Last year听we rounded up all the gear that our staffers wanted for Valentine鈥檚 Day. Spoiler:听no one was interested in听flowers or chocolates. That鈥檚 also true in 2021. We think the best Valentine鈥檚 Day gift is time spent together outdoors, and these ideas can help make those听experiences better.
Camping Gear for Two
Writer Johanna Flashman summed it up best when she wrote听that听鈥渃amping can either be a romantic night out in nature or the worst date ever (think or ). We all prefer the former, but that takes the right equipment and a lot of planning.鈥 She听perfected her car-camping听kit after years of testing听and听knows how to create听鈥渄ate-night-quality romance from the comfort of a tent in the Sierra.鈥 In addition to providing helpful tips for organizing听an awesome听trip, she also included a听checklist of gear she recommends. (Do yourself a favor and print it out before your next adventure.) And contributing editor Blair Braverman lent some advice on how to plan a听camping trip for your non-outdoorsy partner.
For a specific product recommendation, check out the听 ($110), which associate gear editor Ariella Gintzler听described听as 鈥渙ne piece of car-camping gear that鈥檚 universally loved by almost everyone on staff. I鈥檓 not generally one for bringing luxury items into the woods, but somehow this camping couch is on my permanent list of things never to leave behind.鈥
A National Parks Pass
Recreating in our national parks continues to听look a little different this year, but they鈥檙e still worth visting if done safely鈥攅specially if the park is local听迟辞 you. An . Check out this 2021听肠补濒别苍诲补谤 we put together to help you decide the best time of year to go. (You can also visit听on these days, when听entrance fees are waived.) And听consider gifting some gear that celebrates America鈥檚 best idea,听like Swiftwick鈥檚 听of socks ($20), and apparel from , which donates to conservancies across the country.听
Accessories for Your Partner鈥檚听New Hobby or Sport
A lot of us picked up new hobbies over听the past year, from biking听迟辞 cross-country skiing听迟辞 simply听moving more. Gifting an item听that makes your partner鈥檚听new activity more fun can encourage them to get outside more often. Check out our gear page, where we highlight items that we鈥檝e tested and turn to听for specific sports. If you鈥檙e having trouble finding something, know that you can鈥檛 go wrong with a bomber pair of socks. Our Gear Guy loves the 听for hiking. He called them 鈥渏ust damn comfy.鈥
Reservations for a听Future Trip
Planning a getaway听gives you something to look forward to, even though there are a few new things to consider while traveling this year. 鈥淏efore the pandemic, the thought of calling ahead to visit a national park or an outdoor mecca seemed preposterous,鈥 wrote contributor Jen Murphy. 鈥淏ut reservation systems formerly in place at popular sites like Yosemite and Rocky Mountain have shown that a little planning isn鈥檛 all that painful, especially when it means fewer people on the trails.鈥 Check out our travel page for more inspiration. Contributor Megan Michelson recently reported on听the best Airbnbs to stay in near Zion and Bryce Canyon鈥攄谤别补尘测.
Books That Will Get Them Stoked
We almost have too many books to recommend, so why not start here: columnist Graham Averill rounded up six classic adventure tales听that you鈥檒l love revisiting again and again. If you鈥檙e looking for more contemporary reads, writer Heather Greenwood Davis compiled a list of what other authors think were听the best adventure books of last year. 鈥淭hese eight titles will keep your wanderlust fired up for when it鈥檚 safe to travel again,鈥 she听writes.
OK, Maybe We Do Want a听Little Chocolate…
In 2020, we learned to be kind to ourselves, especially after going through tough emotional crises, like a breakup. As contributing editor Blair Braverman wrote, cooking or ordering your favorite meals can be a form of self-love, and we all deserve to treat ourselves鈥攁nd our loved ones鈥攅very once in a while with something sweet.
Start with , based in听Park City, Utah. Its听听feature various tasty things听perfect for the chocolate connoisseur in your life. You can supercharge any boring trail mix with this from , located near Albany, New York. It鈥檚 filled with chocolate-covered organic nuts and dried fruits. And for a cozy apr猫s drink on Valentine鈥檚 Day weekend, whisk up听a Mexican hot cocoa, a spicy-sweet concoction that calls for a dash of cayenne. It鈥檚 just one hot-chocolate recipe in this compilation, courtesy of听columnist AC听Shilton.听
Gear Sales to Check Out
We鈥檙e always keeping an eye on sales that are worth your time. Here are some good bets for Valentine鈥檚 Day.
Patagonia
Sale dates:听Now through February 16
Sale details:听The brand is currently offering past-season apparel and gear.听
Our pick: The 听($129). We love the large the mesh outer pocket, which helps air out soaked clothes.听
Backcountry
Sale dates: Now through February 28
Sale details:听The site听is currently offering .听
Our pick: The 听($115).听These were the warmest gloves in our 2021 Winter Buyer鈥檚 Guide test.
Huckberry
Sale dates: Ongoing
Sale details: We keep finding gems in , which features men鈥檚 apparel and gear up to 50 percent off.听
Our pick: Any of these 听($65 for set of 4), with their topographic impressions of various well-known mountains. We鈥檝e recommended them before,听but they make a killer gift.听