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Father’s Day Gift Guide 2020: Chris’s Favorite Things

June 11, 2020

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We have endless amount of father’s day and “for him” gift guides in our archives. But we thought this year, it would mean more to share my actual favorite things. All laid out below. The things that I recommend to my closest friends and family over and over and would buy again and again. So if you’re looking for a gift idea for the father figure in your life this month, consider these a personal recommendation from a close friend:

1. YETI Hopper Flip Cooler
This little guy is the best. Great for day trips, packing lunch, last minute campouts, or keeping some drinks cold on a road trip. I love, love it.

2. Marvel Stance Socks
My favorite dress socks, hands down. Lookin’ all serious with his slick suit and tie, then *bam!* Cool socks peekin’ through.

3. MVRCK Grooming Cream
The best hair cream. Just a touch and it keeps his hair in place, but not stiff, crunchy or dry.

4. Waterpik Water Flosser
The freshest part of my nightly routine. Leaves teeth and mouth feeling clean and cool before bed.

5. Philips Norelco Trimmer
I’ve used several beard trimmers, and this is my favorite. Lots of attachments, long battery life, and cuts super close.

6. Kevin Murphy Thick Again
Men get old, their hair thins. Just how it is. I use this product every day and it really helps boost it up and helps it feel full and healthy.

7. Quip Electric Toothbrush
Quip is awesome, because the toothbrush looks cool, works great, and they send you new heads and batteries every 3 months for $5! I’m always forgetting to swap my toothbrush otherwise, so this is perfect for me.

8. Counterman Daily Exfoliator
Just ’cause he’s a dude doesn’t mean he needs to have dry and flaky skin. Idaho is super dry, so I use this stuff a couple times a week and it’s so good.

9. Taft Boots
Time to grow up and get a real pair of boots, buck-o. I don’t mean work boots, which you should also have. I’m talkin’ handmade, quality dress boots. Taft is unbeatable, IMO. (I have two different pairs I love them so much.)

10. DeWALT Brad Nailer
If he’s a project guy, a battery-operated brad nailer will be his new favorite thing. No more digging out the air compressor just to tack a piece of baseboard back in place.

11. Maui Jim Sunglasses
I like sunglasses that are so comfortable I forget that I’m wearing them. That’s these.

12. Electric Skateboard (here’s a smaller one!)
One of my favorite toys Jules got me for Christmas last year. Super fun just to cruise around the driveway, street, or park. Love the larger wheels that make it so comfortable to ride and won’t throw you off when you hit a little pebble on the pathway.

13. Vive Virtual Reality System (here is another great one!)
I’m super into VR right now, and there are tons of options at various price points. I love the HTC Vive, but all of them have Beat Saber, so they’re all worth it. ;)

14. Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook
Salt & Straw is an ice cream place that is making serious waves, and they have a cookbook with a ton of their actual recipes! We live in Idaho, so I’m sure it’ll be 2045 before we get a Salt & Straw here, luckily the book has been a lot of fun and helps with the cravings. They even have dairy-free recipes, which is what we use.

15. Digital Meat Thermometer
Simple grilling tool that will help him nail it every time.

16. Chef’s Knife
If he’s a cook, one quality chef’s knife will make every day better. This knife has been my hands-down favorite going on 6 years now. Still cuts like a champ, too.

17. Flip Flops
I hate wearing socks, so I hate wearing shoes. When the weather warms in Idaho, even slightly, out come my flips. And Sanuk’s Beer Cozy flip flops are the lightest, most comfortable. I have 5 pairs.

18. Hydro Flask Tumbler Cup
Keeps my water cool, looks cool, and I added the press-in straw lid, which is also cool.

19. DeWALT Cordless Screwdriver
No joke I use this thing every day. Every. Day. It’s the most versatile, useful, easy to use tool.

