2024-2025 GIFT GUIDE

2024-2025 Gift Guide

Written By David Walton

The gift giving season is upon us and it’s time to roll out my recommendations to stuff your stockings. I love writing these kinds of articles because I’m a Geardo at heart and I love judging. I like judging people (looking at you CA and PsyOp weirdos!) and I love rendering an opinion on gear. If you were to ask 10 Green Berets their opinion on a piece of kit you’d get 11 different answers. And everyone would be convinced that theirs is the only correct one. So opportunities like this, where I can render my opinion and not have to battle 9 other incorrect ones are a treat. And you get to be the beneficiary of my keen analysis and accurate divinations. Enjoy.

Note: Many of these links are Amazon affiliate links, but I always encourage you to shop local whenever possible, especially from a small business. I include the links so you can see exactly what product I am recommending. Also note that I have actually purchased and tested each product that I recommend with my own money. These are not sponsored products. I buy them myself, test them, and only the ones that actually work make the list. I’m picky and pedantic, so this stuff is the good stuff.

When I got up for my morning run today, the weather was a touch crisp. I’m a bit of a heat slut in that I absolutely can’t stand being unnecessarily cold. When I went to CDQC my class set a record for the coldest water temperatures in 85 years. At Ranger School, my class got snowed on in every phase. It’s not unheard of to get snow in Darby and Dahlonega, but who gets snowed on in Florida?!? So, I’m spiritually sensitive to being unnecessarily cold and this morning was a stark reminder of this character flaw of mine. Luckily, I had just treated myself to a new pair of gloves, so I was well prepared. My wife gently chided me that I should have waited so she could have gifted them to me for Christmas (as if I’m meant to suffer through the next 2 months with cold fingers!). Youll get my glove pick later, but let’s start from the bottom up.

Socks

Let’s start with socks. Getting socks as a gift is a trope. It’s somehow seen as an insult or a cop out. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you’re an operator or an aspiring operator, you understand the necessity of taking care of your feet. I often joke that if won the lottery, my only excessive celebration would be to wear a brand-new pair of socks every day. I love good socks. And I equally abhor bad socks. So good socks are a necessity, and they are usually more expensive than you want to spend on yourself, but they are cheap enough that even your miserly Aunt or Uncle isn’t too squeezed to budget them. So they actually do make a perfect gift.

We are in the middle of full-blown OCD testing for ruck socks and we’ll have that information available soon, but we just finished testing a whole slew of running socks. We sometimes get criticized for our seeming obsession with socks. I’ll admit that socks occupy way too much of our cognitive capacity…until they don’t. Every few years we’ll spend a few weeks exhaustively testing all of the most recommended and newest offerings and decide which one is our favorite, then we just get a dozen of the winner, and we never have to think about them again. We just reach into the drawer and every pair we pick is the right pair because we only have one to choose from. So, we obsess for few weeks, declare a winner, and then we never think about socks again. Our most recent round of testing was pretty exhaustive but were ready to declare our winners.

We started with twenty different brands (I told you we were weird). Everything from no name chinesium crap to the big chub-pack of Nikes from the sporting good store. We’ve done longtime popular stalwarts and unknowns (at least to us). We’ve done every type of wool imaginable to full synthetic, and everything in between. Here are the finalists and why we like them.

#1- Cloudline Running Ultralight No-Show

Sliding your hooves into these bad boys is like dipping your feet in warm honey. They feel…decadent. They are 57 % Merino Wool, 37% Nylon, 6% Spandex and they have just the right amount of cushioning, support, and wicking. And to make it all the better they are made in the USA. At ~$15 a pair they aren’t outrageously expensive, which is something that lots of USA made clothes can’t say. We were so impressed with these that we added some of their hiking options to our ruck sock testing. A strong showing.

