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Father’s Day only comes around once a year and it’s the perfect time to show the dads in your life what they mean to you. We know how difficult it can be sometimes to shop for these types of occasions, so we wanted to put together a list of gift ideas based on what we’re planning to get our dads this year. Hopefully we can spark some ideas for what you can gift your dad this year, too.
Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder: “My family gifted me early with the Oculus Quest 2, and it is absolutely shredding my skull. It’s a completely immersive and surreal experience, whether you’re racing cars, escaping from dinosaurs, doing Darth Vader’s bidding, playing disc golf with friends online or just taking some time to meditate in a peaceful setting. I love that it’s a standalone system that doesn’t require you to be wired to a console, which makes for easier portability with basically no setup time. It also helps that you can draw a safe play boundary to ensure you don’t punch a lamp or kick a baby — events that can really take you out of the experience. There are different versions and bundles with more memory or accessories, but the base, $299 system is ample for most people’s needs.”
Seiko SRPE37 Prospex Men’s Watch 44mm – $439.00
Editor-in-chief, Greg Migliore: “I enjoy watches and currently I’m favoring dive and field watches. They’re comfortable and durable. For the purposes of this guide, I’m narrowing my choice to the Seiko SRPE37, though I recently bought a Scurfa diver and am eying a Bulova field piece for my personal collection.
A dive watch usually comes with a rubber strap or stainless steel bracelet, so it can take a beating and Father’s Day gifts usually have some kind of practical ethos. I went with the SRPE37 as my suggestion since it has a stainless steel case, sapphire crystal and an automatic movement. It’s water resistant to 660 feet.
If you’re a watch person, you know those are strong credentials. If you’re not, they mean you can bump the watch often and it will be fine, and you never need to buy a battery. You can dive to the Lusitania wreck and this watch can take it, so it’s more than up for dish washing, fishing or just jumping in the lake. Aesthetically, it’s a large watch — 44 mm — but it has a clean look with a white dial and light green markers.
In general, I like Seikos. The company is celebrating its 140th anniversary this year and rolling out multiple celebratory watches and special editions.They have cache among watch enthusiasts but are attainable for nearly anyone. The SRPE37 launched in 2020 and is part of the Prospex family, but I own an older Seiko 5 stainless steel piece, and the SKX007 (now discontinued) is still widely available and also a good option.”
ThisWorx Car Vacuum Cleaner – $34.99 (22% off)
Production Manager, Eddie Sabatini: “Not the most exciting gift in the world but certainly practical. Also, my dad has told me he’s in need of a new portable vacuum so this is the one I’m going with. While I’ve never personally tested the ThisWorx car vacuum several friends have and all told me they ‘love it.’ Also, with over 150,000 customer ratings on Amazon, it’s probably safe to trust the vac’s 4-star rating.”
Bond Cars: The Definitive History – From $24.99
West Coast Editor, James Riswick: “Sitting right next to me while I type this are 15 James Bond novels, eight coffee table books about James Bond and 14 model cars from James Bond movies. And somehow(!) I don’t have this book, “Bond Cars: The Definitive History” by British automotive journalist Jason Barlow. This seems to go much further than previous James Bond car books, which were really just a photo-heavy encyclopedia. This in-depth work has unearthed photos and story boards, new interviews and behind-the-scenes details that I haven’t read before. And I say that only based on the preview images on Amazon. Again, I don’t own this. If someone wants to pass this page onto my wife, that’d be great.”
Dr. Squatch Men’s Soap Variety Pack – $26.45 (27% off)
Producer, Amr Sayour: “For the fathers out there who are rocking the dad bods I can’t recommend anything more highly than natural cold pressed soaps like Dr. Squatch. Not only does it keep you clean and smelling great, but it also ensures your skin is not treated by harmful chemicals that would make your skin itchy and dry.”
Naipo Shiatsu Back and Neck Massager – $46.99 (16% off)
Producer, Amr Sayour: “Let’s face it, somehow, dads always seem to have some kind of aches and pains, often around the shoulders and back area. As a first-hand user of the Naipo Shiatsu back and neck massager I can tell you that I have spent hours using this machine after a long day of lifting or yard work. After each session, I’m left feeling refreshed and relaxed.”
Patagonia Capilene Cool Daily Hooded Shirt – $55.00
Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: “This spring I did something I’ve never done before, I shaved my head. Bic’d it, right down to the scalp. Maybe I was bored, maybe I was sick of maintaining hair during a time when I rarely went out, maybe I was trying to take control of the one small part of my life that I could; who knows. What I do know is that I had to deal with something I had never dealt with before, a scalp sunburn. That’s where this hoodie comes in. Long sleeve yet super lightweight and breathable, this piece of clothing is such a go-to for me in the summer that I own three of them, and I always have an eye out on eBay for more. Skin cancer is no joke, especially in my family. My father had it, and so did his father, and I would really like to end that streak, but I’m not planning on spending this summer (or any others) indoors.”
Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: “I have a lot of hobbies, perhaps too many, and when the moment strikes I would like to be able to throw my gear for whatever activity I have planned in the car without searching through countless cupboards and shelves, inevitably forgetting a crucial fly box or quickdraw set. That’s where the Plano Sportsman bins have really come in handy. They come in a variety of different sizes, close relatively tight (I wouldn’t submerge them but I also am not worried about throwing them in the bed of a truck in the rain), and perhaps best of all, they’re inexpensive. Three of the 56 qt bins fit perfectly in the back of my Crosstrek, while the 108 qt is big enough to house all of my fishing gear and has wheels that make moving it around a breeze. A word of warning, anything wet in these bins will stay wet, so just like any other trip, make sure to dry out your gear when you get home. I learned that the hard way.”
The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life – $21.84
Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: “Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore sent me a review of this book a few weeks back and despite having numerous other titles on my bookshelf that I need to read, I picked it up to pass time on a rain-filled Memorial Weekend. By that Saturday night I had finished it. A book specifically about fly fishing, Coggins does a great job making what can be perceived by some to be an uppity sport (an opinion with which I wholeheartedly disagree) completely accessible through relatable humor and ultra-descriptive tales that make you feel like you were wading in the river next to him waiting for an Atlantic Salmon to come knocking.”
YETI Rambler 12 oz. Colster Can Insulator – $24.98
Senior Producer, Chris McGraw: “A few years back I was up north at my in-laws’ lakehouse spending a relaxing summer afternoon kayaking and targeting largemouth bass on the fly. I was halfway across the lake when I realized the ice cold beer I had brought down to the boat had been left behind, baking in the mid-August sun. After a couple hours of paddling I arrived back at the dock expecting my beer to be long since warmed and undrinkable. While not quite as ice cold as I left it, it was still quite refreshing, and I’ve been a believer in the stainless steel, insulated can cooler ever since. There are plenty of options to choose from, whether that means you’re dropping $25 on a Yeti Colster that comes in every color under the sun or $7 on a Ozark Trail knockoff that performs surprisingly well, or something in between.”