2023 Holiday Gift Guides: Gifts for the Explorer
These hand-picked holidays gifts are perfect for the explorer in your life! Inspire them with the tales of intrepid explorers who have come before them, a gorgeous photography collection of the American West, pocket knives and tactical watches to use on the trails, and new journals to fill with stories of their favorite trips.
Whether they are chronicling a bold adventure, or quietly sketching at home, this stunning leather Yellowstone National Park Journal will remind all explorers of a place they love. The makers of this journal hand select each full-grain hide from Seidel Tannery, etch the leather with a 1950 map of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, then stitch and finish it in their Milwaukee studio. A great gift!
1859 "Map of the United States of America, the British Provinces, Mexico ..." by J. H. Colton
This massive wall map was published in 1859; after the Mexican-American War and during the height of gold prospecting and mining in the west and the influx of new settlers. Roads between major cities crisscross the states, as well as famous exploration and travel routes. (Captain Randolph Marcy’s 1849 route from Arkansas to New Mexico then back across Texas appears on the map, as well as the Comanche Trail south into the Mexican State of Coahuila.) This map is sure to inspire and delight any explorers and intrepid travelers on your list.
Ernest Haas: The American West Coffee Table Book
A large and impressive compendium, Ernest Haas: The American West features stunning photography by Ernest Haas with a forward by Paul Lowe. This collection of striking color images from the American West is both a moving national portrait as well as a celebration of analog color photography from an undisputed genius of the form.
F. V. Hayden's Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado and Portions of Adjacent Territory is an unmatched geological record for its time. Published by the Department of the Interior in 1877, the Atlas of Colorado consists of twenty double-elephant sized sheets. This meticulous survey was the only one of a single state or territory ever completed in such depth. Hayden’s scientific research made Colorado the most intensively studied place in the entire West. An exceptional gift.
Pony Tracks in the Buffalo Trail by Frederic Remington, Chromolithograph, Circa 1910
Although born, raised, and educated on the East Coast, Frederic Remington (1861-1909) achieved considerable success as America’s leading illustrator of life on the western frontier. Accompanying both factual news reports and colorful fictional tales, Remington's pictures delighted and informed an East Coast populace hungry for information of the new frontier. Remington traveled west repeatedly, and greatly admired the rough and intrepid cowboys and soldiers he met there. The print was issued as one of six color plates in "Artist's Proofs: Six Remington Paintings in Colors," published by P. F. Collier, in 1910.
Kobold Arctic Diver Titanium Polished Watch with Gray Nylon Strap
The Arctic Diver is one of the toughest and most reliable Kobold watches ever built. Its 44.5mm case features an extra-thick, domed sapphire crystal, a triple-sealed, screw-locked crown, and an extra-thick stainless steel caseback. An internal secondary case made from soft-iron shields the Swiss-made automatic movement from magnetic interference (up to 80,000 A/m). In 2020, Kobold began working on a version of the Arctic Diver using aerospace-grade titanium as the material for the outer case. This is watch is the first Arctic Diver model to have a titanium outercase, presented in DLC-coated black. Looks great on the wrist and performs in the most extreme of conditions.
Leather Dopp KitThis stunning handmade men's leather Dopp Kit is built to stand the test of time, like the one grandpa used for decades. It is perfectly sized to fit all your travel accessories-- you'll be surprised how much it can hold. The Dopp Kit is made of premium Horween full-grain leather with robust stitching, ensuring many years of service, guaranteed.
Adventures in the Wilds of the United States and British American Provinces by Charles Lanman, First American Edition, Two Volume Set, 1856The 1856 book chronicles Charles Lanman's travels and his hunting and fishing excursions in North America in the 1830s and 1840s. The book includes a trip to the head of the Mississippi, a tour of the river Saguenay in Canada, hunting in the Allegheny mountains, an excursion in western Maryland and Virginia, and a trip from Washington to Florida, New Orleans and back up the Mississippi. Lanman meant for this work to act as "a kind of cyclopedia of American scenery, personal adventure, and of traveling incidents, calculated to exhibit the manners and customs of our people, and interest the lovers of natural history and the various arts of sporting." A truly inspiring tale for any travel enthusiast.
Vintage Garden of the Gods Postcards by Hook Photo, 1890
The Garden of the Gods red rock formations were created during a geological upheaval along a natural fault line millions of years ago, and continue to delight Colorado locals and visitors to this day. A super cool piece of art for the wall, these three vintage cabinet card photographs of the Garden of the Gods date back to the 1890s. The sepia toned photographs capture views of the Gateway, the Ruins of Montezuma’s Temple, and the park’s iconic rocky formations.
Woolly Mammoth Tooth 4" Damascus Steel Double Sided Linerlock Knife
This Woolly Mammoth Tooth 4" Damascus Steel Linerlock Pocket Knife features a knife handle with a section of a tooth from an actual Woolly Mammoth – one that lived around 15,000 years ago. The knife incorporates a 4" Damascus Steel blade. Damascus Steel is characterized by its strength, edge-holding ability, and its dramatic appearance. As beautiful as it is functional!
