Top Gift Ideas for Neurodivergent Hikers: Thoughtful and Practical Picks for Outdoor Adventures
Hiking is a deeply personal and freeing experience, and finding a gift that aligns with your loved one’s unique needs and passions is a beautiful way to celebrate their adventures.
Finding the perfect gift for the neurodivergent hiker in your life is about more than just outdoor gear—it’s about thoughtful, practical items that enhance their outdoor experiences and cater to their unique needs. Neurodivergent hikers often bring incredible creativity, focus, and a deep connection to nature to their adventures, and they may appreciate gifts that support sensory preferences, organization, or special interests. This guide is packed with interesting and practical ideas that celebrate a love for the outdoors while showing how much you care.
Before we dive right in, I think it's important to note that I am an autistic woman with sensory preferences, special interests and a relationship to nature that is profound. I acknowledge that every neurodiverse hiker is unique! Of course that's the case, as it is with all humans. This guide is based off my experiences as a neurodivergent hiker, along with suggestions from my neurodiverse backpacking pals from all around the country.
Gear for Comfort
Comfortable pieces of gear add a lot to the experience of hiking and backpacking as a neurodiverent person. Being in wild places without the distraction of discomfort is next-level awesome! These items help to increase comfort.
CS40 Ultra Backpack by Outdoor Vitals
The CS40 Ultra Backpack by Outdoor Vitals is the perfect size for 1-2 night backpacking trips or gear-heavy day hikes. It's far and away one of the most comfortable and well designed backpacks on the market. The fabric it's made from feels nice to the touch, while the hip belt and shoulder straps are padded well and don't cause discomfort while hiking.
Ultralight Rain Mitts by High Tail Designs
Having wet hands from rain while hiking or backpacking is not a great sensation. In fact, it's gross. A nice pair of rain mitts can be the difference between a hike with a meltdown vs a hike where you get to wear rain mitts with a cute bunny on them. The Ultralight Rain Mitts by High Tail Designs are durable, effective and comfortable to wear for many miles. They pack down small and weigh just over an ounce!
Sigs Sunglasses by Bajio
Good sunglasses are a must for every neurodivergent person hitting the trail. As an autistic women, I find myself wearing sunglasses constantly. They help me to feel invisible, which I like a lot. They also sooth my eyes from painful brightness, which can be a sensory nightmare even when it's cloudy out. The best sunglasses for folks with sensitive eyes are the Sigs Sunglasses by Bajio with violet lenses. The violet lenses work well in bright light, low light and wonky light while keeping everything sharp and crisp.
Apu Lightweight Puffer by PAKA
The Apu Lightweight Puffer by PAKA feels like you're wearing a cozy cloud, yet it's a technical hiking jacket. It's insulated with PAKAFILL, which is PAKA's alternative to down made from alpaca wool! The puffer is soft on the inside and outside and is ultralight, packing down nice and small into its own pocket for perfect backpack stashing.
Fillo Elite Ultralight Backpacking Pillow by NEMO Equipment
A cozy camp is essential for any neurodiverse person and Nemo's Fillo Elite Ultralight Backpacking Pillow hits all the marks when it comes to comfort! It's super soft on the outside and isn't made of anything slippery like most backpacking pillows. It inflates, which means you can control its volume. It also has a nice cushy layer that adds a lot of cloud-feel. Of course it packs down super small and weighs next to nothing too!
Gear for Organization and Structure
Being organized can help to reduce chaos, stress and overwhelm on adventures. The gift of organization and structure is a beautiful thing. An orderly backpack is a happy backpack, and reliable tech can help a lot with structure!
FarOut GPS Maps
FarOut is a mapping app for your phone. It has interactive GPS Maps that contain notes about what to expect on trail and different visuals not found on any other mapping app. I find the interface easy to use and like that I can pick the visuals that make the most sense to me. On backpacking trips, it's also amazing to see where water sources are and what to expect at junctions, based on user notes. To use this app, you purchase routes. They have every long trail, most National Parks and so many more!
Pods by Hyperlite Mountain Gear
Organization is often times super important for neurodiverse folks. For a very simple solution to organizing a backpack, Hyperlite Mountain Gear's Pods are amazing. These ultralight, zippered pods are stackable, stuffable and come in a nice range of sizes. They even have a little area to write what's inside with permanent marker.
Ditty Storage Sacks by Gossamer Gear
The Ditty Storage Sacks by Gossamer Gear are an ultralight solution to keeping dirty cloths stashed away, keeping your hygiene kit together, or electronics and cables. Their form factor is nice for odds and ends that might come along on day hikes and backpacking trips.
Poop-moji Pouch by Space Bear Bags
This is a funny one that I love and I think a lot of neurodiverse folks will too! The Poop-moji Pouch by Space Bear Bags is the silly solution to carrying the pack-it-out kit of wag bag and backpacking poop supplies. It's ultralight, practical and very cute!
Zipper-Pull Thermometer by ThermoWorks
For some neurodiverse people, the sensations of temperature are a tricky thing. I personally do not tend to feel if my body is too hot or too cold, which can lead to dangerous situations like hypothermia and heat stroke. The Zipper-Pull Thermometer by Thermoworks is a great tool for helping with this. It's accurate and has a large, readable digital screen. When I know what temperature it is, I can layer objectively and move appropriately even if my body is telling me I'm fine to keep my down jacket on when it's 100 degrees out.
Sensory-Friendly and Soothing Gear
From soft fabrics to self-soothing backpacking tools, finding sensory-friendly options for outdoor gear is an important aspect of outdoor life for neurodivergent folks.
