If you still need gift ideas or if you’re looking for an excuse to buy yourself a gift, here are eight Father’s Day gift ideas that no dad (or family) should be without.
(See also: 10 Father’s Day Presents for Gun Owners)
1. A Water Filter – It might be a pipe bursting, or something worse, but you never know when you’ll need to filter water in order to make it drinkable. I personally own multiple water filters and two of my favorites are the MSR MiniWorks and the Sawyer PointOne All-in-One Filter. If you’re only going to get one I would go with the Sawyer. I recently had a chance to test out the Sawyer when I went hiking in Zion National Park and it worked great. The bottom line is, don’t let anymore time pass without having at least one water filter in your home.
2. The Ruger 10/22 – I own a lot of guns, but if for some (terrible) reason I could only have one it would be my Ruger 10/22. The 10/22 is such a versatile gun and can be used for many things from hunting small game to self-defense. I realize a .22 isn’t the optimal choice for personal protection but it will get the job done, plus it’s easy to teach new shooters on this gun and everyone in your family can handle it.
3. Swedish FireSteel – In both the 72-hour kits in your home and in the 72-hour kits in your car you should have multiple ways of starting a fire. One of these ways should definitely be Swedish FireSteel, which was originally developed for the Swedish military. Make sure you also have some dryer lint packed with this and make sure you’re buying the name brand product and not a cheap Chinese knock-off that won’t work.
4. A Fixed Blade Knife – Everyone ought to own a quality fixed blade knife for survival purposes and you should have it with you anytime you go exploring in the outdoors, such as hiking or camping. The Gerber LMF-II is an excellent knife and TOPS Knives also make a solid choice for a survival knife.
5. Ammunition – Most people have a lot of training ammunition, but few have enough self-defense ammo. I carry Hornady Critical Defense in my Ruger LCP and in my Glock 19 I carry Speer Gold Dot. Whatever self-defense ammo your loved one prefers, get them a few extra boxes this Father’s Day.
6. A Credit Card Lock Pick Set – When I first learned how to pick locks, I had no idea how useful this skill would become. That’s why I always carry my credit card lock pick set with me no matter where I’m going since lock pick sets are TSA approved and can be carried on an airplane.
7. Electronic Hearing Protection – If you go shooting often and you’re not using electronic hearing protection you have no idea what you’re missing. The electronic ears that I use and like are Pro Ears Gold.
8. A Tactical Flashlight – Just like with guns, you can never have too many flashlights. SureFire, Fenix, and O-Light are a few of the brands that I own and have worked well for me.
Hopefully, this short list of ideas has given you some inspiration for what you can get dad this year.