The Best Christmas Gifts for Dads: Our Picks for 2020

This easy-to-operate portable pizza oven is perfect for those not quite ready to build a brick oven in the backyard. The gas burner in the steel shell can heat the chamber to temperatures of up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit — heat that can stone-cook a pizza in a literal minute that’s as good as one from the brick-oven place down the block. This thing is also great for roasting vegetables, searing meat, and even baking bread.

Every dad’s pocket needs a knife, and this is a great one. It has a 2.75-inch VG10 stainless steel blade, machined steel handle, removable pocket clip, and enviable aesthetic. It’s not difficult to flip the blade out with one hand — a useful feature that, let’s face it, will also make him feel cool every time he uses it. But don’t worry: The slide lock means it won’t come open unless he wants it to.

Solo Stove makes a great fire pit, a stainless steel number with a design that sucks the smoke down, creating an intense heat and clean flame. Its similar-looking grill leverages those same advantages for cooking, creating a surface that’s a pleasure to cook on thanks to 360 degrees of accessibility, support for charcoal and wood cooking, and the aforementioned lack of eye-stinging smoke. This bundle comes with two stands, four pounds of charcoal, a cover, and a carrying case to take this grill on the road.

Don’t let its size (or lack thereof) fool you. Weighing less than a big bottle of ketchup, this portable telescope is a powerhouse. It has a 70mm objective lens, plus 20mm and 10mm eye pieces so he gets low- and high-power views of the stars and the sky. It’s easy to set up, easy to move around, and pretty much the perfect gift for any hobbyist astronomers.

On form and function, this jacket is a winner. The nylon outer layer provides protection from the elements, polyester insulation retains heat, and the flannel lining is damn comfortable. Stylistically, this jacket might blend in with less impressive denim numbers, but the corduroy collar is a classic touch that elevates the look nicely and, you know, keeps your neck nice and toasty.

This easy-to-pick-up but difficult-to-master game features a round board with hooks, each with an assigned value. To play, you simply try to toss your rings onto the hooks. It’s a combination of darts and ring toss that doesn’t have sharp points that kids can hurt themselves on, so the only pain anyone will feel is the pain of losing a hard-fought match.

Allbirds are great shoes, only they’re not waterproof. Only now they are! This new style is made with ZQ Merino wool and a bio-based water-repellent shield, so his feet stay dry and warm and comfortable.

This hand-harvested, sustainable Icelandic salt has been a kitchen staple since 2011. And this particular set includes flaky sea salt, Arctic thyme salt, birch-smoked salt, and lava salt. In other words, everything he needs to add bursts of flavor to meats, salads, and cocktails.

It’s hard to find something wrong with these true wireless headphones. There are the active noise cancellation and audio settings you can customize with an app, the built-in voice command button that connects you to your digital assistant of choice easily, and the svelte carrying case, with built-in magnets that keep the buds secure while charging. And lest you think these things are just for listening, four microphones mean calls also sound great.

From its slim fit to its understated style, this may just be the perfect sweater. It’s made from a blend of cashmere, nylon, and elastane for fit and comfort. Everlane sources its cashmere from Inner Mongolia; the superior fibers won’t pill or stretch out.

Portland-based Olympia Provisions does its charcuterie the old-school way: by not cutting corners. The company’s cured meats are held in natural casings and kept in the organic white mold that protects them. In other words, if he likes salami, you can’t get much better than this. Every month, he’ll get one salami (approximately 4.5 ounces) along with detailed tasting notes.

This isn’t your grandpa’s dusty old chess set. Consider the Printworks version a showpiece on its own. It has a plexiglass board and wooden game pieces, and looks good enough to take the sting out of checkmate.

Rugged, comfortable, durable, and stylish, Blundstones are best-in-class boots for guys and have been since 1969. They have a water-resistant upper, a supple leather lining, and serious impact protection so he can wear them 24/7 without his dogs ever barking. Oh, and they look dope as hell without being try-hard.

This wall-mounted panel is compatible with Alexa, Google, Siri, and a ton of smart home devices. Adjusting lights, turning on the heat, seeing who’s at the door — pretty much anything your smart home can do, it can do through this display, which installs into a standard light switch panel that turns the lights into smart lights. There’s a built-in camera and motion sensor, to boot. Anyone who has gone to the trouble of creating a connected home will love this device.

