It was always so hard to get anything for my Dad. He seemed to have everything. This guide is exactly for that man or person in your life who is hard to buy for. These have been tested by my husband/father of my children who, you guessed it, seems to have all of his wants and needs covered at all times. While this is amazing, because he is one to be content and happy with what ever he has, it makes it hard to buy gifts for him! I love giving gifts, and so I have found the below to be stuff that he both was SUPER excited to get and uses or wears ALL the time. I also love to give him fun “experience” gifts as well, so every year I make him a date book and a family adventures book that the kids get to help with. Some of these gifts have been included in those books. For example when we made the Family Book, we had a page all on a 2 week camping trip we planed for July and in the packing list we wrote “cooler bag, Inreach Mini, Solo stove and crazy creek” – which he got and we brought along with us!
Let this be a fun inspirational guide for that Dad, or that person in your life that is hard to get gifts for. Happy holidays!
Outerknown Sur Sweatpants
While I grew up getting PJ’s and I do still love getting them, I am finding that a good pair of sweat pants are equally, if not MORE amazing simply because it is a bit more culturally accepted to wear them ALL day long. I got these for Jason because he sleeps naked but needed something to put on when he woke up. Little did I know that these organic hemp/cotton blend sweat pants would be the most worn thing of his for the past year. And admittedly when he is gone, I love putting them on and wearing them for most of the day as well. They have an amazing casual everyday feel to them that screams relax. And I also love them on him. So, it’s a win, win for both of us.
Garmin InReach
If your partner or both of you are big time adventurers, it’s time to get an Inreach. While yes cell service is unfortunately getting better every where, there are still many spots in the wilderness that have no service. We absolutely LOVE going to these places, but we have found that since having kids, we really like being able to communicate with them or with each other if we are out on a mission or even if we are headed out as a family, we find that having one or two helps us feel safe. This past summer we headed out on a week long family trip into a place where there was no cell service. While there, Jason and I took turns going out on long mountain runs and to stay in touch with one another we each had an InReach. This helped us both not worry about the other and keep one another informed about our estimated time back. The InReach also has a “TracBack” feature which I have had to use when my Garmin Enduro died in the middle of a 100 mile bike ride. It was super nice and easy to use. Now, we always have one in our “adventure car” because we are also very known for not charging our cell phones, so it also acts as our backup for emergencies even if we are in a place with cell service!
Puffin Drink Wear
While we are not huge drinkers, we do love our N/A beers cold, and our hands to stay warm when holding said beers thanks to Puffin Drink Wear. These guys are awesome and they are right here in Bend, Oregon. They have so many fun and hilarious “Puffins” to choose from for your both your caned and bottled beverages. I especially love the outdoorsy collection, because the arms of the puffy jackets are nice to hold on to. Every “Puffin” is of course insulated and has a rubber base for better friction and less chance of spilling. These would be a super fun gift for anyone who likes to keep their beer/wine/ or N/A drinks cold while keeping their hands toasty. It’s also an awesome conversation piece for around the fire!
Fjallraven Abisko Winter Stretch Trousers
These are for the men in your life that live outside all day everyday during the winter months. These pants are stretchy, warm, and have three zippered pockets. My husband lives in these starting from end of September to April. When he’s not training or working on the computer, he’s constantly going in and out of the house, cutting wood or working in the garage. These are his everyday pants because he knows he can do just about anything in them. He even goes out on winter hikes and family ski missions in them because they are so warm and comfortable. Note, for the ski missions, he does add a base layer underneath, but these pants allow for that thanks to their style and the stretchiness. It also has zippers at the cuff which is great for allowing the pants to go over bigger xc ski boots.
Yeti M30 Tote Soft Cooler Bag
Another Cooler bag really?? Yes, I know this is what I thought, but this new Tote Soft Cooler bag from Yeti is so awesome because it is magnetic! No more annoying zippers, just one click shut, and that is that. We got this to test this summer and it has been awesome for grocery runs because we often couple our errands together, meaning that we will go to the grocery store, gear store, gym, library etc all in one go. And many times we like to go to the grocery store first because we are well, hungry! This bag has been awesome to leave in our Ebike for those said errand days as it keeps the meat, frozen good and drinks cold while we are doing our other things. It has also been great for car camping trips because while it is on the bigger side, it can slide into some pretty tight spaces! I love how big it opens and how easily it shuts. The new strong magnets are surprisingly satisfying, I don’t miss the zippers one bit! So while yes, it is a great gift for Dad’s, like many things on this list, it’s great for the whole family as well!
Crazy Creek Chair
While Crazy Creeks have been around for a long time, their popularity has gone up and down with the rise of luxurious camp chairs. I recently got one for Jason (as we lost ours a few years ago) and we have been once again amazed at how handy it has been for all sorts of situations. We leave it in our car with a Rumple, and these two things along with our little Campfire by Solo Stove has been awesome to always have with us for spur of the moment “wilderness hangs” after family hikes or just times where we want to go out and have a little fire and s’mores with the kids out in the woods. We also always bring the Crazy Creek to the climbing crag with us, as it makes for a great seat or pad for our two boys while they are snacking or playing. It would make a great gift for anyone in your life who is a big camper, festival goer or outdoorsy person because everyone needs a chair at some point! Even my husband, who is a LONG time dirt bag, admits that he loves his Crazy Creek.
