Another idea for the outdoorsy guy is Kuhl brand clothing. A little less overdone than Patagonia or North Face. NorthFace in particular seems to have fallen into the domain of middle aged men now. 
I know a lot of people don’t like gift card but one to REI might be nice in this case. We got my son a water filter pump for backpacking- he used my husband"s and liked it.
http://www.backcountry.com/katadyn-hiker-water-microfilter
A portable speaker for an iPhone? BarBQ accessories. Big bags of beef jerky- great for outdoor activities. http://www.cattaneobros.com/category/beef-jerky/. Best beef jerkey ever- our kids love getting it for presents.
Again, as with the girls’ thread-you need to know the recipient. Some guys might have some of these outdoor items, some might not want them at all. REI has great stuff and I’d go with a GC unless I knew for sure the item was wanted.
dos-North Face is still popular with the HS set, both boys and girls, here. D’s wanting a new NF jacket for her birthday, in fact.
A gift from a store with a generous return policy – with a note that encourages the recipient to exchange it if there is something he or she likes more – is the practical equivalent of a gift card with the thoughtfulness of a real gift. So I always encourage the folks I give gifts to to exchange it if it is not entirely to their liking.
My kids (both DD and DS’s) are huge fans of the Pebble watch. They’ve all had the original “classic Pebble” for almost a year. This Christmas the boys will get an upgrade to Pebble Time (full color) and DD, the new Pebble Round. If you have techie type kids this might be an idea. Much cheaper and more functional than the over priced Apple watches.
"A gift from a store with a generous return policy…
That would be Costco, REI, and Nordstrom - surprisingly, all originated here in my neck of the woods. 
I gave DD’s bf tickets to a play he could take D to. But he’s interested in theater. Another time, I gave him a gift card to a nice restaurant he could take her to. See the pattern?
Hydro flasks from REI, for water or coffee. All the rage amongst my son’s climbing/hiking friends.
Just sayin’… Here in the PNW, this brand seems to be very much in with the younger crowd:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/herschel-supply-co?origin=productBrandLink
BB, thanks! My D and her BF are in Seattle, so that might be just the ticket for him, and maybe her.
@abasket I feel the same way, but since it’s already floated onto the radar, I’m determined to get my shopping done before Halloween this year.
Portable power sources, like Jackery.
National Park pass
Museum memberships
Gas cards
A hard copy Rand McNally atlas
Magazine subscriptions (Fast company, Utne, Wired, Empire, even Natl Geo has been a hit)
wireless mouse
donation to a charity related to their interest
and yes, if he’s outdoorsy, great socks. Never a bad idea!
Costco has the best socks that they only have during Christmas season. I give them to my boys every year.
I buy my soon to be SIL a generous gift card. I have bought for a sporting goods store (he plays soccer, runs, goes to the gym) and last year when he needed nicer clothes for work I bought from BR. I also buy a few assorted stocking stuffers including movie tickets, nice socks, etc.
I hate gift shopping so I’ll tell my kids to go pick their BFs a gift and I’ll pay for it. I think gift card saves people have to stand in returns line and if they don’t use it, it’s the same as getting a gift that they don’t use. No difference.
What’s BR? Banana Republic?
All I could think of was Baskin Robbins, which I knew it couldn’t be.
I’m just so hesitant to buy any sort of clothing gift or even a usable item when I don’t have deep knowledge about the other person’s likes and wants. Sort of, if you have to ask, don’t get risky.
A gift from Baskin Robbins. NOW we’re talkin!!
My future son-in-law’s birthday is coming up and I want to buy him a nice gift. He is turning 29. I asked my D what he might like and I told her the price point. She said he needs some new clothes and likes to shop at Old Navy and that he’d be very happy to get a gift card to Old Navy to pick out clothes and it will allow him to get quite a few things. So, that’s what I am going to do. I prefer to get someone a gift that they want. For my own kids’ birthdays, I asked what they wanted and told them how much I will spend and had them get what they wanted. I didn’t just give cash but it was planned for the particular item they want. For example, D’s birthday is coming up and she is turning 27 and wants new speakers.
For runners or bike enthusiasts, these are awesome performance socks:
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aswiftwick%20socks
Made in the USA.
Agree that if there is something they particularly want but they need to pick it out, getting a gift card to that store is fine, if thats what they request. Its basically like sending them a check, but for a specific item. My DS picked out some used skis he really wanted at the end of ski season. So we contributed to the skis. Or the boots. I forget.