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.
Western Wares
Music, Books and More for the Cowboy at Heart
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 “Space Oddity,” and Kraftwerk (1981’s “Pocket Calculator” ends with a Stylophone solo). Like everything in our apartment, the synthesizer now also belongs to our son. But it works surprisingly well as a child’s toy: It’s tough (musicians, like toddlers, aren’t known for handling objects with care) and its sound is strangely soothing — undulating and richer than its compact size might suggest.