#2 Icebreaker Merino Multisport Micro Light Cushion

This New Zealand brand heavily touts their Merino Wool content and they give a sort of hippy-dippy vibe, but there is no arguing with their comfort and performance. Wool works. These socks are a soft fabric blend of 63% Merino Wool, 35% Nylon, 2% Lycra. Again, we added an Icebreaker rep into our ruck testing so expect a real battle in those trials. We visited with them not long ago on a recent trip and they have a full line of wool fitness clothing that is very impressive. They don’t really cater to the military market, but the fluorescent orange wool underwear we picked up are now our official SERE evasion garments…and that’s saying something as we are staunchly a commando advocate. They are that good.

#3 Feetures Merino 10 Max Cushion

These socks were recommended to us by our local Fleet Feet store when we recently upgraded our running shoes (that’s a whole different article) and they were a good choice. We like the Max Cushion version because they don’t seem to hold the same “bounce” after a few wearings like the wool options we picked. These are 74% Polyester, 21% Nylon, 5% Spandex and while they are very soft, the polyester just doesn’t rebound like the wool does. They also pill a little bit, owing to the thick cushioning and soft touch. One thing that we do like is they offer a good deal on a chub pack, so they fit our modus operandi for our clean slate/one pair lifestyle. Trust us…get rid of all your old socks and just buy a whole bunch of one type at a time. You never have to match socks again.

#4 Balega Hidden Comfort and Ultralight

Another recommendation from our local Fleet Feet store, we couldn’t decide which of these South African offerings were best, so we conceded a tie. The Hidden Comfort option are pretty thick, so if you need more cushioning then these are your pick. They offer an 84% Drynamix, 11% Nylon, 3% Neofil, and 2% Elastane blend. The Ultralight option is a 51% Drynamix, 45% Nylon, and 4% Elastane blend and they are noticeably thinner. But they also wick really well so the trade-off is really about user preference.

#5 Darn Tough Merino Wool Run No-Show Tab Ultra-lightweight with Cushion

We are admittedly tossing you rabid Vermonters a bone here. Darn Tough has a cult-like following and they are full-blown evangelicals. Darn Tough are nice, but the default argument always seems to come down to their Guarantee For Life, but I’ve always maintained that a promise to replace a broken product is a bit of a tell that you produce a broken product. That’s flawed thinking, but its just stuck in my mind. These socks are 48% Nylon 48% Merino Wool 4% Lycra Spandex and they do have a nice feel to them. They’ve held up well and I can’t ignore that they are made in the USA. Have at it cultists, here is your concession: Darn Tough are good – you made the list.

Gloves

Keeping with my running comfort theme let’s talk about some gloves, since they are the progenitor of this article. I have three pairs that I really like, and I have five major criteria that I always look for. They have to be actually warm, they have to be touchscreen compatible, they have to fit right (cant stand short fingers where the “finger crotch” is restrictive), they have to have good snot absorbency (I’m working on a grading scale – like the Richter Scale for earthquakes but for snot absorbency on gloves…maybe the Wally Scale?), and finally they have to look cool. I don’t like a big logo and the logo has to be able to be masked out with either a Sharpie or a razor.  This makes them more likely to get past a uniform inspection.

These New Balance gloves are perfect for a lightweight option. I have the neon yellow ones, and some might say that this violates the look cool criteria. But the black ones easily meet this guidance and I run in downtown Fayetteville which can get a little “sporty” sometimes. So, some extra visibility is always welcome. But these aren’t super warm so if you need a bit more pampering these Nike gloves are pretty good. They do feel a little bit “synthetic” which some people don’t like, but it doesn’t seem to impact the “Wally Scale” too much. The logo is a touch too large, but it masks well with a Sharpie. I’m actually thinking of adding a DIY fleece patch over the back to maximize absorbency and minimize branding. This is the curse of the Geardo…always modifying and tinkering. The NB and Nike gloves are both pretty cheap (I pretty much lose a pair a season…to my dogs who are incessant). If you want to really pamper your digits, then check out these North Face Etip gloves. I have both the recycled versions (which are actually more expensive) and the Apex version. I can’t really tell much difference between the two, especially after you wash them.

