Bonus Gift Guide: 5 Gifts for Father's Day from a Daughter

(EDITORS NOTE: We asked our contributor Alison to give us some of her brilliant gift ideas for her dad on Father's Day from the female perspective. As she put it herself. Shop like a girl.)


I have a hierarchy when it comes to shopping: Clothes shopping usually sucks, grocery shopping is total zen. Gift shopping, well gift shopping is just the best. Here are my tips and gift ideas for Father's Day 2015.

A Leatherman Multi-Tool

Having a handy Dad is the absolute best. Part of the handy Dad mystique is that they always seem to have just the right tool at hand (my friend Amanda swears her dad once produced a tiny hammer from his pocket). Leathermans come in different sizes and price-points, so you can find the perfect one to suit your Dad’s needs (mine is a Leatherman Wave guy).

A Year of Shaves

Buying razors sucks. They are expensive, the package is hard to open, and you never remember you need them until it’s too late. 

I’ve been a member of Dollar Shave Club for about a year now, and I’m into it (ladies, get the every-other month option). For between $3.50-9.50 a month Dollar Shave Club will send your dad four new razor cartridges a month. 

Everyday Luxuries

Sometimes the little things add up to a pretty great gift. Car wash gift certificates, tokens for balls at his favourite driving range, some craft brews, and a few of his favourite guilty pleasure treats (think Joe Louis and Kit Kats) can be bundled together for a great, personalized gift. 

CONTEST: Win a $125 Travel Shave Kit from @KingsCrown and @RealManTravels by tweeting the URL of this post, with the hidden hashtag #RMTDaughter4Dad and mention @KingsCrown1774 and @RealManTravels. You can also Like us on Facebook and post the hidden hashtag #RMTDaughter4Dad to our page for a bonus entry! Winner to be announced June 19th, 2015. Contest is only open to Canadian residents. More details here: Contest Details

Go Super Lux 

Father’s Day presents tend to be less about pampering than Mother’s Day. But that doesn’t have to be the case, Dads like a little luxury too. Here’s my tip for purchasing a luxury gift: Pick something he uses every day, and upgrade the shit out of it. Dad’s robe looking a little threadbare? Get thee to Holt Renfrew. Does his wallet have velcro on it? Go to Roots or Danier for an upgrade. These flavoured, small-batch toothpicks packaged in fine leather sleeves from Daneson have been on my Dad-gift radar since Christmas.

Memory Lane

Want to know a secret? Before your dad had you he drove a way cooler car. Then you were born and you literally ate all the money. True story. If your dad has a cool car in his past, immortalize it with a custom painting. TabCreates makes amazing one-of-a-kind car paintings. Just tell her the make, model, and colour of Dad’s old car and she will work with you to make a painting that might even make the most stoic dad shed a tear. (Full disclosure: I think Tab is amazing and make her hang out with me often, which is to say we are friends). 

The Gift of You

When I was little one of my go-to gifts was to offer my services as a caddy. I don’t think i ever carried his bag or did anything useful, but it was probably pretty cute. One time I wandered off to try to catch frogs in a water hazard and stepped on a wasp nest - that was a real banner father’s day. While I’m no longer as adorable, I am a lot more useful (especially now that I can buy a round). Spending one-on-one time with a parent as an adult is always special to both of you, so play a round with Dad. If you don’t know how to golf, pay for the round, drive the cart, and learn how to work the rangefinder - just make sure you call the course ahead of time to make sure they don’t have rules against non-players on the course.

Another option is to cook him a meal. It’s his day so you really want to go heavy on the meat - I recommend ribs or steak (you can even let him grill the steak if you’ve never done it before). Get a good bottle of wine, and finish off with his favourite dessert. 

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5 Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Dad Who Thinks He's Outdoorsy

5 Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Dad Who Thinks He's Outdoorsy

This is a list geared toward dads who love the outdoors and spending good old fashioned National Lampoons-style family time together. These dads like shore lunches and peeing outside. Here is the list of 5 Father's Day Gift Idea for the dad who thinks he is outdoorsy.

1. Duct tape - $5  

I can remember walking home for lunch in high school; my mom would make my friends and I a grilled cheese sandwich each and we would catch an episode of the Red Green Show. I remember when he would build things and secure the parts with duct tape. "The Handyman's Secret Weapon" will always have its place in your dad's toolbox. It is also handy to pack in your camping gear. You never know when you may blow a boot. Just slap a piece of duct tape over that hole and voila! Just like new.

2. Coleman Coffee Maker - $70 - $170

Coffee without electricity!! It can be done with the Coleman coffee maker. It may not be compact like a French press, but I own one of these suckers and it is worth the weight and space to have the sweeet nectar of the gods brewing on a cool summer morning. Chances are, if your dad thinks he's outdoorsy, he will love this.

CONTEST: Win a $125 Travel Shave Kit from @KingsCrown and @RealManTravels by tweeting the URL of this post, with the hidden hashtag #RMTOutdoorsDad and mention @KingsCrown1774 and @RealManTravels. You can also Like us on Facebook and post the hidden hashtag #RMTOutdoorsDad to our page for a bonus entry! Winner to be announced June 19th, 2015. Contest is only open to Canadian residents. More details here: Contest Details

3. Bear Grylls Survival Knife - $40 

When I came up with the idea of our annual Man of the Year camping trip I found this knife at the store and quickly bought it. It has several uses and makes you feel safe and protected when in the wilderness. It has been featured on our other gift guides as well, so you know we love it.

4. Lucky Strike Victor Spoon - $4

I was introduced to Lucky Strike lures by my brother-in-law when I was younger and I was shocked by the amount of fish we would catch with them. With this lure and a worm I have caught pike, bass, walleye and perch. If your dad likes to fish, this is a must try/buy.

5. Zero Gravity Chair - $40+

Imagine taking a nap in the summer shade. Now imagine taking that nap in space! That is the beauty of this chair, it is the ultimate lawn chair. I have slept entire nights in one of these chairs, and dads love naps. This will be a direct hit on the bulls-eye.

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