25 Prepper and Survival Gift Ideas for Father’s Day [2025]
This post has been updated multiple times from our original Father’s Day Survival Gift Idea Guide, making this our seventh year of bringing you the best gift ideas. Check back every year to find the best Father’s Day gifts for that tough-to-buy-for prepper in your life (or to update your own wish list).
There are always exciting new tools, gear, and equipment being developed for preppers, and everyone knows Dad likes the new gadgets or the proven ones that are just plain useful. Whether it’s the new solar phone charger or a tried and true knife, one of the gifts below should be just the ticket to having a happy prepper dad on Father’s Day.
Father’s Day is coming up soon- it is June 15th this year. The gifts below are listed in order of cost, so you can find the perfect thing for your prepping pops and for your budget.
Contents (Jump to a Section)
Father’s Day Survival Gear Gift Ideas Under $25
Father’s Day gift ideas at the bottom end of the budget don’t have to be useless mall ninja junk. There is a ton of prepping and survival gear in this price range that any dad would be happy to get their hands on.
Mechanical Fisher’s YoYo
This niche survival tool may have flown under your Dad’s radar so far, but it’s surprisingly cheap and effective.
This stainless steel spring-loaded reel with a 60-pound braid on it can pop fish out of the water without any attention required- fire and forget!
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
It’s one of our more interesting picks out of our survival fishing review and can double as a clothesline and land snare as well. Not many people have these in their survival kits despite them being so useful near water, so it’s a niche choice Dad probably doesn’t have yet, and not much of a gamble with its low price.
Bayite Toggle Ferro Rods
We are in love with these things. The Bayite toggle ferro rods are meant to be added to any drawstring. The two holes on each ferro rod let you pop one on clothes and packs, so you have a firestarter ready to go anywhere.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
They instantly upgrade anything with a string on it, so it is easy to see why this was our portable pick in our latest review roundup of the best ferro rods. I’ve used these to upgrade bags, jackets, bracelets, necklaces, and put them on shoelaces.
TNC Ranger Beads
Ranger beads are a great, lesser-known bug-out bag accessory that helps you pace count over long distances.
You make them yourselves with beads and paracord, but this hook fastener attachment version is the best of the best right out of the box.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
If you don’t want to take our word for it, you can check out all of the ranger beads we’ve reviewed. If your dad already has a bug out bag (or variant), pace-counting beads are often overlooked and can be a valuable addition to any on-foot survival kit.
100 Deadly Skills
This book is great. The skills are very straightforward and blunt, and the pictures are very thorough. While only a few of the skills are usable, the rest of them are entertaining at least.
This is great if your dad is really into tactical gear and bug out prepping, or if he has a great sense of humor. As a Father’s Day prepper gift, it’s hard to be since it is so versatile.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
100 Deadly Skills is a bestseller for a reason, and it’s worth picking up for Dad just so you can skim through it before you give it to him.
Free Soldier Shemagh
A shemagh has slowly and surely become a tactical survival staple with its countless uses and versatility. As an oversized scarf/bandana hybrid, they can help you blend in, stay covered in weather conditions, and carry gear.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Free Soldier is a solid budget option, as you can see in our best shemagh review. With all of the Middle East strife going on now, this gift could be viewed as making a statement, but that doesn’t discount its practicality and history in tactical survival loadouts.
Sheffield Field Box
Just what every prepper needs- more storage. This field box ammo can is a great buy for a prepper and is the perfect size for small kits.
You may be asking yourself, “Do I really just want to get a box for my dad on Father’s Day?”, but this is an awesome, rugged, lockable polypropylene field box ammo can.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
If you still feel bad about buying a box, get something else that is small and put it inside. Or, you could find some ammo on sale and put his favorite caliber in there. There is plenty of room and plenty of room in your budget at this price.
Fallkniven DC3 Sharpener
Grab the best portable sharpener you can find for your gift, and you won’t regret it! Fallkniven has a great reputation for knives and sharpeners out of Sweden, and this little diamond sharpener will keep edges sharp on the go.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
It fits perfectly in a pocket or a bug out bag, and is our top EDC pick from our sharpener review roundup. It’s practical, portable, and a perfect small survival gift for Father’s Day.
BaoFeng UV-5R Dual-Band Radio
If your dad is not a ham radio hobbyist, the BaoFeng UV-5R makes a great gift. If he has a lot of ham equipment, he likely already has this or something similar. Other preppers use these as weather radios and emergency communications.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Your dad can’t go talking to everyone he hears with this new toy- you need a license for most frequencies. Be sure to pick up the USB charging/programming cable as well. Our best ham radio review talks about the requirements and accessories needed.
Vargo Stainless Parabottle
While the Nalgene and Klean Kanteen bottles spiked in price over 100% in the last few years, Vargo swooped in and saved the day with an actually affordable steel bottle.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Stainless steel is important for survival because it lets you boil water inside the bottle for purification. I’ve been using it for years now and am glad to see it hasn’t budged in price. It still tops our survival water bottle review.
