No more greasy grates
This pad brush, made with the same fabric found in firefighters’ gear, can be plunged in water and wiped over a hot grill, creating steam as you clean. And the heads are replaceable.
It’s a bit of a cliché that men like to do all the grilling. (We know plenty of moms who own that area and plenty of dads who don’t.) But for those who do, the Grill Rescue Grill Brush might just make their summer. Kitchen senior editor Marilyn Ong was initially skeptical of the tool, but was won over when she found that the quick-working, easy-to-use brush actually made cleaning grates … fun? The spongy head soaks up a lot of water and when it’s wiped over a hot grill, it steams and clears away the soot and debris left behind by wire brushes in under a minute. So, the next time Dad lifts the lid of his grill, those grates will be squeaky clean, making for a smooth-cooking session and cleaner flavors in the end.
Munch on the go
This extra-roomy, durable lunch bag can hold much more than a midday meal.
Whether your old man needs to pack a meal and some extras for a work-site job or an afternoon on the river, the two-compartment, well-insulated Carhartt Insulated Lunch Cooler will gamely fit a sandwich or bento box, drinks, ice packs, multiple snacks, and more. He could also just load it up with 12 cans of whatever quenches his thirst. There is a tradeoff for all that space—it won’t fit into most backpacks and likely has to be carried on its own. However, the heavy-duty polyester exterior is water-repellent, its plastic lining is easy to wipe clean, and the Carhartt design is classically rugged looking.
Pocket power
This power bank is one of the smallest and lightest we’ve tested. It has a powerful USB-C PD port, built-in USB-C and Lightning cables, and a 3,000 mAh rated capacity. But it recharges slower than some others.
Spare your dad the stress and drama of the dying phone battery by giving him one of our picks for best portable chargers. The pocket-sized TravelCard Plus weighs just under 3 ounces, and it comes in a bunch of fun colors. Its USB-C PD port, built-in USB-C cable, and built-in Lightning cable can fast-charge most smartphones or other handheld devices.
The best flashlight
This AA-powered flashlight has a wide range of brightness settings, an easy and versatile two-button interface, and an overall satisfying design.
Everybody needs a flashlight (or four), even if they don’t plan on exploring the great outdoors after dark. This compact, battery-powered flashlight is our runner-up pick for dads and everyone else. Our testers liked its two-beam design and the different brightness options users can click though one-handed. This light is water-resistant, doesn’t roll off flat surfaces, and can survive a 1-meter drop. Bonus: It’s small enough to stash in the glove box or junk drawer, for easy access.
The comfiest sweats
These sweatpants are comfortable, warm, well made, and inexpensive. They last for years and stay comfy through many washes.
Made from a surprisingly soft and durable poly/cotton blend, these sweats have a generous range of colors and sizes, plus great pockets. Keep an eye out for the brand’s regular sales.
Rather than letting your dad lounge around in old pajamas, give him something a little more dignified. Uniqlo’s sweatpants are among our favorite sweats. And, thanks to their slightly tapered silhouette and extra back pocket, they’re also perfect for running errands, school drop-offs, and neighborhood strolls. But beware—they sell out often. If that’s the case, you might want to try another new favorite, the Gap VintageSoft Joggers, which have a wide range of sizes, deep pockets, and a thick polyester cotton blend that holds up famously.
A camping throne
With ample storage for beverages, a wide seat, and an affordable price, this is the Ford F-150 of camping chairs: big, tough, and widely beloved.
Even if he’s not a camper, your dad can use a comfy portable chair for picnics, backyard hangouts, or beach days. This Coleman chair is one of our favorites, thanks to its nice price, tough construction, and wide seat. And since it has a four-can-capacity cooler pouch, two cupholders, and a pouch to hold a magazine, newspaper, or tablet, he can park himself in the yard for several hours with no need to come in and be disturbed.
A no-fuss dopp kit
This outdoorsy-looking dopp kit packs down flat but is still roomy when expanded. It does, however, lack pockets and a hook.
