Jun 14, 2024 6:03 PM

The 25 Very Best Gifts for Dad

The best gift idea for your dad is a nicer version of something he already owns. The second best is one of these things.

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Your dad probably isn’t going to complain about any gift you give him. For better or worse, most modern dads don’t get hung up on presents. You know the meme of the older, bearded gentleman with a goofy smile opening a shirt just like the one he has on? There’s a lot of truth to that meme. However, I am not only a dad and a gear reviewer but also someone with a specific philosophy about what makes a good gift for middle-aged men like me.

You’ll notice some threads running through this ~~manifesto~~ guide: The best gifts for a dad are things that not only are relevant to his interests but also can be fairly described as “overkill.” Dads tend to like things that are overbuilt but useful. I’m sure some dads want to be “pampered,” but this is not me or the dads I know, who all physically cringed reading this sentence.

If you take away one idea, I hope it’s that when it comes to a gift for a dad, you can rarely go wrong by giving an expensive but excellent version of a thing we use anyway. We especially like things that win the admiration of our peers—nothing makes a dad happier than having another dad-aged dude take note of his stupidly expensive tire pressure gauge and then saying, “Oh, yeah, my kid got me that—they’re a little pricey but I gotta say, always works great.”

Check out the rest of our gift guides, including Gifts for Moms, Tech Gifts for Kids, and Gifts for Outdoorsy People.

Updated June 2024: We’ve added one last batch of last-minute Father's Day gift ideas including a ball cap, a shirt, pants, and a nice, rusty firepit.

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Photograph: Amazon
A Super-Powerful Water Gun
SpyraLX
Dads are somewhat famously the grown-up version of rambunctious boys, which is why an extremely powerful and expensive squirt gun is a great gift idea. I was introduced to the Spyra through a trend story WIRED ran last year and have since purchased two Spyra LXes for backyard fun with my daughter. Is $64 too much to pay for a water gun? Why would you even ask when the high-end electric SpyraThree costs almost three times that much?
This gun shoots blasts of water so powerful and accurate that you can use it to knock down a row of pop cans at 40 feet. Fair warning that the “maximum depth” line for refilling is not a gentle caution but an urgent warning and that ignoring it could damage your gun—one of my Spyra LXes leaks badly because I dunked the whole front half of the gun into the water several times while filling and put too much pressure on the internal components while pumping it full. The electric version will load itself, eliminating all that hassle, but $179 is too rich for my blood.
$92 at Amazon
$59 at Spyra
Photograph: Theragun
A Hands-Free Massage
Theragun Sense
If your dad plays sports or is frequently at the gym, he may like a Theragun for muscle recovery. The Sense is moderately priced for the company but includes four attachments and an LCD screen for walking through guided routines. A heart-rate sensor on the handle works in conjunction with breathwork sessions for total body relaxation. The Sense is also whisper-quiet. If Dad is a serious athlete, the Theragun Pro Plus is more powerful with additional attachments, including a vibrating one for massaging sensitive muscles, and near-infrared LED light therapy for further promoting circulation and recovery. However, it’s double the price. —Medea Giordano
$299 at Therabody
$299 at Amazon
$300 at Target

Photograph: Martin Cizmar
A Waxed Canvas Apron
Hedley & Bennett Waxman Apron
I tend to forget aprons exist until my shirt is covered with flour and/or barbecue sauce, which may be why I keep getting aprons as gifts. I have been gifted at least four novelty aprons in my nearly nine years of fatherhood. The problem with the other aprons I've received is that, while they did have dad jokes printed on them, the thin cotton didn’t do a lot to prevent seepage to my shirt. This waxed cotton apron from Hedley & Bennett solves for that. This is an apron you’ll find in professional kitchens. We've got a coupon for free shipping over $125 (some of the aprons alone are above this price) on our WIRED coupons site.
$130 at Amazon
$125 at Hedley & Bennett
Photograph: REI
The Most Comfy Camp Chair
Nemo Stargaze
I’ve sat on a lot of camp chairs in my lifetime. Maybe this is my Archie Bunker moment, but there is only one camp chair I have strong positive feelings about, and this is it. The Nemo Stargaze is as much a hybrid hammock as it is a chair, with a seat that swings between the heavy-duty aluminum support posts. As the name implies, it reclines by adjusting a bevy of nylon straps so that Dad can lean his head back on the integrated pillow and stare up at the starry night sky (or fall asleep with a flask by the fire). Thanks to a low center of gravity it’s easy to get into and out of, and you never worry about tipping over on sand or loose gravel.
$250 at Amazon
$250 at REI

