Benjamin Brown (0:10.488)
Hello, hello, hello. Welcome everybody into the next episode of the Dad Verb Podcast. I'm your host Ben. We have Mommer and Andrew Saunders here as well. And today we're going to be talking gift guides because guys we are getting deep into the holiday season. Well, technically the recording of this, we're not deep yet, but we're getting there ⁓ real close to ⁓ that slide into the new year.
We know it's gonna be hectic, we know it's gonna be crazy. You might be looking for some new items to fill out your gifts, right? Like who you're gonna buy for, what you're gonna ask for for yourself, if you're gonna ask for anything. So we're gonna go over some of our favorite items, some of the things that we can't live without that we use every single day, and give you guys hopefully some good ideas to put on your Christmas list or Christmas list for others. ⁓ But first off, every episode we gotta do our sick check. So we're gonna check in with everybody. ⁓
Everybody's good in our house. We're all healthy, ready to go. Hopefully it stays that way over the coming couple of weeks as we slide into this holiday season because holidays and sickness tend to go hand in hand, but they make things not very much fun. But mom, how's your how's your house?
Muamer (1:19.581)
All in the green, all in the clear, and I'm going to echo what Ben said. We're just going to try to get through this holiday season, cold and flu season, as unscathed as possible.
Andrew Saunders (1:30.212)
unscathed this ⁓ like we all know we're gonna get burnt but you know i'm i'm going in yeah yeah i'm pre-prepping with burn cream now ⁓ we're all healthy and good over here ⁓ happy little angry household i guess you could say
Benjamin Brown (1:31.918)
⁓ Yeah, ⁓ we know it's gonna go up in flames soon, but we're hopeful. ⁓
Muamer (1:34.117)
Yeah, that's gonna happen. Right.
Benjamin Brown (1:46.606)
⁓ Awesome. ⁓ All right. So we're going to kick into holiday gifts. Now, again, these are all our opinions. None of these things are sponsored. They're not. So don't get upset if we mentioned a brand or whatever. They're not sponsoring us. These are things we buy and use and love in our own lives that hopefully will give you some good ideas of what to ask for or what to put on your Christmas list for this year. So let's ⁓
Muamer (2:4.666)
You ⁓
Andrew Saunders (2:15.562)
I mean, we might also have some good ideas if you wanna really troll one of your friends ⁓ or some items that like, know, ⁓ buy this, it's entertaining and no one will ever love you again. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (2:23.299)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (2:26.958)
⁓ That's the goal, right? No one will ever love you again. ⁓ So let's, you know, I'm a big, ⁓ we'll call it EDC guy, or like everyday carry, things I carry in my pockets that I use all the time. So I think my number one gift for any dad out there ⁓ is always and will always be a good quality pocket knife.
Andrew Saunders (2:29.320)
Yeah, good. Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (2:52.846)
Now, I know a lot of guys don't carry pocket knives. It's kind of fallen out of tradition for a number of years. I think it's coming back. There's still a lot of great manufacturers out there. Now, whether you're going to spend $25 or going to spend $250, there's something for every budget that's going to be useful that you're going to carry all the time. And it's one of those things I feel like you don't know how useful it is until you have one that you carry constantly and you find
Muamer (3:2.269)
⁓ So ⁓ you ⁓
Benjamin Brown (3:21.422)
all kinds of reasons to use it. So a couple of my favorites that I carry constantly, one that's probably, go ahead. Yeah.
Andrew Saunders (3:29.034)
What? Can I clarify? Are we talking pocket knife? Are we talking pocket knife multi-tool?
Benjamin Brown (3:37.164)
So ⁓ good question, because I think those are two different classes of things. ⁓ I personally don't ⁓ like carrying a multi-tool most of the time. I'll carry one in the truck. I'll carry one in my backpack. ⁓ for ⁓ my pocket, I always carry just a straight up pocket knife. me, used ⁓ this, ⁓ Momma's got all his stuff. I know, Momma's got all his stuff. ⁓ I honestly think that like,
Andrew Saunders (3:38.538)
Thank
Muamer (3:51.644)
⁓ you
Muamer (3:58.652)
I feel like Vanna White.
Andrew Saunders (3:58.685)
Mama's doing the Vanna White right now for those of you in audio. ⁓ Here's my, here's my tool. ⁓
Muamer (4:4.699)
You're the
Benjamin Brown (4:7.438)
pocket knives, ⁓ a single bladed pocket knife, like a folding pocket knife serves a very specific purpose. And while a multi tool might have a knife blade in it, it is not always a great tool and is not always a great knife. It's like, okay, at most things. So it'll set you up for most situations. ⁓ But I think like, you know, a couple of knives that I carry all the time, like, ⁓ like I have a Spyderco ⁓
Para 3, I have a Para 3 Lightweight. have a bunch of knives from Spider Co. Those have always been fantastic. ⁓ Kershaw makes some really good, like affordable pocket knives with some ⁓ really good, decent blade steels that are not going to rust and are going to maintain an edge pretty well. ⁓ If you want to get more into like some of the niche, ⁓ sort of niche makers, ⁓ Giant Mouse is one of my favorites. They make, ⁓ it's this, I think he's a Dutch designer.
Muamer (4:48.796)
Thank you. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (5:1.838)
⁓ I think his name is Vox Anso, ⁓ but he makes incredibly like ⁓ nicely ergonomically designed pocket knives. ⁓ I got a couple of a couple different sizes from him and they're they're built like tanks ⁓ and they fit the hand incredibly well. But I think a pocket knife is going to be good for every dad. It's something everybody should be carrying.
Muamer (5:20.344)
I don't have mine up here right now.
