What to Get Pops for Father's Day - from the World's Greatest Dad Podcast

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and with it comes the question of what to get Pops for his special day. True, you could go with another lame coffee mug or cop-out with another generic tie, but you’re in the market for something a little more unique than the annual celebration of corporate trappings.

 I host a podcast called WGDP—the World’s Greatest Dad Podcast, and a few weeks ago, I interviewed Jackson’s own Chane, so I thought it would be cool to drop by and check out some of the gear available for dads at his shop in Fondren.

  Of course, the first thing that pulls me in each time I visit like a moth to a flame is the collection of kicks. From classic looking shoes by New Balance and Converse to unique patterns from everyone’s favorite, Vans. It’s hard to nail down one pair that I’d be happy to call my own. However, I’m a sucker for a good pair of Nike SB Stefan Janoksi Max. The deluge of colors available at Swell-o-phonic may have your head spinning, but I’m so old (read that: old school) that I’m game for a clean pair of pepper-gray classics, and these Janoskis had me jonesing hard.

What could go better with these legit shoes than a quality shirt and a hat to make dad feel like he’s not actually getting closer to middle age? Two specific shirts caught my eye. One by RVCA was classic enough but modern enough to make my 33-year-old self feel like I can get away with a fashion trend that never really died out, and the Brixton plaid shirt was just gnarly—nothing more to say there. To be honest, I wouldn’t mind walking out of there with both.

Swell-o-phonic’s selection of hats are legit too. The solid navy blue Brixton hat is just fresh and clean enough that I just know there is no one as dope as me. And Chane’s local brand of stitched hats are impressive too. The camo “Mississippi” hat is certainly sweet, even if others won’t ever be able to see it…because it’s camouflage. Get it? (Hey, what’s a Father’s Day post without some quality dad jokes? Am I right?)

 Now, just because your wifey is pretty good looking and actually talked you into that monogramed diaper bag doesn’t mean you really have to carry that thing around in public. Swell-O-Phonic’s collection of practical backpacks can put your mind at ease. Any of the Poler bags have plenty of storage to keep those formula bottles in place and your diaper haul tucked away quite nicely. The ones I saw were even marked down from their original price, so you can keep your man card and save a few dollar bills, y’all.

Along with Poler, Chane’s got a mad collection of Vans backpacks. As untraditional as a Vans bag is in place of mommy’s diaper bag, I gravitated towards the classic Vans Old Skool II Backpack in the Checkerboard pattern. That black-and-white checkered bag just called to me; it told me everything would be all right. And at $35, I felt the bag spoke truth. And it was good.

Of course, I can’t let this opportunity slip by without mentioning Chane’s collection of beard products by Mississippi Mane & Co. who is also a sponsor of my podcast. I’d venture to say you won’t find any finer product for your mane, and with Mississippi Mane being a local company, you know you’d be contributing to one of us.

If you’re a dad and you’re still shredding at the skate park or you are like me and want to relive the glory days, you can completely outfit Padre with a new pro board fully equipped with new trucks, wheels, and all the guts that go with putting a legit board together. No promises on the guts to actually pull off your old tricks. That you have to muster up yourself. They do have some helmets, though. After you put together that rig that’s going to take you back to the X-Games, be sure to get something to protect your melon. I mean, you are the one paying those insurance premiums these days.

As a side note, and to earn you a few extra brownie points, Chane has quite the selection of Capri Blue candles and unique necklaces you could even pick up for the wife. When you make the trek to the store, check out the bounty and chalk it up as research and development for when you’re in the doghouse.

You honestly can’t go wrong hitting up Chane’s shop. Whether you want to skip the office for a bit and drop by on a sunny afternoon, or maybe you would rather shop in your underwear at Chane.com, Chane and crew are here to make this Father’s Day one that stands out. And, hey, you can still get dad that coffee mug, Chane style.

So look up WGDP on iTunes, subscribe, listen, and then visit Swell-o-phonic to complete a legit Dad’s Day. For Chane and his crew, I’m Robert Chapman creator and host of WGDP—the World’s Greatest Dad Podcast reminding you to hug your old man and to go annoy your kids. They’ll thank you for it later. Deuces, dads.