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Go Big This Father’s Day With These Splurge-Worthy Options
From a gorgeous Fender to a next-generation grill, these admittedly big-ticket items will put a smile on Dad's face. (He may also wonder how you can afford them.)
Looking to go big this Father’s Day? This roster of gifts will give Pops one for the ages. From grilling to chilling, from scoping birds to sleeping soundly in the outdoors, we’ve rounded up a lineup to surprise him this year.
(We only recommend things we love. If you buy something through our site, we might earn a commission.)
For the Long-Range Dad: Raleigh Retroglide Electric Bicycle
Most electric bikes look suitable for scouting terrain during the apocalypse, not cruising to the beach. This laid-back—but power-packed—cruiser blends style with function, featuring easy acceleration that won’t buck you off when you engage the mid-mounted motor. The 50-plus mile range means you’ll have more than enough juice to expand your horizons in search of that perfect sunset.
For the Audiophile: Sonos Arc Soundbar
Lots of companies make sound bars. And most of them promise some kind of in-room calibration. So what’s inside the $800 unit to help set it apart? For starters, Sonos built bespoke components from the ground up, customizing everything from the silk dome tweeters to the oval bass speakers at the ends of the unit.
For the Dad Who Needs a Partner: Slinger Bag Tennis Launcher
Finding a tennis partner has become complicated under Covid-19. That’s why we love this smart rolling solution, which makes drilling as simple as bringing luggage to the airport. The bag, which weighs in around 33 pounds, also has space for towels, racquets, and other gear. A remote control helps time your drills, and two dials adjust position and spin. When you’ve hit through your balls, simply zip open the upper portion, reload, and continue your quest for the pros.
For the Observant Dad: Maven S1A
The observant guy in your life deserves better than a pair of cheap binoculars purchased from a place that also sells camping gear. It’s time he had some quality glass made specifically for his favorite activities. Spotting scopes are our favorite instruments for terrestrial viewing because they provide far greater magnification than binoculars, and greater portability than most telescopes—plus, the image is right-side up. We particularly like Wyoming-based Maven Outdoor Equipment Company’s S. 1A spotter for the quality of its lenses. It isn’t cheap, but you won’t see the blurry edges and color fringing you get from lesser scopes. Whether Dad’s a hunter, birder, trainspotter, or wants to be a spy when he grows up, this gift will go with him on all his outdoor adventures.
For the Mountain-Climbing Dad: Spoonbill UL 2 Person Sleeping Bag
One of the greatest parts of camping is balancing the raw ruggedness of the outdoors with a manmade sense of deep coziness. We’re speaking, of course, about bedding down in a serious sleeping bag, and they don’t get much seriouser than this double number, made in Seattle by Feathered Friends. Filled with goose down, weighing two and a half pounds, it’s the ideal sleeping bag to bring on long hikes in cold weather, when Dad’s hoping to snuggle up with a spouse, a partner, or an adventurous child.
For the Hardcore-Cookout Dad: Spark Grill
No matter how grill-obsessed the dad in your life is, we guarantee he does not have a barbecue as innovative as the brand new Spark Grill, because, well, the upstart backyard appliance is not on the market yet. That hasn’t prevented it from gaining a cult fan following that’s already snapped up the first two pre-order productions runs (there’s one more run dropping a little later this summer!). Not only is the Spark one of the handsomest grills we’ve ever seen, it’s the genre-busting, category-defying, electronically-controlled, insulated, Bluetooth-enabled, high-tech briquet-fueled, handsomest barbecue grill of the summer. The app and precise temperature control allows you to cook a brisket slow and low at 250 degrees or sear a steak or bake a pizza at upwards of 900 degrees. “A charcoal grill as easy as gas,” is the tagline, and that’s tough to argue with. List price will be $949, but pre-orders are discounted at $799.
For the Dad Who Needs an Instapot Upgrade: Vermicular Musui Kamado
“Isn’t it just a fancy Instapot”? My friend asked. “Not really,” I said. “It’s much slower. And that’s the point.” You don’t buy this unit because you want to turbocharge your food, paint flames on the side of your kitchen hot-rod. You buy it because the cast iron’s near-perfect seal retains moisture from cooked veggies and meats, makes the best scrambled eggs, and doubles as a wonderful rice cooker. I’m sold on slower, especially these days.
For the Caffeinated Dad: Breville Barista Espresso Pro
A perfect all-in-one solution for the at-home barista, this unit takes up minimal counter space and looks good doing it. We’re huge fans of the integrated burr grinder—which saves additional space—as well as the smart grind adaptor feature. The best part: it’s ready to brew mere seconds after firing up.
For the Dad Who’s a Rock Star (Aren’t They All?): Fender Acoustasonic Telecaster
When social distancing rules were put in place a few months back, the good people at Fender music wisely removed the paywall on their online music lessons and quarantined garage rockers and couch crooners rejoiced. If your newly (or prodigal) rocker dad is looking to upgrade his guitar, get him the super versatile Telecaster Acoustasonic hybrid electric/acoustic model. It’s made in Corona, California and can mimic the sound of dreadnought and small body acoustics as well as the classic solidbody electric Telecaster. In layman’s terms that translates to: two amazing American made guitars for the price of one. For full-on West Coast vintage vibes get it him one in the Surf Green colorway.
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