If there’s some travel on the horizon for your dad, make it easy for him to tote all of his bathroom essentials: Give him one of our former favorite dopp kits from Topo Designs. This bag has space to hold all of the usual gear, including toothpaste, floss, a razor, and sunscreen. And due to its unique prism shape and color-block design, no one else will mistake it for their own dopp kit. In addition to being available on the Topo Designs site, this kit is available in varying stock at many retailers, and it comes in more than a dozen bold color combinations.
An affordable wallet
Made of a stretchy material that securely holds cards while allowing you to easily retrieve them, this wallet makes a strong case for innovative materials beyond leather.
The Slimfold Micro Tyvek Wallet is made of a waterproof soft-shell material (from the Gore company, which is behind the Gore-Tex brand). It’s almost as thin as a piece of paper, yet it is also durable and stretchy. One of our favorite slim wallets, it easily accommodates cash and 10 cards (our testers carried 12, no problem), and it comes in plain gray and several colorful patterns. Like all Tyvek items, this one is not built to last (after two months of regular use, ours started to fray), so it may not be a good gift for the dad who’s less than tender with his belongings. Still, when it comes time to replace it, the company gives you a $5 credit for the next wallet (and the opportunity to try out a different pattern).
A workhorse weeder
For tackling spring and summer weeds, this rugged, 54-inch loop hoe is hard to beat.
When Wirecutter’s deputy audience director (and dad) Sebastian Compagnucci was faced with a backyard full of weeds (and we mean very full), he found solace in this straightforward yet effective loop hoe. If your dad has a yard—or even just a strip of dirt along the house—he has weeds to tackle. This lightweight workhorse (alternately called a scuffle hoe, an action hoe, a loop hoe, or a hula hoe) will enable him to clear large patches of weeds or reach between delicate plants to remove invaders, no matter what kind of soil he’s dealing with. As Sebastian wrote in a blog, “The stirrup hoe has made my life substantially better. It makes weeding suck less.” What a gift to give to your dad.
A beloved grilling accessory
This thick-gauge stainless steel basket couldn’t look more basic. Really, though, the large perforations give vegetables peak smoke and char every time.
We wouldn’t dare promote the beleaguered stereotype that all dads love to grill, but some really do. If your own father is a grilling devotee, make sure he’s getting in some vegetables alongside all of the burgers and steaks, and give him a grill basket. Of those we tested, this one from Grillaholics performed best, thanks to its large perforations for better heat and air circulation.
The chillest hangout
This affordable, durable, and lightweight portable hammock makes a great anywhere lounger, and it holds up to 300 pounds.
What activity is more relaxing than swinging from a hammock in the shade of an old oak tree, serenaded by chirping birds above as a gentle breeze glides over sun-dappled skin? That was a trick question—there isn’t one. Buy your dad a hammock. Our budget-hammock pick, the Grand Trunk Ultralight, measures 9.5 by 4.5 feet and has a 300-pound weight limit. Also, the polyester fabric is water-resistant and dries quickly, so if your dad leaves this hammock outside in the rain, it’ll still be ready to lounge in soon after the clouds clear.
A mushroom maker
Just spritz it once a day, and this kit—consisting of 6 pounds of myceliated sawdust—will sprout organic lion’s mane mushrooms, prized for their mild, sweet flavor.
If your dad likes to cook with mushrooms or geeks out on fungus science, a mushroom grow kit—equal parts icky and miraculous—will make a great project. All he needs to do is mist the 6-pound bag of myceliated sawdust with water a few times a day and wait for the magic to happen. Lion’s mane, known for anti-inflammatory properties, is especially easy for beginners, and the company supplies recipes with the kit. Once the mushrooms are harvested, the kit can be reused a couple of times. Smugtown Mushrooms also has kits for reishi and oyster mushrooms.
We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.
Mari Uyehara and Dorie Chevlen contributed reporting. This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.