Muamer (5:25.625)
Yeah, I don't have mine up here right now. I would add the brand Microtech. I had a buddy get me mine for the camera for his birthday or what he got it to me for. But ⁓ I love it. Little green one flip up, flip down. actually I carry that thing more than my multi tool, which my wife got me this one. And the reason is, Ben, you hit the nail on the head, man. Like I don't use half of the things in this multi tool. Usually when I'm using it, I'm pulling the knife out. So like to open a box or if you guys watch the latest ad for video about a twenty twenty five gift guide.
Benjamin Brown (5:30.029)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (5:40.376)
Mm-hmm.
Muamer (5:55.779)
The reason we like the knives and the multi-tool things is because like all of this frustration free kit packaging never ends up being frustration free. I'm like, I'm just going to go to town on this thing.
Benjamin Brown (6:7.854)
Yeah, no, that's exactly it. I mean, and you become it's funny how fast you become the guy who always has a knife. Like as soon as your friends like no, you have a pocket knife, everyone will ask you to open everything, do everything breakdown boxes, all that stuff. But it's like they need something you've got a pocket knife. Yeah, endlessly useful, endlessly useful. Mama, I'm gonna No, go ahead.
Andrew Saunders (6:15.205)
Yeah
Andrew Saunders (6:25.576)
Rob a liquor store, mean, you know, whatever. ⁓
Muamer (6:28.067)
⁓
Andrew Saunders (6:31.828)
So that's, ⁓ well, as I say, ⁓ I carry a Leatherman T4, I believe is the actual number. And it's a four inch straight blade on one end. And on the other end, it's a Phillips, a box cutter flathead, ⁓ and an all that's actually like an ⁓ all tiny ⁓ screwdriver, like a micro flathead screwdriver as well. And I tell you what, that has been the best.
Benjamin Brown (6:56.483)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (7:0.860)
everyday carry knife I have had because I think I've got the best of both worlds, right? ⁓ The screwdriver is big enough and strong enough and I can get the leverage to use it as an actual screwdriver. And when I need a real knife, can and ironically, the thing I use on that knife more than anything else is ⁓ the box cutter tape cutter feature because it's it's just this tiny little spike ⁓ on the end that's pretty much dull and blunt, but it's just enough to rip through all the tape and packaging and
Benjamin Brown (7:6.830)
you
Muamer (7:21.369)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (7:21.538)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (7:30.760)
that kind of stuff. And you don't realize how much you need it until you break one of those little tools. And then you're like, no.
Muamer (7:36.494)
I have found, ⁓ and that's part of reason, this is a Leatherman Multi-Tool Super Tool 300. And the reason I had gotten this, my wife got it for me, was because all of these little, I was gonna say a bad word, ⁓ but I know we're trying to keep PG, all of these little tiny ⁓ kids' toys, the battery-powered ones that have those little screws on there, I'm like, just have this thing on me and have everything, but it's never small enough. So I ended up just getting another screwdriver anyways. I'm like, okay, this thing is.
Benjamin Brown (7:37.230)
you
Benjamin Brown (7:56.968)
Mm-hmm. The miniature screws.
Andrew Saunders (7:57.406)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Andrew Saunders (8:2.378)
Go
Muamer (8:5.465)
⁓ I literally only use it for the knife portion of it for now. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (8:9.516)
Yeah. Yeah. Multi tools are solid again. I mean, I think my, big thing with those is like, for the most part, they're okay at most things, but they're not as in my opinion, they're not as good as like just a straight up pocket. I think they're, they're generally, cause my thing with a pocket knife is speed, right? It's cause I need to do something right now. And even that ⁓ it's a frustrating half a second when I got to like ⁓ open.
Muamer (8:22.596)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (8:35.500)
and then open a knife and then fold it back together and then do the thing and then open it and fold the blade back in and then fold it all back together and get it back in my pocket when I could just pop a knife out, flip it open and be done.
Andrew Saunders (8:44.062)
You should look at the... It's the Free K2. That's the one I carry. You should look at it. Cause it is, it's a knife on one end. The Free K2, ⁓ It's a nice, anyway. ⁓ That's my pocket knife plug. Those are the ones.
Benjamin Brown (8:52.750)
Oh, the freak. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Nice.
Muamer (9:0.410)
⁓ I'm gonna switch us off ⁓ weapons ⁓ and sharp pointy objects ⁓ I'm gonna go ⁓ Yeah Yeah, I'm actually I'm a big watch guy so and I'll say this as a general statement of Watches slash wearables because I think if you can have a really nice watch Preference right it doesn't have to be a certain price range doesn't have to be one I've got this one that I got that my wife bought me
Andrew Saunders (9:8.038)
I like Care Bears. I carry a little mini one in my pocket.
Muamer (9:30.201)
⁓ To celebrate a promotion. I had an Apple watch before this but also some of my most frequently used and beat up ones are like the Classic Casio calculator watch and the Casio F91w like they're like 20 bucks ⁓ But those are great because the utility of them is there and I think just I love having something on my wrist I love having one singular purpose to look down know what time it is whether it's your Apple watch whether it's something else That's totally up to you. But I think for any dad ⁓
Benjamin Brown (9:43.479)
Yeah.
Muamer (9:58.467)
the less that you can get your phone out and just have something that's easy to use and like distraction free. I think it really helps too.
Benjamin Brown (10:4.258)
Yeah, I'll agree with that. That was actually one of the big reasons when we had kids, I actually ⁓ stopped wearing my Apple watch is because I could put my phone somewhere and not look at it. ⁓ And I didn't get the notifications. So I could go, you know, kind of totally out of touch for a little bit if I needed to. I knew, you know, somebody really needs to get in touch with me. They could. ⁓ one of my favorites right now, the one I've been wearing. So my first like nice watch.
