Gear · Best-of list
Good gifts for hunters are small, useful and hard to get wrong: practice points, a blind seat, a soft cooler, a camp chair, a headlamp. This list is a spread of small gear from across the site, all in our two lowest price tiers, with at most one item per brand and three per kind of gear. I sorted it by who's getting the gift. (Renee says I shop for other people the way I pack for myself: one of everything, plus a spare.)
How this list is builtA spread of small gear from across the site, in our two lowest price tiers at our last check, with at most one item per brand and three per kind of gear.
We earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no cost to you. Disclosure
| Model | Kind | Fits shaft ID | Battery life | Activation | Color | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ballista 8.8mm OD Lighted NocksNock More specs
| Lightedlisting | .300 in ID / 7.62 mm ID, 8.8 mm ODlisting | 72 hourslisting | Turns on at releaselisting | Redlisting | Check price |
| Model | Type | Jaw / hook | Adjustable trigger | Fingers | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ameyxgs 3 Finger Thumb Release AidBow release | Handheld thumblisting | — | — | 3listing | Check price |
B3 Archery King Swivel Single-Caliper ReleaseBow release More specs
| Wrist strap indexlisting | Single caliperlisting | Yeslisting | — | Check price |
| Model | Amazon |
|---|---|
AC Allen Archery Bullet Points 100 GrainArchery accessory | Check price |
| Model | Amazon |
|---|---|
Athlon Optics Binocular Harness 706012Bino harness More specs
| Check price |
| Model | Max range (reflective) | Magnification | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
Aofar HX-700NRangefinder | 700 ydlisting | 6 xlisting | Check price |
| Model | Blade length | Blade steel | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
Accusharp Lockback Folding Knife with Allen WrenchFolding knife More specs
| — | — | Check price |
Artisancutlery ArroyoFolding knife More specs
| 3.31 inlisting | AR-RPM9listing | Check price |
| Model | Max output | Power | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
Acebeam H30 HeadlampHeadlamp More specs
| 4,000 lumenslisting | Rechargeablelisting | Check price |
| Model | Can capacity | Carry style | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
AO Coolers Expedition Canvas 24-CanSoft cooler | 24 canslisting | — | Check price |
ARB 10100376 Collapsible Cooler BagSoft cooler More specs
| 22 canslisting | Totelisting | Check price |
Arctic Zone Titan 16 Can Zipperless HardBodySoft cooler | 16 canslisting | — | Check price |
| Model | Weight capacity | Style | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
Alpha Camp Canopy Camping Chair with SunshadeCamping chair More specs
| 350 lblisting | Folding quadlisting | Check price |
ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous Low Camping ChairCamping chair More specs
| — | Folding quadlisting | Check price |
Arrowhead Outdoor Hybrid 2-in-1 Camping ChairCamping chair More specs
| 300 lblisting | Reclininglisting | Check price |
| Model | Camo / color | Type | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
ALPS OutdoorZ Stealth Hunter Hunting ChairHunting chair More specs
| — | Swivel blind chairlisting | Check price |
Ameristep Folding Tripod Swivel StoolHunting chair More specs
| Mossy Oak Break-Up Countrylisting | Tripod stoollisting | Check price |
Banded Swivel Blind ChairHunting chair More specs
| — | Swivel blind chairlisting | Check price |
Good for a bowhunter who shoots a lot of practice arrows and loses points to the grass.
Skip it if you don't know their arrow size and point weight; the listing title gives both, and they have to match.
Good for someone who wants a plain folding knife with a lockback, per the Amazon listing.
Skip it if you want blade length, steel or handle material in hand before buying; the data doesn't list them.
Good for the person who has every headlamp but a bright rechargeable one: 4,000 max lumens and a red light, per the listing.
Skip it if they want a battery-swap lamp. It's the next tier up.
Good for a sitter at the beach or a field-edge camp who wants shade: steel folding quad chair with a canopy and one cup holder, listed at 350 lb capacity.
Skip it if they need a swivel blind seat.
Good for a low steel folding quad chair for the fire ring, by its name and the Amazon listing.