For the Culture: Snivel is the term we give to cold weather gear, and it is usually a derogatory term used to denigrate the wearer. Not me. As I said, I’m a heat slut. I hate being cold so you can’t shame me for being warm when I can. I’m so much of a heat slut that I’ve developed a Snivel Condition (SnivCon) chart to guide my thermal whoring:

SnivCon 1 – Thermal Top (Patagonia Capilene, either silkweight or lightweight are my go-to)

SnivCon 2- Thermal Top and Bottom

SnivCon 3- Thermal Top, Bottom, and Beanie

SnivCon 4- Thermal Top, Bottom, Beanie, and Gloves

SnivCon 5- Outer Jacket, Thermal Top, Bottom, Beanie, and Gloves

There is an alternate SnivCon that eliminates the Top and Bottom and just goes to Beanie and Gloves. But at this point your just beating yourself on a technicality and you can get pretty warm with just a top and avoid looking like a weak ass by admitting that you are cold and wearing your hat and gloves. There’s levels to this game…

Beanie

To go with the gloves you need a decent beanie. The watchcap, aka beanie, is a staple for the commando. I am never without a beanie at hand, and I actually still have (and use regularly) the exact same beanie that I used at SFAS. It’s a lightweight polartech version with a drawstring that almost never leaves my pocket or my head in the field. I’m never more than a few moments away from increasing my SnivCon. I like to have a lightweight version at hand and this one is pretty good. All you have to do is cut off the little tag and it looks like something that you might get issued. I would consider this a silk-weight option.

For something a little bit more robust I like a Polartech 100 weight. Its still lightweight enough that its very adaptable, but warm enough to serve you well when lounging around or low activity mode.Long-time readers will recognize these two hats as my go-to picks from the Packing List Manifesto. They meet the general guidelines of looking like an issued item so they’re safe for you in uniform.If you’re not worried about being an issued or issued-like item, then I really like the Arc’teryx merino wool version. It’s lightweight (about the same as the Polartech 100) but it’s wool so it has all of the best properties of a wool item.

With hats and gloves sorted let’s move to some luxury stuff. This year we published Shut Up and Ruck, our 8-month Sofa-to-Selection performance journal and it has been incredibly popular. The results that guys are reporting back with, from novice to advanced athletes, are pretty astounding. The program definitely works. A recent SFAS Selectee reported back that he and some other SUAR devotees seemed uniquely fit at Mackall. They seemed to recover quicker and were generally more durable than their peers. That’s high praise. But the one fatal flaw for SUAR is that in order to keep our costs as low as possible we rely on Amazon POD services. A hardcover edition is not cost effective, so the paperback is the only viable option. But if you are going to carry this journal around for 8 months, its going to take a beating.

Enter Panther Leather Company. Panther craftsman Pat Stephens created a handcrafted leather cover for a spiral bound SUAR that it absolutely top-notch. The finish is amazing, and the fit is as custom as it gets, including a cool slot for your pen. I’m actually creating a non-SUAR journal for personal use just so I can use my SUAR-sized cover. Pat volunteered to custom design these covers and during the prototype process he created a few samples of his other work for me. I now carry a Panther Leather Co wallet as my EDC, and I’ve replaced my AWS belt (another Fayetteville local) with a gun belt that Pat even custom tooled with my initials. It’s so comfortable that it’s now my rucking belt, which is not something that I would have previously considered. I don’t think of leather as a performance fabric, but his leatherwork is so nice, and the hardware is so robust that it fits that role perfectly. Pat doesn’t have a big warehouse, but if you can convince him to make a belt for you then it’s worth the effort. His bucket bag is the sort of thing that will outlast you. Your grandkids will be using it for certain, it just drips ruggedness and coolness. He doesn’t offer hats regularly, but he made me a Richardson 312 with a custom VooDoo foot logo that I get asked about every time I wear it out. Not everyone has their own custom leather guy, but I’ve got Pat and he is as good as they come. Now you’ve got a custom leather guy, too. Enjoy.