Muamer (10:16.950)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (10:30.870)
was a, bought a Shinola when I got my first like big boy job. Love that. ⁓ I got a Seiko five sport because Seiko ⁓ up and down their line from their affordable stuff all the way up through the grand Seiko makes incredible watches. Japanese made ⁓ Japanese engineering. They're, they're basically bulletproof. Like you can't kill those watches. ⁓ And then the one I've been wearing most recently is from a very small brand ⁓ called ocean crawler.
Muamer (10:34.252)
I like that. Yep.
Muamer (10:40.354)
Dude.
Muamer (10:52.332)
No.
Benjamin Brown (10:59.886)
and they make dive watches. So I wear the ocean. Yeah, I make the ocean crawler bolt is the one I wear, which is like their thinnest dive watch. It's like waterproof to, what is it, 2000 feet. So if I'm ever at the bottom of the ocean, which I'm never going to be. Yeah, but basically it's a watch I know I never have to worry about and still looks good. My watch will still be good. I might be sunk to the bottom of the sea, but my watch will still be working.
Muamer (11:0.376)
Okay, yeah, they make good watches. I like those.
Muamer (11:14.643)
bottom of the ocean swimming with the fishes
Andrew Saunders (11:18.709)
When we look for Ben, his watch will still be accurate. ⁓
Muamer (11:22.006)
Yeah.
Muamer (11:26.520)
I've got a Tag Heuer Aqua Racer. That's my daily. And that's what you'll see in like every single video. I love this thing. And actually I've stopped wearing some of my Seikos that I have because my kids are obsessed with the rotating bezel. And so they don't like when I wear watches now that don't have it. They're okay when I wear the Casios, cause the Casios have the light button, but they like the tactile playing with it while they're just sitting and hanging out with me.
Benjamin Brown (11:33.368)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (11:41.173)
⁓
Benjamin Brown (11:41.538)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (11:50.446)
Mm-hmm.
Muamer (11:52.116)
Seiko is definitely a special place in my heart. My grandpa always wore Seiko's. My mom actually has his like really, really old one before he passed away. I got one of them. So Seiko's are like so sentimental to me and I love them. Ben, you're spot on. You can get any, any budget range that you can think of in a Seiko and it's going to be a good watch. ⁓ Another one you mentioned, I know I think that's a great brand. My mom actually got me one for Cameron's graduation or whatever. ⁓ A Hamilton. Hamilton's a really good, I think.
Benjamin Brown (12:3.982)
They're so good.
Benjamin Brown (12:19.906)
Hamilton makes great watches. Their field watch, the Hamilton, ⁓ the khaki and the field. Yeah. Yeah. So good.
Muamer (12:21.059)
They've gotten really popular. Yeah, saying that the Field Murph has been popular since Interstellar. ⁓ But they make a ton of great watches, too. whether again, ⁓ even if the guy that you're shopping for isn't big on like just a standard watch ⁓ and Apple Watch is great. Unlike you, Ben, even at that point when I had my Apple Watch after we had kids, I turned all my notifications off on the Apple Watch. So at that point, I was literally only using it for sorry. Every time I say literally now, it makes me think of when Andrew corrected himself. I was actually using it for ⁓
Andrew Saunders (12:47.882)
⁓ No. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (12:49.024)
You ⁓
Muamer (12:50.767)
I was actually using it for just telling the time and then tracking like health and workout stuff. So I just, got a whoop ⁓ and I got my aura ring still and I'm like, I just got the watch. So we should do an episode on ⁓ these because I found that this aura ring is really good at some things. This whoop is good at some things. I need a blend of both. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (12:56.586)
Mm-hmm. Yep. ⁓ Same here. Yeah. I went screen free. Just like wearables.
Andrew Saunders (13:5.512)
on gadgets, ⁓ health gadgets.
Andrew Saunders (13:13.866)
It's fair. ⁓ Sorry, I'm an Apple Watch diehard. It's not coming off my wrist. ⁓ But I have to caveat this with on our first. So your first wedding anniversary is time, right? That's your ⁓ thing. ⁓ My wife got me enough Apple gift cards to buy the watch and the band of my dreams. And so it is my first wedding anniversary present and it has been on my wrist for
Benjamin Brown (13:14.454)
Makes sense. And you get all that without the screen.
Muamer (13:20.362)
That's okay. That's good. It's still a watch. It counts.
Benjamin Brown (13:21.411)
Yeah.
Andrew Saunders (13:42.646)
five straight years now. ⁓ And it is not gonna. ⁓ Yeah, yeah, it kind of is. But it's but it's ⁓ like, ⁓ I don't have all the notifications turned on. But it's all on there. I use the infograph like I use the heck out of the thing. I mean, I've got the just press record button so I can record any audio conversation just by ⁓ being subtle about it. And ⁓ I mean, I'm, ⁓ I'm ⁓
Muamer (13:44.192)
Nice.
Benjamin Brown (13:44.674)
Wow. So not only is it like a useful tool, it's like a sentimental thing too, which is cool.
Muamer (13:48.854)
Yeah.
Muamer (14:7.990)
⁓ His old marine days are coming through.
Benjamin Brown (14:9.934)
get a spy on.
Andrew Saunders (14:12.105)
Yeah, well, sometimes you just need to have a conversation on record, right? So I really enjoy the smartwatch technology. And the good thing about those is at this point, you can get a version from about 100 bucks all the way to 1500 bucks, depending on what what your price point is. ⁓ And if you go to the aftermarket realm, eBay, Facebook marketplace, GameStop, right, you can still
Benjamin Brown (14:17.340)
every now and then.
Muamer (14:23.382)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (14:30.990)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (14:41.513)
you can still get really nice Apple watches that were top of the line two or three years back for relatively good prices.
Muamer (14:48.083)
Yep, absolutely. All right, Saunders, what's on ⁓ your list?
