The best outdoor gifts for 2024

Amazon's #1 bestselling hammock can be effortlessly strung up anyplace you have trees. It comes in two sizes — for one (108 x 54 inches) or two people (120 x 78 inches) — and 14 colors (crimson! navy! yellow!). Made entirely of sturdy parachute nylon, it's lightweight (just 24 ounces!) and folds up to the size of an eggplant.

Here's an item especially apt for those with fall and winter b'days. This wood-burning fireplace is an excellent addition to most any patio, backyard or driveway. Yahoo Home Editor Kristin Granero even gave it the top spot in her list of top-rated and expert-approved fire pits. 

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Stanley cups remain insanely popular, but my family stumbled upon Simple Modern tumblers while looking for similar performance at a lower price. The Trek Tumbler is our go-to for cold drinks, so it gets the most use at our house. The entire thing is dishwasher safe, which is a biggie for my family, as is the leak resistant lid and the cupholder friendly design. Plus, the double-walled, stainless steel construction can keep beverages cold for over 24 hours. — Billy Steele, Senior Reporter

A longtime favorite of Engadget senior reporter (and outdoor gear connoisseur) Billy Steele, the Brümate Hopsulator Trio is a versatile koozie that can hold 16-ounce or 12-ounce cans with an adapter you can stash in your freezer. If you want to ditch the cans entirely, it can also serve as a tumbler, complete with its own lid. We’ve found it to insulate drinks successfully and hold cans securely, so it should delight if your dad could use a new beer holder ahead of his beach hangs and outdoor excursions this summer. — J.D.

Beats surprised us when it re-entered the Bluetooth speaker market over the summer, following a two-year hiatus from the portable devices. The company completely re-engineered the inside of the new Pill to improve sound quality and made some modest changes to the design to further bolster the experience. All of the updates lead to improved sound quality, a more durable build and 24-hour battery life. Simply put, this is the best-sounding speaker you’ll find at this price point for keeping the tunes going on the porch, patio or at your campsite.

I’ve been using Thermacell repellers for years and can confirm their effectiveness in keeping mosquitos at bay. There are several affordable models, which makes them a great gift for anyone who spends time outside – whether that’s on the porch or at a campsite. The EL55 is a rechargeable unit that uses Thermacell’s liquid pods to create a 20-foot bug-free zone. This model also has a dimmable LED light should you need it. The EL55 lasts up to nine hours on a charge or up to five and half hours with the light turned on.

I’ve been a huge fan of RTIC coolers for a while now, mostly for the combination of performance and value. When the company announced its 2-in-1 Chillout Bag, I grabbed one immediately as a supply pack for both long and short family trips. This tote has a 24-can insulated cooler in the bottom with a separate compartment on top for snacks and other supplies. There are also multiple internal pockets for phones and more, making this a great gift for the beachgoer, pinicker or daytripper on your list.

ThermoWorks may have been tardy to the wireless food probe party, but the company has more than made up for it with the performance of the RFX. The RFX Meat is a wireless probe that sends internal temperatures to the company’s app. The grillmaster on your list will also need the RFX Gateway receiver, which comes in this combo, so that the probe’s stats are viewable anywhere they go once the Gateway is connected to their Wi-Fi network. And to keep accurate tabs on grill temps, the kit includes a wired Pro-Series Air Probe that plugs into the receiver. Two- and four-probe configurations are also available for an additional cost. No matter which one you choose to give, the RFX series is a powerful remote monitoring tool from the best in the business in terms of temperature accuracy.

The Thermapen is the grilling tool I use most often. It’s handy for making sure I’m not serving undercooked chicken or overcooking a pricey steak I’ve had in the sous vide for hours. It’s also great to have in the kitchen to instantly check temps of things like bread. Thermoworks unveiled the successor to its wildly popular Thermapen Mk4 earlier this year with the Thermapen One. The device is super fast, giving you a reading in one second. It’s also more accurate and has a brighter display than the previous model. The screen automatically rotates depending on how you hold it, plus an auto-wake and sleep feature and IP67 rating keep things running smoothly.

It’s not always a great idea to take glass bottles on your outdoor activities, and it can be a pain to procure single-serving spirits before a trek. For the camper, hiker or other adventurer on your list, the Aero Flask is a great option for taking up to eight ounces of bourbon, whiskey or other spirits without the risks of a glass bottle. The attached cap means that person won’t have to worry about losing it and the tapered design feels great in the hand.

Ooni’s pizza ovens are outstanding and Solo Stove’s Pi is a solid second option, but when it comes to ease of use, the latter company’s Pi Prime is where it’s at. This is the best outdoor pizza oven for people, dads included, combining the ease of a propane burner with a wide curved opening for unrestricted access when rotating pies. The Pi Prime has a similar circular dome design to the Pi, which is an aesthetic the company borrowed from its fire pits. That big opening on the front also allows you to monitor progress without opening a door. Front-mounted temperature controls make for easy adjustments and the gas-burning setup means your dad can focus on making great pizza rather than feeding wood to the flame. Plus, the Pi Prime can get hot — up to 950 degrees Fahrenheit — making it a great option for Neapolitan-style pizzas that bake in as little as 90 seconds.

When it’s time to fire up the grill or smoker, there’s nothing worse than having to make a dozen trips outside to carry supplies. Weber has a solution for that with its caddy/tray combo that can haul seasonings, sauces, tools and whatever else the culinary mastermind on your list might need from the kitchen to their outdoor cooking station. The handle folds down, so the tray closes off the inside for easy storage. Two holders can securely accommodate rubs, sauces or spray bottles and side compartments are big enough to hold grill tools. And if they have a Weber Slate griddle, this accessory can serve as a modular side shelf.

I was once skeptical of the Shibumi Shade hype. Going to the beach in North Carolina, it’s hard to avoid them, so after fighting with a wind-blown cabana for the last time I gave in – and I haven’t looked back. The easily packable beach shades can be set up by one person and it uses the wind as a benefit to keep the thing up. For the avid beachgoer on your list, the mini version is a great gift. That’s not only because it’s a little cheaper, but because it works well for two people. That means it’s still a solid option for a family of three or four, since younger kids aren’t likely to sit still for very long anyway. Plus, it packs down small so it’s easy to grab for a couple’s week (or weekend) away.