Get Your Dad Something That Fits in His Pocket
Father’s Day is June 15, and while your dad may say he doesn’t want anything, you have to get him something. If you’ve already gotten him the big-ticket items (back massager, toolbox, e-reader) in Father’s Days past, why not get him something small this year? Specifically, pocket-size — though whether or not he actually carries it there is up to him. Below, I rounded up several tiny Father’s Day gifts that get the delightful-to-useful ratio just right, including a German foot cream, soap that smells like George Washington, and a Williams Sonoma egg timer. And for even more ideas, here’s our hub of every Father’s Day gift guide we’ve written for the holiday.
Update on June 10, 2025
I checked the prices and stock of everything on the list, added editor’s notes on several items that might not arrive in time for Father’s Day (even with expedited shipping), and included a few new ideas that will arrive in time for the holiday.
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According to author André Aciman, this is “the Volkswagen of pens, with a Jaguar engine,” and is what he uses to jot down notes in his Moleskine. It should glide right across the page of your dad’s, too.
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If everything hurts, “this sadistic little torture device really goes deep — into your feet, your calves, your knots, or whatever is ailing you,” says comedy writer Caroline Goldfarb.
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There’s always the gift of hearing protection, in the shape of these earplugs that work well for small concert venues.
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Leatherman Wave+
The king of multi-tools includes pliers, cutters, files, a wire stripper, an electrical crimper, and more.
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These are the same Japanese pruners Marc Hachadourian, director of glasshouse horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, has. They’re ideal for delicate plants.
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A Strategist gift guide wouldn’t be complete without the aromatherapy stick that’s Ambien without the side effects. Give this to the dad who can’t get any shut-eye.
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It can be strapped to a golf bag and deliver sounds that are par for the course.
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The hammer becomes a screwdriver by screwing off the hammer’s head (flat-head and Phillips-head tips included).
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It might be the original fidget spinner (or as he remembers it anyway).
[Editor’s note: This may arrive after Father’s Day.]
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You could just get him condiments — a gochujang from an international-grocery-store aisle or the hot sauce Reading Rainbow’s LeVar Burton describes as the most elegant he has ever tried. I think this set with black-truffle oil and salt makes a pretty handsome gift.
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All the tools to eat what he catches.
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To get the crumbs between the seats of the car dad’s dad car.
[Editor’s note: Select express two-day or overnight shipping at checkout for delivery before Father’s Day.]
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For the dad who still faithfully receives snail mail.
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For the dad who gets his bills ATM-issued.
[Editor’s note: This will arrive after Father’s Day.]
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So his iPhone (or Android) isn’t swimming with the fishes while he’s white-water rafting or paddling a canoe — it floats!
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This little flashlight is veteran product designer (including a stint at Apple) Kiran Malladi’s favorite gadget. “There’s no strobe, there’s no color, there’s no brightness adjustment. It simply throws a surprising quantity of light for something the size of a Swedish Fish gummy,” he tells us.
[Editor’s note: This will arrive after Father’s Day.]
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Caswell-Massey’s older than the United States, and its Number Six scent, a mix of citrus, rosemary, and bergamot, was worn by Founding Father George Washington, apparently.
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Musician Thurston Moore’s German foot cream is an “herbal concoction” of eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, and thyme, a combination that’ll cure the dry skin on his feet.
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A compilation of D.S. & Durga’s greatest hits (Wild Brooklyn Lavender, ’85 Diesel, Big Sur After the Rain, Concrete After Lightning, Portable Fireplace) in auto-fragrance form for the times he’s belting out the oldies.
[Editor’s note: This may arrive after Father’s Day.]
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He can sneak these travel-size syrups into the International House of Pancakes.
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This shop full of hard-to-find Japanese kitchen goods stocks a Matsutake mushroom-shaped chopstick rest to hold his utensil while he slurps up a bowl of ramen.
[Editor’s note: This may arrive after Father’s Day.]
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“It cuts and lifts the top off a can — think LaCroix or Diet Coke — essentially creating an open metal cup,” says our writer Brenley Goertzen of this gadget her dad keeps under his bar counter.
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Fishwife swam out of the tinned-fish business last year and introduced its first caviar. It’s made with the roe from California white surgeon, which has a buttery, creamy flavor.
[Editor’s note: Select a delivery date at checkout, but the next available days are after Father’s Day.]
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Make sure he’s ready for his next trip to Lobster Place.
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Or the seafood boil at Hell’s Kitchen Shaking Crab. (The Fish Lemon Squeezer is another accompaniment we’ve written about before.)
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As seen in last year’s print gift issue, it’s “ergonomically designed to chisel gelato with ease.”
[Editor’s note: This may arrive after Father’s Day.]
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He can pair his AirPods to an airplane seat’s entertainment system with this device for wireless listening.
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This case can turn his Apple Watch into an iPad. “By turning the watch into a pocketable rather than a wearable, it can act as a substitute for your phone when you’d like to reduce your screen time,” says our tech whiz Jordan McMahon.
[Editor’s note: This may arrive after Father’s Day.]
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To read Keith McNally’s memoir in one sitting.
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Modeled after hotel-room door numbers, these clips can organize documents or remind him of what page he’s on.
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This timer from Williams Sonoma uses temperature to suss out whether an egg is soft-boiled, medium-boiled, or hard-boiled (and it automatically alters itself for the number of eggs in a single pot). No more second-guessing himself before breakfast.
[Editor’s note: This may arrive after Father’s Day.]
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The bottle opener works as a resealer for half-empty cans of beer, with diagrammatic instructions on one side, writes former Strategist editor Jason Chen.
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Let him play bartender with a set including everything for an adult beverage: a strainer, citrus zester, bottle opener, stirring stick, jigger, and bar knife.
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Even a high and tight is in need of a comb sometimes.
[Editor’s note: This will arrive after Father’s Day.]
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The least offensive manscaping tool, and the one that might become his most used. It’s the first nose-hair trimmer barber Mike Gilman’s customers “aren’t coming back and complaining that it broke.”
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Originally created by songbird hunters, it will become essential to his avian adventures.
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The Strategist is designed to surface useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Every product is independently selected by our team of editors, whom you can read about here. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