Andrew Saunders (14:50.411)
I'll watch that's a good one. I'm going to continue down kind of the the mainly gear stuff and go with a nice pair of boots. Like and I'm not talking, you know, some some. And when I say nice pair of boots, I'm talking like $350 Iron Ranger, like Red Wing boots, right? Something made that's 100 % leather. It's it's got
Muamer (15:0.638)
⁓
Benjamin Brown (15:1.656)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (15:9.934)
Mm hmm. Yeah, something something with a good year well.
Muamer (15:13.599)
Did you ⁓ watch the video that dropped today, Saunders? ⁓
Andrew Saunders (15:16.263)
I did not I didn't watch the whole thing I scrubbed through and I was like, all right, this was a good one. But ⁓ I own two pairs of Iron Rangers. ⁓ I have had them for almost six years. ⁓ They're absolutely amazing. You get them resold, you take care of the leather, ⁓ they keep your feet warm, you can put insoles in them, you can take insoles out of them. They're great in the summer, they're great in the winter. And once you break them in, ⁓ are they worth it?
Benjamin Brown (15:34.829)
me
Andrew Saunders (15:46.425)
and ⁓ any dad on the planet.
Benjamin Brown (15:47.502)
Yeah, that's the thing. The break, the break in period is going to be a little brutal, but it's worth it because it will mold to your foot and it will be basically a custom shoe. Um, cause I have, I have a pair of the, the red wing, uh, what is it? The five inch like mock toes. Cause that's what my, that my grandfather was a logger and that's what he wore forever was red wing mock toes. Um, but same deal.
Andrew Saunders (15:51.347)
It's gonna be brutal. But yeah. Yep. Yep. And...
Muamer (15:51.571)
Yeah. Yep.
Andrew Saunders (16:11.177)
Red Wing's great brand.
Muamer (16:11.711)
Love that.
Benjamin Brown (16:12.876)
Same deal, you can re-sole them, can add in soles, can make them whatever you want and they will ⁓ outlast you if you take care of
Muamer (16:14.911)
Yep.
Andrew Saunders (16:21.215)
Right. They're great boots. They're almost an heirloom. ⁓ There's another great company out there that I haven't gotten on the waiting list yet. I keep looking at them because I really don't need a third pair of nice leather boots. But Nate's Boots is a custom boot brand. And if you look them up and buy their program, they will ship you boots until you find the ones that you like the best. And then you get on the one year waiting list to have your boots custom handmade. And they are
Benjamin Brown (16:34.402)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (16:42.883)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (16:48.087)
Yeah.
Muamer (16:48.351)
while.
Andrew Saunders (16:50.571)
⁓ Like I've worn a couple pairs from friends that had them and where my shoes I like they're amazing boots highly recommend But we're not talking about some some like fly by night Timberland suede boots from ⁓ First line sports or foot locker. Okay, we're talking about some real good Leather boots that will last you a lifetime and if you polish them up you can wear them with a tuxedo if you have to like these are ⁓ They're out there and they're great
Benjamin Brown (17:5.301)
using.
Benjamin Brown (17:16.642)
Yeah.
Muamer (17:16.693)
⁓ I love it. ⁓ I think that's great. I've got, had it ⁓ on the ones that we, so for the listeners here, the video that we dropped today was a buy it for life gift guide. And the whole concept was things that you will buy that you can, as I think Ben teed it up perfectly, like that will last generations that you can hand it down. ⁓ And a lot of these things, that's kind of the point behind them is if you take care of them, if you need to repair them, you can, and they should last an entire lifetime.
but the boots are a great one. I have those on there. I have the seven inch, I think the mock toes as well, Ben. ⁓ They're great. ⁓ my only complaint with them is that I really only wear them from like fall and on. Cause I'm like, I'm not gonna wear these during summertime with shorts. I need something just as comfortable that doesn't look weird with like shorts, but I love those things. I love when this time of season comes around. I'm like, wow, dude.
Benjamin Brown (17:50.241)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (17:57.934)
No. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (18:8.075)
I wear shorts. don't have that problem. Like I'm always in pants. I'm like, I have boots, whatever. That's fair. That's fair. What was that? You, you said something there that may, Oh, another upside for those of you who already own Red Wings, free shoelaces for life. You walk into the Red Wing store. You don't even have to have your Red Wings on and just say, Hey, I need a pair of laces for this boot. They will hand you laces and say, have a nice day.
Muamer (18:12.336)
I sweat way too much to not wear shorts in the summertime.
Benjamin Brown (18:14.124)
Yeah, I have to. can't, I need the ventilation. ⁓
Muamer (18:17.234)
Yeah. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (18:28.878)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (18:38.589)
So it's ⁓ like, I didn't even know how to put it. It's so amazing that I haven't had to buy shoelaces in like five years because if I need a pair of shoelaces, just walk another. My chucks, I break the shoelaces on all the time. I'm always going to Walmart for more white shoelaces. It's kind of annoying. ⁓ Anyway, sorry, Ben. ⁓ Got distracted on a shoelace rant.
Benjamin Brown (18:47.362)
Ha ⁓
Benjamin Brown (18:55.470)
Hmm.
No, no, you're good. No, it's good. ⁓ if you want something, so let's, let's go ⁓ comfort route, right? And I know these are getting super popular and they're a little bit harder to find now, but the, ⁓ the Birkenstocks mules, like the cork bottom leather mules, I've got mine on right now. And I've had these, I've had these, this pair of mules for, I don't know, probably four or five years, ⁓ what, taking my shoe off and
Muamer (19:0.916)
You ⁓
Muamer (19:13.556)
Mm.
