2025 Holiday Gift Giving Guide
Each year, my goal is to reach out to creators who put together holiday gift guides and send them one of our products for consideration. For the adventurer who has everything, Radio Chatter is the gift they didn’t know they needed. It’s small enough to slip into a stocking, but meaningful enough to become that surprise they end up using all season long.
This year, with my renewed focus on our company and leaving my 9–5, I finally did it: I spent time connecting with people who make these guides. Well, tried connecting. In addition to not hearing back from pretty much anyone, I learned that a lot of these guides are pay-to-play. Meaning, you have to pay individuals or outlets to feature your product. Ugh…
As someone running a business, I get it. You need to generate revenue through multiple streams. But also as a small business, that gets expensive with an unclear return on the investment. And as a customer, I was disappointed to realize that many of these guides weren’t based on genuine recommendations from people I trusted. For our business and the community we want to build, that just didn’t align. So we decided to create our own holiday gift guide this year, featuring some of our favorite products from this year. FYI: If we ever have a financial affiliation with anything we recommend, here or in future posts, we’ll clearly call that out.
This guide is built for anyone shopping for someone who loves overlanding, off-roading, or camping. It’s not technical, and you won’t need to worry about picking the wrong gear or choosing something they already have because you’ll know.
So drumroll please….
Blue Ridge Overland Gear (Prices Range)
Blue Ridge Overland Gear Triple Run Tool Bag
We stocked up on a lot of Blue Ridge Overland Gear (BROG) this year. It seems like you can never have enough. If you are buying for someone who loves the outdoors, there are a few things you can always count on them using. Plus, BROG offers a lifetime warranty, so you never have to worry about how much abuse their gear can take.
If you aren’t sure what to get, you can’t go wrong with a packing cube or a utility pouch. But this year, here is what we added to our own collection:
2x Medium Pouches - we have one mounted to our Alu-Cab door (inside). It’s our “junk drawer” of all the random gear that we used to hang loosely and was har to manage.
Transit bag - Bethany snagged one of these at Adventure X Fest and I am not going to lie, I have been jealous ever since.
Chest pack - I didn’t need the full transit bag like Bethany, but I wanted something to carry our product at events like Overland Expo. Turns out, I’ve used it for other things like a scavenger hunt and disc golf. Since it has the chest strap, it seems perfect for fly fishing which I haven’t used this for yet. This one is already going into retirement, so grab it well you can.
Market tote - Figuring out in-cab storage in our truck has always been a challenge, and this tote has been a great addition. It’s lightweight but rugged enough to stand up on its own. We picked this up at the end of the season but have already used it for all sorts of things, including outside of our adventure travels.
Although we are friends with the crew at Blue Ridge Overland Gear, and they have featured us on their podcast and even manufactured a pouch for our game, we have no financial connection with them or the products listed above. We have been a proud customers of them since before Radio Chatter was event started.
Thunder Bunny Labs Picture Frame ($129)
Thunder Bunny Labs 50 States Photo Map
We have had this picture frame hanging in our main hallway for over 8 years, and everyone who walks by comments on it. It is a great way to remember your trips and re-live them as you pass by.
I once read how important it is to hang photos from your own adventures instead of generic images you buy. There’s real psychology behind it: looking at photos from trips you’ve actually taken helps you reflect on those experiences and memories, while looking at places you’ve never been can leave you wishing instead of remembering.
We love that the company updated their process. When you upload your photos on their website, they now send you a sticker sheet to place the images on the matte. You used to have to cut and glue them, but these stickers work perfectly.
After someone recently asked about ours, I looked them up again and learned that the company is owned by a husband-and-wife team right here in a neighboring Michigan city. We have no financial affiliation with them, just local pride. Go Team Michigan!
Aura Digital Picture Frame ($179-$499)
Aura Digital Picture Frame and Mobile App
Speaking of pictures - and I know I might lose you here because you’re wondering what this has to do with overlanding - but hear me out. Radio Chatter is all about creating connections and memories, and pictures are a huge part of that.
When I first got Bethany an Aura Digital Picture frame, I knew she’d think I was crazy. Remember when we used to get these for our parents back when they needed memory cards? Then we realized no one ever updated the photos anyway nor did our parents even know how! Those days are long gone. With the mobile app, you can quickly tag photos and send them straight to your frame in seconds.