Photograph: Satechi
A New (Sorta) Wallet
Satechi Vegan-Leather Magnetic Wallet Stand
A new wallet is one of those most classic of gifts for dads, right along with socks or neckties. As one of those men who once put my spine out of alignment by sitting on a fat wallet (thanks to various loyalty and membership cards, not wads of cash), I’ve long been curious about a MagSafe wallet that attaches to my phone and holds only a few cards. My fellow WIRED reviewers generally love Satechi accessories (for iPads, for Macbooks, for charging), so this one was a no-brainer.
Ultimately, I used it for two weeks before switching back to a regular wallet—but that’s a me problem, not a reflection of this excellent wallet sleeve and stand, which performed quite well with a powerful magnetic connection and vegan leather that both felt like regular leather and wore even more gracefully. In the end, I simply could not get over my traditional “wallet, keys, phone” pocket check.
$40 at Amazon
$40 at Satechi
Photograph: Amazon
A Weather Station
Ambient Weather WS-2902
For whatever reason, dads like paying attention to the weather. The discussion goes beyond “really needing” that recent rain and digs into useless precision. That’s why they’ll love the Ambient Weather ecosystem recommended by WIRED senior editor Parker Hall. It lets you know everything from daily rainfall to the current UV index via several weather-measuring doohickeys, accessories, and screens.
The Ambient Weather WS-2902 includes a rain collector and two instruments to measure wind, but it's just one of many tools that can be combined. Building this system out will cover you on gift ideas for at least two to three gifting occasions. Even better, Ambient Weather keeps releasing new products. This is a boon for hard-to-shop-for fathers or nerdy types everywhere. Hall’s dad got his first Ambient Weather device in December, has now installed others in two locations, and is considering adding a third at the family vacation home. The rest of the Hall family is set on gifting ideas for years.
$190 at Amazon
$190 at Walmart

Photograph: Typhur
A Fast Air Fryer
Typhur Dome Air Fryer
Maybe your dad loves fried foods, but his doctor doesn’t. Maybe he’s already a convert to air frying but is using a device that has seen better days. Either way, he’s going to be impressed with the Typhur Dome, a sleek, modern air fryer I have been testing on wings, pierogi, and frozen french fries over the past month. The Typhur is more squat than most air fryers, which is part of a design that maximizes both the space of the nonstick cooking surface and airflow, speeding up the cooking process. Wings take 14 minutes, 16 if you prefer them “fried hard” like I do. The Typhur also has a self-cleaning mode, though I use soap and water on the basket. Another nice feature, common to some other air fryers but not all, is the dehydration mode—I’ve yet to test it, but I’m making jerky soon, and your dad might also enjoy drying and spicing his beef to avoid the preservatives you get in gas station jerky.
$499 at Amazon
~~$499~~ $399 at Typhyr
Photograph: MÄNNKITCHEN
The Best Pepper Grinder
MÄNNKITCHEN Pepper Cannon
As silly as it may sound, I have been on the hunt for the best pepper grinder for about two years. Männkitchen’s Pepper Cannon ended that search. This (admittedly expensive) anodized aluminum grinder is sturdy enough to pound a nail into a wall, and it has a finely tuned grinder mechanism that efficiently and precisely crushes peppercorns at more than 50 different mesh sizes. I’ve been working to find the perfect grind for the pepper portion of the rub on my smoked ribs and found it at about 12 clicks from the coarsest setting on this grinder. Well-calibrated gears and burrs made from high-carbon stainless steel make it easy to smoothly power through a pile of peppercorns, and the integrated cup on the bottom stores the pepper until you're ready to apply it. If your dad is a home cook who’s making lots of barbecue or steak, this grinder will up his game.
$200 at Amazon
$200 at MÄNNKITCHEN

