Anyone who has a guy in her life knows they can be hard to shop for. Two of the best gifts Kevin’s ever received, for example, include an outdoor heater and a machete. How could I have guessed that??
So when a company called Man Crates reached out me to tell me about their business model, I totally saw the appeal. These folks put together collections of gifts to surprise and delight just about any guy, packing them up in crates and sending — get this — a crowbar along to open the goodies. You just pick a theme based on who you’re getting the Man Crate for (themes include Grill Master, Gamer, Athlete, Beer Lover, Snack Enthusiast, and more). Plus, you can work with the lovely people over at Man Crates to customize your own crate if your heart so desires.
As someone who appreciates clever copyrighting and good branding, I’ve loved looking at ManCrates.com and seeing the way they talk about their product. For example, here’s the header for their Get Well Gift page:
Good stuff.
The Man Crate team asked me what I would pack in an essentials crate for me. Five things I love, use often, and would find it hard to live without. A survival kit of sorts. If I’m defining this as some of the five items I use most consistently, here’s how my list stacks up:
1. I know, I know. Of COURSE my smartphone is on this list. But if I’m being honest about things I use most, this one has to make the cut. I have a hard time recalling how life worked without one, in fact, and I’m sure I’d be embarrassed if I tracked how much time I actually spend on this device every single day. (We’re a house divided at 711 Knollwood Street, for the record: Kevin’s solidly in the Android camp and I love my iPhone. We’ve agreed to disagree.)
2. I’ve just gotten into running and am thrilled about it! I never thought running shoes would be on my “most used” items list. I’m actually in the market for some new running kicks, so if anyone has footwear recommendations, please send them my way!
3. I’ve sung the praises of this lip gloss in previous posts, but I really do think it’s the best (and I’m pretty hooked).
4. Oh, yoga pants. I love you so very much. Perfect for Pure Barre, yoga, Saturday errands, lounging…I pretty much wear them as often as humanly possible. My go-to brand is Nordstom’s Zella line. I adore their Live-In Leggings (and find their name quite accurate, too) and have been impressed with their quality and performance.
5. I use my Ninja blender just about every day to mix up a smoothie (which I then take to work in my Tervis Tumbler, which should also probably make this list). I’ve been so impressed with its quality — and MUCH lower price point than the VitaMix!
What would be in your crate of essentials?
I gave my dad the Golfer’s Crate for Father’s Day… of all the loot (including the Gopher head cover) I think he liked the prybar (not technically part of the haul) the best.
For 10 extra bucks, they offer “diabolical duct tape,” covering the entire shipment in (you guessed it) layers of duct tape. Dudes have a terrific sense of humor. I am a fan…