Father's Day Gifts

Surprise Dad With The Perfect Gift/Gifts

If you're lucky enough to have a dad who loves the outdoors and shares his adventures with you, Father's Day is a great time to show your appreciation by giving him a little something to make his outdoor times even better. I've included ideas at many different price points, so hopefully you will find something that you think is just perfect for your dad.

Fishing Dads

Baits

There are so many options if your dad likes to fish! Is he a bass fisherman? Head for the tackle shop and get him a couple of bags of 5150 plastic baits. These wildly popular baits are poured by three dads right here in Arizona, working in a garage after putting the kids to bed at night. They have made quite a following because the baits come in perfect color combos and include scent that the fish find irresistible. At just $4.25 a bag, you can afford several. Check out all the styles and colors at http://www.5150plastics.com.

Cutters

Also for the fishing dad, no matter what kind of fish he goes after, is a little gift from Line Cutterz. Line Cutterz do just what the name says: cut fishing line, even braid. They have rings, zipper pulls, flat mounts, and combo packs, all with cutters that cut line easily but keep your fingers away from the blades. Super handy, and they are all in the range of $7 - $12. Check them out at http://www.linecutterz.com.

Jigs

Whether dad fishes for bass, trout, crappie, walleye – whatever, he will surely appreciate some of Gamakatsu's new finesse jigs. They just came out with some new Finesse Jig Heads, Offset Finesse Jig Heads, and Bottom Knocker Offset Jig Heads. Made with Gamakatsu's famous hooks in size 1, they come sized for finesse baits.

You can view them at http://www.gamakatsu.com and look for them at your local outdoor shop. They are all priced according to size, but a bag of four is around $7.

Hiker Dads

Trekking Stick

Does dad take long hikes with a pup? Or maybe you worry less about the pup than you do about the possibility that dad himself could get attacked by a loose dog. It's happened to me and my friends more than once. A Hike 'n Strike trekking stick is a great solution. This not only keeps dad from stumbling by serving as a great trekking stick, but it offers protection and light.

There is a flashlight in the top of the hand grip, and if you pop the rubber ring off with your thumb (takes like a second), it reveals metal prongs that deliver 950,000 volts to an attacker. Because the control is further down the stick, it means you can strike from a safer distance. Plus, it doesn't look like a weapon. I had a cane before that definitely looked like a weapon, but the Hike 'n Strike just looks like a nice Trekking stick.

You can find these online for around $80. They take batteries that are included but not rechargeable. I bought mine at http://www.psproducts.com.

Pepper Gel

Here's another option for a dad who hikes or bikes: a SABRE maximum strength pepper gel that comes with an armband so it keeps dad's hands free but is still quickly available. The absolute best thing about the SABRE Pepper Gel is that it virtually eliminates wind blowback and only affects what it directly contacts. I used to carry a small pepper spray, but believe me, blowback is a real thing. The SABRE Pepper Gel also has a 20 percent greater reach than traditional pepper spray.

The Duathlete Pepper Gel with Adjustable Arm Band is less than $20 and you can get it at http://www.sabrered.com. They also have the Pepper Gel with key rings, belt holsters, hand straps, etc. They even have a Home Defense model with a rack that fastens to the wall. That one is $50.99. Here's the range on them: the keychain models can shoot up to 12 feet, the tactical 18 feet, and the home defense 25 feet. They also have pepper sprays specifically for protection against bears and dogs. The SABRE Protector Dog Spray is short term and humane. Check them out.

Supportive Socks

Here's something new that I haven't seen before: socks with built-in arch support. They're called ArchTek and they have patented arch strengthening and ankle support. They are available on http://www.kickstarter.com (enter archtek in the search bar) and you can get a pair for $15. Read all about it on the Kickstarter page.

Camping/Offroading Dads

A Good Knife

You definitely don't have to be a camper or an off-roader to appreciate a good knife, but campers, off-roaders, travelers, and RV'ers are among those who appreciate a good knife the most, especially if that knife will fit comfortably in your pocket and be legal to carry almost everywhere. The Benchmade Aller knife is such a knife.

It's the result of a collaboration between Benchmade and custom knife makers, Patrick Famin and Eric Demongivert. They set out to create a knife that would be a perfect travel companion that would meet the requirements for carrying it in just about every country. They also incorporated several additional tools and a few different ways to carry it: it has a screwdriver/pry tip, a micro bit slot, a custom pocket/money clip that is removable, bottle opener, and a lanyard or keyring hole. It's a gorgeous little knife that any dad would love.

You have to see it! Go to http://www.benchmade.com/380.html and check it out. At $160, it's a great price for such a quality knife. It's a great-looking knife, plus you can personalize it with laser engraving.

Dependable Flashlight

Besides a good knife, every outdoor dad needs good flashlights. I've got flashlights stashed all over the place – in the CanAm, the survival kits, nightstand drawers, kitchen – you know you need them everywhere, and especially outdoors. Maglite flashlights are my favorite, and they've got some great new models that dad will love. First on the list is the Flaglite Limited Edition Xenon flashlight on sale for under $30.

Then there's the combo with a little Maglite that takes just one AAA battery and comes packaged for gifting with a little Victorinox Swiss Army pocket knife. This little combo is also under $30. See them both and a lot more at http://www.maglite.com. To find these two, go to Limited Editions, then Special Occasion on the website.

First Aid Kit

Another thing that every outdoorsman must have is a good first aid kit. If something should happen when you're far from help, you need to be able to take care of it yourself. Some of the best first aid kits I've seen are available from My Medic. They're not cheap – they start at around $50 and go up from there, but they are fantastic kits. They have you covered for everything from scrapes to gunshot wounds to delivering a baby. The kits are packed in sturdy bags or backpacks, and you can also purchase supplies separately if you need to re-stock your kit. Go to http://www.mymedic.com to see the kits and all the other stuff they have to offer. The kits are made in the USA.

Homemade Gifts

You can make a tiny survival or first aid kit out of a used prescription bottle. Wrap a few strike-anywhere matches in foil, add a fish hook, a small length of paracord, some duct tape wrapped around itself to make a small package, a threaded needle, a couple of safety pins, and whatever else you can find room for and voila – you've made something incredibly handy that Dad can toss in the glove box in case he ever gets stranded.

Ditto with first aid stuff – a few of those little pain reliever packets, a couple of bandages, some adhesive tape or butterfly bandages and some antibiotic ointment are all you need. If you cut a small piece of straw and melt one end closed, you can squirt the ointment inside before melting the other end closed. Keeps the ointment clean and ready. Make sure dad has a knife to open it with.

Use your imagination and you can probably come up with all kinds of ideas to put in old pill bottles – sewing kits, change for vending machines -- whatever. They make great gifts. I hope you and your family have a fantastic Father's Day!