Photograph: Amazon
A Professional Grade Food Processor
Robot Coupe R101B
You may have noticed that "professional grade" is a powerful marketing term in the Dudeosphere. Even men in white-collar fields want to drive the same truck the guy who hung their drywall drives (which seems to be the entire marketing philosophy behind trucks). The Robot Coupe is along those same lines. This brand of French food processor is ubiquitous in professional kitchens and coveted by people who want that same performance at home. If you’re looking to julienne carrots and cucumbers for salad rolls or whip up a big batch of buttery-smooth hummus, you’re not going to get there with a food processor from Target.
The Robot Coupe takes up about as much room as a KitchenAid mixer but is sturdy with sharp steel blades designed to keep their edge for years. The motor’s power is measured in horsepower. I bought mine used from a man who sold it because his wife said it took up too much space. When I asked him what he liked to make with it, he got a faraway look in his eye. It was understood that the appeal of the device extends beyond the practical; you want a Robot Coupe because it’s what the pros use. When I posted a picture of it to my Instagram, multiple dads messaged me to express envy or support. Your dad could be that dad.
$630 at Amazon
Photograph: Hydragun
The Bee's Knees
Hydragun Heatpulse Knee Massager
I recently injured my left knee … cleaning. Yes, that’s what happens when you’re dad age. It was an extremely large and ambitious cleaning project but, nevertheless, the injury left me feeling very old indeed. That knee injury has lingered for 11 months and only improved significantly in the two months since I got this miracle device from Hydragun. The Heatpulse straps directly onto your knee and is powered by a rechargeable pack that connects via USB-C. It heats up to a maximum setting of 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) and has various massage speed settings. I just crank both up to the top and let it go until it shuts off and this is probably what your dad will do, too. The Heatpulse has made a marked difference in how good my knee feels.
$169 at Hydragun

Photograph: Martin Cizmar
The Best Infrared Thermometer
Thermoworks Hi-Temp Industrial IR w/Circle Laser
There are many good cheap infrared thermometers other than this ThermoWorks model. Your dad probably doesn’t need the nearly 1,500 degrees of range and wide targeting laser with eight measurement points to grill burgers. But, having received this tool as a Christmas gift, and having subsequently used it to make many backyard pizzas and smoked meats, I can confirm that it makes for a great gift. Having a wider circle to read from makes the results much more reliable than the cheaper temp guns. It’s rugged too. I’ve dropped it a few times without any issues. Though mainly used for culinary applications, this is a serious tool that will come in handy if your dad is trying to track down a leak in the attic insulation that’s causing him to burn up a brontosaurus every damned day.
$174 at ThermoWorks
Photograph: Martin Cizmar
A Wool Baseball Hat
Hat Haven Wool Baseball Hat
The martyrdom of Harambe gets most of the blame for plunging us into this dark timeline, but if you ask me to point to the start of our recent troubles, I’ll instead look to the decision by Major League Baseball to move away from traditional wool baseball caps and toward the cheap polyester things you see today.
We’re huge fans of wool around here, and the benefits of natural fiber are even more noticeable on a baseball hat than a T-shirt–wool caps are breathable so they stay cooler in the summer heat, are far less smelly, and stretch a bit as you break them in. The decline continues this season as MLB sold out on uniforms and has players wearing cheapo on-field jerseys they hate. It’s increasingly tough to find and purchase wool caps, but I recently found Hat Haven, where I scored a wool 1920 Cleveland Indians hat. Search up your dad’s favorite ball club and buy with confidence, as this is a gift he’ll love.
$46 at Hat Haven

Photograph: American Giant
The Best Cotton Hoodie
American Giant Lightweight Hoodie
I’ve been a fan of American Giant hoodies since a friend steered me toward this 2012 Slate article about the brand, which was then a unique upstart in direct-to-consumer American-made clothing. I could not have imagined back then that I’d wear the hoodie for the better part of the following decade (I lived in Portland, where 300 days of the year is hoodie weather) or that my Instagram feed (the app with the olde tymey photo filters) would one day be filled with very similar casual clothing brands. So it didn’t take much arm twisting to get me to test the brand’s newer Los Angeles–made lightweight hoodie, which has the same sturdy feel without the bulk or warmth. This cotton-poly-rayon blend has a forgiving fit and just the right amount of softness without feeling like pajamas. If your dad is a hoodie guy, this is a perfect gift.
$80 at American Giant
Photograph: Roark
A Beach-Ready Shirt
Roark Bless Up Breathable Stretch Shirt
I’m spending Father’s Day at Virginia Beach; it’s going to be sunny and 85. That’s why I bought every single father in my life—my dad, my father-in-law, my husband—a different pattern of Roark’s breathable stretch shirt. It’s made from Tactel fabric, which is a combination of cotton and polyamide that gives it the hand feel and drape of natural fibers, but the stretchy, moisture-wicking breathability of synthetics. The short-sleeved, button-up camp shirt style is appropriate for everything from a beach cover-up to a casual dinner out. It also comes in a wide variety of fun patterns and bright colors so they don’t all look the same. However, I believe that men all like to wear the same shirt! It's a thing. I wish it came in women's sizes too. —Adrienne So
$89 at Roark

