The Aquapac iPad case

The Advent calendars are being opened each day and there’s the hint of sleigh bells on the mountain winds, so it must be time to look for some Christmas prezzies for the outdoor enthusiast.

So how about some waterproof cases to keep those electronic gizmos dry in the worst weather. Aquapac has range to keep those high-tech gadgets protected even down to 15ft of water, though what you’d be doing taking an iPad diving is beyond us.

The iPad case costs £45; the Aquapac iPhone case £20.

There are also cases for cameras, including one for SLRs. The Stormproof CameraCases start at £25 and are, according to Aquapac, ideal for wet activities such as trekking, cycling and camping, in fact any activity that doesn’t mean your equipment will be completely submerged and will protect your camera from knocks thanks to a 10mm foam internal padding and soft anti-scratch lining.

Details can be had from Aquapac.

The Aclima 3 in 1 Baselayer

The Aclima 3-in-1 baselayer Warmwool Hooded Sweater is made from 100 per cent merino wool to help regulate body temperature, repel body odour and keep you warm even when wet. The hoody features a collar than can be worn as a crew neck, a turtle neck or as a balaclava. The Norwegian brand said it’s super soft and can be tumble dried for convenience. The baselayer retails at £74, and stockists can be found on the Nordic Outdoor website.

The Primus C&H Vacuum Bottles come in a colourful range

The Primus C&H vacuum bottles can brighten up any dull day in the outdoors with a range of colourful vacuum flasks to keep your drink warm on the hill.

The 0.25 litre bottles will keep your hot drinks hot and your cold drinks cold.

The bottles cost £15; more details on the Primus website.

For a touch of home luxury when you’re in your tent or out and about, Grower’s Cup Coffeebrewer is a disposable French press in an easy-to-carry pouch, containing 24g of fresh ground coffee and a filter.

Grower's Cup: coffee in a pouch

The company says: “It’s easy: open the pouch; pour in half a litre of hot water; zip up the pouch; brew for five to eight minutes.

“Result: three cups of fresh coffee. The pouch is designed to stop brewing after the first cup and half have been poured – perfect.”

Cost is £2.50 a pouch. More details from Grower’s Cup.

The Mammut Ambient Light Dry Bag

How’s this for a piece of ingenuity? Mammut’s Ambient Light Dry Bag turns a dry bag in to lamp.

Combined with the T-Trail headtorch, the waterproof stuff sack turns into a light. Mammut says it is: ‘literally an opaque dry bag that you can slip the T-Trail head torch into – there’s a strap at the bottom – and turn it into a lamp. You can use the lamp for cooking or reading’.

The Ambient Light Dry Bag costs £45; the bag on its own is available for £15, and the headtorch separately costs £35. See Mammut’s website for more details.

The FireKnife combines a sharp, flexible and sturdy all round knife from Light My Fire and Mora, manufacturers of knives for 120 years.

The handle of the knife contains the Swedish FireSteel fire starter that produces a 2,980C spark, even when wet, so with one tool you can prepare food and light a campfire, gas stove or gas BBQ.

The FireKnife

The Light My Fire FireKnife costs £29.99. Stockist information is on the Nordic Outdoor website.

The Osprey 24/Seven

Outdoor fans who need a daypack that will also accommodate their electronic gadgets can choose from a six-strong range of rucksacks from Osprey.

The 24/Seven series offers a mix of essential outdoor features such as sternum strap, whistle buckle and walking pole loop with nice-to-have lifestyle extras such as elasticated laptop sleeve, MP3 pocket and a mini-organiser. Available in a variety of sizes to suit specific needs and budgets, more details are on the Osprey website.

Inventor Aurora Tyas said this Christmas you shouldn’t feel bad about popping a few pairs of knickers a woman’s Christmas stockings – particularly if the recipients are outdoorsy, adventurous types of girls.

Her Pop&Go Knickers – the only knickers you can change in seconds without taking off all your clothes are a new underwear concept which caused quite a stir at the Outdoor Industry’s biggest trade show in the UK, OTS, with flocks of visitors and industry experts Pop&Going through the day.

Pop&Go Knickers

The knickers are a must for all female travellers, backpackers, festival goers, campers, outdoor and sports enthusiasts who want to feel fresh and comfortable while on the go.

Designed with two discrete clasps at either side, the knickers are easily unfastened, removed and changed even in the tightest spaces, and without the inconvenience of dropping lower clothing.

Made from high-quality breathable cotton or Dri Release quick dry fabric – Pop&Go Knickers are not disposables – and coming with their own pouch to store clean or dirty pairs in, Pop&Go Knickers really will be a Christmas present worth wearing.

A pack of two pairs of briefs or thongs with the Pop&Go pouch costs £17.99. Details on the Pop&Go Knickers site.

