Outside Gear Gift Hotline Launches December 17, 2025

‘Twas the night before shipping deadlines, when all through the house, every single creature was actually stirring quite a bit, frantically scrolling through gift guides and opening new shopping tabs on your computer that you’ve mentally sorted into “yes,” “maybe?” and “a little gift for me” buckets.

Despite our best intentions, we still fall victim to last-minute gift-buying procrastination. Gear gifts can be particularly tricky, since everyone’s favorite outdoor gear is highly subjective and personally tailored to individual needs, tastes, and budget.

Luckily, that’s exactly why we’re here. On Tuesday, December 16, at 11 A.M. Mountain Time, the Gear Team at Outside will be manning the metaphorical phone lines to take all of your gear-gifting questions. Need a hyper-specific rec for an ultralight backpacking fanatic, who will whip out a miniature scale to weigh every gift they receive? We’ve got a guy for that. Taking the family skiing for the first time and wondering what will get the kids excited? You’re covered. Want to get something meaningful to commemorate your pal’s first marathon or Ironman? We know exactly where to send you.

Here’s How the Gear Gift Hotline Works

1. Bookmark this page, and set a calendar reminder for Tuesday, December 16, at 11 A.M. Mountain Time. If you need to make it a “meeting” to block off your calendar, we won’t tell your boss.
2. When you’re ready to call the hotline, log in to your Outside profile by clicking “Sign In” or “Join Now” at the top of this page. Then, come back to this page.
3. Open the Comments sidebar by either a) clicking the speech bubble icon near the top of this page, or b) scrolling down to the bottom of this article and clicking the black Comment bar where you’ll see “View X comments.”  The comments sidebar will open on the right-hand side of your page on desktop, or as an overlay on mobile.
4. Leave your comment, being as specific as you want regarding budget, category, and your loved one’s interests. The more details, the better our Gear Team will be able to help you!
5. Check back in for a response. Make sure you have email notifications on so you’ll be alerted when we reply to your query. If you see someone else asking for a suggestion and you have a killer idea, chime in!
6. Order, wrap, and bask in the glory of a perfect gear gift.

We’ll keep the hotline open throughout the day, so you can drop in and comment whenever suits your schedule. We’re so excited to help Outside members by hosting the first ever Gear Gift Hotline. We’ll update this post when the line is officially open for business. See you Tuesday!