Suunto Clipper Compass
A clipper compass is great for land navigation because you can clip it anywhere. Most people will slap it on their watch wristband for quick direction checks, but you can also conveniently clip it to your maps as well.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
It’s a Suunto compass, so it’s quality-made and doesn’t catch if it’s slightly tilted, so Dad will always stay on track. You can also grab some free maps to include with this gift, whether you print local quads or get free highway maps. Although it’s not my main navigation compass, I like having my Clipper around for EDC convenience.
Mechanix Wear Tactical Gloves
Mechanix Wear has sold a ton of these gloves and for good reason! Their tactical gloves are lightweight, durable, and great for a wide range of survival skills.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
If your dad needs to cover his mitts, these might just be the perfect inexpensive gift for him. They are one of the cheapest options in our survival glove review– and the only downside to this practical gift is that you’ll need to figure out his hand size.
Recoil OFFGRID
Give the gift of knowledge, entertainment, and getting unplugged with a magazine. While there is nothing wrong with survival and prepping websites (obviously), there is something to be said about holding and reading books and magazines.
OFFGRID offers a ton of survival tips and gear reviews- perfect for the prepper on your list.
*Price per month at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
This magazine stays at the top of our best survival magazine list, which we update every year. Print may not be as popular as it once was, but there is nothing quite as ‘survival’ as kicking back on your bucket toilet and reading about how to catch fish using a bushcraft trap.
Father’s Day Prepper Gear Between $25 and $50
This is the sweet spot for gifts these days, after all of the inflation, so you can get some excellent gear at these price points where it is cheap enough to afford but quality enough to never need replacing.
Gerber Dime Multitool
A dream for prepping and Dad’s keychain. Small enough to always be there when you need it, and strong enough to be used as often as you want.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Gerber Dime is hard to beat as far as keychain tools go, and picking one up is a foolproof way to get on Dad’s good side. Plus, it’s one of the top multitools that we’ve reviewed. It beat out the Leatherman Style head-to-head and is a durable hunk of metal that’ll survive on any keychain.
Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Let’s face it- if your dad is a prepper, he probably already has a LifeStraw. The LifeStraw, however, is consumable and will run its course after drinking through it over a long period. You could buy him a backup LifeStraw, or you could upgrade him to the Sawyer Mini.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Sawyer edges out Lifestraw for our small filters, but not the larger ones. You can see why in our survival water filter review roundup. That’s not a knock on Lifestraw, we love their larger filters. But when it comes down to personal filters, the Sawyer Mini gives you the ability to squeeze, syringe, gravity filter, and straw, whereas the Lifestraw only functions as a straw.
Wazoo Cache Cap
All dads love pockets- whether it’s map pockets in our jackets or just plain old cargo shorts. Take it a step further by getting them a ball cap with SIX HIDDEN POCKETS in it.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
It might seem gimmicky at first, but I’ve found the Cache cap to be a useful part of my EDC. It’s earned its place among the best survival hats due to its hidden functionality and quality construction. Stash your picture in one of the hidden pockets for a personalized touch with this great gift.
Lockpicking Training Kit
Don’t just give your dad some gear for Father’s Day- give him a skill! Lockpicking is easy to pick up and try, and easy on the wallet as far as hobbies go.
He’ll need some picks and a practice lock, and our starter pick from our survival lockpick review has them all.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
This inexpensive lockpicking kit is a great starter kit, with picks and a see-through lock to learn how locks work mechanically. Dad will be shocked to see just how easy lockpicking is, so you may start him down a home security rabbit hole while you are at it.
Titan SurvivorCord
We can always use more paracord, and this is the best paracord available. It has so many uses because the individual strands have separate functions, including:
- mono-filament fishing line
- 30 AWG metal wire
- paraffin jute wire
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Also, it has a 620-pound test, which is more than the typical 550 cord and at the top end of Level III paracord. It’s no wonder it topped our paracord review. A dad, regardless of how much they are into prepping and survival, can never have enough paracord!
Battlbox Subscription
If you don’t know what to get Dad even after checking out the rest of this list, Battlbox has it covered. Their curated survival boxes will get him gear and supplies that he’ll actually look forward to using.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
Originally, I thought it was a bunch of mall ninja stuff, but after several shipments, I realized it’s legit. Not only is it a great value (the shipped gear always exceeds the price of the box), but the gear they include is actually useful or, at the very least, thought-provoking. That’s why it tops the survival subscription box top 10.
Father’s Day Prepper Gift Ideas Between $50 and $100
If your Father’s Day prepper gift budget is between $50 and $100, then these survival gifts will hit the mark.
Estwing Camper’s Axe
The Estwing Camper’s Axe is perfect for survival applications without any of the flair that holds other ‘survival axes’ back.
