By Barbara Baird, WomensOutdoorNews.com
It’s not always that we need help deciding what to get Dad for the upcoming holiday honoring him. It’s sometimes interesting to see what other people choose for their dads, and especially interesting if they will tell us why.
We asked a few of our columnists and also put out a quick question at our Facebook page, and here are the results of what women would buy for their outdoorsy dads.
Shannon Salyer, Marketing Communications Manager at Azimuth Technology is the consummate outdoor woman, including equestrian activities. She likes the idea of getting her father The Streamer Wallet from Finn Utility. She writes, “What’s really cool is, if you drop it in the water, it floats and dries really quickly!”
Wow, I want one of these! It’s a water resistant, 18-ounce waxed twill canvas wallet, stitched with two patches of sheepskin and finished with a friction veggie tan closure. It comes in natural brown or natural leather, and touts an internal pocket for an extra leader. $55 (with 20 percent off for Father’s Day)
Rachel Fry is a Senior Customer Representative at Galco Gunleather – maker of wonderful holsters and clued in to the women’s market with a special section on “Women’s Top Picks,” – and she recommended either a bullet pen, or archery pen from AmmoHead.
I checked out these pens. Certified to be hand-crafted, these pens are made from real brass shell casings of almost every caliber. Every pen’s nib is a real bullet, precision matched for either a Cross or Parker pen refill. The archery pen is made from a genuine Easton arrow. Some of the bullet pens cost $75 and some cost $85. The archery pens are cheaper, at about $21.
Mia Anstine, who writes “Mia and The Little Gal” for Women’s Outdoor News, wrote, “I cannot wait to see the list. We are still searching for the perfect Dad’s day gift for Hank. A favorite we bought for Hank for Christmas is a set of hunting maps for his GPS. We bought both Colorado and New Mexico! He uses them with his Garmin GPS and when we hunt with the dogs. He LOVES them!” Maps vary in prices.
Photo courtesy of Garmin
Brita Lewis, who writes “Wild Thrive,” wrote, “I’d like to get my dad a Bushnell Backtrack, like I used at your place that allows you to pin your car or house or camp so that no matter where you are in the woods, you can easily see how far away and which direction you should head. I enjoyed that it allowed me to just follow the sound of the gobbles on your property without fear of getting ‘lost.’”
She continued, “Since my father and I go on hunting trips out of state and have some several upcoming trips planned, this would make me feel much more confident since we will be on unfamiliar ground. If we each had one, we could even split up and pick a place to meet back up, allowing us to cover more ground than we would otherwise have confidence to explore. It’s nice to not feel hesitant to track after game, because honestly, even the fear of getting lost would seldom stop me from going ahead. It’s just so hard to turn back if you know you are closing the distance on an animal.” Models vary. Prices range from mid-$30s to $130, depending on features.
Britney Starr, who pens the column “ShootingStarr,” recommended the new Prohibition series of holsters and belts from Flashbang Holsters. She said, “The Capone inside the waistband holster is the perfect gift for the dad who carries concealed. I use the Flashbang Ava, which is the women’s version. When I showed it to my dad — he tried to take it! I’m sure he will love the men’s version just as much, if not more.” $59.99 retail
Check out our Father’s Day giveaway, and you could win a Capone holster, Alcatraz belt and t-shirt from Flashbang Holsters.
Team Smith and Wesson’s Captain Julie Golob offered this idea: “My suggestion is a photo book or framed photo of a favorite outdoor memory you share with your dad. There are plenty of services online – Snapfish or Shutterfly are first come to mind. It’s a sweet sentiment and a way to share a memory.”
Our Writing Huntress wrote, “My absolute first thought would be one of the GPS trackers, because I’ve been eyeing a pair for hubby and me — never can be too careful! My dad is an electrical engineer who has essentially single-handedly changed the way cars are put together. He isn’t the most outdoorsy person, but he does love his speed boat and he’s getting into fishing.
Hence, I would get him a really nice fish finder via Bass Pro’s Website. I’d start there simply because you can search out the best prices, take advantage of rebate offers and view the best sellers. Price point would be a high priority for me (Sorry Dad, we’re newlyweds and kind of broke!), so I’d filter their wares price low-high. Even though the cheaper models may not have all the bells and whistles of the $500+ models, it’ll still tell him where the fish are and that’s a whole lot better than wetting a line for fish that aren’t even there!”
And, we love that the Writing Huntress was on fire with her answer, as she continued, “Also, if Dad were to get into fly fishing, I would selfishly get him a float tube (and waders, if the price was OK) in order to make him happy, of course, but also in the hope that I get to use the float tube whenever I visit not only as a fish procuring implement but also as a lake floatie!”
Marti Davis, who contributes “Marti Davis Afield,” wrote, “This past fall hunting season I got a new gutting and skinning knife, the Havalon Piranta-EDGE! This is one sharp knife and when it does get dull, all you have to do is swap out the blade.The rugged, stain-resistant ABS plastic handle is blaze orange, making it easy to find.The Piranta-Edge comes with 12 additional stainless steel #60XT 2 3/4-inch blades. It has ambidextrous thumb studs for easy opening.The knife also features an open back for easy cleaning, and it also features liner-lock construction, a removable pocket clip and a nylon holster. Any big game hunting dad would appreciate this light weight skinning and caping knife. $39.99
For my dad, a retired professor who walks four miles a day, I would buy a Galco waist pack for his concealed carry gun. He already carries in his other not-made-for-carry fanny pack, but it’s much better to have the real deal, and Galco knows how to fashion that for the ultimate reliability factor. He will not have to search around among breath mints, wallet, pipe and tobacco any longer to find his defense. Price is $89.99
Tammy Ballew, aka “Camo Mom” at Women’s Outdoor News, flipped out this idea off the top of her head, “I would say the perfect gift for dads is a new tackle box, especially if you fill it with lots of fishing lures and goodies. They are like a kid in the candy store checking out all the tackle!” Price is what you want to spend.
Team Smith & Wesson’s Junior Captain Molly Smith, who writes “Millisecond Molly,” said, “At my house my dad is not comfortable with Fathers’ Day. He calls it a Hallmark (the greeting card) Holiday. He has been opposed to celebrating the day with a gift. I honor my dad by doing everything I can to make him proud of me: Shooting, camping and spending time in the outdoors and finding every excuse to enjoy it is the best gift my dad could ever want.”
What would you suggest for your outdoorsy dad? We’d like to know.