Hook A Dad Up – Fathers Day Gift Guide 2016

Hey! This is your last reminder that Fathers Day is June 19. Since its Fathers day this month I wanted to combine this months product review into a gift guide post that may help you reach “favorite son or daughter” status on Fathers Day.   The products Im about to share are made up of a few things I use on a daily basis and others which I dont use everyday but couldnt live without. Some of these items I purchased and others were given to me while collaborating with different brands, but I use all of them and would not share something unless I felt it had viable purpose for me. 

EVERYDAY 

I wanted to start by sharing a few things that I have with me everyday.  I’m a kind of a minimalist guy, I prefer not to have things in my pockets, so if there’s a solution to carrying less, Im interested.

Last year I noticed a brand at the Outdoor Retailer show called KeySmart  they turn your key collection into a Swiss Army style set up. Ive been using it for a while now and so far it has been flawless. All my keys together in perfect harmony and its smaller than a pack of gum.

The Bellroy phone wallet is currently in my pocket. It allowed me ditch my wallet  (which was only holding a few cards anyways) without adding a ton of size to my phone case. With the phone and all my cards its almost as thick as my thumb which is perfect.  It fits up to 5 cards and has a slot for a SIM card and pin. The cards were a bit tight at the start but just like all leather, after time it finds the right flexibility, the cards slide out easy without falling out.

The Timeus Edison by Arvo is my current watch of choice. Nope, its not a smart watch (one of the reasons I like it) just a simple, classic style watch.  Arvo is a Utah-based company and anytime I can promote local business, I’m down. A portion of each watch sold goes to charites as part of their “Be Good, Do Good” mission statement. So far they’ve helped to clothe the homeless and raise money for girls’ education in India, among others. 

With six kids (two in diapers) Nikki and I have to divide and conquer everyday. When I’m on the run with our two youngest I like throw the kid essentials in my Sons Of Trade bag. This felt messenger-style pack doubles as my diaper bag. It has lot of room with just the right amount of pockets, plus a spot for my laptop.  When I run into my buddies I don’t have to hear their lame jokes about carrying a womens diaper bag.

OUTDOOR 

Eno hammocks are pretty well known in the outdoor space. You can’t go wrong gifting one of these for dad. We use our ENO DoubleNest Hammock  everyday – I’m not joking. The kids and I love ours so much we ended up screwing some eye bolts into the ceiling in our basement so we could hang it up while watching movies.

The Poco Plus baby carrier by Osprey has been one of the best investments we made last year. We do a lot of hiking as a family and wanted something that could accommodate Wil even after he got a little older (it holds a max weight of 50lbs). The first time we used this pack was on our Wil Can Fly tour hiking the delicate arch in Moab. We had got through a couple different packs with our older kids that always left our shoulders destroyed after  2-3 mile hike, but this pack did not disappoint. You can watch the vlog post from that hike here.  This pack has a lot of different adjusting straps so it can accommodate our older kids carrying Wil.  The sunshade is stored in the back and is easy to pop up and stow before or after the hike. The Poco comes in three different versions, Basic, Plus, and Premium. I recommend going with the Plus version only because it offers more pockets than the basic. If you like hiking with your kids this pack is hard to beat, we ended up liking it so much we ended up getting a second one for Rockwell.

GRILLING

If we are taking off for a day hike or hitting the lake we do all of our outdoor grilling on our Elevate grill. There are a couple things that set this grill apart from other outdoor cookers but the main feature is its grilling space. With 286 square inches of cooking space I’m finally able to cook all everything at the same time versus grilling two different batches to accommodate my entire family. The other unique feature is its mobility. After the grill has cooled down you pull the two grills up together, store the propane bottle below and the grill stands flip up as handles. Watch my full review here.

Since we are talking about grilling I have to mention my set from Wilson Sonoma. This set of four stainless-steel grilling tools includes a basting mop, fork, slotted spatula and tongs which are so durable they appear to be forged from the lava flows of Mordor. It’s a bit more expensive than the traditional sets you would find at the hardware store, but I’m confident this will be the last set I ever buy.

It might just be an excuse for me to merge my love for grilling with technology but the iGrillmini meat thermometer is a device I use every time I’m cooking a good steak or chicken. The iGrillmini connects to your phone through Bluetooth so you can know when the meat is ready. Its always hard for me to walk away from the grill and trust the app but it has never failed me. The only bad experience I’ve had with this product was the time I forgot to wear gloves when I was pulling the thermometer out of the meat.

PERSONAL CARE

If your dad has a beard (which he should) you need to get him a beard bib by Beard King.  I use this every time I trim my beard. Its basically an apron that suction cups to the mirror so that all of your beard clippings end up in the apron and not all over your bathroom (which helps your wife respect the beard even more).  When I’m done I dump the clippings in the trash, shake the apron off outside and fold it up into itself.  It’s genius.

Shortly after our first Wil Can Fly photos went viral, Dove Men+Care sent me a care package with some of their new Men+Care products. Talk about clever marketing, its been over a year now and I continue to choose their line of care products. I mostly use their dry antiperprants and soap which my kids have started to recognize as “Dad smell”.

Someone once asked me what hair product I use – after I stopped laughing I determined that they are serious and then proceeded to tell them about Layrite Cement.  I have really thick hair, it holds all day without flaking and washes out easy at night. Enough said.

AWESOMENESS

This is a slight departure from the style of product above, but I had to add this one to the list. I started driving RC cars with my boys a few years ago because they were so passionate about them. At first it was simply a way to connect with them, with something they were passionate about, now that connection has turned into a hobby. As my boys have grown, our cars have been getting bigger and faster to the point were I could not keep up with them. So this last winter I stepped up my game with a Yeti Score Trophy Truck by Axial. With a brushless, 1/10 Scale Electric 4WD and independent suspension all the way around, this isn’t your average RC. The detail on the Yeti TT is unreal, sharing many of the same features found on full-scale trophy trucks, from the front all the way to the  fully-functional spare in the back. This truck has been designed to handle all types of terrain which makes it perfect for all different skill levels. Even people who have never driven an RC car or truck seem to manage it without major issues. The Axial Trophy Truck is guaranteed to put you on the favorite son or daughter list.