Skip it if you want a stated weight capacity, a canopy or a recline; the data lists none.
Good for a ground blind hunter: swivel blind chair with 360-degree swivel, adjustable height, backrest and steel frame, per the listing.
Skip it if they hunt from a tree stand. It's also the next tier up.
Good for a hunter who wants a light-duty seat that swivels 360 degrees: steel tripod stool in Mossy Oak Break-Up Country, per the listing.
Skip it if they need a backrest; a tripod stool has none.
Good for a compound shooter you know uses a handheld thumb-trigger release, as this title describes.
Skip it if they shoot a wrist strap release, or you haven't seen which style they use.
Good for the camp cook or the drinks run: canvas soft cooler sized at 24 cans, the largest can count among the soft coolers here.
Skip it if they need a hard cooler for a week of camp food.
Good for a bowhunter without a rangefinder yet: 700-yard max range and 6x magnification, per the Amazon listing.
Skip it if they already range from a stand every morning and own one.
Good for a truck or a small apartment where storage space is the problem; by its name, the bag folds flat.
Skip it if you want a stated can count; the data doesn't list one.
Good for a lunch-sized cooler for day sits: 16 cans, per the listing, with a zipperless lid by its name.
Skip it if you're packing for a whole crew; it's the smallest can count here.
Good for the camper who naps in the afternoon: the only reclining chair here, padded, steel frame, one cup holder, listed at 300 lb.
Skip it if they need the highest listed capacity on this list.
Good for a pocket folder with listed specs: 3.31-inch blade in AR-RPM9 steel with a Micarta handle, per the Amazon listing.
Skip it if they want a fixed blade for field dressing.
Good for a hunter who glasses a lot and keeps binoculars on a neck strap.
Skip it if you need fit details; the data lists no specs, so check their binoculars against the maker's page.
Good for a compound shooter you know uses a wrist strap, single-caliper release, as this title describes.
Skip it if they shoot a handheld thumb release, or you're guessing.
Good for a ground blind hunter: swivel blind chair with 360-degree swivel, adjustable height, backrest and steel frame, per the listing.
Skip it if they hunt from a tree stand. It's in the next tier up, like the ALPS OutdoorZ.
Good for a crossbow hunter whose bolts take .300 in ID / 8.8 mm OD nocks: 3 red lighted nocks, auto-on at release, 72-hour battery, per the listing.
Skip it if they shoot a vertical bow.
Gifts for hunters go wrong in two ways: big gear that has to fit a bow you've never measured, or a mug with a deer on it. This list stays in the middle: small gear, sorted by who it suits.
I asked Walt for hints first. He said "nothing," which in Walt means something small he'll pretend not to like. So the hints below come from the gear data. Where a fact came from the Amazon listing rather than the maker, I say so; where the data is empty, I say that too.
Archery gifts are the riskiest here, because almost everything has to fit a setup you can't see from across the dinner table. Read "how to choose" below first.
Field points (the plain screw-in practice tips) get lost, bent and buried in targets, so they never sit in a drawer. The Allen Company Bullet Points are practice tips for target shooting, by their title, in the lowest price tier. The data holds no maker specs, so read the size and grain weight off the listing title. Easton's tuning guide says field points should be as close in weight as possible to the broadheads the hunter plans to shoot.
A release aid holds the bowstring and lets it go when you trigger it. This one, by its title, is a three-finger handheld thumb-trigger release for compound bows, with no maker specs in our data. The Archery Trade Association describes thumb releases as handheld, fired with a thumb press, and used mostly by target archers, though some hunters like the shot-on-command feel. It sits in the lowest price tier.
The B3 Archery King Swivel, by its title, is a single-caliper release on a wrist strap. The data lists no maker specs. Per the Archery Trade Association, a wrist strap release fires with the index finger and carries most of the draw weight on the strap, which lets a hunter hold at full draw longer while waiting for a shot. It's in the lowest price tier, and it's the opposite style from the Ameyxgs above, which is the whole problem with releases as gifts. More on the bow release page.