Andrew Saunders (19:23.659)
So you violated one of my shoe rules. That's not a shoe, that's a slipper. That does not belong outside the house. That is a slipper. All right. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (19:29.280)
it is a slipper. So these are like my house shoes. But this thing, no, these are my house shoes. I don't wear these out anywhere. But these are like these have completely formed to my feet. And they are ⁓ more comfortable than any house slipper I've ever had. And I know same thing, they can be resold, they can be repaired. ⁓ They're supposed to be good for your feet, because they're they're sort of like orthopedically designed. So they're supposed to be really ⁓ help your foot health and as someone with a
Muamer (19:29.435)
You ⁓
Benjamin Brown (19:58.958)
I think I have a collapsing arch because I have flat feet. ⁓ These are, yeah, not great. I don't want to end up with foot surgery. So I'm trying to end. I'm trying to wear shoes that are more supportive. And ⁓ these clogs are ⁓ awesome. I mean, you know,
Muamer (20:13.188)
Have you picked up a pair of the quintessential dad new balances? ⁓
Benjamin Brown (20:20.814)
Almost, almost. I, the, the white ones, like the, it's like the, like the Nike Air Monarch that like, you just have a various pair in different stages of falling apart, right? You got six of them and you got your lawn shoes and you have your going out shoes, but they're all the same sneaker. I do have a pair of the, new. Yeah. I've got a pair of the new balance 2000, I think the 2002 R the 2000 R something like that.
Muamer (20:21.746)
Ha ha ha!
Andrew Saunders (20:21.811)
I laugh because I have a pair and I use them to mow the lawn.
Muamer (20:24.893)
People. Yeah, yeah. People say they're great. That's right. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (20:28.959)
Yeah. Yeah.
Andrew Saunders (20:38.516)
And you have the really nice ones that are your running shoes that you never actually wear. Yeah. ⁓
Muamer (20:38.581)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (20:49.762)
that are super comfortable. I think that's as close as I'll get to the all white New Balance. This minor purple and blue.
Muamer (20:53.964)
Hehehehehe ⁓
Mmm, ⁓ I love it.
Benjamin Brown (20:59.426)
So ⁓ let's go on to another category. So this is another one that I'm, I'm very fond of and I have a bit of an addiction to and it's, it's bags and backpacks. I have a lot of them. Yeah. I've got, I've got a couple hanging over here. I have one hanging over there. I've got a work bag, camera bag, several others, but
Andrew Saunders (20:59.947)
That's great.
Muamer (21:9.836)
⁓ buddy, you see mine hanging up? I got a closet full.
Andrew Saunders (21:16.971)
you ⁓
Muamer (21:18.492)
My wife tells me they're the male equivalent to purses and I'm like that sounds about right.
Benjamin Brown (21:22.582)
Yeah, that's about right. Yeah, you got your over the folder, your backpacks and all that. think a couple of brands that I really truly enjoy. I'll give you three. ⁓ Number one, there's a brand called I ⁓ think it's called Vertex. They make fantastic kind of bulletproof lifetime backpacks.
Andrew Saunders (21:30.687)
man.
Andrew Saunders (21:34.187)
⁓ A couple. Three. ⁓
Muamer (21:40.848)
⁓ yeah, good brand.
Benjamin Brown (21:46.790)
⁓ another one that I really like I have in actually hanging over here. I have an alpaca. ⁓ I have their, I have a couple of their bags. Yeah. So I've got the alpaca, one of the alpaca backpacks. think it's like the commuter pro or something like that. And then I have a, ⁓ the alpaca Bravo X sling, which is like my everyday carry, ⁓ you know, sort of cross body bag. And then ⁓ if you're a camera nerd, like, like I am, ⁓ wandered.
Muamer (21:53.746)
Mmm. Solid.
Muamer (22:16.038)
Yes, I knew it. soon as you said that, I was like, I know which one.
Benjamin Brown (22:16.276)
I think makes, I think wandered makes the best camera and EDC bags like out there. ⁓ the first one I bought that V1 that I had was I, went to ⁓ like six different countries. had it forever. It flew on every flight I went on. It's been thrown in the back of trucks thrown in, you know, airplane overheads.
Muamer (22:22.770)
Those are great. I'm gonna add a few more to that list ⁓ of.
Benjamin Brown (22:40.116)
It has been absolutely bulletproof. And then I just upgraded to the ⁓ version four of the water provoke the 21 liter. ⁓ Cause I can carry all my camera gear, extra stuff in the roll top. It's got organization for days. ⁓ And their warranty is fantastic on all their stuff. Weatherproof. It's awesome.
Muamer (23:0.850)
⁓ I think those are all great brands. ⁓ I'm gonna add a couple ⁓ I got to me which is It's one of those like cry once leave it ⁓ by it or cry when you buy it ⁓ once and then just last forever kind of things ⁓ It's expensive the qualities they're fantastic ⁓ next one is go Ruck ⁓ Very good. If you like that style, it was made by a guy that used to be in the Special Forces. They have a lifetime warranty ⁓
Andrew Saunders (23:1.420)
All right.
Benjamin Brown (23:7.139)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (23:22.190)
Mm-hmm.
Muamer (23:28.443)
They, their biggest tag lines are like bomb proof, know. ⁓ They're made for rucking so you can put a bunch of weight in it. I have two of them. One of them I use for travel, one for around the like the office and stuff. But the other one, when I'm not using it, the bigger travel one, I'll throw my kettlebell in the back of it when I go rucking. So that thing is lasted. ⁓ And this brand I'm gonna say as well, but it's funny because if you guys watch the video, I love this brand and apparently I love it too much because people thought it was sponsored and it's not. ⁓ But if they want to, they're more than welcome to reach out.
Benjamin Brown (23:31.906)
Mm-hmm.
Muamer (23:58.698)
Thule I think that's a brand that you will see in a lot of like outdoor type of stuff But I think their bags are slept on from their carry-on to their backpacks Phenomenal it's the one that one of my buddies gifted me almost a decade ago that I just can't stop using like even with my to me even with my ⁓ Even with my go-rocks even today like I went on a couple shoots I grabbed the the full bag like I love it. It's simple easy to use and
Benjamin Brown (24:0.065)
Mm-hmm.