Why buy a pair of boring socks when you can get your outdoors fan a pair of SmartWool high-performance PhD Socks.

SmartWool PhD Sock

SmartWool says: “This year the full collection for the great outdoors has been relaunched to offer a range that not only looks über cool but has been designed to offer the highest levels of performance ever, incorporating SmartWool’s 4 Degree Elite Fit System and award-winning ReliaWool Technology.

“They will make the most coveted Christmas gift for all snowsports enthusiasts and a very welcome change to the obligatory handkerchief, boxer shorts, cheap aftershaves and perfumes or cinnamon pot pouri.”

Prices range from prices from £13.99 to £18.99.

The Vango tent kit

The Vango tent kit has a camping hammer, a peg extractor, four guylines and a selection of pegs: 10 steel hook and pin 18cm x 4mm and five steel standard v-pegs for £15.

More details of this and other prezzies are on the Vango website.

Worried about how big a strain that rucksack is going to put on your back, or whether you’ll bust your airport baggage allowance with all that winter gear?

The digital travel scale from Kathmandu, the New Zealand brand, allows easy luggage weighing, with a data lock function, blue backlit LCD screen, tare function and high precision strain gauge sensors systems.

The Kathmandu digital travel scale

The Digital Travel Scale costs £19.99.

Also from Kathmandu, the Laundry Travel Kit has a stretchable pegless clothes line that holds laundry between elasticated strands with hook and suction cup attachments, an oversized universal sink plug that will work in most sinks and baths worldwide. Using pressure from the water it creates a vacuum sealing itself over the plug hole.

The kit, which comes in a convenient polyester travel laundry bag, also has 20 sheets of laundry paper soap: compact and convenient – ideal for those who want to travel light. No mess, no bulk, no fuss’ just add water and they transform into a sudsy lather.

The Laundry Travel Kit retails at £9.99. For details of these and other Kathmandu goodies, visit the brand’s website, where there’s a handy Christmas sale going on too.

Norwegian brand Bergans has a range of Christmassy presents for outdoor fans.

The Skarstind 28-litre backpack, retailing at £70, has a tensioned back panel for optimum ventilation, a base-entry compartment, top zip entry and grab handle, open side pockets, front pocket with zip entry and external zippered pocket for small items.

The women's Bergans Retro Tee

It has compression straps on each side, attachment points for ice axe, and poles and bicycle light or reflector and is hydration system compatible.

The Retro Tee comes in navy or red and is made from 95 per cent organic cotton. The t-shirt, available in both women’s and men’s versions, carries the Bergans of Norway logo and is, as the name implies, in a retro style. Cost is £30. More details on the Bergans website.

Part of Craghoppers outdoor range and ideal for more active winter pursuits, the Kaito Lightweight Down Jacket is designed to provide warmth without weight, and with its narrow baffles and slim-line ergonomic stitch lines, is bang on trend.

The Craghoppers Kaito jacket

The 500+ fill power Kaito features plenty of pockets, an adjustable hem and elasticated bound cuffs. It is available in Black and Quarry Grey in sizes S to XXL, priced £125.

The Vaude Sedun women’s jacket, retailing at £120, is a knit-look jacket in printed fleece material.

It has Raglan sleeves, rib fabric at the cuffs and hem, two front pockets and an inverted zip with back flap.

The Vaude Sedun jacket

The hood has a string cord and the garment weighs in at 625g. Details and more Vaude products are on the German brand’s website.

For those little knocks and cuts that most outdoor enthusiasts pick up from time to time, the Lifesystems Pocket First Aid Kit has a selection of medical essentials to help treat basic injuries such as cuts, grazes or blisters.

The Lifesystems Pocket First Aid Kit

A handy belt loop means it is easy to carry, even when you aren’t taking a pack. Alternatively the compact kit will fit neatly into a jacket or rucksack pocket. The kit’s bright red case is not only festive, but ensures that the kit will stand out inside a pack for quick access in an emergency.

The Pocket First Aid Kit weighs 180g and costs £10.50. More details of this and other Christmas gift ideas on the Lifesystems website.

Of course, we shouldn’t forget the little ones at Christmas, and what better alternative to another toy than some gear to encourage children into the outdoors.

The Hesta Gauntlet 3 Finger Gloves

Specialist children’s retailer Little Adventure Shop has stocked up on an extensive range of kit by credible brands.

How about the Hestra Gauntlet 3 Finger Gloves, at £34.95, an ingenious product specially designed for children, which combines the warmth of a mitten with the dexterity of a glove. It’s tough, durable, very well insulated and has reinforced fingertips.

It also has a waterproof and breathable membrane to keep little hands dry as well as warm.

The Petzl Tikkina

The Petzl Tikkina headtorch, at £19.95, is a high-performance headtorch ideal for children, weighing only 80g and coming in four colours, the Tikkina has two LEDs.