Photograph: Duer
Adventure-Ready Pants
Duer No Sweat Relaxed Taper Pants
At some point in the near future, we may be bringing you a full guide (or two) to adventure pants, which we define as those pants you see advertised on Instagram for people who climb fourteeners, vacation in Papua New Guinea, and/or drink IPA on brewery patios with their dogs. These stellar pants from Duer will be in the mix on that guide. The publicist who pitched me called Duer “the ultimate dad brand,” and I was skeptical (publicists have been known to occasionally promote their client's interest even when they have to stretch the truth!), but, wow, they really are. They’re made with stretchy plant-based Lyocell fiber instead of spandex and stay cool in the heat while also giving full flexibility—too often you sacrifice breathability for stretchiness, but not here. Fellow dads will agree these are what you wear to see Wilco on a summer tour when you’ve got lawn seats and don’t want to have bare skin on the grass. I wore them to my daughter’s swim meet on an 80-plus-degree day and remained very comfortable.
$139 at Duer
Photograph: Amazon
Peace of Mind
Apple AirTags (4-pack)
Last summer I had what I can only describe as a harrowing moment in fatherhood: I couldn’t find my keys while on a road trip with my 8-year-old daughter 500 miles from home. It turns out I had a hole in the pocket of my shorts (dads are always wearing old clothing past the failure point), and to make it a true nightmare, I’d just been walking for a few miles on a path along the Mississippi River. I got lucky and found my keys in the parking lot. I immediately bought an AirTag and a keychain holder for it. Dads often feel deep personal responsibility and shame connected to things like losing their keys. A set of AirTags will help assuage that anxiety, plus allow him to low-key LoJack his bike or a vehicle (your dad knows what this means) and maybe even something like his tackle box.
$100 at Amazon
$80 at Walmart
$99 at Best Buy
$99 at Apple

Photograph: Amazon
The Best Barbecue Sauce
Gates Original Classic Bar-B-Q Sauce
WIRED recently published a guide to the best barbecue and hot sauce subscriptions, and that sounds like a real nice gift for a dad. Real nice. No offense to Andrew, the Angeleno who wrote that guide, but I live in Kansas City, a town that's synonymous with sauce, and ’round here we pretty much all agree the best barbecue sauce that has or ever will exist comes from Gates. To the extent any local folk disagree, they're probably from Johnson County and have opinions to be heard and considered (but not too carefully). Gates Original has the perfect balance of sweetness, smoke, and richness. Gates sauce is great on anything and everything, especially french fries—which always come with barbecue in Kansas City. I'm not from here originally, so don't ask me why.
I think a couple of bottles of Gates would make an excellent last-minute gift this Father's Day. If you did want to opt for the sauce subscription at this late date, you can also order this and attach a note about the coming subscription so your dad will be able to enjoy a bottle of Gates on his special day and then a bunch of slightly lesser sauces throughout the year.
$24 at Amazon (2 Pack)
$6 at The Kansas City BBQ Store
Photograph: Atlas Coffee
A Fresh Cup Every Day
Atlas Coffee Club
Your dad probably drinks coffee. He probably likes it when that coffee is delicious. If he likes variety—I’m an extremist on this and rarely buy the same bag twice—he’ll love a subscription to Atlas Coffee Club, which ships beans from all over the world in every style of roast and grind you can imagine. I am especially fond of the half-bag batches, which means I’m getting new flavors midway through the week.
$14 at Atlas Coffee Club

Photograph: Tom Bihn
Bagging Your Limit
Tom Bihn Aeronaut 45
If there’s one thing most dads agree on, it’s the appeal of beating a system designed to swindle them. Thus the appeal of a maximum allowable carry-on bag. Airlines are always trying to chisel you, and this bag by Tom Bihn grants you every last square inch of promised space in the overhead bins on a typical domestic carrier.
But this Seattle-made bag does a lot more than max out your free luggage allotment; it’s also made of incredibly sturdy 1,050-denier ballistic nylon with bombproof YKK zippers. It has hidden backpack straps and the most comfortable cross-body strap I’ve ever used. This is a bag that excels at being tossed around and lugged down rough streets and through crowds where roller bags are a liability. I own two of these and have had the first one for more than a decade. I don’t fly without it and neither will your pops.
$340 at Tom Bihn
Photograph: Amazon
The Best Whiskey Glass
Norlan Whiskey Glass
Designed in partnership with Scottish master distiller Jim McEwan, this double-walled whiskey glass is made to bring out aromatics and alleviate ethanol burn. WIRED reviewer Parker Hall (a new dad himself) has used this borosilicate glass many times with bourbon, Scotch, rye, and other whiskeys of the world. It's a cool drinking experience, with the gorgeous inner glass meeting the outside at a perfect drip-free edge for easy sips. Hall still uses a regular tumbler for basic pours on the rocks, but when he's drinking any high-end spirit that should be sipped neat, this is his go-to drinkware. Don't just take it from him: It's won numerous design awards and sold a half-million units since its release.
$28 at Amazon
$28 at Norlan Glass