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No more greasy grates
This pad brush, made with the same fabric found in firefighters’ gear, can be plunged in water and wiped over a hot grill, creating steam as you clean. And the heads are replaceable.
It’s a bit of a cliché that men like to do all the grilling. (We know plenty of moms who own that area and plenty of dads who don’t.) But for those who do, the Grill Rescue Grill Brush might just make their summer. Kitchen senior editor Marilyn Ong was initially skeptical of the tool, but was won over when she found that the quick-working, easy-to-use brush actually made cleaning grates … fun? The spongy head soaks up a lot of water and when it’s wiped over a hot grill, it steams and clears away the soot and debris left behind by wire brushes in under a minute. So, the next time Dad lifts the lid of his grill, those grates will be squeaky clean, making for a smooth-cooking session and cleaner flavors in the end.
Munch on the go
This extra-roomy, durable lunch bag can hold much more than a midday meal.
Whether your old man needs to pack a meal and some extras for a work-site job or an afternoon on the river, the two-compartment, well-insulated Carhartt Insulated Lunch Cooler will gamely fit a sandwich or bento box, drinks, ice packs, multiple snacks, and more. He could also just load it up with 12 cans of whatever quenches his thirst. There is a tradeoff for all that space—it won’t fit into most backpacks and likely has to be carried on its own. However, the heavy-duty polyester exterior is water-repellent, its plastic lining is easy to wipe clean, and the Carhartt design is classically rugged looking.
Pocket power
This power bank is one of the smallest and lightest we’ve tested. It has a powerful USB-C PD port, built-in USB-C and Lightning cables, and a 3,000 mAh rated capacity. But it recharges slower than some others.
Spare your dad the stress and drama of the dying phone battery by giving him one of our picks for best portable chargers. The pocket-sized TravelCard Plus weighs just under 3 ounces, and it comes in a bunch of fun colors. Its USB-C PD port, built-in USB-C cable, and built-in Lightning cable can fast-charge most smartphones or other handheld devices.
The best flashlight
This AA-powered flashlight has a wide range of brightness settings, an easy and versatile two-button interface, and an overall satisfying design.
Everybody needs a flashlight (or four), even if they don’t plan on exploring the great outdoors after dark. This compact, battery-powered flashlight is our runner-up pick for dads and everyone else. Our testers liked its two-beam design and the different brightness options users can click though one-handed. This light is water-resistant, doesn’t roll off flat surfaces, and can survive a 1-meter drop. Bonus: It’s small enough to stash in the glove box or junk drawer, for easy access.
The comfiest sweats
These sweatpants are comfortable, warm, well made, and inexpensive. They last for years and stay comfy through many washes.
Made from a surprisingly soft and durable poly/cotton blend, these sweats have a generous range of colors and sizes, plus great pockets. Keep an eye out for the brand’s regular sales.
Rather than letting your dad lounge around in old pajamas, give him something a little more dignified. Uniqlo’s sweatpants are among our favorite sweats. And, thanks to their slightly tapered silhouette and extra back pocket, they’re also perfect for running errands, school drop-offs, and neighborhood strolls. But beware—they sell out often. If that’s the case, you might want to try another new favorite, the Gap VintageSoft Joggers, which have a wide range of sizes, deep pockets, and a thick polyester cotton blend that holds up famously.
A camping throne
With ample storage for beverages, a wide seat, and an affordable price, this is the Ford F-150 of camping chairs: big, tough, and widely beloved.
Even if he’s not a camper, your dad can use a comfy portable chair for picnics, backyard hangouts, or beach days. This Coleman chair is one of our favorites, thanks to its nice price, tough construction, and wide seat. And since it has a four-can-capacity cooler pouch, two cupholders, and a pouch to hold a magazine, newspaper, or tablet, he can park himself in the yard for several hours with no need to come in and be disturbed.
A no-fuss dopp kit
This outdoorsy-looking dopp kit packs down flat but is still roomy when expanded. It does, however, lack pockets and a hook.