This tried-and-true solution topped our survival axe review and puts all of the weird axe amalgamations to shame when it comes to practical chopping and bushcraft.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
With an included sheath and perfect size, Dad will strap it to his bug out bag, get to work in the woods, and never look back. The black coating on the special edition does wear off with use, but it does look nice in the kit.
Grayl Ultrapress
The GRAYL Ultrapress water bottle with an integrated filter is one of the best survival water bottles on the market.
Filter water quickly just by pressing it through- no straw suction needed! It works great for EDC or bug-out bags. Anyone and everyone can use one.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
It was our top-reviewed filter water bottle in our recent roundup. In that review, you’ll notice we are big on non-insulated metal water bottles- so much so that we drag the plastic ones quite a bit. The Grayl models are the exception to the rule.
Sure, the integrated filter is nice, but plenty of lower-cost and quality water bottles have that. The press filtering is the key. No more sucking water as you go- press to filter it all at once and have drinkable water without the ‘straw struggle’ when you need it.
Teton Scout Backpack
This backpacking pack is known in prepping circles to be a steal for a bug out bag. The low-cost, high-volume backpack is able to hold a huge amount of gear and is very comfortable as well.
Getting a good fit is very important when picking out backpacks, so we would encourage you to let your dad know to return the pack if it does not fit well. With an adjustable lumbar, this one fits a huge range of people and is our starter pick in the best survival backpack review.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
You can take it for a test drive with him by going on an extended hike or just getting outdoors together. This is the bag I run with in my standard setup since it’s lightweight, comfortable, and has plenty of room beyond the survival gear for my tripods, lights, and camera.
Over $100 Father’s Day Gift Ideas
If you are really looking to get something nice for Dad this Father’s Day, your money is best spent on quality tools that he can rely on for years to come.
ESEE Laser Strike
This fixed-blade knife is the holy grail of survival knives. Full tang, Made in the USA, ESEE’s unbeatable warranty- this knife has it all. If your dad loves outdoor survival, you can trust that he’s heard of and would appreciate an ESEE.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
ESEEs top both our bushcraft knife reviews and our survival knife reviews, so this is one of the most surefire gifts on our list. As a collaborative project that changed hands from the legendary TOPS Knives to ESEE, the LS has a storied history of excellence and can be the capstone to your dad’s survival kit.
Augason Farms Emergency Food
Augason Farms is one of our preferred emergency food suppliers due to their low cost but great value.
This 25-serving pack is great in mobile kits or as a minimum preparedness requirement.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
You can never have enough emergency food storage when it has a 25-year shelf life like Augason Farms. Freeze-dried food is the easiest way to stock up on food because you’ll never have to rotate it out. Augason is one of the cheapest, but it passes the taste test in our review. If Dad needs something a bit more on-the-nose for survival, you could always order him some MREs.
Leatherman Signal
Leatherman is the brand to beat when it comes to multitools, and the Signal is specifically designed for survival. It’s no wonder it destroyed the competition in our multitool review.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Signal comes in a variety of colors, so pick Dad’s favorite and he’ll be grateful for years to come. The coyote tan, Forest topo map, and all-black are solid choices if you are unsure of which he may like.
Pulsefire UBF
What do you get the prepper dad that has everything? A flamethrower. This underbarrel mount flamethrower also works as a stand-alone. It is the cheapest option we recommend in our flamethrower review, but it is well-made and versatile to boot.
Flamethrowers have all sorts of uses besides just being fun: from controlled burns to weed and pest management.
*Price at time of publishing; check for price changes or sales.
The Pulsefire Underbarrel Flamethrower is a unique gift that will make Dad feel like a survival action hero. Flamethrowers are surprisingly unregulated (except for Maryland and California for this model, since it projects over 10 feet), so you shouldn’t have any issue ordering this in time for the big day. This could be the gift they’ll never forget!
The Final Word
I would be thrilled as a father to receive any of these survival gifts for Father’s Day, but above all, I would value spending time with my family. Take time out to give Dad a call and spend some time with him if you can. Hopefully, we’ve helped you with your Father’s Day prepper and survival gear shopping list and have given you a few ideas to check out.
If you are looking for some more ideas, check out:
- How Being a New Father Shaped Me as a Prepper
- 18 Prepper Gift Ideas for Mother’s Day
- Best Survival Gift Ideas for Preppers
Lastly, here are my thoughts on how being a father shaped me as a prepper. This might give you some insight into where your dad’s headspace is as he strives to be prepared for his family.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
See more of our expert-written guides, resources, and reviews in your search results – add TruePrepper as a preferred source.
Prepping Your Way
No judgement and no imperatives. Prepare the way you want to with the trusted source millions of modern preppers have relied on.Our newsletter fires out every Monday where you can expect:
- Practical prepping guides and tips
- Thorough survival gear reviews
- Noticeably absent spam and popups
- < 0.4% of people unsubscribe
Nice list. I will be forwarding to my wife to give her some ideas!
I just could not leave your web site prior to suggesting that I actually loved
the usual info a person provide for your visitors? Is gonna be back continuously to check out new
posts