Whenever we’re thinking of what to gift our guy friends, we usually choose something that Benson’s been loving this year. I’ve already included some of his favorites in the Traveler’s Gift Guide, but in case the men on your list are not travelers, here are more of my husband’s favorite items that would make great gifts for guys!
A NOTE ON HOW I DO GIFT GUIDES
While years ago I used to just round up a bunch of stuff that LOOKS good, about a year or two ago I switched to primarily recommending my husband’s and my favorite products. I feel like gift guides are so much more useful when you actually know that products are good quality or are gifts that have been given to others and have been well-received. A few products on each list are things I may not have tried personally yet, but they are usually things I’ve researched and are on my own wishlist for the year. However, the majority of each gift guide is stuff I can attest to being amazing and helpful to have in life!
A lot of items will repeat from previous years. Like I said, many of these are items that Benson and I believe in and that are good quality, so they don’t change year to year. They last through heavy use over multiple years and we don’t feel the need to replace things because they’re amazing! Here’s what my husband’s been loving this year.
Links to Shop:
1. Flannel Shirt // 2. Backpack // 3. Sneakers // 4. Sneakers // 5. Joggers
6. Water Bottles // 7. Tumbler // 8. Down Jacket // 9. Headphones
10. iPhone Charger // 11. Baseball Tee // 12. Massager // 13. Massage Stick
14. Speakers // 15. Slim Wallet // 16. Chinos // 17. Jeans
18. Layering Tee // 19. Wooden Watch // 20. City Map // 21. City Word Map
22. Cashmere Pullover // 23. Grooming Kit
REVIEWS OF SELECT ITEMS
1. Flannel Shirt – Bonobos slim-fit tops fit him PERFECTLY. Usually Banana Republic “works” for him, but Bonobos is slightly more fitted, making it an absolute perfect fit.
3 & 4. Sneakers – Both Option 3 and Option 4 look like boots but feel like sneakers. They are a really, really cool way to do casual wear, and I’m serious when I say they make every one of my husband’s outfits look cooler! We LOVED Option 3–the color “lifted” every outfit and made them all pop. Unfortunately he was in-between sizes and were hurting his feet a bit. After weeks of wearing them and hoping they’d either stretch out or , he had to get rid of them. We got Option 4 in their place. Same vibe, and he still looks pretty cool, but the color of Option 3 is better!
6. Water Bottles – I’ve said this before, but these water bottles are THE BEST. We’ve sold all our friends on these because they keep water cold up to 24 hours and hot up to 6. They come in so many sizes, colors and different types of lids.
7. Tumbler – After loving the water bottles for so long, Benson “splurged” on this cup. I guess it’s supposed to be for beer to keep every last sip perfectly cold, but Benson uses it for both cold and hot water. It’s so nice to keep water hot in the winter. And with cold water, the cup doesn’t condense or sweat, plus it stays cold for a while! He’s said over and over, “It’s kiiiind of expensive for a cup, but I’m not sad that I got it AT ALL.”
8. Down Jacket – Benson’s had this for years and years and years. Tons and tons and tons of people have these where I grew up (where it’s colder–NOT here in SoCal, haha!) They are very thin but filled with down. Benson wears this as a thin layer over flannel shirts, or when we visit colder areas he wears this as a thin layer UNDER other jackets that aren’t as warm.
10. iPhone Charging Stand – This is not a “WOW!” kind of gift, but Benson has one on his desk and we have two in the kitchen for when we’re in the common area and for guests to use when they come over. For some reason it gets a lot of compliments once people actually use it! While it’s not terribly hard to plug your phone into a normal cable, there’s something really nice about just plopping your phone on top of this stand to charge, and also how it holds it upright so you can see any text or notification without having to reach for your phone. It’s one of those, “it’s the little things that make it nice to have” kind of items.
11. Baseball Tee – This is from Target’s new line Goodfellow & Co. I could write an entire post about this line and my husband’s thoughts on it. Basically, it’s the styles and fit of higher end men’s casual wear and sportswear (that my husband tends to love–like, did you see how Option 1 is a $98 flannel shirt? He’s got expensive taste!) that are pretty good quality but at way, way cheaper prices. Most of the items Benson’s tried have felt fairly good, though of course you’ll always fine some that feel cheap–that’s true in any store. This baseball tee in particular is one of his favorites. I asked what he liked about it so much, and he said “It has so many details!” Such as: it’s thicker than most other baseball tees, the sleeves are full length whereas most baseball tees are 3/4 sleeves, the hem of the wrists is finished rather than undone like most baseball tees, the bottom hem is curved and slit on the sides, there is contrast stitching at the shoulders and a stitched V at the neck for more detail and interest. And they’re under $15!!! Other things he wants to try are this Field Jacket, Faux Leather Jacket, and Quilted Shirt Jacket.
12. Massager – This is from last year’s gift guide, and we had given it to 3 guys at that point. Everyone is still in LOVE with this thing. My friend brought it to one of his work meetings a month ago, and everyone there passed it around using it. And then they each ordered it for themselves right there! Hahaha! It helps get out knots in harder to reach places, and I like that I can massage myself because at some point I feel bad asking people for massages!
13. Massage Stick – We added this to the collection earlier this year in lieu of a foam roller. This comes in different sizes, and we have the 17″ so that we can pack it when we travel. It’s convenient for long road trips when there’s nothing else to do but get out those knots!
17. Black SOFT Jeans – These are Old Navy! They are extremely soft and stretchy. My husband got them last year and continues to wear them and love them. Even though they’re for men I tried them on just to see what my husband was talking about. They feel like a pair of Paige Denim that I own that retails for $180, except these cost way, way, WAYYY less and are for men. Our friend immediately went and tried them after seeing them on Benson, and he loved the stretch. They were just too slim for his taste! Good news is that there are different cuts with the same stretchiness, from Straight to Slim to Skinny to Super Skinny! See them HERE.
18. Layering Tee – Both Benson and I swear by these. We wear them when it’s really cold, and they are usually lower cut in the neck with slim fitting waists and shorter sleeves so that you can’t see them peeking out at the neck or sleeves or waist under your normal clothes. They’re thin and keep you warm, but also have wicking material to keep you from being sweaty. And they’re nice to your wallet!
22. Cashmere Pullover – This is one of the few things Benson doesn’t own on this list because he’s usually too warm for this kind of pullover where we live, but he loves the style. It comes in 8 colors, looks great, and it’s fairly affordable!
23. Grooming Kit – This is another item Benson doesn’t have, but I might consider getting it for him. I’ve been getting more into Kiehl’s products for women and I’ve heard equally good things for their men’s products. This starter kit is an affordable way to try a variety of their products!
Check out all my Holiday Gift Guides HERE!