How about some tech? I’ve spent the last year leaning into technology. Some people are fighting our tech overlords, but not me. I’m using the algorithm to do my dirty work for me. I don’t search for things now, I simply speak them into existence. With my phone nearby I merely say stuff outload and I let the algorithm crawl the web and deliver the results into my feed. It’s surprisingly easy to manipulate and it makes the moments that I am social media more tolerable. The same goes for my fitness tech. I have a Garmin Fenix 7 with a HRM Pro, and I absolutely love it. It’s way more functional than I can use though. I jokingly announced that I would gladly pay good money for someone to teach a class on how to get the most out of this device, but I’m not joking. Does anyone teach a class like this? My algorithm isn’t delivering on this spoken query yet. I got a new iPhone 16 and I’ve been filming all of our upcoming YouTube content on just this phone. I am becoming the algorithm!

For fitness wearables, Garmin is the industry standard and superior to Polar, Suunto, FitBit, Apple Watch, and the others. I applied a simple analytical framework when making my recommendations and I included some assumptions:

1.     You will be knocking this watch around in the woods, so it needs to be purpose built. 

2.     You train early (and late), so a well lit screen is useful.

3.     You will track running, rucking, and strength & conditioning.

4.     You will likely want sleep tracking and the ability to expand your ‘wellness’ data sets.

5.     You will want to synch this data to other apps including sharing it with a digital coaching service.

6.     This one is for me…I use reading glasses and need a larger display. Even Superman had Kryptonite.

We’ll give you three options, ranging from simpler (and thus cheaper) to more functionality (and thus more expensive). A few key notes for your consideration. I judge a man by the size of watch. This is shallow, sophomoric, and endlessly inaccurate. I still do it. I don’t like colorful watches. It’s a watch, not a festival wristband. You can get your wearable in any color that you want, as long as it is black or maybe grey. If you want color, wear your dive watch on a NATO strap. Like James Bond. I work in a SCIF, so I can’t wear my wearable all day so my regular watch is a Seiko Tuna Can, see below for more watch discussion. For our wearables, we recommend the Forerunner 255, the Forerunner 265, and the Fenix 7.

The Garmin Forerunner 255 is a nice starter watch with a ton of embedded features. All of the Garmin watches we list will have the full suite of features that you need, with the higher priced ones incorporating some features that you might want. The 255 has 42mm and 46mm versions…get the 46. You can load and listen to music without your phone (if you opt for the music ready version), you have an excellent daylight readable screen, and in-depth sleep data. The 255 also has the Morning Report feature, which gives you a snapshot into how well you slept, how hard you’ve been training, and a look at the weather for the day ahead. This is different from the more comprehensive Training Readiness score that the Fenix and 265 have. But the 255 does have the Health Snapshot feature. This is a two-minute measurement, that tracks your heart rate, blood oxygen level, stress, respiration rate, and heart rate variability (HRV). These reports give you cool comprehensive data points to really dial in your recovery efforts.

Our next pick is the Forerunner 265. This is essentially the 255 with a better screen. The resolution of the Forerunner 265 is 416 x 416 pixels, and 360 x 360 on the 265S. The 255 has a resolution of 260 x 260, and the 255S has a resolution of 218 x 218. That’s a big difference for Superman (see Kryptonite reference earlier). It has all of the 255 features with some additional ones to include the Training Readiness score. But all in all, the 265 is the 255 with a better screen. It’s worth the extra cost for me.