A lighted nock is the plastic end of the bolt with a small light in it, so the shooter can watch where the bolt goes. This Ballista 3-pack is for crossbow bolts and, per the Amazon listing, fits .300 in ID / 7.62 mm ID with an 8.8 mm OD. The listing says the red light turns on at release and runs for 72 hours. Fit is everything here: the nock has to match the bolt's inside diameter. More on fit sizes on the lighted nocks page.
Per their Amazon listings, the ALPS OutdoorZ Stealth Hunter and the Banded Swivel Blind Chair are both swivel blind chairs with a 360-degree swivel, adjustable height, a backrest and a steel frame. On the data they match field for field, and they're the two seats in the stand-and-blind group with a backrest. Both sit in the next tier up. Bowhunter's blind tips ask for a quiet chair toward a back corner, with room for the elbow at full draw. Grand View Outdoors notes a chair that's too low can put the arrow into the bottom of the window. More on swivel hunting chairs.
The Ameristep Portable Folding Tripod Swivel Stool is, per the Amazon listing, a steel tripod stool with a 360-degree swivel in Mossy Oak Break-Up Country. It's the only item on the whole list with a camo pattern in its data. It's in the lowest price tier. No backrest, so it suits the hunter who moves spots more than the one who settles in for six hours. See hunting blind chairs.
Per the Amazon listing, the Aofar HX-700N ranges out to 700 yards and magnifies 6x. It's in the lowest price tier. The Archery Trade Association suggests guessing distances, then checking with the rangefinder, so ranging skill improves. It also stresses angle compensation ("cuts" in yardage for uphill and downhill shots); our data doesn't say whether this one has it. The hunting rangefinder page explains the modes.
A binocular harness holds binoculars flat against the chest instead of swinging from the neck. Vortex lists why: protection from bumps and weather, quick access, and weight on the shoulders instead of the neck. The Athlon Optics harness is, by its title, one size with a magnetic closure, in the lowest price tier, with no maker specs in our data. More on fit on the binocular harness page.
My department. Jess calls me "the cooler guy" and means it as a rank. Nobody owns the right number of coolers; there's always one too few on the morning of the drive. Engel's comparison: soft coolers are lighter and fold down, hard coolers hold ice longer and carry more. So these are day-trip and drinks coolers, not a week of venison.
Per the Amazon listing, the AO Coolers Expedition Canvas soft cooler holds 24 cans. That's the largest can count of the soft coolers here, in the lowest price tier. The ice math: the FDA suggests one cooler for drinks and another for perishables, so the food isn't hit with warm air every time someone grabs a soda. More on the soft cooler page.
ARB's Collapsible Cooler Bag, by its title, folds flat. That's the gift for the hunter whose garage already holds four coolers and whose spouse has opinions about a fifth. Our data doesn't list a can count or other specs for it. It's in the lowest price tier.
Per the Amazon listing, the Arctic Zone Titan holds 16 cans, the smallest can count of the three soft coolers here. Its name says zipperless with a hard body. It suits the stand hunter who packs lunch and a thermos and nothing else. It's in the lowest price tier. The FDA's target for whatever goes in: cold food at 40°F or below.
Three chairs, all in the lowest price tier, each with a different trick. I read a chair's spec sheet before its color options. Renee reads the color options first. We shop separately.
Per the Amazon listing, the Alpha Camp chair is a steel folding quad chair with a canopy, one cup holder and a 350 lb weight capacity. It's the only chair on the list with a canopy, and its 350 lb is the highest listed capacity of the three. It suits the early-season camp and, yes, the beach in July. More on camping chairs with a canopy.
Per the Amazon listing, the ALPS Mountaineering Rendezvous Low is a folding quad chair on a steel frame, and its name says it sits low. The data doesn't list a weight capacity, a canopy, a recline or padding. A low seat puts you closer to the fire ring's heat and the coffee pot on the grate, which is most of what I ask of a chair after dark.