Muamer (24:25.667)
any kind of bag that you get that you can continually reuse. If you're like Ben and I and have a bag problem and an addiction problem, like yes, you'll get all of these and add more, ⁓ but any one of these what's suffice and can be your go bag for anything.
Andrew Saunders (24:40.224)
fair. Sorry, I buy Swiss gear bags from Office Depot. And when they get destroyed, I buy another Swiss gear bag like they are the identical version. I've had it for 15 years. ⁓ I wait until the zippers fit. I have the I have the blackout one ⁓ right now with the it's got the metal. ⁓ It's right here. ⁓ I have this one. Yeah. And I had the I had the previous version of it. ⁓ And I absolutely love it and
Muamer (24:43.257)
Hey, Swiss gear's a good bag.
Benjamin Brown (24:50.734)
⁓ Is it the black one that has like the Molly on the outside? Yeah.
Muamer (25:2.075)
There you go. Yeah, that's a good brand. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (25:7.246)
⁓ The bag of IT guys everywhere. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (25:10.698)
Yeah, no, it's ⁓ what I do. And do you know why I buy it? It's really stupid, but it has the Layflot laptop case. So I can unzip the back and lay the laptop out and I'm like, done. Get me through security. I don't want to have this conversation about my laptop needs to be in a separate bin. ⁓
Muamer (25:18.981)
Mm.
Benjamin Brown (25:19.566)
⁓ yeah,
Benjamin Brown (25:27.534)
Hmm.
Muamer (25:29.626)
Ben, as a corporate bro, former corporate bro, and Saunders has been in and out of those realms too, but what have you done with the bags, or have you been gifted bags at work, like when you started places? You know they're not great quality, but what do you do with them?
Benjamin Brown (25:32.770)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (25:33.452)
Corporate bro ⁓
Benjamin Brown (25:35.618)
Yeah.
Andrew Saunders (25:43.528)
god.
Benjamin Brown (25:47.134)
I donate them, they're trash. I refuse to use it. I can't, it's so frustrating to try and use like, like super cheap bags. Like I can't, yeah, I can't do it. I can't do it. I get rid of them as soon as possible.
Muamer (25:49.028)
Hahaha!
Andrew Saunders (25:52.640)
The logo'd, the logo'd like string bags. ⁓
Muamer (25:56.868)
Mm-hmm. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (25:58.285)
⁓ In one of my offices at one of my jobs, I had collected all the branded gift t-shirts we had ever received from any vendor who was like, you bought a thousand dollars worth of stuff, have a free t-shirt. ⁓ And I hung them all up behind me. And so it looked like our office ⁓ was sponsored by like all of these tech brands on the wall. ⁓ And we folded them all into like the hot topic squares for the wall. Yeah.
Muamer (26:7.970)
gosh.
Muamer (26:26.778)
That's funny.
Andrew Saunders (26:28.236)
And it was and then I was like, they were like, hey, you're leaving, you're taking those. I'm like, no, those are staying here. They will die with this office. I am not ⁓ recouping that garbage. ⁓
Muamer (26:37.968)
That's hilarious. ⁓ I think we've talked, ⁓ I'd love to ask a question too. ⁓ I think we've talked a lot about like things that we'd recommend and things that we love. I'm curious, Ben, if you want to kick us off, what's on your list? Like, what do you want people to get you? Like, I don't know if your wives or your families are significant others the same way, but they tell me that I'm hard to shop for. I feel like I'm easy, you know, but apparently I'm not.
Like what's on your list? What do you want people to get you?
Benjamin Brown (27:10.358)
I don't know that I really have much of a list. Honestly, I have a really bad habit. I know because I ⁓ have a habit and my wife will tell anybody this. I have a habit of if I need a thing, I get it or if I want a thing, I get it. ⁓ And so there have been times I've literally bought the thing that she was going to buy me for Christmas, like a week before Christmas. And she was like, that was supposed to be your Christmas gift. And you bought it. And it was like, yeah, but it was on sale.
Muamer (27:13.370)
You're not helping. You're feeding into the hard to buy stereotype.
Muamer (27:23.107)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (27:37.482)
I am endlessly and forever making my wife angry ⁓ for her buying the things that she wants to buy me that I've talked about because if I talk about it, it means that it's already in my head that I'm going to purchase that thing. Like it's already there. It's already probably happening. I'm just kind of, yeah, I'm just giving her a heads up that like this is coming. ⁓ Yeah. So I think I'm tough to shop for, but
Andrew Saunders (27:50.934)
Yeah, yeah, it's there. You're just waiting for a price point that makes your credit card go, yeah, then.
Benjamin Brown (28:5.774)
A big thing for me has been, we talked about this in the last episodes, has been experiences. So, I mean, we basically get the things that we need. There might be a jacket or something that I really like. I really enjoy Patagonia stuff. Their jackets are basically bulletproof and they have great warranties and great customer service.
Muamer (28:11.673)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (28:31.010)
But other than that, I'd rather go do something. I'd rather go to dinner. I'd rather go like the last time we went on a trip, we were we were down in Disney and she surprised me with ⁓ the behind the seeds tour and living with the land because I'm a huge plant nerd. And so I love ⁓ I love living with the land, a slow. A slow boat ride. Yeah, ⁓ it's a slow boat ride through a bunch of lettuce, and it's like one of my favorite rides. But you can do the behind the seeds tour.
Muamer (28:44.559)
Thanks
Muamer (28:48.547)
Hey, I love living with the land. Don't downplay it. It is a great one.
Andrew Saunders (28:56.310)
Hahaha
Muamer (28:57.071)
It's the best.
