Gift Ideas for Homesteaders, Farmsteaders, and Country Folks
The Christmas season is just around the corner and many folks are thinking about the perfect gift for their rural friends and family. Farmers, homesteaders, and backwoodsmen are practical people who deserve and appreciate practical gifts. I’ve put together this list of gift ideas that are sure to bring a smile to those who receive them. I’ve divided the list into “His” and “Hers” to make it easier to use.
Gifts For Him
The Husqvarna Carpenter’s Axe
Styled in the tradition of the old “Hudson Bay Axe” the Carpenter’s Axe might be designed and marketed primary for woodworking, but it meets all the specifications for a backwoods trapping and camp axe. The hickory handle is 17.5″ long, just the right size for carrying on your belt or carrying in the pack basket. The overall weight is 2.2 lbs. The Swedish steel head is hand forged and crafted in such a way that you can get your hand extremely close for maximum control for the finer bushcraft work. This axe has an excellent, straight, knife’s edge that sharpens easily and is very well suited for whittling and carving. Even so, it chops down small trees efficiently, can drive trap stakes, and do any job that comes up on the trail. This axe is well balanced and simply a pleasure to use. For well under $60, this axe is a steal. You can buy it here.
Leatherman Super Tool 300
This tool has all the most important and most used tools that farmers, trappers, homesteaders, hunters and handy men need. I have made emergency repairs on rifles, scopes, tractors, snow machines, traps, electrical wiring and switches, automobiles and more. I have dug holes with it, skinned deer with it, sawed small poles for shelters with it and anything else you can imagine. There are few things I can’t be without but my Leatherman is one of them. You can buy it here.
Here are a few things I really like about it….
The wire cutters on this model are best on any multi-tool I’ve seen. These are super strong, I cut barbed wire with ease. Try doing that with a cheapy tool and see what happens! These wire cutters are replaceable so when they wear out you can change them out and be right back in business.
The wire stripper works great, as does the crimper. I like being able to do most emergency wiring jobs around the farm without walking anywhere to grab tools. Everything I need is right in my pocket, whether it’s fixing an extension cord, replacing a receptacle or a switch.
The screw drivers are all good quality. There are 3 flat heads and a Phillips. I seldom run into a screw that I can’t use these pliers on.
The tools LOCK. This is a big deal, and if you’ve ever used a multi-tool without a locking mechanism I’m sure you have scars on your knuckles to prove it.
The saw is the best I’ve ever seen on any multi-tool of any price. This sucker will saw through tree limbs, plastic pipe and I’ve even used it on steel hose clamps that were seized up. I seldom carry a saw when fixing fence because I can cut through most limbs that need cutting just as quick with these.
A usable file. Many multi-tool files are just for show. These actually do a pretty good job. I’ve filed a bunch of stuff with mine and they are still going strong. They are handy for points and brushes on silo unloader drive rings, cleaning up ground rods on fencers, making a quick adjustment on a leg hold trap’s dog or any other thing that might come along.
The pliers are big enough and strong enough to tighten most nuts on the farm. This really saves me time when I find a loose nut on a piece of equipment. I can tighten it up on the spot without having to run for a wrench and I don’t put it off and then forget about it.
The can opener is a working can opener. I’ve opened countless cans with mine, it’s lightning fast and will open a bottle of beer.
Home Brewing Kit
If you have a beer lover on your list then this is the surest way I know to win his heart. Brewing your own homestead beer is one of the most satisfying things you can ever do. This kit has everything you need to start brewing your first 5 gallon batch. Buying someone a brewing kit is the ultimate act of love and kindness. Here is the link!
Axeman Mittens
There is nothing worse than frozen hands when you are working outside at 30 below zero. I’ve tried a lot of gloves and mittens over the years. These are really warm and built pretty tough. When I’m plowing snow with the skidsteer, these are the ones I grab. You can find them at this link
Miller Thunderbolt Welder
Having a welder on the farmstead is a game changer. Whether making repairs or fabricating projects, these tools pay for themselves the first time you use them. This is the welder we use on our farm. It’s affordable and reliable. I highly recommend it. You can check it out at this link.
Gifts For Her
Drop Spindle
One of the most important tools of the historic agrarian family was, and continues to be, the spindle. It’s beauty is only surpassed by it’s usefulness. For centuries, this simple and classic tool has spun fiber for the domestic economy. The spindle when properly used can easily turn wool, hemp, flax and cotton fiber into yarns that can be used to make everything from socks to sweaters. Once a common tool found on every homestead, the hand spindle is making a comeback. More and more people are finding it an affordable and easy way to learn the art of spinning, without buying an expensive spinning wheel. Click here to buy an affordable maple drop spindle.
Cast Iron Dutch Oven
Cooking is a lot more fun when you have the right tools. Around here, the women folk love this Lodge 5 Quart model with handles. Nothing cooks a finer roast or stew than cast iron cookware. It is one of the most used tools in our kitchen. Here is the link to buy it.
Flexi Clips
Country girls like pretty hair too. Lilla Rose Flexi Clips are absolutely gorgeous hair accessories that are extremely practical for the homestead lady who needs to get her hair up and out of the way. Don’t let the fact they are pretty fool you, they are also the most durable hair clips on the market. These things are built to last and can stand up to all the abuse a country girl can dish out. Instead of wasting time and money with ugly plastic claws and rubber bands that break on a regular basis, buy her something that will last a lifetime and make her feel pretty even when she’s wearing coveralls and covered in dirt. See all Lilla Rose has to offer at this link.
