Q. What are some good gift ideas for younger men?
A. Buying for young men can be tough, but we think that somewhere in the below list of 20 ideas, you will find the gift that perfectly fits the guy you’re buying for, whether it’s a teenage boy or a man in his 20s:
1. Gift Ideas for Young Men under $100 at Zappos.com - Zappos, known for shoes but quickly becoming an online superstore, offers a lengthy list of products priced under $100 that young men might covet, including bags and backpacks, cool watches, jackets, slippers, leather belts, stylish hats, scarves, sunglasses, wallets, robes, more. Free shipping on all items, and free, 365-day returns (if necessary). (www.zappos.com)
2. Polar RS300SX Heart Rate Monitor Watch - If the man you’re buying for is athletic, he might dig this sports watch that is also a heart rate monitor and has a bunch of other sporty features. We think this one looks cool, but Polar has a bunch of others if you think your guy will want certain features or a different style. (www.amazon.com)
3. iPad - You’d need to like a young guy an awful lot to buy him one of these, because they are expensive, but we guarantee he will like you a whole lot back. (store.apple.com)
4. Koyono.com - While this is not strictly a store for young men, we think the selection is right up their alley: slim wallets, the BlackCoat, watches, iPod and iPad accessories, laptop bags and backpacks, and more — all with an eye toward good design and performance. (www.koyono.com)
5. Video Bean Bag Chairs at BeanBags.com - Beanbag chairs can be cool or not so great — we like these structured chairs with a high back for playing video games or lounging in front of the TV. NASCAR chairs available if those fit your young man’s life/interests. Plenty of other bean bag chair options at this site, too. (www.beanbags.com)
6. Hoodies at Hollister - Hollister’s popular with young men, and hoodies are still the rage, so you probably can’t go wrong here. Actually, probably anything from this store won’t screw you up too bad, because even if they don’t like it you could give a gift receipt and they could exchange it for something they like better. Sometimes it’s just important to get the store right, you know? White hoodies, black hoodies, red hoodies, blue hoodies, most with the Hollister logo. (www.hollisterco.com)
7. Men’s Health Magazine - While this magazine is fine for men of any age, it’s pretty clear that it’s intended for guys in their 20s and 30s that want to stay in shape, eat at least OK and like women. Here’s a link to give a gift subscription. (secure.rodale.com)
8. Acqua Di Gio Cologne from Giorgio Armani at Sephora - If the young man on your list could smell better, we suggest this. If he’s already got his own signature fragrance, you can find it here, too. (www.sephora.com)
9. Men’s Gifts from Abercrombie & Fitch - Basically the same story as Hollister. You probably won’t go too wrong buying from here. (www.abercrombie.com)
10. Orion XT 4.5 Dobsonian Telescope - This one’s hit or miss, depending on the young man in question, but a great idea for a teen boy or young adult man who likes looking at the stars. (www.telescope.com)
11. Personalized NFL Jerseys at NFL Shop - Choose the young man’s favorite NFL team and have a jersey customized with his last name or nickname, and a uniform number of your choosing. This link takes you to the Seattle Seahawks page, but they offer custom jerseys for most (but not all) teams. (www.nflshop.com)
12. Busted Tees - Young men wear T-shirts about 94% of the time, and this site has funny ones that guys will like. Perhaps a slogan such as “Beards. They grow on you.” or “Camping is In-Tents!” or “Volunteering. It doesn’t pay.” Good stuff for younger guys. (www.bustedtees.com)
13. Koozie Pocket Shirt - The pocket of this shirt doubles as a koozie that keeps your beverage cold. Some young men would dig that as a present. (www.skatewarehouse.com)
14. JBL On Stage Micro III Portable Loudspeaker for iPod and iPhone - Not only is it nice to put your iPod (or iPhone) into a good-sounding little system so you can turn things up a little louder, but this one also looks cool for the bachelor pad (or bedroom at Mom and Dad’s house as the case may be). The young man on your list can also charge his iPod or iPhone with this. (www.amazon.com)
15. Men’s Hip Hop Clothing at DrJays.com - Urban and hip hop wear from brands such as Adidas, Akademiks, Marc Ecko, Ed Hardy, Pelle Pelle, Rocawear, Sean John, Zoo York, Timberland, North Face and more make good presents. (www.drjays.com)
16. GameStop - This might surprise you, but a lot of male teenagers and young adults like to play video games. It’s true. Games for Nintendo Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, etc. can be found here. (www.gamestop.com)
17. Kindle Fire - If you’re not planning on springing for an iPad, here’s another suggestion, the latest Kindle from Amazon.com, which still encourages book reading but also features apps for all kinds of fun. (www.amazon.com)
18. Guys Clothes at Aeropostale - Popular store for guys in the pre-teen and teen years especially. (www.aeropostale.com)
19. Custom Bobblehead at Whoopass Enterprises - Truth be told, ANYONE would want a bobblehead of themselves, but we think young men would especially think these are awesome. Costs about $120 for most versions. (www.whoopassenterprises.com)
20. Audio Technica ATH-M50 Headphones - Frankly we are puzzled by the trend of big headphones that look like they are from the early 1990s, but young men seem to dig them, and this pair gets good reviews. (www.amazon.com)
21. Fitbit Activity Trackers - For the health-conscious young man who likes a little tech, too. Choose a wristband or clip-on unit that tracks activities like numbers of steps and stairs taken each day, and amount and quality of sleep. Syncs with computers and smartphones to track your trends. (www.fitbit.com)
Other Bessed pages of interest:
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King Baby Jewelry
Male Nurse Gifts