Drake Waterfowl items, Under Armour and Yak Trax are some of the popular Christmas gift items for outdoors enthusiasts this year. However, the classics are also selling well this season.

"The Drake Waterfowl stuff, they've got some nice pullovers, pull-zip pullovers that are 100 percent water and wind-proof and they're fleece on the inside," said Mickey Stewart, proprietor of the Great Outdoors Company in Carbondale. "They're comfy to be in. They're built by waterfowlers."

Stewart said waders made by Drake Waterfowl have also been a top-seller this Christmas season.

Both Stewart and John Mann of Mann and Son Sporting Goods in Pinckneyville said Under Armour has been difficult to keep in stock.

"It's probably the best underwear on the market," Stewart said. "It's real breathable. It not only keeps you warm, but when you sweat it passes through the outer layers. The secret to staying warm in the woods is definitely not to sweat and have that close to your skin and get cold and clammy."

Having said that, Stewart said fur-lined camouflage Crocs called Woolly Mammoths may be the biggest seller of the holiday season.

At Shawnee Trails Wilderness Outfitters in Carbondale shoppers seem to have a long memory, making Yak Trax a popular item.

"They're basically boot chains like tire chains," said Rick Reeve, owner of Shawnee Trails. "It basically resembles tire chains that pull onto the bottom of your shoe or boot and get traction in the snow. We've already started selling a bunch of them.

"We stocked them for years. We just really had mild winters. Last year we probably had 150 calls for them."

Klean Kanteen products have also been popular this holiday season.

"They are a stainless steel water bottle of various sizes," Reeve said. "BPA was found in a lot of water bottles and it was found to be detrimental to your health.

"People take them to work or school and people are trying to be a little more environmentally conscious and not have as much disposable plastic."

At Mann and Son Sporting Goods, the biggest selling new item is the Ruger .380, a palm-sized pistol.

Mann said most shoppers buying shotguns this year are sticking with the classics, Super Black Eagles as well as Remington 870s and 1100s.

"Those good old guns are still selling well," he said.

A trend Mann has noticed this year is more hunters are getting older guns restored.

"I think due to the price of guns my repair business has gone through the roof," he said. "People are dragging out these old guns, fixing them and re-doing them. I've worked on 70 vintage 1100s and old 870s."

And, throughout the area, many of the standard gifts are still popular items this year.

"We're still doing a ton on Big Sky bears," Stewart said. "They vary from little bitty bears to big carved bears. We have everything from a $5 bear to a $1,000 bear."

Tilley hats are popular among clients of Shawnee Trails Wilderness Outfitters.

"They're highly recommended by a lot of local skin doctors," Reeve said. "They are a wide-brimmed hat. We do sell more in the summer, but they are a pretty strong gift item."

Mann said LaCrosse and Rocky boots always sell well at Christmas.

"They just kind of move right along," he said.

les.winkeler@thesouthern.com / 351-5088