Brad Harvey: Christmas gifts with a sportsman in mind

With Thanksgiving now officially in our rearview mirror, Christmas is coming in a flash.

For many family members this creates a dilemma: what will make the perfect gift for their outdoorsman? This is especially true because most of us who hunt or fish have a bad habit of just getting something if we want it and have few items left for our wish lists.

Here’s a few suggestions for excellent gifts for the hunters in your life.

ThermaCELL heated insoles

Granted, heated insoles don’t sound too exciting, but I can assure you that this purchase will pay big dividends after Christmas is over. Any outdoorsman will tell you that the worst thing they encounter is cold feet. The next time the mercury drops and they hit the remote control to turn these on, they are going to thank you.

With variable heat settings and rechargeable batteries, the insoles provide up to five hours of warmth and comfort. They come in women’s size 4 1/2 to a men’s 13. $129.99. Available at most good sporting goods retailers.

The Thermal Cloak

While we’re on the subject of staying warm, here’s a real dandy. If you’ve ever been camping in cold weather you’re aware of how warm you stay in a sleeping bag. Why not apply that same concept to your hunt and escape the shivers altogether?

The Thermal Cloak is a camouflaged version of a hooded sleeping bag with several refinements for hunting. Mobility is enhanced because the bag can cinch at the knees leaving you free to walk and even climb. It also features large, strategically positioned ports so your arms can escape the confinement of the bag when it’s time to pick up your bow or fire a shot from your rifle.

With a nifty, self-sealing magnetic system for those arm ports in place, you don’t even have to worry about letting a bunch of cold air in as you move your arms in and out.

The bag is designed with plenty of extra room so that you can wear as many layers as you wish underneath, but one of the biggest pluses is that tons of clothing against your body aren’t needed. It’s compatible with all treestand safety harnesses as well.$199.95 at slumberjack.com

Bladelight

Here’s a product that should have been thought of years ago.

Few things are tougher than trying to field dress or clean a deer in the dark and SOG Knives has found a great solution.

The SOG Bladelight is a perfectly sized, lockback folding knife with a 4-inch stainless steel blade that also features a powerful 35 lumen flashlight built into the handle. This thing can stay illuminated for a whopping 260 minutes, guaranteeing anybody plenty of time to take care of the task at hand.

At $85, this model is my favorite but the company offers a whole slew of them that even include a traditional fixed blade hunting knife model.

I can assure you that even if your outdoorsman hasn’t seen these before, they’re absolutely going to love it the first time they have to flip the light on and put it to use. $65-$115, Available at many fine retailers along with the company’s website, sogknives.com.

Zeiss binos

High quality optics are a must no matter the hunt.

When used side-by-side with cheap binoculars, the difference in what you see and what can be seen with a quality item is incredible.

I’m a big fan of Zeiss Optics and feel they offer consumers the best deal in terms of quality and bang for your buck. Its Conquest HD line is the perfect choice and, whether you pick them up in 8-by-42 or 10-by-42, you’ll find that they’re compact, lightweight and offer exceptional high definition viewing at great distances.

Although the $999 price may appear steep, keep in mind that really good, high quality glass is a lifetime investment and worth every penny. Optics can actually run significantly higher than the Conquest models but the difference is too small to really be appreciated. Available at all fine sporting goods retailers.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 12:48 PM with the headline "Brad Harvey: Christmas gifts with a sportsman in mind."