I hate the product recommendation industrial complex. Mostly because it funnels so much consumer money to one shitty company in particular, but I don’t really think that journalists or news orgs should make money from affiliate links at all. It doesn’t seem particularly unbiased or objective of them. It gives me the ick.
Plus, most of us have too much stuff already!
And yet every year around this time I start pouring over gift guides anyway because it’s nice to give things to people you love to show them you love them, and gift guides can be really helpful! And fun. Shopping and buying things can unfortunately be all too fun.
I also believe that there are people and places to buy from that are less evil than others, and I’d like to encourage that, if possible. Anyway, here are some things I like. Maybe you or your loved one would also like something here? No affiliate links allowed—the only way I make money on this newsletter is if you subscribe.
Sending the newsletter out a bit early this week to try to beat the Black Friday advertising onslaught. Will be back in your inboxes in December.
For walkers/hikers/travelers:
I love my two High Tail Designs fanny packs. I got the small one in white when it was the only size available and another one in pink when they started making a larger size that can fit a water bottle, and I swap them out depending on where I’m going and how much I need to carry. They work great as a standalone bag for city walks or worn with a hiking backpack. I like using a separate fanny pack instead of sewn-in hip pockets so I can drop my backpack and slack-pack up to summits or viewpoints and still bring snacks, water, my phone, wallet, camera, etc. We can also vouch for their stuff sacks. I’ve bought two for E, including this one, which is a collaboration with artist Hannah Beimborn. A small, thru-hiker founded company in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwest Virginia, High Tail works with a rotating cast of artists who receive 15% of the proceeds from the sale of their designs. Stuff sacks from $26; fanny packs from $63. hightaildesigns.com
I’ve been wearing the same zip-off hiking pants from North Face since I was 15, but when the stitching on the crotch started to fray and pull apart, I told my mom to buy me the Hikerkind Trousers for Christmas last year, and I love them. They were chic and durable and light enough to wear on my reporting trip to Chile this February and on all of our backpacking trips this year. (I also love the look and feel of the midlayer, which I’ve tried on, but I don’t need it, so I don’t own it.) Made in NYC from recycled materials. Hikerkind is a small Brooklyn-based company owned and operated by two women. $168. Up to size 3X. hikerkind.com
Wardrobe basics & essentials for everyone
For frequent travelers or anyone looking for capsule wardrobe staples, I am obsessed with our IJJI canvas work jackets. We love the super deep pockets, which can fit: a bottle of wine, a magazine folded in two, a book or two, a sandwich. (I also own a pair of IJJI shorts, a t-shirt, and a pair of green denim pants, which are my go-to trousers for work events.) If I only had one jacket to wear for the rest of my life, this would be it. IJJI is a small and sustainable genderless clothing label made in LA. $195. Up to size XXL. ijji.co
I have talked to my friends so loudly and so enthusiastically about my ARQ high-rise underwear that one of them made me a friendship bracelet that says “BIG PANTIES.” Now I shop once a year during the annual sale and just load my cart up with the colors and patterns on deepest discount. I love the ultra high-rise style but with mid-rise pants coming back in I’m diversifying my drawers with other silhouettes. I also like the wide-strap bra and love the crop tank, which is what I would get someone if I didn’t want to buy them actual underwear (and I’d throw in a matching scrunchie for good measure). They also have gift cards, if you want to leave the selection up to the giftee. Sewn in the United States from certified organic, recycled, and/or deadstock materials. From $24. (Annual sale goes until Nov. 27, or while supplies last.) Up to size 4X. shoparq.com
Art for nature-lovers
One of my prized possessions is a lion study by artist (and family friend) Steve Nowatzki, whose work is about how human activity and environmental degradation threatens wildlife. Some of his pieces can almost bring you to tears, like the works inspired by Dante and Virgil, with the dodo Dante guiding Virgil the penguin into extinction. But if that’s too heartbreaking, I also really love “Owl Study,” “Piranha,” and “Breaking the Code,” a portrait of an elephant inspired by “an article about a scientist discovering that elephants communicate with low frequency acoustics.” From $55. stevenowatzki.com
Wood artist (and family friend) Steve Martin salvages fallen wood from native trees near his home, like red cedar, sassafras, cherry, hackberry, and black walnut, to make intricate, sculptural boxes with secret compartments(!). A former student of botany, many of the abstract shapes he designs are inspired by plant cell organelles. (I don’t own any of these but my mom does and they are lovely, functional pieces.) From $200. stevenmartinboxes.com
It should go without saying but I also wholeheartedly recommend anything made by my parents, Cecil and Lisa McKenzie. My mom is in the process of moving her office/photography studio/packing & shipping headquarters upstairs to the second bedroom (soon-to-be office), and once that happens I expect a big update on their Etsy storefront, which is currently a little bare.
For the avid or aspiring gardener:
It may be winter, but it’s not too soon to think about starting seeds for next year. My all-time favorite tomato seeds are the Bumble Bee Mix from Hudson Valley Seed Co. that I was gifted one year. The packaging from this company is absolutely gorgeous, too. Be sure you’re selecting the “art packs” if this is a gift (or even if it’s not, because they’re just so fun). From $4.79. hudsonvalleyseed.com
I don’t know how well Hudson Valley Seeds will do outside this region (New York) though, so it’s worth mentioning that my go-to seed store is the Seed Savers Exchange. The hot peppers I’ve gotten from there have been incredible, particularly the Fatalii Pepper, the hottest one they sell, and the beautiful, multicolored Aurora Pepper, which have both done well in containers. From $3.95. seedsavers.org
This may be a stretch, but if you know a gardener who doesn’t want, or can’t have, a traditional, open-air compost pile, I can also wholeheartedly recommend the expensive but compact Envirocycler Mini Composter. Made in America. $350. envirocycle.com
Small gifts and stocking stuffers:
Krafs Stuff Sack by allmansright (Bronx-based ultralight gear company). Hudson River Species Note Cards by James Prosek for Riverkeeper (sales support the organization’s advocacy for the Hudson River). No. 08 Stainless Steel Folding Knife by Opinel. A Kula Cloth (for hikers who squat when they pee). A Hiker Hairbrush or Ultralight Wallet or Dog Bowl by Chicken Tramper Gear (gear made by hikers, for hikers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan—I don’t own anything from this company yet but have been eyeing the hairbrush and wallet). Socks by Darn Tough (made in Vermont). Toe Socks by injinji (for the runner or hiker prone to blisters). Toe Socks by Creepers (haven’t tried these yet but I want to). Beans by Rancho Gordo. Audubon’s Bird Friendly Coffee. The novel Glassworks by my friend Olivia Wolfgang-Smith. Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by my former boss Virginia Sole-Smith (I had the privilege to contribute some very early research before I was hired by the Bulletin). And of course, a gift subscription to Pinch of Dirt:
This is an AWESOME gift guide and thank you so much for including FAT TALK! xx
My entire Christmas list right here! Thanks!