Our top pick is the Garmin Fenix 7. We like the Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar edition. It’s 51mm, so it’s 51mm, which means that it’s 51mm. That’s right, were shallow, but were shallow with a big-ass watch on our wrists. Suck it, chicken arms. If you can’t support a big watch, then you can’t carry ammo cans. If you can’t carry ammo cans, then you can’t get selected. But the Fenix is packed with features. Frankly, it has so many features that I’m not certain that I’m sophisticated enough to use them all. We would classify the 255 and 265 as running watches. Excellent running watches capable of meeting all of your training demands. The Fenix is an adventure watch. Ignore the flashlight, but enjoy the button guards, the extended battery life, the titanium bezel…but most of all enjoy the massive touchscreen display. I was dubious of its functionality, particularly when looking at the price, but this thing is awesome. I’m not above being manipulated, so if you can gamify your fitness then you can see some real returns. I’ve barely scratched the surface of what this thing can do. Garmin recently released the Fenix 8. I can’t find any discernable difference (I know there are some, but it’s been a moot point mostly) and this has the added benefit of driving down prices for 7s.

Watches

If you don’t want all of the tech and you just need a good reliable watch, then here are three SFAS ready choices. Everything that you do at SFAS is timed. Some timed events will happen without a watch, but most events require you to be a good time manager. A good time manager needs a good watch. Because so many guys don’t regularly wear a watch, they have questions about which is best for SFAS. The official packing list requires two.

You have to be deliberate here, because you need some functionality, but many functions are unauthorized (altimeter, barometer, compass, pedometer, and of course GPS). I always recommend 3 key functions: a light, a timer, and a vibrating alarm. You need a light so you can check for time at night without pulling out a flashlight. You need a timer so you can time stuff…a countdown timer is ideal. You need an alarm so that you can reduce your cognitive load by outsourcing this mundane task. But a vibrating alarm is key; no need to announce to the world that you’re timing stuff. A recent class had a whole team get IVWed for oversleeping…during Team Week. 20 days of performance wasted for the want of an alarm. I also recommend at my Land Nav Musters (new dates just dropped) using the vibrating function to remind you to take in some calories. It’s also great for proper route management. Again, managing cognitive load.

So, I’ll recommend 3 watches. The first is super affordable option, the Casio W735H. It’s not technically a G-Shock, but it’s pretty rugged. If you’re looking for an affordable option to fill-in for your tactical wrist computer, then this a great choice. It’s on sale for less than $30 right now.

If you want the confidence of a G-Shock, then the Casio GD350-1C is a solid choice. The world clock is cool for deployment, and it has all of the features I described above. It’s on sale for under $100 right now, and I’ve seen them on eBay for under $30. Buyer beware.

Some guys just don’t like the G-Shock styling, so I’ll offer up this Timex Expedition. It looks a little more like a smartwatch (but none of the unauthorized features) and is still shock rated. It features a countdown timer, and it vibrates.

So, get a watch (get two) and start using it during your prep so you can have the functionality all figured out before you get to Mackall.

Earbuds

Keeping with our tech-enabled theme, let’s get some earbuds to pair with our fitness wearables. You want something that can withstand the rigors of your sweat-soaked adventures, can survive your gym bag or pocket, and sound good, but don’t break the bank. Ear buds essentially are consumables, so dropping too much money just leads to disappointment when you inevitably lose or break one.

Shokz seem to be the consensus choice for that sweet spot between rugged enough, good enough, and cheap enough to keep most guys happy. I like these OpenRun Pro-2 from Shokz. The design makes them safer for running when you want some awareness, and I really dig the orange color. It makes them easier to find and I’ve been training myself to spot orange as my go-to color for accessories (my car keys are orange for example). These aren’t cheap, but I think they’re better than my old version. The original OpenRun Shokz are a good choice. They’re pretty light weight, sound good, and because they’re connected, they are less likely to get lost. If you want individual buds (these are clip on buds, so they stay secure in your ear, even during sprints), then the Shokz OpenFit are a great choice.

I’ve been travelling a lot this year and I do like my AirPods, especially for the noise cancelling technology, but they are easy to lose. I found these tethers which seem counterintuitive (putting cords on cordless stuff!), but after I lost one single bud on a flight (it hit the floor and was gone…had the attendant on her hands and knees for 20 minutes!) I swear by these tethers now. Only while I’m in the seat, but they have been a good investment. I can’t abide by using the AirPods for workouts, but I can’t abide by using the Shokz for casual or travel wear.

