Looking for a BIFL gift but don't know where to start your search? This guide aims to provide an overview of gift ideas for all kinds of people and price points.

Finding gifts is not always an easy task. Especially if you want to give something the other person will actually use and enjoy. In this guide we will cover gift ideas with one thing in common, they will not break easily and often even come with a lifetime warranty.

BIFL gifts for the explorer

1. A pocket tool

Every explorer might encounter situations where they need help with some challenge they encounter on their adventure. A Victorinox pocket knife is a lifesaver in these situations and is a great gift for young (and less young) adventurers. In case you are looking for a more expensive gift option, multi-tools such as a Leatherman can be sometimes be more versatile. This makes pocket multi-tools a great gift for any explorer who doesn’t own one yet.

2. A thermos or water bottle

Of course, anyone who likes to explore the world needs some way of carrying water, coffee, tea or even soup with them wherever they’re going. That’s why we certainly recommend a Nalgene water bottle if the person does not own one yet (but possibly even if they do they might want multiple). Their signature wide mouth plastic water bottles are the BIFL option when it comes to water bottles. For keeping drinks hot or cold for extended periods of time, gifting a Stanley thermos is the way to go. They are indestructible, hold heat very well, and are reasonably priced making them a great BIFL gift.

3. Luggage

In the more expensive segment for traveler’s gifts, luggage becomes an obvious choice. Everyone who travels often probably already has some luggage, but highly likely their luggage will break at some point due to it being of poor quality. Good luggage can be expensive, but expensive luggage is not necessarily good. Therefore we recommend looking into Briggs and Riley or the Travelpro Platinum Elite collection.

Instead of luggage, some explorers might benefit more from a good backpack. However, we would not recommend gifting a very high end, multi-day camping backpack to someone who has not fitted it once. If you do want to gift this, take the person to a quality camping store and go with them to fit their backpack. This can be a fun activity to connect and gift to teenager relatives.

For smaller backpacks, fitting is less important and there are lots of options available. Depending on the type of backpack, you probably want to start by look into Jansport, Osprey, L.L. Bean, or Fjällraven.

4. A high quality flashlight

A more out of the box option for the explorer is a flashlight. This might sound very boring, but a high quality flashlight is truly a big upgrade over all of the cheap ones out there. You can look into Fenix or Nitecore , or if you want do to dig really deep you can find everything you need over on r/flashlight.

BIFL gifts for the foodie

1. A cast iron pan

If you are only the slightest bit familiar with the BIFL community, you must know that they love cast iron cookware. But cliches exist for a reason and a cast iron pan is just one of these items that is truly indestructible. If you don’t know where to start your search, you can check out Lodge’s cast iron cookware, but just about any cast iron pan will be of high quality. Do be mindful that cooking in a cast iron pan requires some technique and therefore this gift is only fitting for people who like to experiment in the kitchen.

2. A chopping board

A chopping board is a top tier gift for most cooking enthousiasts. Most people go through so many chopping boards throughout the years, because they just don’t care enough to take some time and research which chopping board will actually last. There are definitely gradations in this, but the main point you should look out for is the material, look for thick wooden boards specifically.

On the cheaper end you can look into bamboo, which . If you are willing to spend a bit more on your gift, you can go for maple or walnut. John Boos is a good starting point for your search. If you want to make this a very special gift, you can also consider going to a workshop for a very custom experience.

A final thing to keep in mind with chopping boards, is that oiling it with mineral oil every so often can extend the lifetime by a lot, so gifting some food safe mineral oil with the board is a good idea.

3. A knife (sharpener)

This one is a bit more difficult if you don’t know the other person very well. Still, a chef’s knife can be that one gift that someone holds onto forever. If you don’t know where to start, you might want to take a look into our BIFL knife buying guide.

Alternatively, if you know the person already has a good knife or you don’t want to make the choice for them, you can consider gifting a knife sharpener. This can be as simple as gifting a whetstone for cheaper gifts or you could consider a set like the Lansky deluxe sharpening system.

4. Le Creuset cookware

At this point, we’ve come to the more expensive side of the BIFL gifts for foodies. Le Creuset is one of the top BIFL brands out there. They are known to make cookware that lasts not just a lifetime, but lasts multiple generations. Yes, they are expensive, especially for a gift. But if you have the budget and you know the other person loves cooking, then have a look around on their website and you will for sure find an awesome and durable gift.

5. A Vitamix Blender

At the top end of BIFL gifts for foodies, there is of course the Vitamix. I know, most people will not casually gift this, because they are very expensive. But that being said, they are worth every penny over the cheap alternatives that exist. The reason this is included in this list of gift ideas, is that this is a great gift for groups. Let’s say one of your friends get married, then you could consider gifting a combined gift with the rest of your friends and you can be confident that their Vitamix will stay with them for better or for worse.

BIFL gifts for the fashionista

1. A leather wallet

How many wallets have you gone through over the years? Our guess (from experience) is a lot. It’s actually not that hard to find a good wallet, but you have to do just a tiny bit of searching for the right one. Of course, the best material for a wallet is leather. But that doesn’t mean every leather wallet is good or every good wallet is made from leather. The best place to start you wallet search is Saddleback. For women specifically, you could also check Fossil. For non-leather options, check Freitag or Fjällraven.

2. Darn Tough socks

Yes, a pair of socks is often that boring Christmas gift if you don’t know what to get. But great socks is a gift that can be literally unforgettable. Darn Tough socks come with a lifetime warranty to ensure comfortable and warm feet for the rest of their life. And, on top of all that, you can get them with all kinds of timeless fashionable prints.

3. A durable belt

The only thing tougher than Darn Tough socks, is finding a gift for your dad or uncle. A high quality belt can be an option that they might really enjoy. A lot of high quality belts exist, check out Hanks Belts for leather belts or Grip6 for vegan and alternatively styled belts.

4. A pair of Birckenstocks

If you want to appeal to the true fashionista, then a pair of Birkenstocks is the way to go. Their signature sandals are a great fit for anyone who wants to be both comfortable and stylish in the summer.

Don’t want to gift sandals during the winter period? You’re in luck! Birkenstocks also makes cosy and warm winter slippers. Gifting a pair of Birkenstocks is gifting a lifetime of love to someones feet.

Other BIFL gift ideas

Some might argue these don’t really fit the ‘BIFL’ category, but we think these ideas also truly deserve to be on this list as they are awesome gifts and last a long time so here they are.

1. Books

Books are either a terrible gift or a great one. Gifting a book fits the BIFL philosophy in the sense that they are durable, but also in the sense that an interesting, fitting book can change someone for the rest of their life. So don’t gift what you want to read, gift what you think the other person wants to read. If you know the person you’re gifting to is into BIFL, then our guess is that books about minimalism may be a good starting point for your search.

2. Board games

Board games are definitely not for everyone, and even if a person is into board games, they can be a bit hit or miss. But if you know someone is into board games, and you are willing to look around a bit you can find a very fun and fitting gift. And we hopefully don’t have to convince you that they are BIFL, as you likely have some laying around which you inherited from your grandparents.

3. Workshops

This might be the most controversial one to add to a BIFL gift list, but gifting a fun experience or workshop can remain a memory forever.

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Written by dazf3865
July 24, 2024