Per the Amazon listing, the Arrowhead Outdoor 2-in-1 chair reclines, is padded, has a steel frame, one cup holder and a 300 lb weight capacity. It's the only reclining chair on the list. It suits the hunter whose midday plan is a nap by the fire ring. (I call it "glassing with your eyes closed." Walt calls me the kid for it.)
A fair gift, if the hunter carries a folder. Both are in the lowest price tier. Some knives may not ship to every address; Amazon shows it at checkout.
Per the Amazon listing, the Accusharp folding knife uses a lockback. Benchmade explains how that works: the lock keeps the blade from folding shut until you press the backspring to release it. The data holds nothing on blade length, steel or handle.
Per the Amazon listing, the Artisan Arroyo has a 3.31-inch blade in AR-RPM9 steel with a Micarta handle. It's the only knife here with blade length, steel and handle material in its data. Pair it with a small bottle of knife oil: Benchmade's care guide calls for cleaning, drying and a drop of lubricant on the pivot. Keep the edge pointed away from you when opening and closing any folder.
Per the Amazon listing, the Acebeam H30 is rechargeable, puts out up to 4,000 lumens and has a red light. It sits in the next tier up. Black Diamond notes 150 to 250 lumens is enough for camp chores, so this lamp mostly runs well below its top setting. The red light matters: the National Park Service explains night vision takes 20 to 40 minutes to build, bright white light undoes it in seconds, and dim red light doesn't.
Here's my one opinion on this page. A rechargeable headlamp is only as good as its last charge, so the gift is really two things: the lamp, plus a small light with spare batteries for the glove box. Walt calls this overpacking. Walt also borrows my spare every November. More on red light headlamps.
Points have to match the arrow's size and the hunter's broadhead weight. Nocks have to match the bolt's inside diameter. If you can't check those numbers quietly, buy from another group.
The Archery Trade Association says choosing a release comes down to personal preference and suggests trying several at a pro shop. Jess's take: "A release is like boots. Nobody should pick mine but me." If you know the hunter's exact release style, a spare of the same style is a safe gift. If you don't, skip it.
Two of the three soft coolers here list a can count, and that's the number to read: 16 cans is a lunch, 24 cans is the drinks run for a small camp. If the hunter already owns a big hard cooler, a soft one for drinks is the gift that keeps the food lid shut.
Most items here are in the lowest tier. Three (the ALPS OutdoorZ and Banded blind chairs and the Acebeam headlamp) are one tier up. The site never shows prices; the button shows Amazon's.
If the hunter on your list needs a new bow, a tree stand, a safety harness or broadheads, skip this page. Those are fit-and-safety purchases: they should be chosen by the person who'll use them, ideally with a pro shop measuring draw length and draw weight. Skip it, too, for a big-ticket gift. And for a crossbow-only shooter, only the Ballista nocks are aimed at them.
This is a spread of small gear from across the site's six sections, in our two lowest price tiers, with at most one item per brand and three per kind of gear. It's not a ranking, and no ratings are behind it.
Details come from makers' pages and, where the maker is silent, from the Amazon listing. The list is re-checked every week, so items, price tiers and picks can change. Lighted nock rules vary by state, so check your state wildlife agency. Good luck out there, and buy the spare batteries.
Something that wears out or gets used up. Practice points get lost in the grass and bent in targets, lighted nocks get spent, and a spare headlamp ends up in somebody's truck. A second soft cooler for drinks also keeps the food cooler shut more often, which the FDA's outdoor food guidance recommends.
Only when you know the setup. Points have to match the arrow's size and, for practice, should be close in weight to the hunter's broadheads, per Easton's tuning guide. Lighted nocks have to fit the shaft's inside diameter. A release is personal enough that the Archery Trade Association suggests trying several before choosing.
Small things that fit the hunter's gear: a pack of practice points in the right size, a few lighted nocks for the right bolts, a folding knife, or a binocular harness. On this list, the practice points and the lighted nocks are the smallest items, and both sit in the lowest price tier.
Not for Pope and Young, according to Bowhunting.com's lighted nock guide: game taken with lighted nocks can't be entered in its records. State rules on lighted nocks vary too, so check your state wildlife agency before the hunter takes them into the woods.