If there’s some travel on the horizon for your dad, make it easy for him to tote all of his bathroom essentials: Give him one of our former favorite dopp kits from Topo Designs. This bag has space to hold all of the usual gear, including toothpaste, floss, a razor, and sunscreen. And due to its unique prism shape and color-block design, no one else will mistake it for their own dopp kit. In addition to being available on the Topo Designs site, this kit is available in varying stock at many retailers, and it comes in more than a dozen bold color combinations.
An affordable wallet
Made of a stretchy material that securely holds cards while allowing you to easily retrieve them, this wallet makes a strong case for innovative materials beyond leather.
The Slimfold Micro Tyvek Wallet is made of a waterproof soft-shell material (from the Gore company, which is behind the Gore-Tex brand). It’s almost as thin as a piece of paper, yet it is also durable and stretchy. One of our favorite slim wallets, it easily accommodates cash and 10 cards (our testers carried 12, no problem), and it comes in plain gray and several colorful patterns. Like all Tyvek items, this one is not built to last (after two months of regular use, ours started to fray), so it may not be a good gift for the dad who’s less than tender with his belongings. Still, when it comes time to replace it, the company gives you a $5 credit for the next wallet (and the opportunity to try out a different pattern).
A workhorse weeder
For tackling spring and summer weeds, this rugged, 54-inch loop hoe is hard to beat.
When Wirecutter’s deputy audience director (and dad) Sebastian Compagnucci was faced with a backyard full of weeds (and we mean very full), he found solace in this straightforward yet effective loop hoe. If your dad has a yard—or even just a strip of dirt along the house—he has weeds to tackle. This lightweight workhorse (alternately called a scuffle hoe, an action hoe, a loop hoe, or a hula hoe) will enable him to clear large patches of weeds or reach between delicate plants to remove invaders, no matter what kind of soil he’s dealing with. As Sebastian wrote in a blog, “The stirrup hoe has made my life substantially better. It makes weeding suck less.” What a gift to give to your dad.
A beloved grilling accessory
This thick-gauge stainless steel basket couldn’t look more basic. Really, though, the large perforations give vegetables peak smoke and char every time.
We wouldn’t dare promote the beleaguered stereotype that all dads love to grill, but some really do. If your own father is a grilling devotee, make sure he’s getting in some vegetables alongside all of the burgers and steaks, and give him a grill basket. Of those we tested, this one from Grillaholics performed best, thanks to its large perforations for better heat and air circulation.
The chillest hangout
This affordable, durable, and lightweight portable hammock makes a great anywhere lounger, and it holds up to 300 pounds.
What activity is more relaxing than swinging from a hammock in the shade of an old oak tree, serenaded by chirping birds above as a gentle breeze glides over sun-dappled skin? That was a trick question—there isn’t one. Buy your dad a hammock. Our budget-hammock pick, the Grand Trunk Ultralight, measures 9.5 by 4.5 feet and has a 300-pound weight limit. Also, the polyester fabric is water-resistant and dries quickly, so if your dad leaves this hammock outside in the rain, it’ll still be ready to lounge in soon after the clouds clear.
A mushroom maker
Just spritz it once a day, and this kit—consisting of 6 pounds of myceliated sawdust—will sprout organic lion’s mane mushrooms, prized for their mild, sweet flavor.
If your dad likes to cook with mushrooms or geeks out on fungus science, a mushroom grow kit—equal parts icky and miraculous—will make a great project. All he needs to do is mist the 6-pound bag of myceliated sawdust with water a few times a day and wait for the magic to happen. Lion’s mane, known for anti-inflammatory properties, is especially easy for beginners, and the company supplies recipes with the kit. Once the mushrooms are harvested, the kit can be reused a couple of times. Smugtown Mushrooms also has kits for reishi and oyster mushrooms.
We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.
Mari Uyehara and Dorie Chevlen contributed reporting. This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.
28 Best Father’s Day Gifts Under $50 in 2025
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