The Deuter Starlight Expandable Sleeping bag ‘grows’ with its young owner. The Starlight is a proper insulated sleeping bag but its really clever bit is the extension. The bag starts at 130cm, but can be lengthened by unzipping the bottom and pulling out an additional 30cm section, extending both the product and the number of years it will fit its young user.

The Deuter Starlight

The sleeping bag costs £64.95.

Details of the above three items and others for children are available from specialist children’s retailer the Little Adventure Shop.

No matter how good your eyesight, there are always times when you wish you could see in close up.

The Brunton Pocket Scope

Lugging a pair of binoculars can be a pain, but the Brunton Pocket Scope, at £22.50, is a small but extremely powerful scope, that can zoom in on all those far away sightings in a jiffy. Details are on the Brunton website.

The Lifedge iPad case is waterproof up to 1m

Whether you’re capturing precious family photos in the snow, braving an adventure in the great outdoors, or trading the harsh winter for a luxurious holiday in the sun, the Lifedge waterproof case offers protection for your iPad.

Available in four colours, the iPad case is an ideal Christmas gift for those using their iPad to its full potential in the harshest of conditions.

Rigorous testing has shown that the iPad case can be immersed in 1m of water for 30 minutes, or dropped onto a concrete floor from a height of 1m without being damaged.

The waterproof iPad case uses a compact design for everyday protection. Models are available to fit the iPad 1, 2 and 3, and full touch screen usability is available at all times, as are volume, on/off and home buttons. Both front and rear camera functionality is provided for the iPad 2 and iPad 3 model.

The iPad case has an ergonomically designed hand strap using a soft non-absorbent material, which holds firm across your hand for the perfect fit, and is suitable for both left and right handed users and allows the iPad to be used in portrait or landscape orientation.

Available in blue, pink, green and grey the waterproof iPad case from Lifedge retails at £99.

The Superfeet merinoGrey insoles

An ideal stocking filler for outdoor fans who like to put their best foot forward is a premium insole from Superfeet.

The newly launched merinoGREY insoles, at £40, are ideal for use in winter thanks to the natural thermo-regulating properties of merino wool which keeps the foot warm when it is cold.

Yet when the warmer months arrive, you can still be confident of staying comfortable as the wool top surface keeps the foot cooler in hot weather, wicking moisture away from the foot.

The naturally occurring lanolin in the wool also has an antibacterial property which keeps the insoles fresh for longer. Available for sizes 2½-14 (Superfeet sizes B-G).

The Snugbug Trapper, £35

Snugbug hats are not just any old hat as they are lovingly crafted in Nepal where good working conditions are paramount and environmental impact is minimised and the fleece range is made right here in the UK.

Snugbug takes care to select colours and designs that will keep you looking stylish and feeling snug, from the chilliest mountain peak to the most windswept shore.

Made from 100 per cent New Zealand wool, the hats have a natural feel and a quality look – and even a quality smell!

The knitted wool range of hats has naturally high lanolin content to repel rain and snow. All Snugbug hats are lined with fleece for extra warmth and use Polartec fleece, the lightest and warmest fleece available.

The range also includes stylish scarves and warm wrist warmers too and there are more details on the Snugbug site.

The Karrimor X-Lite Poles

The Karrimor X-Lite Carbon Walking Poles are designed to save weight. The three-section telescopic design uses premium quality carbon-fibre tubing to ensure low weight without sacrificing strength and durability.

The poles retail at £59.99 a pair. More details on the Karrimor website.

And if all of these shiny goodies don’t appeal, there’s a gift with a difference: membership of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.

As well as buying a year’s membership of the MCofS at a special offer price, you get to choose a free gift for the recipient.

You can choose to give the gift of membership of the MCofS

MCofS chief officer David Gibson said: “The MCofS works tirelessly to represent the interests of hillwalkers: defending access rights, protecting mountain landscapes from inappropriate developments, and providing safety training for members with the aim of reducing accidents in the mountains.

“The gift of membership supports our vital work; it could last a lifetime – not just for Christmas – and has a very low carbon footprint because you can organise it from your computer!”

More details are on the MCofS website.

And, when your avid outdoor fan is kitted out with all those Christmas gizmos, what better way to choose where to go walking or cycling than to plan a route on a great system with Ordnance Survey maps.

grough’s own route system enables you to plan your route using 1:25k and 1:50k OS mapping, save it and print it out to take with you on your walk or trip.

grough route offers route planning on OS mapping covering the whole of Britain

There is mapping of the whole of England and one month’s subscription costs just £2. You can subscribe to grough route for less than £22 for 12 months.

You also get access to more than 1,000 routes created by grough route users.

More details are on our grough route page.