Photograph: Nite Ize
A Tactical Flashlight
Nite Ize T4R Long Throw
I’m working on a new guide to flashlights and have more to test, but so far, this is the clear standout. The T4R is a mid-sized but heavy-duty rechargeable 1,220-lumen light that’s crushproof, water resistant, and built to military spec. It’s a pocket-sized spotlight. The beam goes about 3,000 yards, meaning you could shine it across the Golden Gate Bridge. It comes with a charging cradle and adapters for charging in your car and overseas. I don’t think I needed this flashlight to take my daughter trick-or-treating, but I wasn’t sad about it. Your dad won’t be either.
$202 at Amazon
$225 at Nite Ize
Photograph: Goal Zero
A Mega Light
Goal Zero Yeti Skylight
Yes, there are only two dozen items on this list and two are extravagantly expensive forms of lighting. Trust me, this is what dads want. We like seeing stuff at night. The Skylight is a new device from Goal Zero, makers of some of our favorite portable power stations, which can light an entire backyard, garage, or campsite. It has six adjustable LED panels putting out 6,000 lumens attached to a retractable pole that will soar up to 12 feet high to give you coverage for a 300-foot area. It’s all rated for IPX4 water resistance so you can leave it outside all night without worry. I’ve used it in the basement where it illuminated corners I forgot existed, and in my backyard where it allowed me to grill into the evening without a headlamp. Finding new uses for it is half the fun of owning it.
$300 at Amazon
$300 at Goal Zero

Photograph: Amazon
A Smokeless Modern Fireplace
Solo Stove Lloyd Modern Gel Fuel Fireplace
I've been dreaming of owning a Malm Zircon fireplace for years, but they’re out of my price range and incompatible with my chimney-less home. This smokeless pit by Terraflame, a sub-brand of Solo Stove, fits the bill. The Lloyd’s cone-shaped silhouette echoes the midcentury modern design of the Malm, but instead of logs and a flue you get space for three gel canisters that provide 6-inch flames with a soft crackle—it’s enough to feel like a real flame but without any smoke or soot.
The Lloyd is light enough to move around (I have it against a wall in my living room), and it’ll look great in the corner of a man cave, den, or basement. A smokeless fire pit offers your dad the perfect excuse to kick back with a glass of whiskey or wine and watch the flames dance, and this one looks good when it’s not lit too.
$700 at Solo Stove
Photograph: Martin Cizmar
A Nice (Elegantly) Rusty Firepit
Breeo X Series Firepit
Just as I doubled down on expensive lighting, I'm doubling down on firepits. Take it from a dad: Fire pits are what dads want for gifts. I'm currently testing this Breeo against a Solo Stove for our forthcoming guide to the best fire pits, and it has the early edge, mostly because of the beautiful patina it has developed in the past month thanks to my efforts to age the corten steel by applying several coats of vinegar, salt, and hydrogen peroxide. My baby is nice and rusty now. Nice. And Rusty.
Breeo's firepit is overbuilt (the 24-inch one weighs 62 pounds) and does a good job of being smokeless, though not quite as good as competitor Solo Stove. What I love best, however, is the complete suite of available accessories. I've tested the pizza oven and grill plate, which are both well-designed and highly functional. Mostly, though, I love that patina—gazing out upon my back patio, I feel the type of satisfaction a farmer must feel looking out across the dewy morning fields to see an old Chevy truck without tires gracefully rusting away by his barn.
$599 at Breeo

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
A Handy Dandy Electric Scooter
Apollo Go (2024)
There are often so many errands I need to do around town that aren't worth the hassle of hopping in a car and wading through traffic—or dealing with public transit. That's why I love having an electric scooter around, ready to go. The Apollo Go 2024 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our new favorite escooter, with a handsome design, respectable range (around 16 miles in my testing), and nice perks like turn signals and a useful app. Get this for your city-slicker dad so he can make quick trips around town without having to lose his parking spot (if he doesn't have the luxury of a garage). —Julian Chokkattu
~~$1,199~~ $1,099 at Best Buy
$1,199 at Amazon
$1,199 at Apollo

Martin Cizmar is the tech category director for the WIRED Reviews team. He specializes in testing mattresses, grills, terrestrial TV antennas, and other large, cumbersome items. Previously he was the editor in chief of Kansas City magazine, a senior editor at Raw Story, an editor at alternative weeklies in Portland... Read more

Commerce Category Director, Tech

Topicsgift guides Dads Shopping parenting Father's Day

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