Travel gear for Dad (it beats wrapping up another tie)
A manual espresso maker; sleek wooden pocket knife and protective wine-bottle carrier
Cottage coffee Become your own barista in the great outdoors with the Handespresso Outdoor Set. Portable enough to take to the cottage or on a fishing excursion, the manual espresso maker churns out a perfect cup of java using a ground-coffee pod, hot water and a few hand pumps. The set comes with four cups, an insulated flask and a couple of napkins to facilitate afternoon kaffeeklatsch on the dock. $200; handpresso.ca
Pocket pal With a sleek handle that is made from repurposed walnut, the Wenger EvoWood 14 Knife is a cut above the average multi-tool gadget in the looks department. It may not pack all the bells and whistles (tweezers and pliers are notably absent), but it does come with the basics: a nail file, bottle opener, corkscrew, screwdriver, scissors, reamer and, of course, a straight-edged steel knife. $52; mec.ca
Unbreakable booze Tour wine country without worrying about how you?re going to pack your souvenirs. Designed to carry one 750-millilitre bottle, the self-inflatable WineHug slips easily into a suitcase and has cushiony, hard-to-rupture Cordura nylon that guards against breaks, spills and seepage. It can also double as a carrier for large bottles of olive oil or vinegar. $19.95 (U.S.); dailygrommet.com