10 things a geek dad would like to have that isn’t a tie
Photo by Juliane Liebermann on Unsplash
Not that many of us wear ties any more. I don’t think I’ve had to regularly wear a tie to work—ever. I know that there are as many kinds of geek dads are kinds of dads and geeks out there, this isn’t a perfect or even all inclusive list, but I think are a few things on here for pretty much any dad out there—even the non-geek ones.
Wireless, noise-cancelling headphones
Dads, like moms, need some time in their own heads. Sure we like to enjoy Disney movies and My Little Pony: Magic of Friendship with our kids, but once and a while we’d like to listen to things that aren’t sung by animated animals or Muppets. I have a pair of Bose headphones, but they are pricy (I won my pair). I think as long as the headphones have great sound and block out the rest of the world…they’ll work out just fine.
Spotify premium subscription
We dads have our own taste in music. And even in spite of our best efforts at sharing what good music sounds like with the younger generation, our music choices aren’t always appreciated by the whole family. For me Spotify has all the music I could ever need. Offline playlists, no ads, and auto-created playlists off music. Yeah it’s the best $10 a month you can get a dad. Doesn’t matter his musical tastes, Spotify has it all. Bonus, Spotify goes with the headphones so dad can get lost in doing air guitar to Clapton or Led Zeppelin.
A tactical dad bag
I like tactical bags not for their military association, but because they can haul a metric butt load of stuff and have room to spare. I recently got this Coolton bag as an early Father’s Day present. No, it’s not high end (that’s 5.11 brand), but since I got it a few days ago I’ve used to haul stuff to the park for a picnic, to a my local coffee place to work, and a quick Saturday outing. I can go from the stuff for the care and feeding of a three-ager to work in a blink. I picked a sling pack version, but the same brand has traditional pack versions too. Now all I need to find are some geek patches for the bag. I dig the Canadian flag and all, but rebel alliance or brown coats say geek dad a lot better.
Think Geek gift card
I love the stuff at Think Geek. Yeah, for us Canadians it’s not an awesome deal, but there are often shipping deals to Canada. Anyway, if your dad is a geek and don’t know exactly what he’d like, let him choose. No, gift cards aren’t cheating, they are letting people buy the stuff they’ve always wanted—and might have been keeping on their secret wish list. Pick up a Think Geek gift card. Dad will like it I promise.
Better shirts
Geek dads don’t do boring shirts. These are the shirts you’re looking for. Like this Jurassic Park fossil shirt just the thing for your dinosaur digging dad.
Just a note, Think Geek shirts tend to fit small.
Multitools
I love multitools. I have a multitude of them in fact. I saw some great ones at Cabela’s recently especially this Pryma tool. I bought this DooHicKey when it was a Kickstarter and we have four in the family. I use mine all the time to open packages and bottles, although I have a Leatherman Juice S2 in my pocket, I pull out the DooHicKey to open all those boxes we get from online shopping.
Better than disposable pens
Disposable pens write as well as they are intended to last—not well and not long. I have, well, a lot of great pens. There are some pens that I don’t want to carry around all the time, but my Lamy Safari pens, well I have the complete set and I love all of them. Actually I have two of the fountain pens, but who’s counting.
These are durable, light, and elegant pens that write awesome. No, they don’t write as smooth as melted chocolate like my Pilot Vanishing Point, but they are a fraction of the price. Plus refills are easy to find at local pen stores or Amazon.
Noteworthy notebooks
Once you have better pens you need better paper to write on. Better paper means better notebooks. I’m a fan of hardbound notebooks myself. I’ve had a bunch of Moleskine, including the Evernote-branded ones, but recently I switched to using the Bullet Journal method (I don’t follow it religiously), and the particularly like the Leuchtturm 1917 journal made for Bullet Journaling and carry a softcover notebook in my back pocket for notes on the go. It seems like a little thing, but good paper lasts longer and holds ink better—even if you’re using a crap pen. If you want notes to last, you need good paper in a good notebook that you’re not going to just ditch somewhere.
End cable clutter
Geek dads have lots of cables. Lots. Myself I like using a mixture of Cable Clamps, velcro strips I buy in rolls, and these bendy Gear Ties. I know I have more than one…but somehow they keep disappearing. Cable Clamps are great for stuff you don’t have to carry, Gear Ties are better for stuff that goes in a bag. Velcro strips are best for cables you’re keeping stashed for later. Now for Velcro strips you can keep on a something like a power cord, these babies rock.
A better mug
Geek dads can be hard on mugs. And there are different mugs for different jobs. At home I like a good, old-fashioned diner mug. It’s the heft that’s the winner here. On the go I have one of these Contigo mugs, but if I’m serious about upping my game, I think I’m going this bad boy. A Stanley vacuum mug with handle and a ring to clip something to to go on my bag. Now we’re talking.
Some other ideas…
Other ideas I’ve gotten from folks are Bluetooth thermometers for grilling (I’d just like a nice Thermapen instant read myself—the knock off I got is worth the $13 I paid) and gift cards to artisan breweries.
If you’re a dad who likes to cook and you’d like to cook with your kids, try these Hello Fresh boxes (the link is also a discount code). The meals are easy to put together, generally fast to make, and have just the right amount of things to do with kids. A little mixing. Pulling herb leaves off stems. Washing. Organizing ingredients. Simple, stove top steps. My youngest is just a wee too young for the stove parts, but she does help me with other parts of cooking. I love doing it and it’s a great way to share one of my favorite things.
What’s on your Father’s Day list (besides sleeping in, we got that)? And Happy Father’s Day to all us dads.
Leave a Reply