Now we each have a frame in our home offices, plus a large one in the family room. After every trip, I’ve gotten in the habit of reviewing photos and adding them to our frames. I love sitting on the couch, watching TV, and seeing a photo or video pop up from some epic adventure. Just like our U.S. state frame, the Aura has become a great conversation starter when those shots of us rolling through tough terrain show up.
We have no financial affiliation with Aura.
Geyser Shower ($319-$389)
Geyser Shower System (Non Heated)
I’ll start with this one: we are an affiliate, and it’s the only one on this list. But that only happened after we purchased it, used it, and loved it. We reached out afterward because we wanted to do a full blog post on their system (coming soon). This setup worked way better than expected, fitting perfectly with our own Radio Chatter question: “What piece of gear has worked better than expected?”
We first learned about Geyser through our friend Jason at Mountain State Overland, but we’d never been in a situation where we really needed one. On long trips, we usually mix in a few campgrounds with showers and amenities, find a good swimming hole when possible, or it’s just too cold for either. Plus, I’m always conscious of space and weight in our rig, so it initially seemed like an obvious no-go for me.
That changed in August when Bethany joined me and the MSO team on Hammer Down 6 in Utah for a week. Since we were already getting the Alu-Cab shower cube for privacy and changing space, it seemed like the perfect time to try a Geyser out.
As you probably guessed…it worked way better than expected. It really does use only about a gallon of water per shower, and heating a liter on the JetBoil made the temperature perfect, especially on cool nights. On hot days, warm water wasn’t even needed. We loved how it didn’t create a muddy mess, didn’t drain our water supply, and was the perfect way to freshen up after long trail days. We didn’t use it daily, just every couple of days when it was time to clean up.
We have the non-heated version, mostly because we didn’t realize there was a heated one. If the weight and size are the same, I’d probably go that route next time.
As mentioned, we’re an affiliate, which means if you use our link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. It’s one simple way to support small businesses like ours while picking up something genuinely useful for your adventures.
Geyser Systems (Affiliate Link)
Teren Campfire Puffy Jacket 2.0 ($399)
Teren Campfire Puffy Jacket 2.0
I learned about Teren through my guide work with Mountain State Overland. After trying their clothes, they eventually became a partner of MSO. However, Radio Chatter has no financial affiliation with Teren.
This jacket is, hands down the best I’ve ever owned and honestly, the only one I ever plan to own. It’s not bulky, is lightweight, but unbelievably warm. Even on cold days, I often end up wearing it unzipped because it traps heat so well. It’s also waterproof and fire-resistant, meaning no more holes from campfire ash or going to bed wet.
I wore it in the windy, rainy fall weather of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula while fishing on the Great Lakes and stayed perfectly warm and dry.
I’ve talked about how much I love this jacket so often that Bethany finally got fed up and demanded one. There may or may not be, but definitely is, a super embarrassing (but funny) clip of that moment in this MSO episode. I ended up picking one up for her at the Teren booth at Overland Expo East as an early Christmas gift.
PMP Red Multifunction Hydraulic Jack
So that is our quick list of things we loved this year. They are also gifts that can be purchased by anyone, for anyone. What did we miss? Comment below!
And if you are curious what is on my list this year, here it is:
Nice, lightweight hatchet - I don’t have one in mind yet, so if you have a recommendation, drop it in the comments!
Streamlight Microstream Flashlight - I have had a few different kinds (all from Amazon) but I’m hoping this Streamlight holds up better. They’re so small that they always end up going through the wash.
Tree saver strap - After five years without a winch, I finally got one this year but mostly for my guiding work with Mountain State Overland. It’s important to be prepared if we need to recover a guest vehicle. During Hammer Down 6 in Utah, we found ourselves in plenty of winching situations, and tree savers were essential.
PMP Hydraulic Jack - I have a small jack from Harbor Frieght and have not used it and feared the time I would have to. Well that time came, but luckily some had this PMP jack. You can see all the use of this thing in our Hammer Down 6 trailer, specifically at the spot where I blew a tire right on a technical spot of the trail.
Football - I like keeping a frisbee and football in the truck so we always have something to toss around at camp. The footballs seem to disappear (usually to kids), so I end up asking for a new one every year. We also have this nice light up frisbee which we used several times this year to play frisbee in the dark which came in handy when we were camping in areas that had fire bans so there wasn’t a campfire to sit around before bed.
What’s one thing you’re hoping to get this holiday season? Comment below and share with others!
