Father’s Day Gift Guide: Colorful Watches, Japanese Toolboxes and More

06.06.2024 - 13:39 / nytimes.com

Falling as it does in mid-June, Father’s Day coincides with an upswing in outdoor excursions. Whether your dad is into backpacking, fishing or forest bathing, he could probably use a few upgrades for his campfire cooking. Replace his worn-out plastic cooler with one from Oyster, a Norwegian company that launched its gleaming aluminum, vacuum-insulated version last year. The Japanese gear maker Snow Peak has a titanium cup and pot set with thoughtful details: The two items nestle together to save space in a backpack, and the pot’s lid has a silicone tab that won’t get hot, eliminating the need for an oven mitt. (Every ounce counts when you’re carrying your kitchen up a mountain.) To ease his mind around meal planning, gift him a few vegan camp meals from Poe & Co. Folk Foods, founded last year by the California-based chef couple Jamie and Jayson Poe. (She cooked at New York’s Gramercy Tavern, he at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara.) Their offerings include a black garlic ramen bowl and coconut chickpea stew — all you have to do is pour in a bit of boiling water.

Even if your dad isn’t a Beyoncé fan, he might have noticed — and rejoiced in — the renewed fascination with the American West that’s sweeping the country. Stoke the enthusiasm with gifts fit for a modern cowboy. For his book “Eight Seconds: Black Rodeo Culture,” the photojournalist Ivan McClellan spent a decade traveling to places like the nation’s longest-running Black rodeo in Oklahoma and the Compton Cowboys’ Los Angeles ranch. The resulting body of work, published by Damiani Books, is a nuanced look at a classic American archetype. A music fan would enjoy the new album by the Ecuadorean Swiss brothers Hermanos Gutiérrez, whose instrumental guitarscapes sound like a psychedelic spaghetti western. “Sonido Cosmico” is available for pre-order and ships the week of June 14. For a proper game of Texas hold ’em, check out the artist Matt McCormick’s deck of playing cards illustrated with lasso-wielding cowpunchers. And whether your dad’s style skews city or country, a great pair of vintage Levis is always a safe bet. Meg Young of the online retailer Jean Genie Vintage sources denim that’s no less than 20 years old and lists detailed measurements for each pair to ensure a perfect fit.

My husband’s dream of taking piano lessons is probably on hold for as long as we’re raising a small child. But for the time being, I bought him a pocket synthesizer to mess around with. First released in 1968, the Stylophone — an electronic instrument played by touching a small metal keyboard with an attached stylus — was the first synthesizer produced for the mass market and has been used by musicians and bands including David Bowie, who briefly plays one on 1969’s