12 Days of Trail Gifts For Under $50
Gift 4: Feet Treats
wearing my dirty girl gaiters on the Oregon Desert Trail
Feet are on the front line of any hike. Their condition and comfort can make or break an adventure, and there are a few things you can give your hiker’s feet to make them more likely to be stoked about being pounded into the ground for thousands of miles.
Dirty Girl Gaiters add sparkle as well as blister protection! These lightweight gaiters cover the opening of the shoe and the neck of the sock to prevent dirt, rocks, stickers, & bees from flopping in as you walk. Before getting a pair of these I had to wear my shoes really loosely and dump the rocks out at every break. Now my feet are less dirty at the end of the day, and I rarely have debris pile up in my shoe. My socks stay cleaner & last longer because they aren’t as gritty. If you can’t tell, I LOVE these gaiters. I’m guessing your hiker will too. You can choose from a bunch of fun patterns (they remind me of 80’s rollerskating rink outfits), and I bet she’d make up a custom pair if you found the perfect purple unicorn glitter print that she doesn’t have in stock.
Feetures! Plantars Sleeves
Plantars Facsiitis Sleeves from Feetures! help keep my plantars Facsiitis from getting out of hand on the trail. If your hiker suffers from this form of foot misery this is a gift that has the power to turn a whole hike around. I wear mine each night as I sleep, and along with foot strengthening exercises, my PF no longer has me hobbling down the trail.
Socks and shoes airing out at the end of a long day
Socks!! We hikers trash socks, we need socks, we love socks! I like to wear short socks on the trail because they are light & don’t provide much space for stickers and dirt to gather. Wool socks usually smell better but can break down a little faster than the plastic based ones. Feetures!, Darn Tough, Farm to Feet are some cool sock companies, and Sierra Trading Post usually has some great deals on foot coverings too.
Shoes are usually more than $50, so I won’t go into them too much here, but buying shoes can become a huge part of a hiker’s budget. Shoes are also super foot specific and hard to buy for someone else, but what hiker wouldn’t appreciate a gift certificate for a pair of kicks? I have used Oboz footwear for thousands of miles now & have been impressed with their durability & support.
Banana slugs loved my Oboz too! Thankfully the Dirty Girl Gaiters kept them from sliming the inside of the shoe
