15 Gifts for Outdoor Loving, Coffee Drinking, Tool Slinging Parents
My husband, Max, likes experiences more than gifts. When I ask him what he wants for Christmas, he says he wants to spend the day with family. For his birthday, he wants to go skiing and eat tacos. For Father’s Day, he wants to go camping. He is a man who is at peace with what he has. He also knows I’m not going to get him that 5K electric bike he’s coveting.
I love the act of giving gifts and thinking about how they’ll be used every day. My standard for the perfect gift is wool socks and a beeswax candle. These high-quality basics speak to the part of me that is practical and the part that loves the story of animals and bees that made the things. I like to give similarly elevated-everyday gifts that support health, wellness and experiences, especially outdoor pursuits. Here’s a few of my favorites for Father’s Day.
These are well-made and stylish eating sticks that pack up small and stash in this handsome travel pouch. Max brings them camping, on ski tours and uses them for most meals at home.
Max uses his zero drop Luna sandals more than any other shoe. He hikes, walks and meanders in them and, after an initial getting used to period, they are super comfy. His first pair was super thin, and in our hot, rocky desert, a thicker pair protects his feet better. I was jealous of his cool, minimal footwear and ended up ordering a pair of Earthrunners, which are another great option that I love and wear everyday.
Max and I use this saw all the time to cut dead branches, prune our fruit trees, and he’s used a bigger version to cut down whole trees. This one comes with a beechwood case. It’s beautiful and super handy.
Everyone should have a Leatherman in their kit or on their body at all times. We’ve had many over the years, and this one is our favorite.
I got Max this thermos for his birthday a few years ago. He bought another because he knew I would steal it from him. Now we both have them and use them all the time.
We went through two other grinders before our friend gifted us this one. It’s resilient and Bob uses it everyday to grind the coffee. Pair this with a few bags of locally roasted beans, and you have a gift that keeps on giving.
Just an essential object in our home.
Max uses his apron when he’s building stuff for our home (he’s working on shelves for the kitchen in this photo) and he wears it when he’s grilling or using the pizza oven outside. It’s thick but flexible and quite handsome.
This is our favorite magazine. It’s a compilation of masterful writing, art, and photography and it’s one of my favorite gifts to give.
Look, everyone poops, this nice looking Squatty Potty helps you do it in a better physiological position. We have them in all of our bathrooms. If you give this gift, maybe you could throw in that Orion magazine subscription to make it a complete package.
We spend a lot of time looking at screens for work and life and it’s not great for our eyes, circadian rhythm or sleep health. I got Max the Daywalker Pro and Twilight Elite and we both use them everyday. I also wore these when I was working in the hospital.
We have quite a few cast iron and steel skillets from over the years. We use them in the kitchen and when we’re camping. This fancy skillet brand offers a handsome, made in USA cast iron skillet that I can’t help but covet.
This is another item in our home that gets used everyday. I like the gentle, low-density rollers way more than the traditional hard, compact rollers that can cause more tissue stress and damage. Plus, this has become one of Holden’s favorite toys.
Max got this camera when our son was born. It looks like a film camera so people act more naturally in front of it. I love and use it more than any other camera I’ve ever owned and the photo quality and style is unmatched.
This is a thick beast of a car camping mat.