Benjamin Brown (28:59.394)
where you go and like learn how all their greenhouses work and how they do sustainable farming and how they actually do somehow feed Epcot from that greenhouse. Like they actually serve all the food out of there or most of the vegetables. ⁓ So stuff like that, like those are the things that I really enjoy. And then I will say, I don't know if I have it in here, but one of the things she did get me at one point was ⁓ a custom photo book.
Muamer (29:26.382)
Mm.
Benjamin Brown (29:26.502)
⁓ and it's ⁓ all photos of like me and the kids. So like it's a custom printed photo book just for me. It's like star wars themed cause I have a huge star wars fan. ⁓ and it's all just photos of me and the kids and that, that is like such a, like if the house is burning down, I'm grabbing that and like the family and I'm getting out. ⁓ but it's things. Yeah. ⁓ Yeah. They get the books. They come with me too. ⁓ but those are the things that I really cherish. And I think, you know, the, the stuff.
Muamer (29:30.532)
that's awesome.
Andrew Saunders (29:45.644)
⁓ The book came first, you noticed the book was before the kids. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (29:56.064)
Right? Like the flashlights, the pocket knives, the backpacks, those are all things I can buy for myself and replace. ⁓ those like sentimental gifts and those experiences where somebody really puts thought into it and says, I want to do something ⁓ special for you. Those are the things that really, I think, mean a lot.
Muamer (30:14.478)
I love that. No, that's great. I love the experiences side of it too, because it does get hard after a while, especially I'm in the same way where I buy myself a lot of things and have a bad habit of it. ⁓ But that is, but it's also hard thinking of those. So the fact that you can like have those activities and those moments where she can surprise you with the sentimental items is awesome. ⁓ I'd love that. Saunders, what about you, man?
Andrew Saunders (30:39.564)
⁓ I mean, I think I fall into the hard to buy for category as well. ⁓ But here's the ⁓ thing, everybody in my family tries really hard ⁓ and I have a lot of creative people in my family. And now that they're listening to this, I'm gonna out them or out myself. ⁓ I hate homemade gifts. If it came off Etsy, I don't want it, period, stop. I don't want it, okay? I don't.
Muamer (30:44.064)
You guys are killing me.
Benjamin Brown (31:3.150)
You
Andrew Saunders (31:7.060)
I don't want you to hand make me something. If you say, can I make you? I will give you a link to a specific item that I want you to make for me. I don't want a variation of it. I don't want a different color. I don't want five instead of four. ⁓ I don't want, I want that thing. Build that thing for me. ⁓ That being said, I have some sentimental stuff like my aunt makes Christmas ornaments for us every year. So that's kind of nice. They go on the tree, right?
Muamer (31:17.515)
Thanks
Andrew Saunders (31:33.902)
⁓ Those are the kind of handmade things I can get behind where it's not meant for Me it's meant for like family legacy sentimental stuff ⁓ I'm with Ben. I can get behind a good sentimental gift ⁓ I would like events and experiences, but I find ⁓ People don't think about the events and experiences that I would enjoy in the gift-giving right so like
Muamer (31:44.694)
Mm-hmm.
Andrew Saunders (32:2.393)
No, no, so a great example is my bachelor party. My buddy, I lived four hours from Vegas at the time. And instead of going on a food tour of the best restaurants in Vegas for my bachelor party, which would have been great. He took me to a rodeo, whitewater rafting and a tour of a national park. And I am not an outdoors guy. Like, I'm just like, ⁓ okay, I got drunk at the rodeo, it rained for whitewater rafting. So we didn't have to do that. And we spent a bunch of time in the road jamming out, right? Like it was fun, but
Benjamin Brown (32:23.118)
you
Andrew Saunders (32:31.297)
I'm a foodie. And so for me, it would be things like ⁓ go learn from XYZ Chef, right? Go have a cooking class with my wife. ⁓ That being said, the easiest thing you can always get me, anytime, any day, is architecture Legos. I ⁓ always love a good architecture Lego. I have a whole collection of them. I'll build me a Frank Lloyd Wright house or a skyscraper or a city skyline. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (32:39.022)
Mm-hmm.
Benjamin Brown (32:50.625)
Hmm ⁓
Andrew Saunders (33:1.111)
Those are always some of my go-to's like, and I don't buy them for myself, which is really weird. Like I've bought ⁓ one Lego set for myself in the last few years and it was the ⁓ mega Dungeons and Dragons, or Dungeons and Dragons Lego castle thing. And I'm like, I'm buying it and I'm building it. And I did. ⁓ But other than that.
Muamer (33:21.844)
Your sentiment on Legos is how I feel about Yetis. Like I somehow keep collecting Yeti cups. I've never actually bought a Yeti. I don't know how they stay in business, but I'm just like, I keep getting Yetis. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (33:29.453)
but you've got a lot of them.
Andrew Saunders (33:33.899)
That's how they stay in business. They keep gifting them to people like you. ⁓ What about you, Mallert?
Muamer (33:36.637)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (33:37.838)
Exactly right.
Muamer (33:41.583)
I I'm a little bit. Yes, I'm a little bit. I definitely love the experiences. Experiences are harder with kids because then it becomes like, let me get you this experience. But also let's try to find out who's like babysitting kids. And it comes like a whole orchestration of how and like a logistical planning nightmare. I have some things on my list that I always ask for that I think are silly. Like there was a book I'd asked for. was I think it was literally called the book. It was like a guide to like rebuilding civilization.
It's like, it's kind of cool, like why not? ⁓ Silly things like that. ⁓ But I like practical things. My biggest thing is I want something that I am going to use ⁓ frequently. ⁓ Toilet paper, ⁓ yeah, I always will use toilet paper. ⁓ But that's kind of every time I try to put together a list, I try to make it easier for like my family and even my wife. Like whenever I need something.
