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Need gift ideas for people in the military? Want to know what to buy the car enthusiast in your life? We have ideas.
Some of these are useful items that will take the stress out of maintaining a car in the on-base auto skills center. Others are a great way to escape the daily grind and imagine a carefree life behind the wheel. All of them are catnip to car people.
When I was on active duty, I would have been psyched to receive any of these gifts (and in some cases, I did!) so you’ll be in good standing, no matter which one you end up choosing.
Gear for Gearheads
There are a lot of important things that are hard to buy on military pay. Peace of mind is a wonderful gift to receive. Here are some basic pieces of kit that can get your service member out of a bind.
First-Aid Kit
Every driver should have a first-aid kit in their car, whether they’re in the military or not. This should be separate from the issued IFAK (individual first-aid kit) that Uncle Sam provides.
Since size and weight are less of an issue in the car than it is in a pack, I recommend getting something more substantial than the average boo-boo kit. I’m a big fan of the My Medic MyFAK Pro. This fairly comprehensive kit has everything you’re likely to need in a roadside emergency -- tourniquet, quick clot, instant ice pack, splint, you name it. There are also tools such as trauma shears and a chem light.
I also have an Uncharted Supply First Aid Kit Plus with some clever features. During a winter survival course, the company’s founder explained to me that many injuries to the body are preceded by something wrong with our gear; e.g., a loose fastener on your mountain bike causes an accident that results in a broken bone. That’s why this combination first-aid and survival kit comes with a multitool, flashlight, zip ties and all-important duct tape in addition to the medical necessities.
Battery Jump Pack
Dead car batteries suck, especially when you’ve got an entire chain of command waiting to do paperwork on you for showing up less than 15 minutes early. A good jump pack can revive a car and have it back on the road in less time than it takes to get roadside assistance on the phone.
Once again, one of my go-to companies is Uncharted Supply Company. The Zeus Pro is tiny but mighty. The 20,000 milliampere-hour battery offers plenty of power, and the USB-C port will charge small electronics such as a phone or laptop. It also has a flashlight and safety strobe built in, since car batteries tend to die at the most inconvenient times of day.
The Coffee Mug Your Service Member Deserves
There comes a time in every service member’s life when they step away from energy drinks and start drinking home-brewed coffee. When that day comes (hopefully as soon as possible), they need a good travel mug.
It’s fashionable to hate on brands such as Yeti and Stanley, but I’m here to tell you the products are worth the cost of ownership. One time, I left a Yeti Rambler in my truck all day in the desert; the exposed stainless steel just about burned my hand when I picked it up, and there was still ice floating inside. To hell with looking like a bandwagon consumer, that water was refreshing, and I won’t apologize for saying it.
I’ve also beaten the tar out of Stanley products backpacking and camping, and they haven’t failed me yet. The AeroLight Transit Bottle is slim enough to fit in a cup holder and just might make the morning commute a little more joyful. Our military runs on consumable stimulants, after all.
Tools
As I’ve written many times, tools are a car lover’s best friend. Poke around to see whether the motorhead on your nice list has the tools below, and don’t forget to check out our guide to the best auto repair tools to see more of my favorite recommendations.
Mechanic’s Tool Set
A good tool set is worth its weight in gold. Given a good set of wrenches, ratchets, sockets and bits, your service member can do a ton of preventative maintenance and install upgrades at home.
I don’t know how much money I’ve saved by doing my own oil changes, brakes and other routine jobs, but it’s a far cry from what my Craftsman mechanics tool set cost more than a decade ago.
Working on your own car is also super empowering. Between the essentials in this toolset and the specialized equipment at the base hobby shop, there aren’t many jobs that are out of reach. Who knows? Your service member might become the next Mike Ring.
Tire Gauge
Most people probably have some kind of tire pressure monitoring system in their car these days. Some systems are better than others, and I still recommend keeping a tire gauge in the glove box to fact-check whatever your dash is telling you or to lend a hand to another driver.
Something like this Accu-Gage is handy, because the rubber hose makes it easy to line the chuck up with your valve stem and watch the gauge face at the same time. You can also buy electronic gauges, but this one will do everything they do without requiring batteries.
Detailing Kit
One way to avoid the 30% APR death sentence that has claimed untold service members’ financial well-being is to milk your current car for every mile it’s got. That’s a lot easier to do when the old set of wheels doesn’t look like it’s been to hell and back.
I’m a big fan of Griot’s Garage for this kind of thing. The Starter Car Care Kit has everything you need to clean and protect a car’s finish so it looks like it rolled straight off the showroom floor. I use this kit on all our vehicles with shimmering results.
Even if your service member doesn’t have a driveway, the base should have car-wash bays available -- probably for free. I’ve also been known to bring this kit to a civilian car wash and pay to use the high-pressure hose with my own cleaning products.
Classic Car Movies
Obsessing over cars doesn’t end when we lock the doors and walk inside. Feed your service member’s passion with movie nights starring some of the greatest cars in Hollywood history.
‘Gone in 60 Seconds’
This is a two-part gift. The DVD is the first part; your agreeing to watch it with the recipient, a living encyclopedia of car knowledge, is the second part. “Gone in 60 Seconds” is a treasure trove of cool cars ranging from American muscle to European exotics and even a few SUVs. Not sure why one Cadillac is on the heist list, and one is the butt of a joke? Don’t worry, your service member will tell you all about it.
I can assure you that anyone who loves cars is practically bursting with trivia, tidbits and stories about seeing these cars in real life. Humoring their desire to share this knowledge is a real gift. Pro tip: Ask them which car is their unicorn.
‘Ford v Ferrari’
Hot-tempered racing drivers outmaneuvering shrewd businessmen. America versus Europe. Big-block V8s throwing haymakers at shrieking V12s. “Ford v Ferrari” is loaded with energy just wasting to explode onto the track.
The filmmakers definitely took some artistic liberty with the historical events that inspired this legend, but the movie is an instant classic and the cars play center stage. Just be careful about quoting “7,000+ go like hell” from the passenger seat, because whatever your service member drives is probably not built like a GT40.
‘Rush’
“Rush” isn’t just a great car movie, it’s a phenomenal movie -- period. Director and genuine car guy Ron Howard did a masterful job of bringing the Hunt vs. Lauda rivalry to the big screen.
Somehow it flies under the radar outside of the car community, which is shocking given that the cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde and Natalie Dormer. It’s got heart-pounding action, realistic racing sequences, automotive history galore and incredible characters. If the opening monologue doesn’t get you fired up, check your pulse.
‘Cars’
Yes, I said it: Disney’s “Cars” is an all-time great car movie. It’s full of Easter eggs, subtle jokes and genuinely interesting tributes to automotive icons such as Sarge. Most importantly, it’ll keep kids’ eyeballs glued to the action from start to finish.
One of the best parts about car culture is sharing it across generational divides. “Cars” might just be the spark that lights a lifetime of car shows, late-night wrenching and unforgettable drives for your service member’s little ones. That might make it the best gift idea here.
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