This Halo-inspired Nerf gun has a motorized blaster that’s more than powerful enough to take down the kids in a foam dart battle royale. With a removable clip and rail riser that makes adding accessories a breeze, it’s also easy to customize this thing to your particular Nerf needs. And if he happens to be a gamer, he’ll appreciate that it comes with a special code that will unlock an exclusive asset in Halo: Infinite.

Milled from American black walnut in Michigan, this hardy, handsome tray instantly elevates whatever’s thrown its way: it can be a place for dads to stow everyday-carry items, from wallets to watches, or an easy, elegant way to organize home-office stapes like pens and Post-Its. At 7.5 by 11 inches — roughly the size of a piece of notebook paper — it’s the perfect size to keep dad stuff from going rogue around the house.

This smart blanket is small enough to shove into your back pocket, but roomy enough to fit two adults. It’s water-repellant, puncture-resistant, and perfect for impromptu park outings or picnics.

The grillmaster can throw some ribs on the barbie, download the Meater app, and monitor cooking from 165 feet away. It has dual temperature sensors that monitor temps up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, so you never wind up with dry chicken or charred steak. And the thermometer can estimate how long to cook and rest your food so it’s Instagram-worthy.

The sleek aluminum cylinder is not your grandfather’s flask. Inside, there’s room for nine ounces of his preferred spirit, two collapsible shot glasses, a 200-lumen light, compass, and bottle opener. It’s a great way to both complete and celebrate his outdoor adventures, and its compact size (2 by 9.375 inches) means it’s easy to take on every camping trip.

He won’t think to buy it for himself (or if he does, he might not indulge in something so decadent), but a cashmere track suit — the matching jogger is $195 — will radically improve his quality of life. The year 2020 has been very hard. This outfit is soft.

He doesn’t have room for a treadmill, and the gym isn’t particularly safe right now. So get him this workout set from a whippersnapper upstart named Tom Brady, created with Alex Guerrero, an alternative medicine practitioner. This particular, ultra-portable set gives him a full-body workout using looped resistance bands and door anchor, as well as a vibrating roller or sphere to help with pliability.

They thought of everything with this cast-iron bread pan. It delivers consistent heat so the bread is perfectly soft inside, the domed lid lets it rise, and the pan has a base that radiates heat so you get that glorious crust. He can use it to make sourdough, sure, but also ciabatta, rye, or baguette. And when the bread is done, the pan’s handles make it easy to take it out of the oven.

Google just refreshed its flagship smart speaker line, and this fabric-coated, soft-edged speaker is a solid upgrade. It looks better than the original Google Home, particularly in new colors like sage and sand. It sounds better, too, thanks to the separate woofer and tweeter that replace the original’s single speaker. The processor also got an upgrade, which means less waiting for Google to figure out what you said.

This diver-inspired classic was first released in 1979. And the new, upgraded version of this timeless Timex has every detail on lock. There’s the woven stainless steel bracelet. A rotating top ring. But it’s gotten a modern twist, thanks to the black-and-red rotating bezel. It has a day and date window, and is water-resistant up to 50 meters. For the understated dad who likes to make a statement.

Bevel is a shave system specifically created for guys with coarse, curly hair. And this is one standout set. It includes a safety razor designed specifically to reduce bumps and ingrown hairs, as well as a badger shave brush, shave cream, priming oil, restoring balm, and 20 replacement blades. It’s grooming, next level.

It’s a classic mistake: spend a fortune on a gorgeous television and watch crystal-clear picture while listening sound from the set’s built-in speakers that belong on a smartphone, not in a home theater. A soundbar is an easy remedy to this problem, and the Sonos Beam is one of the best. It integrates nicely with existing Sonos speakers, and the built-in Alexa and Google Assistant support (you can choose which one you prefer!) is the icing on the cake.

A warm foot massage in slipper form: These are made from suede, with a cuddly shearling wool lining. Perfect for curling up on the couch with the paper on Sunday morning, or for keeping your feet cozy while you’re working from home.

Elegant and stately, this double-walled, vacuum-insulated chiller keeps a bottle cold for four hours. About the length of a Chris Nolan movie. Oenophiles, rejoice.

