Photo by Sam Edwards via iStock
With a $5,000 budget, you can bestow upon your favorite overlanding enthusiast quite the gift. Or, if you’re so inclined, you can give them several gifts!
The point is that with a budget like this, the possibilities for holiday gift-giving are off the charts. You can give a game-changing gift like an upgraded rooftop tent, a new truck topper, or an off-road lighting package, to name just a few options.
Below, I’ve listed just a few of my favorite overlanding and off-roading gifts under $5,000. Check it out!
SMRT Summit Suite 2.0 Rooftop Tent
This three-person rooftop tent is the ultimate in luxury for your camping adventures. With room for three people, you can bring your significant other and your loyal dog or have a friend’s trip with a couple of buddies and have plenty of room to get a good night’s rest.
This tent is extremely well made, as you’d expect from SMRT. The canopy is made from 280g ripstop canvas, while the floor of the tent is honeycomb aluminum. Additionally, the Summit Suite has high-quality weatherstripping to ensure a tight seal between the upper and lower shells when the tent is closed. Likewise, the tent features stainless-steel hardware that resists corrosion and offers long-term durability. Like I said, this sucker is well-built!
Getting in and out of the tent is made easier with the 8.53-foot telescopic ladder. Not only can the ladder be adjusted to varying heights, but there are also two sets of mounting brackets so you can adjust where the ladder attaches to the tent. The tent has three doors, so you have plenty of options for ingress and egress!
Inside, you’ll find a three-inch EPS open-cell foam mattress that’s firm yet adapts to your body. The mattress is water-resistant and has a removable cover for easy cleaning when you get home from your adventures.
SMRT did a great job designing the interior storage of the tent. There’s two internal pockets for items like headlamps and cell phones, plus a large mesh storage pocket on the ceiling for bigger items like clothing. There’s also two shoe bags to keep your dirty kicks contained.
When the tent is closed, it’s just 6.3-inches thick, which reduces drag while you’re on the road. The flat roof is also a perfect spot for your solar panels!
At the end of the day, SMRT has thought of everything with the Summit Suite. You’ve got a comfortable place to rest, plenty of storage, and a well-built tent that will last for years and years to come. Add in space for your friends, easy setup, and an array of compatible accessories, and you have the makings of the perfect overlanding tent and the perfect holiday gift idea for the overlanding enthusiast in your life (or for yourself!).
Learn more about the SMRT Summit Suite
RLD Design Cap for 2020+ Jeep Gladiator
Jeeps are hugely popular among the overlanding and off-roading crowd, and for good reason. Jeep has a long tradition of off-roading excellence, durability, and utility. That’s why I bought a Gladiator!
One of the best holiday gifts you can give a Gladiator owner is a cap for the truck bed. Having that space secure and enclosed offers so much more utility than an open bed. For my money, it’s hard to beat the RLD Design cap.
These caps are built like tanks. For example, they’re five-axis press bent and TIG welded stainless steel. Then the cap is powder-coated to enhance its longevity and durability. What’s more, the construction of the cap makes it enormously strong – it has a dynamic load capacity of 700 pounds!
But the construction isn’t the only impressive thing about this cap. It comes with features that make it far more useful for overlanding and off-road situations, like rear and side doors for easy access.
Additionally, RLD Design offers optional paint matching, so the cap perfectly blends with your loved one’s Gladiator.
You can also choose from a long list of accessories to make the cap even more functional. For example, RLD Design offers side windows, driver’s and passenger side cabinets, and a rail slider kit. You can also choose to delete the back window.
At the end of the day, you want to give a gift that will stand the test of time while providing utility for your loved one. The RLD Design cap for 2020+ Jeep Gladiators certainly fits the bill!
Learn more about the RLD Design Cap for 2020+ Jeep Gladiator
KC HiLites Off-Road Light Package
KC HiLites make some of the best off-roading lights on the market. If your loved one needs more lights on their rig, you can give them all the lights they can handle with a $5,000 budget!
Up top, you can give them the KC HiLites Gravity Pro 6 LED Light Bar. This 50-inch model comes with eight lights (each of which has spot, driving, and wide-40 beam patterns), all the mounting hardware, and a plug-and-play wiring harness that makes installation a breeze. You also get the classic black and yellow “KC” light covers.
These lights are supremely bright and offer enhanced safety when driving at night on tough trails. Even on the darkest of nights, this light bar offers all the additional lighting power your loved one needs to safely navigate off-road trails.
Complementing the roof-mounted light bar are the KC HiLites Gravity G4 fog lights. These four-inch round LED fog lights put out 866 lumens per light, giving your loved one yet another super bright option for lighting their way.
Both lights have gravity reflective diode technology that helps control the beam of light better and helps it reach further into the night as well.
Likewise, these lights are fully self-contained, sealed, and IP 68-rated, so they can get wet, muddy, or both with no concern about damage. That’s exactly what you want for lights that bear the brunt of off-road adventures!