20. Wohven Tees
I have about 30 of these T-shirts in my closet, because I pretty much only wear T-shirts, these are the most comfortable I’ve ever found, and it’s on a subscription service with cool unique designs every month. It’s cheap and I’ve converted so many friends too!

21. Nike Basketball Shorts
Some products are the same as everything else and just a name. But these Nike shorts are the best, IMO. So comfortable.

22. Laser Measurer
Trying to hold a measuring tape across a long distance is obnoxious. This is another tool that I use every day, because it is so convenient, and I feel cool.

23. Sentimental Photo
Jules gave these photos to me years ago, before I even quit my job, to hang in my office. That’s little Faye in my arms, our now 6 year old. Man, time is a bandit. He’ll never not love a sentimental photo.

24. Trail Truffles
If he likes snacks but is trying to be smarter about which ones he eats, get him these. They are so good. Peanut butter is my personal fave, not picture here because I eat them within 48 hours of purchase.

25. Tongs
Good tongs are to a serious cook what a paint brush is to an artist. Can’t work your magic without it. I use them on the stovetop, grill, as salad servers.

26. Yeti Tundra Cooler
For longer campouts, fishing trips, or larger groups. I’m a huge fan of Yeti coolers – we used to strap ours to the back of our Razr (when we had our cabin) and just head out for a couple hours. So much fun.

27. Neck Massager
Tension headaches are one of the woes of the digital world. Too much screen time, neck bent with the head facing down. I use this thing for 30 minutes every day and it helps a ton. It has a heated option and a bunch of settings. I love it so much we got one for both of our dads.

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What do you think?

  1. Denise says:

    Thanks Chris! Just placed my order for the digital thermometer!

  2. Cherise Wayment McDermott says:

    Question on the massager, it said in your stories it was $34 or $35, but it’s showing up as $49.99…. is there a code I am missing for a discount or something? Thanks!

  3. danielle says:

    you always knock it out of the park with these-thank you again! I got my hubby a Blackstone griddle for Father’s Day (hello hibachi at home-yum!) but then we opened it early bc we couldn’t wait, lol. appreciate these ideas so he’ll have something to open up on the actual day! :)

  4. D says:

    Question on the Quip! I only really saw it be used in sponsorships. Nothing against sponsorships(!!), it’s just sometimes hard to gauge if the product is actually as great as they say it is. Seems like a great idea and I want one, but is it as good as a stronger brand name, like Oral-B electric toothbrush or something? Thanks for all the great content!

    • Julia says:

      So this isn’t sponsored at all, and they don’t even know who we are. But the thing we BOTH love about the Quip is 1. The size. It’s an electric toothbrush that is the size of a normal toothbrush with all the power of an electric. It comes with a small mounting case that we hang on the corner of our mirror and it is just so handy and easy to travel with. 2. The automatic replacement heads every 3 months. It keep everything so sanitary and fresh without having to think about it!

  5. Jeanna says:

    Have I had many cheap thermometers? Yes. We’re they “ok”? Yes. Did I think it was ridiculous when my boyfriend proposed getting a $50 thermometer with rave reviews? Yes. Do I have any regrets now that we have it? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Buy the Javelin, love it forever!

  6. Ashley says:

    I guess I’m confused. Were your past gift guides not filled with your “actual” things? That seems weird since you were recommending them.

  7. PJ says:

    Just ordered the neck massager which is on sale on Amazon AND has an extra 30% off right now!

  8. molly says:

    Hi Chris! I love this SO much!! Thanks a million for sharing your tried & true favorites – I now have so many legit great ideas for my guys:) Happy (Almost) Father’s Day! xo

  9. Jana says:

    Would love it if, instead of deleting comments, you guys just explained why you chose not to include BIPOC businesses in this, days after saying that was a big goal of yours.

  10. K says:

    I always look forward to your gift guides! You never disappoint. And hey, Did you know Salt and Straw ships their ice cream?!

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We believe we should all love where we live.

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