This year for a Father’s Day gift, rather than order a gift basket for Dad that may or may not be filled with items that are meaningful and personal, I decided to create my own baskets.

Below are the five gift baskets themes I am personally making this year, and I hope my ideas inspire you to create a personalized gift basket that is unique and personal for the dads in your life.

One of the great things about doing it yourself is that you can tailor the items so that they are unique to his interest, so the gift really does feel made “just for him.” Because it was.

Now keep in mind, none of these gift baskets actually require a “basket,” which I see as just one more thing that gets tossed in the back of a closet somewhere. Instead, get creative with a container that can actually be used and reused.

5 creative DIY gift basket themes for dads

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DIY Gift Basket Idea 1: For the Dad Who Loves the Outdoors

Whether heading out on a day hike or a camping trip, any dad who loves the outdoors will appreciate a thoughtfully curated selection all of things he may not buy for himself — or may actually forget to pack for himself. Think of ideas like:

An Osprey Day Light Backpack
A Stanley IceFlow Stainless Steel Bottle with Straw (this one won’t leak in a backpack!)
A nice new pair of hiking shoes like these ON Cloud Trail Running Shoes
New socks (I’m a big fan of Bombas)
A reusable food storage bag full of homemade trail mix using one of these recipes
A subscription to the AllTrails+ app
A solar phone charger
An annual pass to the US National Parks
Other items to consider: Sunblock, bug spray, an on-the-go first aid kit (maybe with fun bandages?), and maybe some open-ear headphones.

DIY Gift Basket Idea 2: For the New Dad

New Dads are so much fun to celebrate, and you can get so creative with a DIY Father’s Day gift basket filled with all the things they don’t know they’ll need! This basket can include:

A stylish diaper backpack like this Herschel Baby Settlement Sprout Backpack
A statement-making trucker hat from Goorin Bros (to hide the fact his hair probably hasn’t been washed for a while)
This brilliant men’s hoodie with a baby pouch from Seraphine
Very affordable aviator sunglasses that not only hide the dark circles, but aren’t worth crying over when he finds them broken in the bottom of that diaper bag one day. (It happens.)
Coffee. Because coffee
A cool travel hand sanitizer clip-on key chain for easy access.
The Moments with Dad scratch-off journal from Uncommon Goods
Other items that would be fun to include: Cool diapers and wipes, hand sanitizer, a portable wireless speaker, or a comfy wrap bluetooth headphones to help him “sleep when baby sleeps” — should that actually be possible.

DIY Gift Basket idea 3: For the Dad who loves Ted Lasso

My entire household is in love with Ted Lasso, but the biggest fan is by far my husband. Each week’s new episode has turned into an entire preparation ritual, but just because the series is over doesn’t mean the love has to be. So I’m putting together a DIY Ted Lasso gift basket for him that will hopefully help fill the empty place that has been left in his AFC Richmond-loving heart.

While you can pick any show he adores for a DIY gift basket theme — Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, The Bear, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown — here’s what I included in my Ted Lasso gift basket:

The Nike Heritage Waist Pack similar to the one worn by Jaime Tartt
Ted Lasso’s Positive Energy Candle from Etsy shop Koa & Kaleo Designs
A motivational key chain to remind dad to “BELIEVE” anywhere he goes
Aviators, of course
AFC Richmond t-shirt from Etsy shop Woodsboro MLK store
“Barbecue Sauce” sticker from Wenby-Weaselbee on Redbubble
Ted Lasso Little People Collector Set
And of course, you can package up some shortbread cookies to tuck in the waist pack. If you’re going homemade, I recommend this shortbread recipe minus the lavender salt.

Related: MoreTed Lasso gift ideas for the super fan.

DIY Gift Basket Idea #4: For the Dad who loves playing games

My kids have grown up playing games of all kinds with their dad, and this DIY gift basket idea can help you refresh his game stash for Father’s Day. You can of course fill a big plastic garage-style storage bin with any games the dad in your life likes to play from board games, to outdoor games, to video games key can play alone or with the family. The key is to make it personalized around his own loves and interests. For inspiration, check out the DIY basket I’m making:

For the “basket,” I suggest a clear, heavy duty storage bin like this one from Hefty
The standard Spikeball game
A Pickleball Starter Kit
A soccer ball that glows in the dark (which of course can be part of the Ted Lasso gift basket too!)
Other items can include Dad’s favorite gaming or halftime snacks, gaming accessories, a comfy chair pillow for a game night around the dining room table, or some handmade cards from the kids describing all of their favorite family game memories with him.

DIY Gift Basket Idea #5: For the Dad who loves music

If the dad in your life loves music, there are endless possibilities for a DIY gift basket for him! These are just a few of my ideas for the dad in my life who carries his bluetooth speaker with him wherever he goes; but of course you should customize it based on his own taste, style, interests, and music-enjoyment needs.