7 Father’s Day Gifts Cool Enough for Your Colorado Dad

Every Father’s Day, I take my dad out to lunch. It’s designated father-daughter bonding time during which we spend a few hours solving the world’s problems over barbecue (and Mom gets a well-earned break from our nonsense). Last year, we hit Riot BBQ, where we loaded the table with smoked meat, talked about our summer camping plans, and then sat in a very comfortable food-coma silence.

Now I’m not saying I need any help in the race for Favorite Child, but a little gift on top of lunch this year couldn’t hurt (my brother and sister did give Dad grandkids, after all). But like all Colorado dads, he’s built differently. While the rest of the country’s dads are firing up basic burgers in cargo shorts, ours are mastering grilled steak at altitude. They’re skinning up mountains before dawn, chasing trophy trout at 8,000 feet, and stocking at least one irresponsibly expensive cooler. This Father’s Day (June 21), skip the tired standbys and get your dad something local, rugged, and just hip enough to make him say, “Huh. Nice.”

Pepper Pong 

• Best for: Dads who want to get their game on
• Price: $79
• Where: Online as well as local Dick’s Sporting Goods and SCHEELS

Help your dad go from zero to Marty Supreme with Pepper Pong, the Shark Tank–approved Colorado company proving that absolutely no surface is safe from becoming a ping-pong court and high-stakes arena for a family feud. The set comes with a freestanding, foldable net, four paddles, three foam balls weighted for different speeds (because apparently some people can’t handle the heat), and sweatbands for looking athletic while standing mostly still. The whole package costs $79, but the emotional damage of getting smoked by your dad is free of charge.

Cold Mountain Craft Fly Wallet

• Best for: Dads who are a real catch
• Price: $109
• Where: Online, Aspen Saturday Market on Saturdays through Oct 3, and Vail Farmers Market and Art Show on Sundays through Oct 4

OK, so it’s kind of a murse, but every pocket has a very specific outdoor purpose. Cold Mountain Craft fly wallets’ natural fiber shearling pad holds your fishing flies securely inside a protective leather wrap; a polished nickel fly concho seals it shut. They’re handmade in the Rockies from oil-tanned American bison leather and come in shades named like craft cocktails for men who own too many flannels: Whiskey Ember, Midnight Espresso, Honey Ginger, and Merlot Saddle. For an extra $15, get a custom monogram, because once Dad starts showing this thing off around the campfire, he’s gonna want his name on it before another angler “accidentally” walks off with it.

Katherine Homes’ Eldorado Canyon Hat

• Best for: Dads into sun (and environment) protection
• Price: $41
• Where: Online, Title Nine, and REI

We probably don’t need to say it again, because your dad already told you, but the sun in Colorado is no joke. Help him shield that winning smile (and, uh, maybe that bald spot) with artist Katherine Homes’ Eldorado Canyon baseball hat, which features a colorful reprint of one of her watercolor paintings. What’s in it for you? That warm, fuzzy feeling of giving back—20 percent of proceeds go to environmental nonprofits that protect the creatures and landscapes that end up on Homes’ artistically outdoorsy gear.

Fishpond Submersible Thunderhead Bag

• Best for: Dads rocking the boat and the Baby Björn
• Price: $300
• Where: Online and at SCHEELS

Local fly-fishing manufacturer Fishpond probably had rushing rivers, not squirting juice boxes, in mind when it released a line of fully submersible bags to guard against the elements. But we love that this versatile backpack—featuring waterproof closures and Fishpond’s recycled nylon material—holds up just as well on family picnics as it does on the water.

Konjo Ethiopian Spice Blends

• Best for: Dads whose point of pride is well-seasoned meat
• Price: $35
• Where: Online and at Edgewater Public Market, 5505 W. 20th Ave., Edgewater

Nothing kills a backyard barbecue like mildly seasoned meat. 5280 food editor Mark Antonation swears by the spice blends from Konjo Ethiopian to fix that exact problem. “The Berbere is a great rub for smoked ribs, especially if you also buy the Kib’eh, a spiced clarified butter, and use it as a finishing glaze,” he says. “The Mitmita is similar to Berbere but is super spicy, and the Awaze hot sauce can be used on all kinds of things.” Don’t know where to start? Pick up the four-pack for $35 and let your dad’s “signature seasoning” exploration begin.

Victrola 6-in-1 Record Player

• Best for: Dads with an old soul and a good ear
• Price: $200
• Where: Online and at major retailers including Best Buy, Macy’s, and Kohl’s

Give Dad the gift of finally commandeering the aux cord—or, in this case, avoiding the aux cord entirely. Denver-based Victrola makes sound systems like the 6-in-1 Nostalgic Record Player, which seems to spin every format your dad has refused to throw away. Vinyl? Check. CDs? Check. Cassettes? Somehow, check. (You can also Bluetooth stream through it.) Add Fleetwood Mac and Taylor Swift records (about $25 to $35 each) and spend Father’s Day debating whether today’s music is actually good. (You won’t win, but that’s not really the point.)

Hardy and Fuller’s Blacksmithing 101 Class

• Best for: Dads into picking up new hobbies
• Price: $200
• Where: Buy the gift card online, then head to 900 W. First Ave., Denver (Baker) when it’s time

Spend some quality time melting iron (and his heart) at Hardy and Fuller’s Blacksmithing 101 class, where you can create anything from bottle openers to candle holders to barbecue tools to magic wands to door knockers or learn to make floating shelves (you’re welcome, Mom) in a welding class. Forge side by side or a few feet apart—whatever your therapist would recommend. The Baker makerspace offers gift cards, so the gifting is easy; the hard part is picking which skill you’ll master so completely that it starts calling you Daddy.