Benjamin Brown (34:13.646)
Thank
Andrew Saunders (34:22.541)
toilet paper. Get mama toilet paper. ⁓
Muamer (34:37.043)
I try to just like, here's my list. Here's my list of ideas of things I could want and I just add to it throughout the year. But it's things that I think I will find useful and will use like more than a couple of times a week. ⁓ So that could be anything from like a clock to my office or a tool bag, even things for like filming and like things that I'll use in my day job. ⁓ That's what becomes important to me is ⁓ the utility and function of it ⁓ versus like.
I'm not looking for a price point. I'm not looking for a specific kind of like you have to get me this, but it's ⁓ if it's something that I will use continually and daily and weekly month, like that's what I care more about than like the ⁓ one time chachki type of things. ⁓ I will say my mom did get me ⁓ a dad, ⁓ a thing of like dad joke cards that I thought was really dumb at the time. I'm like, what am I going to do with these things? Like it was just sit on my desk. My kids play with them and throw them around everywhere. But what it's ended up happening is I have a friend who hates dad jokes.
And so ⁓ every time I call him, and this is great, thanks to ⁓ the evolution of modern technology, and he doesn't answer the phone, I leave him a voicemail of said dad joke card. So I'll have him on my desk, I'll flip, and I'll leave a voicemail. Because now, like with the transcription, if he doesn't listen to the voicemail, he will get a text and see it no matter what. I'm like, this is it, this is my thing. I'm like, that's how I've made them useful.
Andrew Saunders (35:51.403)
Yeah, he's getting it no matter what.
Benjamin Brown (35:53.183)
He has to see it.
Andrew Saunders (35:55.905)
Yeah, that's awesome.
Muamer (35:59.851)
But like that kind of silly stuff where I can use it every day is what I really care about. You ⁓ can give me anything you want. I love it. I ⁓ think I'm pretty easy to shop for. My wife and family would disagree. But as long as it's functional and things that can use, I'm all good.
Andrew Saunders (36:14.017)
So on that standpoint, you can get me any kitchen gadget on the planet and I will at least try it three or four times and I'll be like, okay, this was cool or this was garbage, but that that one I'll try. Yeah. Although you want to make me mad by me close. Just give me clothes that. ⁓ anyway. ⁓ How you doing there, Ben? You feeling a little low res now? ⁓
Muamer (36:19.947)
There you go.
Benjamin Brown (36:36.415)
Good. Yeah, I'm a little low res now. So if you guys are watching the YouTube video, ⁓ my camera is just overheated because we were recording multiple episodes. So now I'm ⁓ over on my FaceTime camera. So if it looks a little bit terrible, I apologize. ⁓ But I know. Thank you. Thank you, sweetheart. I love you. ⁓ So I think with my camera dying, that's probably a good place for us to ⁓ leave it off. Good segue. We're going to sign off.
Andrew Saunders (36:50.721)
You always look good to me, Yeah, ⁓ it's the mustache.
Muamer (36:52.712)
Thank
Muamer (37:1.834)
That's a good segue.
Andrew Saunders (37:2.711)
We're gonna sign that off. Yeah, we're done now. Thanks.
Benjamin Brown (37:5.459)
My camera crapped out, so we're going to sign off. But if you guys have ideas, stuff you want, stuff you have gotten that has been incredibly useful, make sure you leave a comment on the video. And as always, we want to make sure that this podcast reaches as many people as possible. So if you could please, please, please go to Spotify or Apple or wherever you get this podcast, leave us a review. Let us know what you like, what you don't like. If you love us, if you hate us, we don't really care. We just want to know what you think about it. Yeah, we're not going to change this show.
Andrew Saunders (37:31.659)
and tell your friends, ⁓ yeah, ⁓ tell your friends to come watch us embarrass each other.
Benjamin Brown (37:36.117)
Yeah, but but 100 % tell your friends if you think that they're going to get use out of this. We appreciate everybody who's listened to us so far in this new iteration of the dad verb podcast. And we wish you all not only a happy Thanksgiving like in our last episode, but happy holidays. Enjoy it. Try to slow down as much as you can make it as much about your family, your friends spending time with people more so than, know, just getting stuff.
Muamer (37:36.233)
Yeah.
Benjamin Brown (38:2.762)
Stuff is always nice to have, but the time is what you're going to remember because it's our only non-renewable resource, right? We're never going to get that back. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (38:9.143)
Right? ⁓ Your kids are only this age once. Enjoy it while you can.
Benjamin Brown (38:12.809)
Yeah, ⁓ absolutely. And they will change fast.
Muamer (38:14.122)
Although you could say time is money so spend it on a Rolex. Just kidding. ⁓
Benjamin Brown (38:19.125)
⁓ And go buy yourself a Rolex.
Andrew Saunders (38:20.877)
⁓ Every time somebody says that ⁓ every time I somebody says that I go to the guy in my head where he's doing the math where he does time is money ⁓ Money is the root of all evil. Therefore women are evil, ⁓ right? Cuz women are times like ⁓ Every time time is money women are the root of all evil like that's the clue ⁓
Benjamin Brown (38:41.959)
It's nothing like a good leap in logic.
Muamer (38:42.087)
Listen, I'm just quoting the great Wiz Khalifa. ⁓
Andrew Saunders (38:44.481)
Yeah. ⁓ Okay, that's yeah. Take parenting advice from Wiz Khalifa. Yeah. All ⁓ right. God.
Benjamin Brown (38:48.243)
I mean, he's really someone we should all listen to, ⁓
Well, yeah, ⁓ a hundred percent. All right, gentlemen, it has been a fantastic episode. really appreciate it. Thank you all for listening to the dad for podcast and we will catch you in the next one. Peace.
Muamer (39:5.789)
Peace.
Andrew Saunders (39:6.382)
That's it.
