Great Father's Day Gifts He'll Actually Use

Finding a Father's Day gift—and shopping for men in general—requires superhuman skills. You've got to balance the useful-but-boring items (a six-pack of Bud, a three-pack of tighty-whities) with the sappy and sure-to-be-stuffed-in-a-drawer gifts (a "masculine" locket, a golf-tee-flash-drive-toothpick combo). But before you give up and pick out another set of pre-wrapped barbecue tools, check out our out-of-the-ordinary and awesome (if we do say so ourselves) Father's Day gift guide. Emergency Fire-Starter Whether he's a hard-core hiker/camper or more about the s'mores and ghost stories, it's every outdoorsman's duty to be able to create fire. So save your guy the rubbing-the-sticks-together routine and let him get right to the marshmallow roasting with the help of afire-starter. We love this Swedish Fire Steel Emergency Fire Starter from the Grannystore of all places! Whiskey Stones Ice that stays solid and cold? A drink that doesn't become watered down toward the end? Your whiskey- or scotch-sipping man will be blinded by science when he receives this father's Day gift of reusable soapstone un-meltable "ice cubes." (And no more fighting over who did or didn't refill the ice trays!) Buy 'em at Think Geek. Bocce Ball Set Guys can turn anything into a tournament (the longest putt, the fastest chug, the loudest burp), so just embrace it and break out the bocce ball on Father's Day. This Euro-style lawn bowling is definitely classier than beer pong at family barbecues. Find 'em at Amazon. Portable Grill Generic grill sets are a dime a dozen for Father's Day gifts, but a high-quality Weber that Dad can take anywhere? That's not generic—it's genius. This charcoal grill is perfect for tailgating, camping and travel, or for gas grillers who like to use charcoal once in a while. You can pick one up anywhere from Walmart to Home Depot to Amazon.com. Cool T-Shirts for Guys If Dad's got three dresser drawers full of tees, but only about three actual shirts that are fit for public display, spruce up his style with a T-shirt that's too cool for school. We dig the hipster tees at Threadless. He'll be the hippest dad on the playground! Beer-of-the-Month Club It's a Father's Day gift that keeps on giving! Your dedicated ale sommelier (a.k.a. beer expert) will be so stoked with his monthly shipment of brews, you'll probably find him waiting on the curb for the mailman on "beer delivery day." Maybe while he's out there, he'll even drag the garbage cans back up to the house. (We said maybe.) Sign up online at Beer of the Month Club. Portable GPS Homing Device Whether he's been talking about getting a GPS forever or is forever getting lost (and is in complete denial about it), he'll dig a portable homing device, like this one from Hammacher Schlemmer. It's the perfect way for Dad to lead your vacationing family back to the hotel ... or back to the car at the mall. Family Tree Software Let your genealogy buff get the kids involved in a family history lesson, then duck out for a run or a pedi while they have a blast researching records on sites like Ancestry.com and Family Search. Tell them they can only call you when they find an ancestor who was on the Mayflower or in San Quentin. Fingerprint-Reading Computer Lock This Father's Day gift is for the guy with über-important files on his computer ... or who's just living out that James Bond fantasy: This computer lock reads the registered user's fingerprints and keeps everyone else out. Don't worry, Dad: Those Fantasy Football stats are safe now. Snag one at Office Depot.