Taking the Kids: Gadgets, gizmos and more for the traveling Dad

Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on Jun 9, 2022

For the outdoors-loving dad who wants to minimize his gear, the MultiBev from Camelbak ($48) serves as a water bottle and detachable travel cup. Use for coffee in the morning, water, and then drinks around the campfire. You can even store tea bags in the removable cup. Put some stickers on the bottle from his favorite places!

The beach and pool lover might like an inflatable Saddle Go bar stool ($24.99) from Force Water Sports that allows you to cool off in the water, leaving your hands free to hold a favorite beverage. Maybe a favorite craft beer to go along with it.

For the national parks lover, a Limited Edition National Park Hydroflask ($49.95) helps support the National Parks Foundation. Choose Yosemite, Yellowstone, Olympic, or Hawaii volcanoes. Find other national parks gear from dad’s favorite park, including shirts, hoodies, hats, campfire candles, socks and more at the Parks Project, which supports national parks projects — more than $2 million thus far.

And for the dad who needs to move on from cotton t-shirts for his next adventure, consider the Shade Lite Short Sleeve Shirt from Mountain Hardwear ($65). It’s breathable, quick drying, UPF 50 fabric and looks good too. A Bug Barrier Expedition shirt from Royal Robbin ($90) would be a nice gift for the guy who loves getting outdoors but hates bug bites. The Bug Barrier gear, including pants and socks, features Insect Shield technology that will ward off mosquitoes, ticks, flies and more through 70 washes. The shirt is also lightweight, wicks moisture and provides UPF 30+ protection.

Perhaps the dad in your life needs a new backpack. He’ll feel good knowing that his new Adventurist Backpack will provide 25 meals to American families in need through Feeding America. “Since our launch three years ago, we’ve been able to provide almost 200,000 meals,” said Adventurist co-founder Kelly Belknap. She noted that the Adventurist Classic backpack ($65) is water-resistant, padded front and back for cameras and electronic gear and easily fits under the seat of a plane.

Surprise dad or grandpa with a photobook from your favorite trips. Recently is a mobile-to-magazine app that publishes a personal photo magazine, straight from an iPhone. The app picks the best photos and uses an algorithm to lay out the photos.

Thank dad and grandpa for traveling with you. Happy Father’s Day!

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia and The Kid’s Guide to Camping are the latest in a series of 14 books for kid travelers published by Eileen.)