On this week’s episode of the RV Family Travel Atlas podcast, we are celebrating folks that are very dear to our hearts–small business owners across America that sell awesome RV products.
We put together a list of some of our favorite things, plus we crowdsourced recommendations from our listeners.
Tis the season for gift giving and we want to help you find awesome gifts from amazing small businesses. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a shopping strategy that helps you feel good while doing good.
Two quick notes…
- RVFTA listeners love gear and gift guides and we love recommended some of our favorite things. We hope to make your gift giving a bit more inspired and fun. However, we also know that the most important part of the holiday season is celebrating the blessings of family and friends. Spending time with loved ones is the best gift of all…so make sure you put that on your shopping list!
- We do use affiliate links if they are available for products that we use, love, and recommend. This means that if you choose to buy through our link, we earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Rest assured that 160% of those earning goes back into buying more gear to review.
Now onto the goodies…
Small Business Saturday Segment One: Small Businesses that We Love!
Camp Casual
Camp Casual launched back in 2014 (the same year as RVFTA!) and we love every single product that they put out. Their blankets have become the most popular item in our home, and our boys will fight over them mercilessly. The mugs are under $20 and would make a great stocking stuffer for your hubby or wife, or gift for your camping buddy.
See America
We have See America prints hanging in multiple rooms of our house from our favorite places we have visited around the country. All the prints are crowd-sourced, so there are many different styles of art to choose from. Our favorite artist is Matt Brass, and you should seriously check out his stuff (who also designed our RVFTA logo!).
You can also get mugs, totes, the very awesome See America Calendar that we buy every year for our home office.
Toas-Tite Pie Irons
We bought our first Toas-Tite about three years ago, and they are still one of our favorite campfire accessories. Cooking over the campfire is so much fun for kids, and Toas-Tites make it super tasty, too.
We do grilled cheese and pizzas most often, but the gift pack comes with creative recipe cards if you want to get fancy.
Brooke Birch Tea Shop
Podcast listener Angelita Bonita is renovating a vintage camper, and she has started a tea business to raise the necessary funds. We were lucky enough to sample a range of her tea blends and can’t wait to place our next order. Mint Medley, Sunshine in a Cup, and Nutritive Tea were our family favorites, but you can email Angelita at brookebirchtea@gmail.com for a complete tea list.
Andee Fagan’s Ravelry Shop
Andee Fagan creates knitting patterns that we would most certainly buy if either one of us knew how to knit. She created the “Going to the Mountains” hat pattern for our Tents for Troops fundraiser last year. Her site also has ear warmers, scarves, and sweaters. The Squish Starfish is a personal favorite. If you have a knitter on your list, a pattern and some yarn would be a lovely gift.
Luci Inflatable Solar Lights by MPowerd
Janine Pettit reviewed the Luci Inflatable Solar Lights over on the Girl Camper podcast, and we got to see them in action at her campsite. They are inflatable, waterproof solar LED lights perfect for the campground.
Luci Lights are made by the company Empowered, which has a strong social conscience and donates these lights to people around the world that do not have reliable electricity. They have donated over 65,000 lights to areas that have been recently affected by natural disasters. What a wonderful company to support with your gift list dollars!
Small Business Saturday Segment Two: Specialty Treats from Your Travels
One of the best things about travel is finding those small business treasures in towns and cities across America. Sometimes we forget that many of those shops also do a pretty lively shipping business online. We love to order treats from places we discovered over the past year of RV travel.
You should considering doing this, also. Think about the coffee, wine, beer, or food you enjoyed on one of your trips and make that your go-to gift for friends and coworkers this year.
I’m never in the mood to do Christmas shopping during the summer, nor do I want to cart around a bunch of gifts in my RV. No worries…just order online during the holiday season!
Here are some of our favorite travel finds that offer great online gift options…
Beanstock Coffee Roasters in Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Eastern Shore Coastal Roasting Company in Cape Charles, Virginia
Fiore Artisan Olive Oils and Vinegars in Bar Harbor, Maine
Chatham Vineyards on Church Creek in Machipongo, Virginia
Cape May Honey in Cape May, New Jersey
Cherry Republic in Glen Arbor, Michigan
Charleston House of Jerky in Charleston, South Carolina
Small Business Saturday Segment Three: Etsy for RVers
Let’s come clean right off the bat: neither of us is a big Etsy shopper by habit. But we stumbled upon the Making Something Happy Etsy shop over a year ago and were smitten with the dish towels and pillows.
In order to discover more hidden Etsy gems for the RV enthusiast, we reached out to our listeners in the RVFTA Facebook Group. Here are the crowd sourced recommendations…
Paper Giraffe Shop
The Paper Giraffe Shop has customizable printables that you can download, print, and frame. We love this as an affordable gift idea for the kids to give to Mom!
Lizzie Fish Signs
Lizzy Fish Signs has customizable camping rule signs. The wooden signs are a variety of sizes, and RVers can write any rules they want on them. Sit by the fire, nap everyday, relax, etc (or never stop moving, talk very loudly, and demand daily camp store ice cream in the case of our family).
Back Roads Mama
Some folks hate how standard sheets don’t fit RV bunks, and Back Roads Mama has a solution. This Etsy shop sells camper bunk sheets with very fashionable patterns and designs. They might even pass muster with your preteen.
Rustic Metal Head
Rustic Metal Head created metal work with RV themes, including wall art and tea light holders. The shops features A-frames, pop ups, tear drops, and class A items. We are suspecting custom designs might be available for folks with other RVs.
Sew Lost Design
Lots of camping and RV themed gifts can be found in the Sew Lost Design Etsy shop. One of our podcast listeners recommended the Class C keychain that they purchased recently.
The Crafty Camper Vinyl
Vinyl decals for your RV, camper, or tow vehicle are all the rage right now, and you can get your customized one at The Crafty Camper Vinyl Etsy shop.
Creative Designs 77
Many people purchase a customized sign for their campsite before they even go camping at their first campground. Creative Designs 77 has custom wood signs that are colorful and fun.
Black River Wood Shop
Black River Wood Shop is another place you can find a custom sign for your campsite. These are a bit more rustic and classic than the Creative Designs 77 ones, so check both sites out to find your personal favorite.
Birch Fabrics
Okay, this isn’t an Etsy shop, but enough podcast listeners gave it a thumbs up so we wanted to include it. Birch Fabrics has high quality fabrics with camping-themed designs. If you are crafty and like to make your own gifts, this might be a great place for inspiration.
We are so grateful for all the small businesses that have made our RV experience a little more fun or a bit more tasty over the years. Oftentimes the most special, thoughtful gifts come from unexpected discoveries during our RV journeys.
We hope our small business gift guide helps you find a bit of inspiration for delighting your loved one during the holiday season.
From our family to yours…a very happy holiday season!
Stephanie + Jeremy
A big thanks to our sponsors for supporting content for all our RV fools!
