Father’s Day is rapidly approaching and if you’re a last minute shopper who puts off buying gifts till later... we hate to inform you, but it’s now later and you’re officially running out of time.
But with that said, what do you get your dad/grandfather/stepfather/husband/etc -- the dudes who seem to have it all but could use a little token of appreciation?
A barbecue apron with an ironic phrase on it? A coffee mug that says “World’s Best Dad?" Maybe just a sensible pair of socks, because who doesn’t like socks?
Don't get them socks.
That’s lame.
Is the realization starting to set in yet?
You can stop hyperventilating now because we at GearScout have you covered with our first ever tacticool Father’s Day Gift Guide.
These gift ideas are 100% geardo-guaranteed to show the dads in your life just how cool and badass you think they are!
For the dads in the sun: Magpul Explorer XL
Magpul has a documented history of being able to make any gun look good with its furniture and magazines... and now, they’ll proudly add that stamp of enhancement to daily wear accessories with their Explorer XL line of sunglasses, also designed to make any face look cool.
What’s more is that the Explorer XL is also ballistic rated and incredibly durable, making them perfect for anything between a hike out in the Alleghenies to a day at the range, or operating like an OG pipe hitter.
Prices range from $99 for non-polarized o $139 for polarized XLs.
For the dads who carry: Standard USA Atlas AIWB
Sick of lumpy conceal carry holsters that never quite feel right whenever you wear them? Standard USA thinks that they have just the solution in the form of their Atlas Appendix IWB holster, which comes with a transferable lifetime warranty and a guarantee for comfort.
Available for a number of pistols including Glocks, H&Ks, S&Ws and CZs, the Atlas is snug on the wearer’s body for max concealment while offering a clean draw that doesn’t yank the holster off your waist when it’s cowabunga time. The Atlas retails on Standard’s website for $129.
For beach bum/swimming pool dads: Floperator Multicam Flip Flops
Every man knows the struggle of finding reliable flip flops that don’t break easily and also don’t make the wearer look as though they borrowed said flip flops from their grandmother’s shoe rack. Combat Flip Flips has solved that problem with their Floperators, the coolest shower shoes this side of Old Navy’s summer aisle.
Now the dads in your lives can rock out with Multicam flip flops that don’t just look good, but feel good too... and bonus: they don’t break or snap very easily either!
If that doesn’t do it for you, a portion of the proceeds from each Floperator sold goes towards funding a day of secondary school for an Afghan girl. You can grab a pair at Combat Flip Flops’ website for $39.
* Wear these into actual combat at your own risk.
For the dads who gun: the Sugar Weasel
Gunning ain’t cheap, bro, and as cool as it is, AAC’s Honey Badger PDW isn’t very cheap either.
Not to fear, though, Q’s got your six. Chambered for 300BLK, featuring a 7 inch barrel, a 6 inch M-LOK handguard, and an M16-pattern receiver (minus the forward assist), this mini-beast is a seriously worthy alternative to the Honey Badger and you can get it for a healthy chunk less.
Sugar Weasels start at $1,599 depending on configuration.
For the dads who appreciate a good recliner: Stargaze Recliner Luxury Chair
Recliners are a staple of every dad’s life, and that’s a scientific fact. How else would you melt away the stress of a hard day at work, screaming and borderline psycho toddlers, coaching a little league team that just can’t get its act together, etc? How about those retired dads who’ve earned their recliners after DECADES of the above?
The problem is, while you can find a recliner for the living room or the man cave, you can’t exactly take one out into man’s second favorite place to be: the great outdoors... or can you?
NEMO Equipment now offers its Stargaze Recliner Luxury Chair which can (quite literally) go anywhere, from the backyard to a national park. Built to be durable with an aircraft-grade aluminum frame, the Stargaze also comes with a non-spill drink holder, accessory pockets, and a headrest for that optimal relaxed recline. The Stargaze retails for $219.95 on NEMO’s website.
For the dads with holey underwear: Battle Briefs
Let’s get really factual for a second here... holey underwear is a serious problem with us guys. We admit it, but we also don’t really care enough to get a new set of briefs.
We’ll do it next week. Or next month. Or next... sometime in the indeterminate future.
Chances are if you know a man, especially a dad, he needs new underwear (though he’ll also be the last to tell you that).
So get him a set of Battle Briefs from Tactical Distributors!
These quality undies aren’t just super comfortable, they’re also adorned with hilariously cool prints like one of George Washington crossing the Delaware with NVGs and Army gunships for fire support.
Prices start at $16, though Tactical Distributors also offers a monthly subscription service for $12.
For the dads who appreciate a good hat: RE Factor Blasting Cap
You can’t argue that dads value a good hat.
Every dad out there has a collection of baseball caps and each serve a purpose be it the camping hat, the fishing hat, the yard work hat, the daily-wear hat, etc. So you know that you’re already in golden territory if you get the dad in your life a quality headpiece to add to the stack.
And if that’s your gift route, you’re going to want to go with RE Factor’s Blasting Cap, available in a variety of colors and patterns including Tiger Stripe. Each hat has a Flex Fit band, making them adjustable to nearly any head size, and in case your dad actually does work with demolitions and ordnance... the insides of the hat list out various RE factors of different explosives. Pretty badass, right? Prices start at $29 on RE’s website.
Ian D’Costa is a correspondent with Gear Scout whose work has been featured with We Are The Mighty, The Aviationist, and Business Insider. An avid outdoorsman, Ian is also a guns and gear enthusiast.
