Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

Mother's Day is almost here and if you need ideas for gifts for your adventurous mom, look no further – we've got gifts and adventures here starting at under $20 and something on the list is sure to make your mom smile.

Under $20

http://www.MyTopo.com is the place where you can make Mom a personalized map of her favorite place – that summer cabin, that lake where she and dad honeymooned, the rapids she ran, her favorite camping area, her home neighborhood, her favorite hunting area, or even her favorite trail. The gift of a map can be sentimental and practical at the same time! We have a large collection of MyTopo maps (mostly AZ Hunt Unit maps) and they are waterproof, UV fade resistant, and tear resistant, and come in a range of sizes.

A custom map of Margie's Peak in Arizona (because of my name!) is 24 x 36 inches and just $16.95. Create your own map online at mytopo.com and choose size, area, rolled, folded – all kinds of possibilities. All kinds of maps available ready-made or custom.

http://www.survivalfrog.com has a ton of great survival gear, and any outdoor mom will appreciate a Kaito KA208 pocket-sized portable radio. It costs less than $20 and it's an am/fm radio that includes a set of earphones. This little radio is easy to carry or clip to your other gear, and also functions as an alarm clock. The best part – it's only about the size of a deck of cards and weighs just four ounces. Takes 2 AAA batteries. Get her a set of rechargeable triple A's and a little solar charger and she'll be ready for anything!

http://www.swab-its.com has unique durable foam swabs in a variety of shapes and sizes for tons of uses – gun cleaning, gear cleaning, painting, crafts, cleaning printers and other gear – they are great for getting into cracks and crevices. Swab-its are cleanable and reusable, so they're really practical. A Swab-its Hobby Tips 20-Piece Premium Applicator Kit for crafting, face painting, rock painting – you name it – is only $15.99 right now – that's $9 off.

More gift ideas for under $20 include a gaiter to protect Mom's neck and face from the sun, a sun hat, a cool visor, insulated water bottle, a book about edible plants in her area, or even a Boy Scout Handbook – they are chock full of survival and outdoor savvy.

$20 - $50

www.stansport.com has the ideal gift for the camping mom - a Balboa Packable Cotton Blend Hammock. These sturdy hammocks are just $30.99 and include a stuff sack. They have a weight capacity of 250 pounds and are nice, breathable cotton to keep Mom cool while she's dozing in the shade of the trees. Ropes are included and they are good and strong.

www.Fenixlighting.com offers the Fenix CL23 Camping Lantern in red or green. It's a multi-directional lightweight camping lantern that takes three AA batteries and produces max 300 lumens. It has three brightness levels and is just $39.95 with an extra O-ring to boot. One of the great features of this lantern is the multiple-direction lighting for camping and tent. There are two light sources – white and red, and it has reverse polarity protection to protect it if the batteries are inserted the wrong way.

This little lantern is rain resistant and in an emergency can be powered by just one or two batteries. While you're on the Fenixlighting.com website, be sure to check out all their other lighting products. They make first-rate flashlights, headlamps, and bike lights, too. Be sure to check out their E01 V2.0, E02R (my favorite – a rechargeable EDC flashlight) and E12 V2.0 – these are all small flashlights that will easily fit in her purse.

Gaia Maps Subscription

Mom will never wander off on the wrong road again, even off-road, if she has a subscription to Gaia GPS. A Gaia Maps subscription (buy it in the app or online at http://www.gaiagps.com ) is $40 for a year and allows you to use Gaia maps offline. These maps give you a variety of layers to choose from, and here's the absolute best part - if you have a http://www.trailsoffroad.com membership also, you can upload off-road trailmaps to your Gaia app and stream them to your car screen on newer models – awesome!

We bought both subscriptions and we are loving it. We upload Trailsoffroad.com trail maps to Gaia and they are shown in green on the Gaia app. You can drop waypoints and record your trip and all kinds of cool stuff. We stream the Gaia app to the screen on our Jeep, and it makes it so easy to follow the trail – you know how hard that is sometimes. A membership to Trailsoffroad.com is just $25 for all access.

