FATHER’S DAY 2022

Whiskey Peaks Glasses - Art He Can Use to Unwind

The age-old debate between form and function (is it more important the way a thing looks or performs, e.g.) may have been settled by these glasses. Why? Because they look amazing: each glass in a set contains within itself a crystal clear rendition of a mountain range; and in terms of function, these are double-walled glasses that create excellent insulation to keep dad’s drink chilled, whether he’s enjoying a finger of bourbon, scotch, tequila, or a nice iced tea, juice, or water.

Ooni Karu Wood and Charcoal Fired Pizza Oven - Dad Will Make the Best Homemade Pizza the Family Has Ever Tasted with This Oven

OK, I’ll admit it: my interest in compact home pizza ovens started with episode one of the second season of the truly peerless show Bluey, an episode titled “Hammerbarn” wherein, among other hijinks, the dad, Bandit, gets a pizza oven and makes an amazing pizza. That’s selling the episode short, but overselling the quality of the pizzas you can make in an Ooni oven? That’s hard to do. I’ve cooked up about two dozen pizzas, and even the very first one I made was the best pizza I’ve ever cooked myself. It came out with that toasted crust with just a few dark spots, a still slightly doughy interior, bubbles and brown flecks on the cheese, and just all around amazing. It really does take all of one minute per pizza, and they really do come out restaurant quality or, frankly, better. If the dad in question likes to cook and he likes pizza, he will love this thing.

Gentlemen’s Hardware Bocce Ball Set - A Classic Game That’s Fun from the First Throw

Bocce is like the Uno of yard games: it can be enjoyed by players of almost any age and of any skill level, including zero skills. Dads will enjoy playing bocce with their young kids as much as they will like squaring off with other adults, and the game play can easily be made easier or more challenging based on the players simply by positioning the target ball closer or farther away. And as this set is suitable for play with two, three, or four players (or even more if you work in teams) it really is a great family friendly game, and one that works at the beach, the campsite, the park, or the backyard.

Looftlighter X - This Battery-Powered Fire Starter Will Have the Grill Glowing or the Fire Crackling in a Minute Flat

It’s hard to beat grilling over charcoal, but damned if it’s not hard to get charcoal grills evenly lit – not if you don’t want to use lighter fluid, that is. (And when possible, it’s really best to not use that stuff.) Enter the Looftlighter X, a futuristic-looking and frankly rather futuristic functioning device that uses battery power to create a flow of superheated air that’s superheated enough to light charcoal grills or wood fires. It will replace lighter fluid, firestarters, and that painstaking 10- to 15-minute process of adding little bits of paper, repositioning the wood or coals, gently blowing on the embers, swearing a bit too loudly, and potentially experiencing existential dread.

Proof 72-Hour Merino Tee - A Tee Shirt That Feels Broken In from the Very First Wearing

Dads always have their favorites. No, not kids. Clothes. They have a pair of sneakers that’s about 200 miles past good shape but just too familiar to toss. Jeans with a worn out knee but too many memories to replace. And of course dads always have a favorite tee shirt or two, and said shirts are usually worn down to a point of unmatched softness but unsightly looks. A Proof 72-Hour tee is soft and feels broken in right from the first wearing, and it only gets comfier with each subsequent wash and wear. Simple yet classy in style and flexible, odor-resistant, and sweat-wicking, this tee works for a day trip to the city, a jog, the zoo with the kids, or mowing the lawn. You know, dad stuff.

Flint and Tinder 10-Year Hoodie

Let’s be honest: most dads probably already have a hoodie or two that are 10 years old, or that will be 10 long before they’re finally dismissed from service. But this one? It will actually be in good shape after that decade of use even if the dad using it wears the thing a lot. Thick, heavy, and warm, this hoodie will be one of a dads go-to garments from the mid fall through the early spring, and based on its timeless styling, it will look great on the ‘ol man even as a decade of cold seasons rolls by.

FLIKR Fire Personal Concrete Fireplace - Plenty of Flicker and a Bit of Heat Anywhere Dad Wants, Indoors or Outside

Maybe the dad on your Father’s Day gift list isn’t exactly a candle guy, but he loves a good fire, eh? Well why not meet in the middle with this tabletop mini fire pit, which uses nothing more than isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, e.g.) to create a steady, flickering flame? To be clear, while this thing may look like a candle at a glance, once it’s lit, you (and that dad guy) will see it’s not. A FLIKR Fire creates a larger, hotter fire than a single candle could ever produce – you can even roast marshmallows over this indoor safe mini fire pit – yet it can be extinguished in a matter of seconds just by placing a non-flammable flat object (like a plate or a stone coaster) over its top.

Onsen Hooded Waffle Robe - A Dad Without a Good Bathrobe Is a Dad Who Needs a Good Bathrobe

A high-quality bathrobe might be the ultimate example of something a person (in this case, a dad person) does not need but will never want to be without. Can a towel do the job when dad needs to make his way from the bedroom to the kitchen for a glass of water? Can a worn tee and some old running shorts suffice when he needs to venture across a bit of open land to the garage? Can he step out front to move a trash can or grab the paper in his PJs? And can he just take a load off and sit on the couch in his boxers? Yes to all of those, but the man will be so much more comfortable in a great robe, and that’s what this is. It’s soft, it’s absorbent, it’s durable, and it’s the only robe I ever use, for the record.

Janji AFO Middle Short - Get Dad On the Run with These Superlative Running Shorts

If the dad on your Father’s Day gift list is a runner – and be that a city or suburban jogger or a backcountry trail runner – he will love these shorts. Why? Because they are excellent running shorts. Lightweight, highly flexible, with two pockets and a bungee loop for carrying a few small essentials, with a soft but supportive brief-style liner, and with a pattern just wacky enough to be fun but not a distraction, they just hit every make a guy needs in a pair of shorts made for running. And they come from a brand committed to Bluesign certified products and to supporting clean water projects.

Leatherman Wave Plus Multi-Tool - Until Dad Has a Multi-Tool, Something Is Missing from His Life

There are two kinds of dads: those who already have a great multi-tool, and those in need of a great multi-tool. And once a dad enters the former category, there are two kinds of multi-tool-owning dads: those who use it all the time and are thrilled to have it, and those who only need the thing on rare, unexpected occasions and are thrilled to have it. See the common factor there? This multi-tool, from the name almost eponymous with the product category, Leatherman, has an impressive variety of tools, from multiple cutting implements to myriad screwdrivers to a can opener to those rugged pliers. It has 17 tools tucked in there in all, and it comes tucked into a durable nylon sheath that dads can wear on their belts but probably shouldn’t, save for when camping/hiking/DIY-ing.