A few years ago, for a cool Father’s Day gift, I decided to create my own DIY Father’s Day gift basket. Rather than ordering a gift basket for Dad that may or may not hit the mark, DIY-ing means you can fill it with items that are meaningful and personal, and save some money too.

Get inspired with these 5 cool gift basket themes for dads and grandfathers. each of which I have personally given to the dads in our lives. I hope these ideas inspire you to create a personalized gift basket that is unique and highly-tailored to the dads in your life, their interests, and the things that will make them happy.

This way, your Father’s Day gift basket really will feel made “just for him.” Because it was.

5 creative DIY gift basket ideas for dads

Keep in mind that none of these gift baskets actually requires a “basket.” I see that 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 reused and goes with the theme — like a duffel, a storage bin, or a backpack.

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DIY Gift Basket Ideas for a 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!)
Some electrolyte powder packets
A nice new pair of Altra 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
A US National Parks annual pass

Other Ideas for a DIY Gift Basket for an Outdoors-y Dad: Sunblock, bug spray, an on-the-go first aid kit, our favorite open-ear headphones.

DIY Gift Basket Ideas for a 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:

An affordable custom daddy and me board book or photo album from Pinhole Press
A stylish diaper backpack like this Herschel Baby Settlement Sprout Backpack
A statement-making Goorin Bros. trucker hat (to hide the fact his hair probably hasn’t been washed in a while)
This brilliant men’s hoodie with a baby pouch from Seraphine
Very affordable aviator sunglasses that hide the dark circles — and aren’t worth crying over when he finds them broken in the bottom of that diaper bag one day. (It happens.)
His favorite coffee. Because coffee (PS Peet’s is offering 30% off new subscriptions!)
A cool travel hand sanitizer clip-on key chain for easy access.
This Moments with Dad scratch-off journal for his dad-kid bucket list

Other Ideas for a Father’s Day Gift Basket for a New Dad: A pack of eco-friendly diapers and wipes, hand sanitizer, a portable wireless speaker, or a comfy wrap Bluetooth headphones to help him “sleep when baby sleeps.” Because yeah, dads get that advice too.

DIY Gift Basket Ideas for a Dad Who Loves Ted Lasso

My entire household is in love with Ted Lasso, but the biggest fan is by far my husband. 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 like the one worn by Jaime Tartt
Ted Lasso candles from Etsy
A motivational Ted Lasso BELIEVE key chain
Classic Aviator Glasses, of course (only these are affordable)
“Futbol is Life” shirt honoring Dani Rojas, on Etsy
“Barbecue Sauce” sticker from Wenby-Weaselbee on Redbubble
Ted Lasso Little People Collector Set to play with the kids.
And of course, you can package up some shortbread cookies to tuck in the waist pack; this shortbread recipe minus the lavender salt is perfect if you’re going homemade.

DIY Gift Basket Ideas for a Game-Loving Dad

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 Original Spikeball Game.
A Pickleball Starter Kit (if he hasn’t yet started)
A new ball pump for inflating whatever’s hanging around the garage.
A glow-in-the-dark soccer ball (which of course can be part of the Ted Lasso gift basket too!)
A new Hydroflask and some Liquid IV packets to keep him hydrated.
The new Do You Really Know Your Family? card game for at-home game nights with the kids.

Other Ideas for a Game-Lover’s Father’s Day Gift Basket: Dad’s favorite snacks, accessories for his favorite games and sports, a ball a comfy chair pillow for a game night around the dining room table, and some handmade cards from the kids describing their favorite family game memories with him.

DIY Gift Basket Ideas for a 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.

Our very favorite Sony Noise-Cancelling Headphones (so only he can hear the music)
Tickets to see his favorite band live
An official shirt or hoodie from his favorite band — say, the Foo Fighters?
Alternatively, the shirt my kids picked out on Etsy: Missionthread’s cat playing a guitar t-shirt
This cool Build Your Own Bluetooth and FM Radio Kit.
Electric Guitar Heartbeat Duffle Bag from Redbubble
A framed poster of his favorite album cover or tour art — love the selection at StudioMaxe on Etsy
For a big splurge, the portable mixer from Teenage Engineering at the MoMA Store

Other ideas for a DIY Music-Lovers Gift Basket for Dad: A rare LP he has wanted (this Etsy shop gets great reviews), guitar themed socks, the Game That Song card game.. or maybe just a new playlist for him, from the kids. Never know, he might discover some new tunes to add to his own collection!

Be sure to see more Father’s Day gift ideas for all kinds of dads here