Microgrid Hoodie in Wide Fit by Sambob
Not all microgrid hoodies are the same! This one from Sambob is awesome because it has a nice wide fit that is cozy as can be. It's also available in a ton of fun colors and is high quality, made by hand in small batches. These hoodies have a nice big kangaroo pocket and a comfortable hood.
Quiet 2 Ear Plugs by Loop
Earplugs can be essential to keeping stimulation down for neurodiverse people, and they can also be a great tool for getting high quality sleep while backpacking. The Quiet 2 Ear Plugs by Loop are cute, comfortable for hours of quiet, and are reusable. They come with a variety of tips so that the fit is just right!
American Pika Stuffed Friend
Sometimes a stuffed animal trail friend is essential to a nice hike or adventure. This American Pika stuffy is small, super cute and a good buddy. The purchase of this friend is part of the Adopt-a-Pika program through Rocky Mountain Wild, an organization doing a lot of good for pikas, land conservation and citizen science.
Whitman Beanie by Turtle Fur
A massive, comfy cozy beanie can go along way in staying warm and comfortable while adventuring. The Whitman Beanie from Turtle Fur is a nice looking hat made form non-itchy merino wool and yak wool. It's lined with soft fleece on the inside. It's also available in a few really lovely colors. For cold winter hikes, this is a great option for bundling up!
Freestyle Mitts by Turtle Fur
Finding the perfect sensory-friendly gloves and mittens can be a real nightmare. Turtle Fur's Freestyle Mitts are a great bet for folks who can't tolerate the feel of most fabrics. They're soft and snugly on the outside, with a fleece liner on the inside that feels really nice on skin. They're warm and a little bit windproof!
Ultra Open Earbuds by Bose
Listening to audiobooks, podcasts and music while hiking and backpacking can be a wonderful thing. And of course headphones or earbuds need to be used in order to respect others and follow Leave No Trace. The Ultra Open Earbuds by Bose are a trail-safe way to listen to media. They allow the wearer to hear what is happening in the world thanks to their open ear design. They are comfortable and stay in place, and thanks to that open ear design, there will be no jump-scares when other hikers come up from behind or a deer bounds out of the woods!
Celebrating Their Creativity and Focus
Nature is a place of great inspiration for many of us neurodiverse folks and being able to let creativity and hyper-focus flow on trail feels so good! These pieces of gear allow for that creative energy to come out.
Field Notes Notebooks
A great little trail notebook is the perfect place to express feelings, create art and take notes. This two pack of Field Notes notebooks is a nice set of adventure-ready notebooks. They are small, but not tiny. Perfect for journaling and doodling and stashing away in any size backpack! The paper is nice and thick with a good texture that doesn't feel icky.
Colored Mechanical Pencils by Techjob
A lot of neurodiverse folks enjoy writing in color. And for the backcountry artist, color is important! I really love the Techjob Colored Mechanical Pencils for backpacking. They are vibrant and easy to write and color with. They are mechanical pencils, so you don't need to worry about sharpening them out in the wild. They're designed to look and feel like standard colored pencils, which is very cute. They come with a nice carrying case and a lot of different colors!
GoPro HERO13 Black with Accessory Bundle
For capturing moments on trail, there really is no better tool than the GoPro. The GoPro HERO13 Black is the current GoPro action camera, and I recommend getting it with the accessory kit. GoPros can take photos, video, timelapse and nightlapse. They are waterproof and submersible. All in all they're a perfect little trail camera for backpacking, hiking and general adventuring. They're also really easy to use!
Standard Issue 8x25 Waterproof Binoculars by Nocs Provisions
If your neurodivergent loved on enjoys birding or peeping wildlife out on distant slopes Nocs Provisions Standard Issue 8x25 Waterproof Binoculars are a spectacular budget-friendly pair of binos. They're smartphone friendly for taking photos and videos through the glass and they're very lightweight!
Small Thoughtful Extras
These are items I personally really enjoy, or items my neurodivergent trail friends really enjoy. For various reasons our brains have clicked with these pieces.
Hikerhairbrush by Chicken Tramper Gear
Hair can be an uncomfortable thing for many neurodiverse folks. Keeping it managed while hiking and backpacking has never been easier thanks to the Hiker Hairbrush by Chicken Tramper Gear. It's a lightweight paddle brush that's great for all hair types and lengths. Gone are the days of chopping the handles off of normal brushes to save weight and space! This little brush weighs one ounce!
Graphic Socks 3-Pack by PAKA
Comfy hiking socks seriously are a must for all neurodivergent hikers and backpackers. PAKA's crew socks are an excellent choice when it comes to being comfortable, cute, made with love and having some nice features like odor-resistance! This three pack is an adorable way to stock up on high quality, comfy hiking socks.
Ti-Double 450 Anodized Mug by Snow Peak
A unique camp mug is a very thoughtful gift for the neurodiverse loved one in your life! The Ti-Double 450 by Snow Peak is ultralight, ultra-durable and really beautiful! It's available in the green you see here, and also a purple ti and blue ti. These have a tendency to sell out often, as they're made in small batches. They're a very beautiful piece of gear meant to last a lifetime.
Caveman TV Smartphone Holder by Adotec
It's a pretty common thing to read or watch shows and movies on a smartphone at camp. And it can become really tiring for hands and fingers to hold that phone! Adotec has the solution to this with their Caveman TV Smartphone Holder. This ultralight TV mount works with your tent to keep your phone elevated above your face! It's a very thoughtful item for those who love to consume media while camping.
Hiking is a deeply personal and freeing experience, and finding a gift that aligns with your loved one’s unique needs and passions is a beautiful way to celebrate their adventures. Whether it’s something practical, sensory-friendly, or creative, your gift will show that you value not only their love of nature but also the diverse ways they experience the world.
Here’s to adventures filled with joy, comfort, and plenty of trail magic!
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