$50 -$100 Adventures

(I have gone on all of these adventures, so I can personally vouch for them.)

Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course

One of the most fun days we've had with our grandkids (teenagers), was doing the Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course. Prices start at $55 for adults, and it takes approximately four hours to complete the course. You get a half hour of instruction, and the course starts easy, then gets harder and higher up in the pine trees.

It's an absolute blast and makes you feel like Indiana Jones. Buy Mom a ticket and go with her. They also have Adventure Ziplines starting at $55, and that course takes around two hours. A Datenight zipline ticket is $58 for two people. http://www.flagstaffextreme.com

A Trip Down The Verde River

Another fabulous adventure is a trip down the Verde River with the Clarkdale Kayak Company – a guided, 2-1/2 hour kayak trip that covers three and a half miles of river - gorgeous. Total time with shuttle from Main Street Café (included) is about 3-1/2 hours and the price is $81.40 for adults plus 9.85% tax and town permit fee of $8.50. Really, this was so much fun – very peaceful at times and very exciting at others. We had an absolute blast. Mom will love it! http://www.clarkdalekayak.com.

Verde Canyon Railroad

We took the Verde Canyon Railroad with our best friends (we met them on a trip down the Colorado River). This train ride takes you through some gorgeous country and gives you views of the Verde River canyon that you won't get to see any other way. It's absolutely gorgeous, especially in spring or fall. We saw all kinds of wildlife from the train, include a bear, and we saw old cliff dwellings too.

The cabins are so comfortable and it's just $99 for an adult first class ticket, which includes living-room style seating and panoramic windows, individually packaged snacks, and bottled water. All of the train cars connect to open-air viewing platforms, which is where we ended up spending most of the time. You can go from side to side so you don't miss anything, and get great photos. The trip takes about 3-1/2 hours round trip to Perkinsville and back. We absolutely loved it. http://www.verdecanyonrr.com.

Gift $50-$100

Worried about your spunky mom traipsing around by herself? Why not get her a LifeShield ® Self Defense Kit with Stun Gun, Pepper Spray, Personal Alarm and Carrying case for $69.97?You can get one at http://www.survivalfrog.com. Great for moms who are not comfortable with guns – it's non-lethal and gives you time to get away. The kit is compact so Mom can carry all three in her purse or bag. The stun gun is just 4.15 x 2.15 x 1 inch so she can keep it in her hand or pocket. The alarm can attach to mom's keys or the outside of her purse. Survival Frog has lots of other gear, too. Check them out.

Splurges $200-$400

Gosun.com Sport

My dad was camp chef when I was growing up, but I have taken over that responsibility and I really enjoy it. One of the things on my wishlist is a Gosun.com Sport – it's their fastest solar oven and it cooks 2-3 meals in just 20 minutes under direct sun. Light and compact so you can take it anywhere, and it quickly reaches up to 550 degrees F.

The Sport costs $219, and it's great for preppers moms and camping moms – she can cook even when fires are prohibited, and cook without smoke or power – great for those annoying power outages, too.www.gosun.com.

Garmin InReach Mini

Swab-its will help Mom keep all her gear clean.

John and I have a Garmin InReach Mini because our adventures take us out in the boonies just about every week. If we had a breakdown or something and needed to get hold of help, it's a long hike up a mountain to try to get cell service.

The InReach Mini is $350, plus just under $14/month for a subscription. It allows you to send a certain number of text messages per month, and you can enter a set of numbers you want it to reach, like your kids or someone else who won't mind driving a few hundred miles to help you get out of the mud. LOL! Seriously, the InReach Mini gives us immense peace of mind, and our kids, too. You can find one at http://www.garmin.com. They also have a ton of other great products for outdoor adventurers, including sport watches, GPS units, trackers, etc.

She'll Love One Of These

I'm willing to bet your mom would love to have one of these gifts or adventures, so get online and start shopping.