The Best Gifts for the Adventurous Grad

Welcome to another installment of Staff Picks from our Outdoors and Fitness team. This week, we selected our favorite gifts for the adventurous grad. Have something you think we should check out? Or just want to say hi? Drop us a line at [email protected].

Suunto Spartan Ultra

Every adventurer needs a way to track their adventures. Whether they are hiking, running, swimming or traveling, having a GPS, heart-rate tracking watch is a great way to keep a log of all the activities they do. The Suunto Spartan Ultra is the cream of the crop. It features a durable outdoor-grade color touchscreen, barometric altitude readings, a 100m water resistance rating and
GPS/GLONASS route navigation. Good luck convincing them not to take that gap year now. — AJ Powell, Assistant Editor

If you’re looking for something similar, but the pick above isn’t quite right, try these alternatives: Garmin Fenix 5 ($550) | Casio Protrek ($500)

Wildsam Field Guides

When I graduated college, I couldn’t wait to explore every city in the US. From New York to Boston to Austin to San Francisco, I wanted to go everywhere. When I had the chance to visit each city, I definitely didn’t look like a tourist, which can be hard to do when reading from a very obviously titled guidebook. That’s what I love about these books — there’s no obvious ‘I’m Visiting’ sticker on the front — so I can pretend to blend in. Each city guide contains poems, essays and recommendations by local experts, uniquely curated to give you a better feel for each location and leave you feeling like a local at the end of your 36 hours there. — Meg Lappe, Staff Writer

If you’re looking for something similar, but the pick above isn’t quite right, try these alternatives: Lost in Guides (~$15) | Wallpaper* City Guides ($12)

The James Brand County Pocket Knife

Graduation is a momentous occasion; a day that’s come to represent the transition into adulthood. And while the details of the actual ceremony will likely be forgotten, the day will be remembered forever. A good graduation gift will last just as long. A pocket knife is a good, symbolic choice, and the James Brand’s County is an elevated take on a classic blade. It’s built with a straight, plain-edge blade and a clipless handle made of wood and stainless steel. That’s pretty much it — no flash or gimmick, but plenty of timeless and understated style that’ll make it worth passing down to another grad generations later. — Tanner Bowden, Associate Staff Writer

If you’re looking for something similar, but the pick above isn’t quite right, try these alternatives: Opinel No. 8 Olive Wood ($35) | Santa Fe Stoneworks Wooly Mammoth Tusk and Turquoise ($160)

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