Off the beaten track: Outdoor gifts

By Ben Olson
Reader Staff

‘Tis the season of giving, and what better way to support local businesses than purchasing gifts for your loved ones right here in North Idaho?

If you’re like us, though, picking out the perfect gift can sometimes be a challenge. What follows are some gift ideas from off the beaten track available locally. This week’s theme is the great outdoors, with new themes following in the upcoming editions of the Reader before Christmas.

Trail puppy — minimum bid $500
Pend Oreille Pedalers

Courtesy photo.

Hiking and biking the many trails in North Idaho is a blast, but it would be even better with a new trail pup by your side. Jason Welker, director of the nonprofit trail-building organization Pend Oreille Pedalers, got his own trail buddy earlier this year and is happy to announce the human parents of his pooch are donating one of the four red-tri-colored puppies from another litter to POP to show their appreciation for the work they do. 

There are two boys and two girls to choose from, but any one of these little cuties could be a great Christmas present this year.

The pups will be ready to go home in about a month. For the first three weeks, POP will take bids from their community for one of these puppies. The auction will take place at 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve and the winning bidder will be notified that day, which means one POP family will be welcoming a new puppy into the family on Christmas Day. All of the proceeds from the winning bid will go to POP to support their trail-building efforts in 2021.

This is a “sealed bid” auction, so anyone interested in taking part just needs to let POP know how much their highest bid is. The highest bidder takes home the puppy for Christmas. The reserve price is $500, so bids will need to be at least that amount. Bidders can only bid once. 

Those interested in placing bids can do so at pendoreillepedalers.org/puppy.

Hydrascape Infinity Sticker — $16

Courtesy photo.

Outdoor Experience

Water bottles have become an essential everyday item in today’s world. Personalize your own hydro flask with Outdoor Experience’s Hydrascape Infinity Stickers. These oversized stickers depict different mountain scenes and wrap around your water bottle to add style and uniqueness to your water source.

Therm-a-Rest Honcho Poncho — $99.95

Courtesy photo.

Outdoor Experience

What do you get someone who is always cold? The Honcho Poncho is one size fits all, unsnaps to lay flat like a blanket and packs into its pocket, which can also double as a pillow. It’s more portable than lugging a propane heater around.

Starling Bajka hat / Blackstrap facemasks — $60/$16

Photo by Ben Olson.

The Alpine Shop

Cozy up like a Yeti in this Starling Bajka fluffy women’s hat and grab a few extra facemasks from Blackstrap. They’re made in the U.S. out of recycled materials and have a variety of different designs.

Puffin Beverage Jacket koozies — $12.95-$17.95

Larson’s Department Store

Surprise your significant other with these adorable Puffin Beverage Jacket koozies. They’re well made, with intricate design details including zippers and tags just like a miniature jacket. They have a variety of styles from flannel shirts to puffy jackets. They’re good for hot beverages in winter and cold beers in summer. Mmm, beer.

Photo by Ben Olson.