Finding the perfect gift for everyone on your list is a tall order in its self but adding in the environmental impact of holiday gifting makes it seem nearly impossible. So I put in a little bit of the leg work and curated a list of 50+ (and one minus) gifts in partnership with REI that are functional, stylish and have the planet in mind for everyone on your list. Cozy layers, pieces for the adventurers on your list, items for the home and away and a few gifts that pack easily for those out of town holiday guests.

A collection of gift ideas for your loved ones with overflowing closets, who adamantly do not want anything for the holidays or, most commonly, who are impossible to shop for.

The common thread in all of these gifts is that the thing you are actually giving is time. For some it is the gift of your own time, for others it is freeing up theirs or, in a lot of cases, investing both in a new hobby, tradition or skill. By building new traditions you are not only avoiding spending your hard earned money on a gift that runs the risk of ending up in the back of their closet or a return box in the mail, but taking a moment to think of what they actually want. And over the past few years it has become evident that a lot of the things we actually want are somewhat intangible.

I began hiking at twenty three (to impress a boy, of course) and that first trip was up a loose scree slope in the Canadian Rockies. I was wearing nothing but a pair of barefoot street running shoes, a tank top and a pair of athletic shorts I brought with me along with nothing more than a store bought water bottle for hydration - not even a single snack. A few short years later I was introduced to backcountry camping and with that came the realization of how little I knew about the outdoors and the skills and gear needed to explore these spaces safely and comfortably. And so I did what I knew and then sent myself down a rabbit hole of gear research from top to bottom with a lot of time spent on the the bottom… of my feet.

As soon as I began backcountry camping I forgot that there was any other way to camp. I tunnel visioned on things that would be lightweight, that would make me faster. I sacrificed comfort at night for ease of movement during the day. And then recently I remembered that camping does not need to be that way. That there were ways to spend nights under the stars that felt more like home. And so, I booked a campsite and parked the car fifteen feet away, and although I still used my backpacking tent, sleeping mat and and sleeping bag… I indulged in a few of the finer things in life while in-between the redwood trees. And by finer things - we all know I mean food. So I am harding my meal planning for a night of camping in style.

This summer while waiting for a ferry that we just missed I got to chatting with the car in front of us and to my delight he works as a superintendent with Parks Canada. I peppered him with questions about his favourite hikes, the best parks and even learned a thing or two about how to properly use frequent flier miles. But somewhere just shy of an hour into the conversation we stumbled upon backcountry safety. He told a story of learning to backcountry ski in Roger’s Pass, how (rightfully so) he got chewed out by a group from Canmore when he and his friends rode a far too dangerous line. That they went, tails tucked between their legs, took the classes, picked up the gear and got the certifications. With more people than ever getting out of the city into their own little pieces of paradise there has also been a vast upswing in Search and Rescue calls this summer. He told us stories of calls that the parks had been receiving, about people with so many SAR