A fire all his own. This one is portable, burns clean, and can be used indoors or out. It utilizes isopropyl alcohol, so there’s no smoke or soot. And five ounces of the stuff gets him 50 minutes of burn time.

No sane adult wants, or needs, a 75-step grooming process. And no parent has the time. This three-piece set makes mornings manageable. The body wash, with notes of eucalyptus and citrus, is invigorating and refreshing. The face wash, with hints of peppermint, wakes him up and clears up his skin, prepping it for shaving. And the face lotion, also with notes of peppermint and citrus, goes on light and works all day. All the products are vegan and made without parabens, sulfates, phthalates, silicones or aluminum.

A chair fit for a king. Or a scribe. Or an adventurer. This one, styled after a classic British officers chair, is made from thick Argentinian saddle leather and a frame hand-carved from high-quality guindo wood. The more he uses the chair, the better it looks.

Truff hot sauce is a blend of chili peppers, agave nectar, black truffle, and select spices. So, you can only imagine how sublime this stuff tastes: It’s a flavor explosion. For the dad who likes things spiced up a notch (or seven), it’s the best hot sauce you can buy.

Fancy Aussie accessory brand Bellroy makes some of the highest-quality gear on the market. Its aesthetic is also understated, and this wallet is a prime example of Bellroy’s less-is-more design ethos. It has two access slots for your card, pull-tab storage, space for your bills, all in a handsome leather package sourced from a specialist Dutch tannery.

A weighted blanket can feel like a comforting hug, in the best sense. Now, he can get that feeling in robe form. This one has a three-pound weighted wrap inside the collar, to make it feel like he’s getting a massage of sorts. The robe itself it made of polyester fleece, and he can remove the weighted part via the collar, if he prefers to go without.

He can pretend to be as crafty as James Bond with this 007-worthy pen. Only it’s not just a pen. It’s a stylus, a bottle opener, a mini flat-head screwdriver or a Phillips screwdriver, a metric and inch ruler, and a phone stand. It’s a workhorse in a small, unassuming package.

This waxed canvas apron is heavyweight, can take pretty much anything, and can even be customized with his name. There’s a chest pocket (for his phone, or recipe cards), a leather towel loop, and only needs to be wiped clean. It also looks cool AF.

A good-looking razor for the guy who prefers a wet shave. This one has a single blade that leaves skin smooth, is chrome-plated and easy to clean, and is made in Germany. So you know you’re getting a quality product (that also looks really good on the bathroom counter).

Think of this as a magical organizer for every single charger, cord, or earbud that regularly goes missing. This pouch zips out flat for easy access, has space for a power bank, and is made from recycled woven fabric. A place for everything and everything in its place.

These gorgeous canvas home shoes — they’re too cool to call them slippers — can be rolled up so they look like shoes (for more formal occasions) or left down to be more like slippers. OK, fine, let’s call them elevated slippers.

A portable power station that will get him through the apocalypse, this one has two USB ports, an AC outlet and 12V output. It’s ideal for camping or hiking, or for anytime he wants to go off the grid, and will charge a phone nine times, a laptop twice, and a headlamp 25 times.

For the turophile in your life: It’s the ultimate set of cheese knives. Be it gouda or camembert, brie or cheddar, this set can tackle every type of fromage. Made from stainless steel and European oak, he’ll get a cheese slicer, and a soft cheese and hard cheese knife.

This beautiful two-piece AirPods Pro case is made of Horween leather that just looks better and better the older it gets, while keeping your AirPods safe and new. It has a light pipe for the LED charging indicator, is lined with microfiber, and has a sleek loop for attaching a wristband.

This jacket looks so simple, like a standard button-down, and you can get away with wearing it to work. But it’s also as warm as a down jacket without any puffiness, has four-way stretch to make it comfy, is water-resistant like a raincoat, and is expertly tailored. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife of shirts.

The bright orange case on this otherwise muted black watch makes it look more Swatch than Rolex. It’s not for fancy occasions, then, but the super-strong TR90 resin, stainless steel core, K1 crystal dome, and black silicone strap (comfortable and waterproof!) make it a great watch for active dads.