MIL-SPEC: Unique Gifts for Military Men

Posted: May 31, 2018

I'm not calling this compilation Unique Gifts for Military Men to dog the ladies. I respect and admire all the fine soldiers and veterans, male and female alike, who have poured their bodies, minds, and years of their lives into serving their country.

I'm singling out military men in this gift guide only because I don't think many military women would want any of this testosterone-tinged crap. But maybe I'm wrong. And if you know a lady officer or vet who's into knives with cyclone blades and mountain bikes she can jump out of an airplane with, by all means, buy them for her.

Buy one for yourself too if you like.

Note: Military gift prices are listed as they were at printing. Prices are subject to change.

Upcycled World War II Jerry Can Bar Cabinet

Some call it the can that won WWII. Even though the Germans created the Wehrmacht-Einheitskanister, American and British forces quickly copied the design and used it for the efficient storage and safe transport of fuel across Europe during the war. They also renamed it a Jerry Can, "Jerry" being the slang term used for German soldiers.

Danish design firm One Copenhagen has repurposed and reconfigured actual Jerry Cans from military surplus stockhouses into the swell bar cabinets you see here. So now Jerry can be the can that won you the envy of all your friends.

$835 ➠ aha life

Patriots Being Badass Prints

These patriots heard the battle cry of Team America, and hollered back an even louder Fuck Yeah! From Paul Revere's Midnight Ride on a Tron Light Cycle to Abe Lincoln wielding an M16 and giddy-upping on a grizzly bear to George Washington annihilating zombies with the same vigor he used to axe the cherry tree, Jason Heuser's prints of America's badasses throwing down spectacles of badassery make me especially proud to have emerged from my mama's womb on United States soil.

$5 to $80 ➠ Etsy

Victorinox I.N.O.X. Carbon Limited Edition

Victorinox will sell just 1,200 pieces of its I.N.O.X. watch, a Carbon Limited Edition whose claim to Swiss Army fame is a case built from carbon "that's 50% lighter and five times more resistant than steel." In less dramatic terms, that equates to a watch whose net weight is 3.5 ounces. Woot, woot! Goodbye to the days of my watch weighin' me down and giving me a disproportionately large left forearm and bicep!

The I.N.O.X. watch further strives to earn its Limited Edition status with bold style features, including a camouflage-inspired khaki dial and red-printed military time.

$995 ➠ Swiss Army

BearArms Bullet Bracelets

Louisville-based Sean Ramsey single-handedly makes and sells all of his military-themed BearArms Bullet Bracelets. Geared towards outdoorsmen, soldiers and their families, law enforcement officers, and anyone who wants to bear the remnant fruit of their arms, the bracelets come in 4 different styles and over 60 colors.

$10 to $20 ➠ Bear Arms Bracelets

M48 Cyclone Fixed Blade Knife

The Cyclone's obvious spotlight, its spiraling blade, is made of cast 2Cr13 stainless steel, and has 3 distinct cutting edges that extend 8" to a piercing point. The reinforced nylon handle has M48's trademark 30% fiberglass content to facilitate a secure grip. A solid stainless steel hand guard and skull crusher pommel are also standouts in this knife's notable design.

Overall Cyclone length is 13-1/2"; the knife comes with a specially designed TPR and nylon belt sheath.

$70 ➠ Amazon

Paratrooper Tactical Mountain Bike

Montague collaborated with DARPA to develop its Paratrooper, a high-speed, all-terrain tactical mountain bike that folds at the turn of a lever into a 3' x 3' pack in less than 30 seconds. Obviously, it was specked for military use. Specifically, the 24-speed aluminum-framed brute can be dropped from a plane, strapped to the side of an LAV, or tossed in a trunk when not in use, and slosh through water, over rubble, and down stairs as soon as the rider decides it's time to hit go.

$895 ➠ Montague

Solid Silver Army Men

A collection of your favorite fearless action figures rendered in solid sterling silver. Less their material substitution, Silver Army Men conform to the precise specs and details of their original Vietnam-era cohorts from Louis Marx & Co. They generally weigh between 0.75 and 1.25 ounces, and come in Classic, Doughboy, and Skull Face and versions. Silver Army Men says the latter "have had their heads lopped off and replaced with our custom Jack Skull." Full, 12-man squadrons of each variety are also available for purchase.

$195 to $235 ➠ Silver Army Men

Battle-Rattle Whiskey Chillers

As a Platoon Leader in Ft. Carson, CO, Garrett Coker made a bet with a buddy on who would nab the higher Gunnery score. The winner would receive a bottle of Scotch. Coker won. He saw his buddy again a few years later in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. Reminiscing about the story, and melting in the heat of the Middle East, they looked forward to the day they'd be home, enjoying another bottle of Scotch, sipped from tumblers, nice and cold.

The day came. While Coker waited for his buddy to head over, he threw a wedge bolt from an Abrams end connector and a bolt from a Bradley road wheel in the freezer to chill the Scotch without watering it down. Coker says his chosen alternative to ice, CARC-painted hunks of metal, will probably give them cancer, "but it was the best damned glass of Scotch I ever had."

Battle-Rattles are the whiskey chillers that emerged from Coker's experiences serving and drinking Scotch as a proud American. His sets of scaled military-themed replicas are all made in the US, designed by disabled veterans, and built from recycled scrap steel.

$80 to $90 ➠ Battle-Rattle

Just The Tip Morale Patch

I know there's some innuendo hidden somewhere inside this Just the Tip PVC patch from Morale Patch Armory. It's a play on...it's a saying dudes use to...awww, shoot! I'm firing blanks. I have it right there, but it won't penetrate.

Add a 3" x 2" slice of double entendre to your bag or patch panel with Morale Patch Armory's cleverly phallic bullet patch and "Just the Tip, I Promise" pledge. This version of the military-inspired embellishment is made of PVC, a variation on the embroidered style of one of the company's best-selling patches to date.

$8.50 ➠ Morale Patch Armory

Air Force Coin Knife

A penny for your thoughts, a quarter to call someone who cares, and an Air Force Coin for your untidy cuticles and hang nails. The 1-7/8" Air Force coin is minted with the official US Air Force emblem on the back and "a striking montage commemorating the awesome power and proud heritage of the world's most fearsome aviation force" on the front. (I think the EDC tool's seller is a USAF fan.)

The coin is made of a nickel alloy and its fold-out blades stainless steel. The knife arrives in a navy blue box ready for gift presentation to any Air Force vet or supporter.

$55 ➠ Amazon

Army Man Bottle Opener

Pop bottles like a G(I Joe) 6 with this little green man crawling with his rifle at the ready--the cap ready. The bottle opener is made of die-cast metal.

$6.75 ➠ Amazon

Tactical Vest Beer Koozie

It's military-strength protection for your beer this summer! These tactical vest beer koozies come complete with MOLLE attachments for toothpicks, cigs, and lime wedges. They hold hot or cold beverages in a 12- or 16-ounce can or bottle.

$13 ➠ Amazon

Delta Echo Ammo Can Knife Set

First the ammo, then the fire. On the range, and now in the kitchen, courtesy of Delta Echo Products' ammo can knife blocks and cutlery sets. Arm yourself with the tools you'll need to cube, trim, slice, and dice your ingredients into shape before they meet the fire of your grill, the fire of your stove, or the fire of your growling belly. Delta Echo also covers the dig-in portion of the culinary attack - ammo cans house a set of steak knives in addition to the chef's prep tools.

$80 ➠ Delta Echo Products

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