A final component of an ideal off-roading lighting package is the KC Flex ERA 3 pair of lights.
These lights are perfectly designed for installation on the A-pillar of your loved one’s vehicle. Their small form factor won’t impede forward vision, yet they still put out a ton of light thanks to their high-output design.
These lights have replaceable lenses and trim in case they suffer damage on the trail. They also have independent amber LED backlighting, thermal LED protection, and an IP 68 rating to help prevent damage.
Each of these lights can be tailored to specific vehicles, so be sure to check compatibility with your loved one’s rig before hitting the buy button.
Learn more about the Gravity Pro 6 LED Light Bar, Gravity G4 fog lights, and KC Flex ERA 3 from KC HiLites.
SMRT The Softshell Rooftop Tent
If the overlanding enthusiast on your holiday shopping list needs to upgrade their rooftop tent, but the Summit Suite isn’t quite their style, the SMRT The Softshell is a great option.
The Softshell offers space for four people, so it’s a little larger than the aforementioned SMRT Summit Suite. It’s also a three or four-season tent, so it can be used for warm summer trips, cold winter trips, and everything in between.
One of the best features of this tent is that it was made with universality in mind. Its lightweight construction makes it an ideal choice for all kinds of vehicles, and the universal mounting capabilities make it compatible with a wide range of rail systems and roof racks. Additionally, the double-reinforced mountain tracks give the tent excellent strength and rigidity no matter the mounting application.
The body of the tent is made from 320g ripstop polycotton canvas. The polyurethane-coated seams add waterproofing and UV protection, while the 420-denier oxford ripstop polyester rainfly is mold-resistant and mildew-resistant thanks to its waterproof PVC coating.
Other exterior features include a 650-denier waterproof PVC-coated travel cover, a honeycomb aluminum base with a one-millimeter aluminum diamond plate, and a 7.55-foot telescoping ladder that easily adjusts to different heights.
The interior of The Softshell tent continues the theme of being a well-made, durable tent. The 25-millimeter aluminum poles provide a sturdy structure, while the plethora of storage (four internal pockets, two shoe bags, and a base-mounted cargo net) keeps your gear neatly organized.
The tent comes with a 2.5-inch ultra-high density EPS open-cell foam mattress that’s wider than a queen and longer than a king. You’ll find the mattress is firm to the touch, but as soon as you lay down, it adapts to the contours of your body for a comfortable night’s rest. The mattress doesn’t require an anti-condensation mat, either, because the removable cover has a 420-denier oxford ripstop waterproof fabric on the bottom.
When your loved one hits the road, you want them to have everything they need for a safe, comfortable trip. Well, The Softshell Tent from SMRT can certainly fit that mold!
This tent is big yet lightweight, heavy-duty yet easy to set up, and packed with features and amenities. Its compatibility with many cars, trucks, and SUVs means that it’s a great option for all sorts of overlanding setups. All that’s left to do is hit that buy button, and you’ll have a fantastic holiday gift for your loved one!
Learn more about the SMRT The Softshell
Cutco Homemaker + 8 Set with Block and 60-Pc. Stainless Flatware Set
A lifestyle gift idea you might consider for the overlanding enthusiast on your holiday shopping list is a good set (a really good set) of knives. On the one hand, having a well-made and durable chef’s set allows you to prepare meals more easily before a big overlanding trip. On the other hand, a 60-piece flatware set gives you all the tools you need to have overlanding buddies over for a BBQ!
And as far as cutlery goes, nobody beats Cutco…
I’ve had some really good knives over the years, but the Cutco knives I recently got put all the previous ones to shame. The quality of these knives and the attention to detail is second-to-none.
The Homemaker + 8 Set with Block features 8 table knives plus ten essential cutlery items for the home kitchen. This includes:
- Paring knife
- Trimmer
- Spatula spreader
- Petite carver and 9-inch carer
- Petite chef
- Slicer
- Butcher knife
- Turning fork and carving fork
Additionally, the set comes with a medium cutting board and a honey or cherry finish oak block. So, whether you have friends over for Thanksgiving or the overlanding enthusiast on your list needs the proper tools to cook for a crowd at the campground, this set will do the job!
The 60-Piece Stainless Flatware Set might be overkill for an overlanding rig, but it’s certainly worth having at home for those big holiday gatherings.
This set includes salad and dinner forks, teaspoons and soup spoons, and table knives for 12 people. The included flatware storage chest accommodates all the flatware I just mentioned and has room for other Cutco accessories, too. The chest is beautifully made, so that’s a nice bonus!
I have numerous Cutco products that I got from the “Cutco Lady,” Dorothy Dunn, after I spoke with her at an event here in Southern California earlier this year. Dorothy’s knowledge of Cutco products and her passion for equipping people with the proper gear was as impressive as the quality of the products I purchased! I’m sure you’ll find the quality of these products quite impressive as well.
Learn more about the Cutco Homemaker + 8 Set with Block and the Cutco 60-Piece Stainless Flatware Set