Men’s Patagonia Strider Shorts
I’m putting these Patagonia shorts in here because it’s the only pair of shorts my husband has multiple pairs of, and that is saying something because he is the definition of a minimalist when it comes to clothes. He loves these because they have multiple pockets for all of his fueling needs. He often heads out on a run with nothing on his back and everything around his waist in his shorts, which works for him. I also love them because they look super good on him. Now everyone on the team is asking for a pair! Use the affiliate links below as it helps me a ton!
Winter Booties
Winter outdoor booties are a must in our neighborhood. We are constantly walking between the houses to say hello, borrow something, drop off kids or share a morning coffee. Being able to quickly slip on a pair of warm booties in the middle of winter feels so good and luxurious! Whether your family lives in a neighborhood like ours or not, these are also amazing for putting on post ski of having for your cabin. I love these Northface Thermoball Traction Booties for my husband because it also gets him out there door to shovel our drive way or check the mail before me. If you don’t live in such a snowy place, my other favorite winter booties that I have and wear all the time is the Glerups, these are awesome for both outdoor and indoor because they are boiled wool which is warm and durable. I’ve had my same pair for 5 years now and they still look good as new. So pick your style and put them on your list because winter booties are always appreciated!
Meater Pro Duo
After getting the Meater Pro Duo I’ve never seen Jason so excited to cook meat before. And this is saying a lot because both of us are guilty of over cooking and grilling meat because we honestly forget about it! What is exactly the Meater? It’s a meat thermometer that can be left in the grill, the oven, on the stove, etc. for the entire time that you are cooking AND it is connected to your phone so that you can get an alarm when it gets to your desired temperature. It’s also 100% waterproof, so it can get cleaned fully in the sink or the dishwasher. Jason was super impressed (and me even more so) because he could fully leave it in our Traeger Ranger and not worry about it because he knew it would alarm him when done. When we cooked burgers, I found that I could easily make the burgers to everyone’s liking because I stuck one Meater in one burger and the other Meater in another burger. That way, I could cook Jason’s medium rare and the boys medium.
While we have not yet tried a whole chicken yet, we plan to by sticking one in the breast of the bird and the other in the drumstick part to be able to get the whole chicken done to our liking. All in all, this would be a great gift for that Dad who loves to cook meat, or even who needs a little bit more help getting it done to your liking! Note we got the duo so we could check the temp of multiple cuts of the meat at the same time, if you are not needing this, the single is just as good!
Gordini Socks
Everybody needs socks for Christmas. No matter who you are, everyone appreciates a good pair of wool socks. Last year, Jason and I tested out these, and wow. Seriously, I don’t quite know what it is about them, but they are our now ultimate favorite pair of ski socks. They just feel so good, they are not itchy and they hug the foot in the most perfect way. I usually say “a sock is a sock” especially when it comes to a ski sock because I never could really tell the difference. But these have never given us blisters (even after LONG 8 hour ski missions) and our feet are always warm in them. Hands down, best ski socks ever.
Solo Campfire Stove
For our exploratory family ski missions and post downhill parking lot parties, I got Jason a mini solo stove. While we have only tested it a few times, it provided an awesome little fire that didn’t smoke and kept the kids happy for a surprisingly long amount of time! It’s amazing what a simple little fire can do to warm the spirits on a cold night. It easily fits in the back of our Thule Chariot for ski missions and lives in the back of our car for fun quick little fire at the end of a long day on the slopes, or in the mountains after a long family hike. We also are that family who has all of the ingredients for smore’s in the car as well because come on, smore’s are always needed with a fire! This would also work for people who want a small fire pit on their back deck because it’s the perfect size for small porches.
Roll Recovery R8
Most of the dad’s I know would absolutely love this. It’s a quad, calf, IT Band and hamstring smasher that does all the work for you. My husband is always saying how he needs to roll out his muscles more, but it never happens. I get it, it’s hard to make a habit of it, once I’m done with my workout session, I am on to work/ making food/ being with kids! However for the past few weeks, I’ve been testing this Roller 8 Plus out, and it has been so easy to do and both myself and my PT has felt a huge difference in my calves and quads. It only takes a couple minutes, and it does all the rolling for me. All I have to do is put it around my muscle, dial in the intensity and move it up and down. While I do still love rolling around the floor on my Roller 4 and different size balls, the Roller 8 plus is something I am able to do every day consistently that has really helped my legs feel more fresh and a lot less tight! While this can be for anybody in your life, I put it in for Dad’s because they are usually the worst at self care and getting massages. This roller, will give their legs a full deep tissue massage in minutes and while yes they will have do some work still, it is a lot less work than the classic roller!
Oofos Slides
Every Dad needs a pair of these. Whether or not your person is an athlete, these slides are great for everyone who finds themselves on their feet all the time. I got these for Jason for post races, but he wears them everywhere because they are so comfortable and easy to put on. While Oofos does have the sandal version (which I have and love) I find that these are even nicer because they can go on with socks. I am often jealous, especially when we are traveling because Jason can wear both his compression socks and his slides for the ultimate recovery experience!