The Best Gifts for Storm Chasers in 2026

A dash cam that starts recording with the engine catches what happens before anyone reaches for a phone. Look for good low-light performance, since the light under a storm base changes quickly.

Rural roads on the Plains lose cell signal often, and radar apps need data to update. An in-vehicle booster with a roof-mounted antenna is the serious option. A mobile hotspot is the cheaper one.

RadarScope is the radar app most chasers use on their phones, and its paid tiers add lightning data and longer loops. GR2Analyst is the Windows program many run on a laptop. Both read the same NEXRAD data the National Weather Service uses, which our NEXRAD explainer covers.

A compact lithium jump starter restarts a car without a second vehicle. Most also charge a phone over USB.

Look for a kit with a tourniquet, pressure bandages and trauma shears. Most kits sold for cars only cover cuts and scrapes.

A NOAA Weather Radio receives National Weather Service alerts with no cell signal. Get one with SAME coding, which limits alerts to the counties you program in, and battery backup.

Radar, a dash cam and a hotspot drain a phone quickly. A power bank with USB-C power delivery can charge a laptop as well as a phone.

A 15oz stainless steel travel mug with a tornado design. Leak proof, and keeps coffee hot for hours.

A trucker hat with a multi-vortex tornado on the front. Mesh back, one size fits most.

A print of the Doppler On Wheels, the truck-mounted radar that scans tornadoes from a few miles away. Our Doppler On Wheels explainer covers the truck's history and its record wind measurement.

A graphic tee in white, natural, garnet or black, in sizes S to 2XL.

An 11oz ceramic mug printed with a hook echo, the curl on radar that marks a rotating storm that may produce a tornado. The Hook Echo sweatshirt has the same design, and the Tornado Warning sweatshirt prints a warning bulletin across the back.