For cocktail snobs, by Ellen Zachos teaches the basics of foraging and how to safely use your wild ingredients to create locavore drinks. Finally, , from America’s Test Kitchen, is a must-have for anyone hoping to ace cooking with a grate.
Filson Mackinaw Knife ($425)
Handmade by Seattle-based metalsmith Robb Gray, will last a lifetime. The well-balanced Mackinaw does cooking prep like a pro, chopping carrots, onions, and herbs with almost as much dexterity as a true chef’s knife. It’s equally at home skinning a buck or gnawing through rope.
Uuni Wood Pellet Pizza Oven ($299)
You could hire a mason and spend a few thousand dollars building a brick pizza oven, or you could just order this and be ready to fire off pies in an hour. It heats to 900 degrees in just ten minutes and sears pizza in just 60 seconds. Fueled with wood pellets, the oven produces those smoky notes that make wood-fired pizza so good. Plus, the super-high temperatures result in a blistered crust that no pan-baked pizza can deliver.