For some reason, all of my male friends are born in February or March, and every winter I need to come up with 6 gift ideas. I’ve done it all: food and wine gift certificates, sport equipment and clothing, gadgets, luggage, dress shirts, neck ties, gloves, scarfs, wallets, all sorts of day-trips, tours and photography and cooking classes, even one flying lesson (all using groupons or other promotions). You name it, I did it. But this year I run out of steam, and I still need to buy a gift. I could buy some events ticket, but the logistics are too complex, so I would rather order something, and I need to do this now. What would be a cool gift for a man in his early 50th? Please, help!
Yeti is quite popular with men. This year my H received a Rambler 30 oz, 20 oz tumbler, lowball and the bottle opener that screws onto the deck. We don’t use a cooler enough to justify $300, but they sure are cool. http://yeticoolers.com/drinkware/rambler-series/ I think REI online carries Yeti.
Thank you, never heard of Yeti. Checking it out now - it does look cool. I may even get one for myself 
This might be on the expensive side, but for a camping fan, BioLite products make cool gifts.
https://www.rei.com/product/846335/biolite-campstove-grill
https://www.rei.com/product/897772/biolite-wood-burning-cookstove
And others.
There are truly amazing products out there, I have never seen those during our camping days. Thank you!
Another cool gift idea for an outdoorsy person - a nest hammock:
Awesome hammock. I bet my kids would figure out a way to use it in their rooms
What’s your budget? Here’s a few gizmos I like:
Wine preservation system. There’s much cheaper and lower-tech systems out there, but this is a nice over-the-top type of gift.
http://www.amazon.com/Coravin-100012-Model-Two-Plus/dp/B0160DQHFC/ref=sr_1_19?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1458015349&sr=1-19&keywords=wine+preserver
Bought this sous vide cooker for myself last week, if any of your guys are into playing in the kitchen.
http://www.amazon.com/Anova-Culinary-Bluetooth-Precision-Cooker/dp/B00UKPBXM4/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1458015531&sr=1-1&keywords=anova+sous+vide
High-end earbuds for runners. Fantastic sound quality, and again falls into the category of too expensive to buy for yourself but awesome to receive as a gift.
http://www.amazon.com/Bose-SoundSport–ear-headphones-devices/dp/B0117RFZHC/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458015614&sr=1-5&keywords=bose+earbuds
The Rolls Royce of portable auto air compressors. Ok it’s like giving a woman a vacuum cleaner, but hey - guys and garage toys. 'Nuff said.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ASY23I/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2DEUYOS9RNYT5&coliid=I20W3ZCQZ14A2Z
Another kitchen thiing, a very pretty knife. There’s actually better knives out there for the money but this one is gorgeous and makes an impressive gift for anyone that’s not already a Japanese knife aficionado. Keep your eyes open and you can get it on sale for under $100 every once in a while.
http://www.amazon.com/Shun-Premier-Chefs-Knife-8-Inch/dp/B003B66YKA/ref=pd_bxgy_79_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=0H4W24JS47ASRTM3F0AY
Multitool for all occasions:
http://www.amazon.com/Leatherman-830039-Multitool-Leather-Combination/dp/B0002H49BC/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1458016157&sr=8-9&keywords=swisstool
This is great, I am taking notes for the next year. Some of those may be too pricey, but can make a perfect family gift for a husband and wife.
“There’s much cheaper and lower-tech systems out there, but this is a nice over-the-top type of gift.”
I think this is the right approach - giving over-the-top gifts they wouldn’t buy themselves
I don’t give my male friends birthday gifts. I will invite them out for a drink or dinner, but I have never exchanged actual gifts with them.
If they all have birthdays in February or March why not celebrate by throwing one big dinner party or BBQ if you live in a warmer climate? I think as you age things become less important, but your connections to others become very meaningful. I couldn’t care less about what gifts I receive for my birthday, but I certainly take note of who makes the effort to spend some time with me.
Very well said, HarvestMoon1!
Time becomes much more important to me than “stuff” as well. Celebrating together makes for stronger relationships.
no matter what a man says about not wanting a 50th birthday party THROW HIM A 50TH BIRTHDAY PARTY, even if someone else is, or it’s not your place, arrange to have multiple ppl join you for anything, drinks, food etc. he should also have several of these. my wife’s birthdays are always multi-day affairs with gatherings with various sets of friends and family and I envy her. I told everyone not to throw me a 50th and they didn’t. it was the darkest day of my life. having lost 3 HS friends in the past 6 months, I think the greatest gift anyone can give is their time and attention. when you are together tell stories about the guy like the 1st time you met him, or what you thought of him the first time you met him (make it complimentary). I know guys get a bad rap for not being “feeling” or as much as women are but that’s not true. we all want a hug and a kiss and to know we impacted someone else’s life in a positive meaningful way. so show him
Pricey but noise cancelling headphones like Bose if they don’t have them.
Craft liquor is always much appreciated. My favorite right now is Woodinville American Whiskey. An evening with a friend sounds like a better idea.
At my age (early 50s), I mostly already have anything mentioned so far and would not use the others. I would rather not get more stuff.
Yes, our families always get together to celebrate each birthday - it goes without saying. If we go out to dinner to celebrate, we usually pick up the tab. But within our friend circle, we still have a long standing tradition to exchange birthday gifts, and I don’t want to be the one to break it. I agree that it’s better to give experiences rather than stuff, and it’s usually my preference, but it does not work in all circumstances. Thank you again everyone - appreciate the advice.
If they drink, I agree that craft beers and wines are popular and often a splurge that might not be purchased for yourself. Both S and my brothers would like something like that. It’s nice that your friend circle still exchanges birthday gifts. My GF and I trade gifts as well. We tend to buy each other boutique clothing items–craft t-shirts and the like.
I bet everyone is tired of the gift exchange – no one needs more stuff at that age, people are starting to think of downsizing. Maybe you could suggest a more expensive dinner or outing for the group as a whole this year and skipping gifts? Or maybe a weekend getaway as a group to celebrate instead of gift giving? So there is a sort of substitute for gifts this year.
A weekend getaway with a group of friends would be great, wouldn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s not in the cards right now - with everyone’s busy professional lives, it’s difficult enough to find a weekend that works for two or three couples. Plus, not all of these folks are familiar with each other. But this is something I’d love to do when we retire. We do have a tradition to spend one vacation week together with 2 other couples and their kids at a vacation house, and it’s always a great experience. The trick is to plan well in advance, to get far away from home, and leave all your worries and commitments behind.
I second the Yeti ramblers. Bought them for all my guys this past Christmas and they all loved them.
Bluetooth earbuds are nice also for working out, running, etc.