2018 Christmas Gift Guide: For Him

 I’m driving home for Christmas, Oh, I can’t wait to see those faces … but will he feel the same about the presents under the tree with his name on? I find men particularly difficult to buy presents for, often because they are useless at dropping hints as to what they’d like! So if you are struggling, like I was, here’s some gift ideas that might tick the boxes. Enjoy x

Gift 1: Quadra Vintage Canvas Holdall from PPE Work Solutions

Canvas bags have had a resurgence in popularity over the last few years. I counted three (cabin luggage) on a recent flight to Amsterdam. This lovely washed canvas holdall comes from PPE Work Solutions. There are several colour choices, but this one is Vintage Military Green. It measures 58 x 30 x 30cm and has a capacity of 45 litres (good weekend bag). It has a padded base, padded hand grip, an internal valuables pocket and a zippered front pocket. There’s also an adjustable shoulder strap, with pad. A useful, on-trend gift.

RRP: £22.79

Link to purchase: QuadraVintageCanvasHoldall

Gift 2: Jaques of London Cabinet Chess Set

Jaques of London make the most exquisite wooden games and sports equipment, and have done since 1795. This lovely chess set has an 11-inch folding board made of walnut and sycamore. The Staunton chessmen are hand-carved – the king stands 2.5″ tall. When travelling, the pieces each have an elasticated holder to secure them inside the folded board. This is a beautiful gift, that will last a lifetime.  

RRP: £19.99

Link to purchase: JaquesofLondonCabinetChessSet

Gift 3: The Traditional Shaving Company

Not that I know, but I’ve been told many times that the only proper shave is a wet one, with a razor. And I’ve noticed a rise in the popularity of traditional shaving over the last few years … The Traditional Shaving Company began in 2009 providing high-end quality shaving products and accessories. This gift contains a 100ml bottle of Pre-Shave Lotion, designed for sensitive skin; the other is a 100ml bottle of After-Shave Balm, again for sensitive skin. A lovely gift to start and end a shaving session.

RRP: £16.00 each

Link to purchase: PreShaveLotion / AfterShaveBalm

Gift 4: AquaPac 28L TrailProof DaySack

This daysack is the perfect gift for anyone who has a hobby in or around water … or for someone who hikes/treks and wants their gear to stay dry. This AquaPac TrailProof Day Sack is designed to be waterproof. It’s made from tough 500D vinyl and all seals are welded, to keep water out. On the reverse there’s padded shoulder straps, with a sternum clip, and a waist belt. To waterproof the contents in your daysack, you roll the top down at least three times, and then securely clip it down. It’s an innovative gift that any outdoor sports enthusiast will love this Christmas.

RRP: £49.99

Link to purchase: AquaPacTrailProofDaySack

Gift 5: Zippo Leather Bi-Fold Wallet

Now this is a really nice gift idea. The brown (genuine) leather is so soft. The wallet is embossed with the Zippo logo. It has a bi-fold design that can hold 5 cards and bank notes. There’s also a transparent pocket for passport photo/ID. Dimensions are 11 x 10 x 1cm. The wallet arrives in a Zippo gift box.

RRP: £24.90

Link to purchase: ZippoWallet

Gift 6: AKU Tengu Low GTX Boots

Huw already has one pair of AKU walking boots and they are excellent quality. Tengu Low GTX shoes are a light mountain trekking shoe (1090 grams) that are ideal for excursions with a 15 kg backpack. They have been designed for any type of terrain with a shoe upper that easily adapts to any foot shape. Outdoor Magazine recently compared 10 pairs of multi-terrain footwear and in their Outdoor Guide 2018 the Tengu Low GTX were voted The best mountain shoes of 2018. The Tengu Low GTX is defined as ideal footwear for casual activity such as hiking, climbing and geared paths.

RRP: £169.90

Link to purchase: AKUTenguLowGTX

Gift 7: Haynes Desk Diary 2019

This is the 14th year that Haynes have released a Desk Diary. For 2019 they are focusing on the MK1 Ford Capri, as the car celebrates it’s 50th anniversary. The desk diary is a good-size, with plenty of space to write all your appointments in. Every month there’s a double-page Haynes cutaway image and details (as in traditional Haynes manuals), such as the Austin Morris 1100, NASA Skylab, Puch Maxi, Renault 16 and even a Russian T-34 Tank! It’s the perfect gift for car enthusiasts. 

RRP: £12.99 (currently on sale £9.74)

Link to purchase: HaynesDeskDiary2019

Gift 8: Jotter Trio Kensington Gift Set by Parker London

The Parker Pen Jotter is a 60 year old archetypal design that everyone knows. Parker pens are reliable and instantly noticed with desirable colours and a distinctive shape. The Parker pen’s signature click is one more thing to rely on. In this set you get three precision writing instruments. A ‘blue’ ballpoint pen, a ‘red’ gel pen and a stainless steel mechanical pencil. A lovely gift for any man in your life. From Rymans. 

RRP: £39.99 (on sale for £19.99)

Link to purchase: JotterTrioKensingtonGiftSet

Has this helped give you some ideas? We hope so. Please do tell us what you’re getting the men in your life this Christmas.

A couple of the items above have been gifted to PackThePJs in exchange for our opinion (we only include things we really like though!)

End note: Would you like your products included in our future Gift Guides? Please add us to your mailing list tracey@packthepjs.com and huw@packthepjs.com x