The term GORP has transcended its original definition—an acronym for good ol raisins and peanuts—to encompass a whole way of being: an athletic, nature-appreciating lifestyle and all the trappings associated with it. That person who speaks fondly about the time they almost died portaging their canoe in the Minnesota boundary waters? They are Gorpy. Gorp is a fashion, Gorp is an attitude, Gorp is…. more or less just a synonym for outdoorsy, but who cares? English is a beautifully freakish, ever-changing organism. Also Gorp is fun to say, Gorp gorp gorp.
Anyway, I’ve found that many of the Gorpiest people in my life are also enthusiastic about food and cooking, which is why I’ve created this gift guide. If you know someone who wears technical outerwear to a nice dinner, relishes cooking over a live fire, and says that the best mood lighting for a meal is a star-filled sky, this is the gift guide for them.
Great Gorpy gifts
Below you’ll find a melange of snacks, equipment, and accessories for the gorpy gourmand. There’s also a range of intensity here, with suggestions for well-equipped casual campers and multi-day backpackers alike.
Practical cooking tools and accessories
Cooking over a campfire doesn’t need to mean literally working in a fire pit. Propane-based camping stoves are a reliable standard for campsite cooking. However, lighter packers will enjoy having a portable, modular set-up like the Snowpeak takibi, which makes it easy to cook over charcoal or wood fires. For tools and equipment, it’s always a good idea to go with things that pack away neatly or come with their own storage cases. The Toas-Tite may seem silly, but once you cook your first pizza pocket over the campfire, you’ll think differently.
Coffee shop minus the coffee shop
There was a time when having coffee on the trail meant settling for low-quality instant mixes, but those days are long gone. It’s now possible to brew all sorts of coffee (including espresso) in the back country. Our staff coffee-head Noah Kaufman is particularly fond of the compact Pipamoka for the job, which has a clever twisting design that draws water through the grounds with vacuum suction.
That being said, instant coffee too has improved over the years. No Normal coffee paste concentrate tastes surprisingly fresh, as do Blue Bottle’s range of craft instant coffee mixes.
Dishes that keep to themselves
Again, packability is key here. This Snowpeak set (as you can probably tell, I’m a fan) sells out regularly due to its light weight and tidy nesting design. For the solo adventurer, the Stanley set contains the essentials for cooking and eating.
Full Windsor
Magware Magnetic Bowls and Plates
Equally adventurous portable coolers
People love the Yeti Roadie because it’s tough enough to trundle down a rocky trail and keeps things chilled all-day long. Chris Morocco loves his Icemule, which he brings along whenever he knows he’ll be cooking on the go.
Outdoor cooking cookbooks
The best resources for understanding what it takes to cook outdoors are cookbooks dedicated to the subject. Live fire cooking (relying on direct heat from open flame) is very different from what we do at home. Thankfully the method has its enthusiasts, like Eric Werner and Francis Mallmann, whose books walk you through what you need to know.
Not your everyday dried meats
There’s beef jerky, and then there’s wagyu beef jerky, which is, shocker, far more delicious than what you’d find in a convenience store snack aisle. If you’re going to give someone the gift of jerky, it should be the nicest jerky you can find, thankfully the world of bespoke dried meats is as rich in variety as it is in flavor.
Obnoxiously fancy s’mores stuff
The concept of gourmet s’mores might invite a bit of an eyeroll, but people change their tunes once they actually eat the enticing gooey confections. Patisserie-made Graham crackers, real vanilla marshmallows, and a bar of single origin, salted, dark chocolate—
Pretentious? Maybe. Delicious? Undeniably.
And of course, granola
All that talk about gorp and I haven’t mentioned granola. Crunchy loved ones deserve exquisite, crunchy granola. Shove some sweet deliverance in their stocking, or treat them to a holiday tin of Tom’s Perfect 10.
