5 minute read
The North Face quietly put out a collection this season that deserves way more attention than it’s getting. The Universal Collection was designed from the ground up with adaptive and parasport athletes, built around the idea that outdoor gear should be usable by everyone, not just the able-bodied default the industry has been designing for since forever. A tent with a low-threshold doorway that a wheelchair can roll into. A sleeping bag that opens with a magnet instead of a zipper. A daypack narrow enough to fit between wheelchair wheels.
Here’s what makes this such a good gift list: the same features that make these items accessible also make them genuinely better for anyone who uses them. A magnetic sleeping bag closure is easier for every half-asleep camper at 2 a.m. A hat you can secure with one hand is a gift to anyone holding coffee. Good universal design doesn’t compromise. It just works for more people.
If you have someone in your life who camps, travels, or has been asking around about adaptive outdoor gear, these five picks cover most of what they’d actually want. Prices range from $60 to $435, so there’s something for every budget.
Universal Wawona 3 Tent
Who it’s for: The camper who wants a base-camp tent that two adults, a mobility device, and a dog can all get in and out of without a fight.
This is a three-person car-camping tent built around a wide front doorway with a low threshold that’s wheelchair-accessible. The front vestibule fits two mobility devices or a pile of gear, there’s a dog-leash loop in the back for a guide dog or any other canine, and the three poles are interchangeable so you don’t have to decode a color-coded setup in the dark. Heavy gear for a heavy-hitting tent, but it sets up faster than most and it fits a life, not just a sleeping pad.
Universal One Bag
Who it’s for: Anyone who has ever fought a sleeping bag zipper in the middle of the night.
Instead of a zipper, this 20°F bag uses a magnetic FIDLOCK closure that clicks shut and pulls open with one hand. There’s no wrestling, no fabric snag, no fumbling in the dark. The folding-wing system gives you three warmth settings depending on conditions, and tactile silicone markers help you find the parts of the bag by touch. I own way too many sleeping bags. This is the only one I’ve seen that rethinks the zipper problem seriously, and it’s the gift that’ll get used every trip.
SHOP ON THE NORTH FACE – $270+
Universal Daypack
Who it’s for: The commuter, day-hiker, or wheelchair user who wants one pack that does everything without feeling like a compromise.
Twenty liters, a 15-inch laptop sleeve, water-resistant body fabric, and a magnetic main closure that opens one-handed. The pack is built narrow so it fits between wheelchair wheels, and extended webbing straps let it attach directly to most chairs. The torso length adjusts to a range of body sizes, tactile trims help you locate zippers and straps by feel, and there’s a big padded grab handle on top. It’s the rare daypack at this price that feels considered from every angle.
Universal Design Traction Mules
Who it’s for: The camper who’s tired of picking the right slipper for the right foot at 5 a.m.
These look like the camp slippers The North Face has made for years, except either shoe fits either foot. No left, no right. That sounds small until you’ve fumbled around a dark tent looking for the match. Add the insulated upper and grippy rubber outsole and you’ve got something that works for a guide walking across gravel at dawn, a kid running to the bathroom, or a parent stepping out for firewood. Sixty-five bucks for what might be the most thoughtfully simple camp shoe I’ve tried.
Universal Horizon Convertible Brimmer Hat
Who it’s for: Hikers, travelers, and anyone who’s lost a sun hat to a crosswind.
The sneaky-smart piece of the collection. It converts between brimmer and bucket styles, and the chin strap can be adjusted and locked in place with one hand. That matters if you’re juggling trekking poles, a camera, a wheelchair push, or a cup of coffee. Add sun protection and a packable build and you have a gift that costs sixty dollars and gets worn on every single trip after it lands.
Picking gear from the Universal Collection means picking gear that was stress-tested against the hardest usability problems in the outdoor category, which is the same reason it makes such good gift material. Anyone who camps, hikes, commutes, or travels benefits from a hat you can strap one-handed, a sleeping bag that opens with a magnet, or a pack that’s been redesigned from the frame up. If you liked this round-up and want more ideas like it, check out my other gift guides for a few more picks worth considering.