Nalgene Bottle – This is a stalwart repeat offender for every Gift Giving Guide. It is still 100% accurate. You simply must have a Nalgene bottle. Don’t come at me with your bullshit Kleen Kanteens or HyrdoFlasks or CamelBaks. We live in a society… The new standard is the hard Nalgene. It’s good, I own several, they take stickers well (an unspoken requirement). But it’s not better than The Standard, the soft Nalgene, which is better in every way. It won’t break in your ruck when you jump it or inevitably flop on it, it ages much more gracefully than the hard one, and it doesn’t take stickers as well…so it’s like built in clandestine sterile uniform adjacent. Very SF, much cool. Whatever you do, don’t get this effete abomination. You’ll be that mouth breathing troglodyte spilling protein powder everywhere. C’mon man! And go ahead and treat yo’self with some of these bad boys. You’ll thank me later.

What is new for this year is two accessory items. First is an actual TFVD sticker pack. We’re rolling out new designs all the time so you never know what your pack will include, but they are all cool and they are all perfect to slap on your Nalgene (and elsewhere). The second accessory item is these super affordable little shaker balls. If you’re training with intent, then you’re prioritizing protein intake. As such, you are probably supplementing with protein powder. So you need a shaker bottle to mix that stuff on the go.  These little shaker balls are a perfect addition to keep your bottles as functional as possible. You can even thread one of these onto to lid for easy access.

In the Kitchen

Now that you’ve got your bottle sorted out, how about some stuff to put in it. Water is always a good choice, but we stumbled on these Chike Coffee Protein packs that have been our go to when travelling. These let us get a good shot of protein (20 grams) and a little iced coffee as well. We’re killing two birds with one stone, and we always have a stash on the go. Later in the day I try to avoid too much caffeine, so we’ve been liking this EVL Pink Lemonade protein powder, again with 20 grams.

I’m not a carnivore devotee, but I’ve been leaning into my steak lately. I’ve always loved a good ribeye, and I’ve noticed that you just can’t seem to get a decent meal out like you used to. So, I’ve been grilling at home a lot. I’ve tried all of the sous vide, cast iron, reverse sear stuff that guys seem to masticate over. I’m not impressed. For me, nothing beats the grill and the only thing that matters is the outside char and the internal temperature. I can see the char, but I need a thermometer for the inside. I’ve been using this MEATER probe for about a year and it is a game changer. I can trust my most expensive cuts and my everyday filet with equal confidence. This thing is awesome. It feels excessive, until you overcook a big roast and anger the ancients with a well-done discomfiture. Trust me, this little probe is worth every penny.

And a reader recently turned me on to “finishing salt”. I’m not afraid to be a little highfalutin, but finishing salt? I took a deep dive into salt in the last year, and I’ve made the switch the Redman Real Sea Salt for my everyday salting needs. It really does taste better. The mineral content is likely not significant enough to be a supplement, but the taste alone is worth it. So, I didn’t think I needed more salt. Enter this Le Saunier De Camargue Fleur De Sel. Sprinkle a little on your meat right before you serve it…BAM. I’m sold. I’m all in. I’m pompous and pretentious. Agreed, all around. But my steak tastes better than yours. And it only costs me 10 bucks.

Shirts

Last, but not least, are our official TFVD T-shirts. We’ve partnered with a local small printing business, and we are offering some the softest t-shirts you can get. We have some cool new designs, and we have some limited edition runs planned for later this year. Right now, we have black, white, and grey for each design and were working on getting some AR 670-1 compliant shirts very soon. Always look cool.

That’s the list. If you have a suggested product better than the ones we like or you think we need to add a category, just let us know. We love the research part and were always on the lookout for the best of…whatever! We’re also rewriting our Packing List Manifesto with all new updates and recommendations, so be on the lookout for more good stuff.

Merry Christmas!!