Road tripping is a fantastic way to explore incredible outdoor spaces throughout the country, but the right gear is crucial to make long road trips more comfortable and fun. This guide to the best road trip gifts will help you find the perfect present for your favorite nomad who loves to hit the open road and explore.
From a handy packable backpack to a cool compressible puffy blanket to the ultimate road trip gift basket, you’ll find great road trip gifts for anyone here.
This post will break out this list of best road trip gifts into 6 sections:
Best Road Trip Gifts Under $25
Road Trip Snack Gifts
Road Trip Entertainment Gifts
Road Trip Safety Gifts
Cozy Comfort Road Trip Gifts
Ultimate Road Trip Gift Basket
While this gift guide will definitely help you find the perfect road trip gifts for your favorite nomad, don’t stress out too much. Most road trip lovers will truly appreciate any gift that makes their road trip better from something practical like a car phone charger to their favorite snack.
Please note: The below post contains affiliate links.
BEST ROAD TRIP GIFTS UNDER $25
1. EDDIE BAUER STOWAWAY PACKABLE BACKPACK
The Eddie Bauer Stowaway Packable Backpack is the ideal little bag to bring on a road trip to keep the important things nearby during your drive. Our She Dreams of Alpine Content Manager Kate absolutely adores her Stowaway Backpack and brings it with her on every road trip she takes (and she takes a lot of climbing road trips).
The 20L Stowaway features two front zippered pockets for essentials and two side mesh pockets for things like water bottles or extra socks. The whole backpack also packs down into itself when you want to store it and save space.
Buy the Eddie Bauer Stowaway Packable Backpack Here
2. KULA CLOTH
When you’re on a road trip, you never know exactly what the bathroom situation will be, so trust me, a Kula Cloth will be appreciated by anyone who squats to pee.
Whether you have to pull over on the side of the road or end up in a public bathroom or pit toilet without TP, the Kula Cloth lets you wipe instead of drip dry. It’s an antimicrobial pee cloth that can easily be attached to a bag and snapped shut to keep things clean.
You can hang it outside to air dry when you stop during your road trip, then wash it when you have access to a sink. Kula Cloths come in a huge variety of fun patterns, so you’ll be able to find the right one for your road tripper.
Buy a Kula Cloth Here
3. GOGIRL
When you gotta go, you gotta go…but sometimes when you’re on the road, there’s nowhere to go. The GoGirl comes in handy if you need to just pull over and pee or if the bathroom you found is not exactly, well, clean. Combining the GoGirl with a Kula cloth would make a great road trip gift for women.
Buy the GoGirl Here
4. HOTOR CAR TRASHCAN
It’s easy to accumulate a lot of trash in your vehicle during a road trip, so a car trash can would make an excellent practical road trip gift. The Hotor Car Trash Can is well-designed to fit in most vehicles, and it has a lid to keep everything contained. Plus, it’s collapsible to get it out of the way when you don’t need it, and it has mesh side pockets for convenient storage.
Buy Hotor Car Trash Can Here
5. ANKER USB CAR CHARGER
Everyone needs to keep their phones charged on a road trip, and this convenient car charger has both a USB-A and a USB-C port, so you can charge newer devices quickly while still being able to charge older devices as well.
Buy the Anker USB Car Charger Here
6. ANKER POWERCORE PORTABLE PHONE CHARGER
It’s also nice to have a good portable charger when you get out of the car for road trip stops. The Anker Powercore is my favorite portable charger, since it’s small but powerful and holds several charges.
Buy the Anker Powercore Portable Phone Charger Here
7. COMPACT MICROFIBER TOWEL
A microfiber towel is a great thing to stash in the car for a road trip. If you need to wash your hands or spill something, this is the perfect little thing for drying off. This one comes with a case to keep it clean when you’re not using it.
Buy a Compact Microfiber Towel Here
8. UCO PIKA LANTERN
This little lantern/flashlight combo would make a great road trip gift. You never know when you might need a little more light on a road trip – something falls down under the seat, you’re parked and don’t want to leave the car on, etc. The UCO Pika Lantern stands on end for hands-free lighting, but can also be used like a flashlight when you need it (plus, it can charge other USB devices).
Buy the UCO Pika Lantern Here
GRAB MY [FREE] OUTDOOR BACKPACKER STARTER KIT
I created the Ultimate Outdoor Backpacker Starter Kit for you (and it's FREE)! This starter kit is filled with 14 pages of my best hiking and backpacking tips to help you learn what it takes to become a safe, confident, and self-sufficient outdoor backpacker!
ROAD TRIP SNACK GIFTS
9. NALGENE WATER BOTTLE
Nothing beats a classic Nalgene for a water bottle when you need to stay hydrated. However, the wide-mouth Nalgene can be quite a challenge to drink from while driving or riding in a car. So if you’re giving the road trip gift of a Nalgene, add on a Nalgene Easy Sipper, which attaches to the mouth to make it easier to drink from a smaller opening.
Buy a Nalgene Water Bottle Here
Buy a Nalgene Easy Sipper Here
10. YETI RAMBLER TRAVEL MUG
Many road trippers are fueled by coffee, and the Yeti Rambler Travel Mug is the perfect coffee vessel for the car. The Rambler is insulated and designed to fit in a cupholder. Plus, it has a locking slider lid that’s easy to open but prevents spills. And it comes in a variety of colors, so you can pick the right one for a road trip gift.
Buy the Yeti Rambler Travel Mug Here
11. KATE’S REAL FOOD BARS
You gotta have snacks on a road trip, and Kate’s Real Food Bars are my favorite snack these days. They’re tasty and definitely feel like a healthier option than a lot of gas station impulse buy snacks. :) A variety pack would be a much-appreciated road trip gift!
Buy Kate's Real Food Bars Here
12. MSR SPORKS
When you’re enjoying road trip meals, it’s super handy to have a spork (or a few) stashed in the car. If you get that gas station salad and forget to grab a fork, you can still eat! I like the MSR sporks because they’re collapsible, and a four-pack would make a great road trip gift.
Buy MSR Sporks Here
13. STASHER BAGS
Keep your road trip snacks fresh with reusable Stasher Bags. These silicone bags come in a variety of sizes to store sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookies, and more while on-the go. Get a multi-pack for a great road trip gift!
Buy Stasher Bags Here
14. BEE’S WRAP
Another great way to keep food fresh on the road is with Bee’s Wrap. This wax wrap will cover any meals or snacks that you don’t finish right away so you can keep them fresh when you get hungry later in the middle of a long stretch of driving.
Buy Bee's Wrap Here
15. YETI ROADIE 24 COOLER
You definitely need a good cooler on a road trip for beverages and more. If you want to splurge on a gift for your favorite road tripper, go for the Yeti Roadie 24 Cooler, which is small enough to not take up too much space in the car but big enough to fit a bottle of wine upright – and the Yeti Cooler keeps things super cold!
The REI Cool Haul 18 Soft Cooler is a cheaper option that is great for getting out of the car, since it has a shoulder strap and handles. It’s also got a daisy chain to attach other things (like sporks!), and even includes an attached bottle opener.
Buy the Yeti Roadie 24 Cooler Here
Buy the REI Cool Haul 18 Soft Cooler Here
