Does the thought of buying a present for a pal or relative make you smile or does it stress you out? Is there a hiker or camper on your gift giving list? What can you give to the someone who already has everything? The fact about gift giving is never the what. Lots of times the why, when and how make a regular gift the Perfect Gift. Carry on reading to discover 5 sure-fire steps to giving the ideal gift to the outdoor enthusiasts in your life.
Step 1: Do Your Homework. This is the toughest of the 5 steps. Doing your homework means wondering your outdoor enthusiast and what they likes about being in the backcountry. Are there any current or past outdoor interests? Perhaps he likes to fish or she likes to climb. Maybe you overheard the comment I remember when I used to camp every long weekend. I miss those days. Our personal shopper service receives hints like this regularly. Chances are you already know their interests, so take for several minutes to think before shopping. There are many great outdoor gifts available.
Another part of your homework is to figure out the relationship between you and your gift recipient’s outdoor hobbies. Last year I was camping with a dear friend who got mildly lost. After about an hour, he turned up in camp a little embarrassed - but safe. So the perfect gift for him before our next trip was a GPS unit. I also included a hand written coupon beneficial to one free lesson and a surplus set of batteries. The relationship we had allowed me to possess a little fun with the gift giving. I did provide him with a quality gift and he uses it regularly.
Step 2: Speaking of High Quality. The best way to have the most enjoyment out of our backcountry experiences is to have good gear. When giving a backcountry gift, be sure it’s high quality. There are a couple off gear buying rules to live by. First, only give gear you would employ. And secondly, buy the best gear are able to afford. Nothing derails good experiences in the great outdoors like bad gear.
Step 3: The Right Way to Give Credentials. Gift certificates may be a fantastic choice for a gift. Here’s a great use of a present certificate - I was luckily enough to be on the receiving end of this story. A buddy living across the nation knew I loved to hike. He also knew from his own experience that you can’t just purchase a backpack for someone else. Backpacks are a very subjective purchase. Instead of purchasing a me a pack and giving me the job of returning it in order to get the right one, he sent me a gift certificate AND he told me what to purchase with it. So now I get the backpack I want and my friend has proven once more how well he knows me. I loved the gift. When giving gift credentials, tell the recipient what to buy with it.
Step 4: Seek Out Customer Friendly Retailers. This is particularly important when purchasing a present on-line. Make sure you are purchasing from a shop with visible customer satisfaction and return policies. If your gift recipient needs to exchange or return a piece of gear, the process must be trouble-free. If the return procedure is clunky, the ideal gift just became imperfect.
Step 5: Timing is Everything. The best time to get the birding field glasses I always wanted, is not on your birthday or at Christmas time. The optimum time to get them is just before you go birding. The new backpack is a more thoughtful gift just before hiking the Grand Canyon than it is for graduation. The value of a gift is greatly increased when given at the correct time. Surprise someone with a perfectly timed present.
Giving the Perfect BackCountry Gift is easy to do. Determining what to give is essential, but so is knowing why, when and ways to give. Make your next gift giving experience a great one. The outdoor enthusiast in your life is counting on it.
Make use of this info and you’ll Get It Right The First Time. Get Outdoors!

