We’re not in the business of judging people by the amount of toys they’ve managed
to hoard over the course of their adult life, and we never want to advocate spending
for the sake of spending, but there’s a few things a man should to own, that aught to
be his and his alone, and we put together a list of the ten most important. If being a
man is a job, think of these as tools of the trade.
#10. A Shaving Kit.
Getting in a quick shave at the airport bathroom is a fine thing when you’ve got no
other options, but when there’s a special occasion, you’re going to want to take your
time and put some ceremony into the whole process. There is nothing like a straight
razor shave, it’s fresh brewed coffee to day-old Folgers and when you have it, there’s
no better way to start off your morning.
#9. Books
Yessir, you need a few books to your name. Whatever books you’ve read that have
spoken to you, keep them on hand, because there’s going to come a time when you’ll
need to remember exactly what it was you wrote, and in the meantime they’ll make
you look refined and worldly while they take up space on your shelf.
#8. A Flask
If you’ve been a groomsman you’ve probably already picked one up, but your going
to be in plenty of situations in life where clandestine liquor is a must. Whether it’s
an old chipped number you’ve had since college, or a leather-lined beauty you’ve got
a pet name for, so long as it fits inside your suit jacket pocket, you’re good to go.
#7. A Zippo
The Good people at Zippo may not have started the fire, but they sure as hell made
it cool. If you’re a smoker, you might as well be doing it in style, and if somebody
needs a light for anything from starting a campfire to burning something right to the
ground, there’s no slicker way to start a fire
#6. Golf Clubs
Call it as clichéd as you want to; business, good business, still gets done on the links
in this world, and a game of golf can happen at the drop of a hat. You need a set of
clubs that look respectable, and it’s an added bonus if you actually know how to use
them.
#5. A Utility Knife
You want to make a college student look, act and feel like a non-mulleted McGuyver?
Just throw a good Utility knife in his hands and stand back. There is literally no
job where this won’t at least help, from makeshift personal hygiene to emergency
plumbing. You’ll look pretty sharp in the process.
#4. Booster Cables
The simple fact of the matter is that not all of us are mechanically inclined.
Even armed with the best tools and even better intentions, some men, perfectly
respectable in other areas of life, just fall to pieces when their fan belt snaps. But, a
dead battery, that most common of automotive ailments, is something anyone who
can hook up a Playstation should be able to set right. Nobody in North America is
ever going to go through life without needing them at one time or another, and if
you can come to somebody’s rescue just by hooking on four alligator clips, it’s easy
karma.
#3. A Good Chair
Not a couch, not a kitchen chair, a good, comfortable easy chair you can nap in, read
in, watch the game in, and ideally recline in. It’ll be the first thing on your live-in
partner’s hit list, but keep it for as long as you can. You can find great ideas online through Google,
Homeclick, and other sites. It doesn’t have to look, or evensmell good to the outside world,
but a good chair that’s been broken in however you prefer it can make even the most barren of living spaces…home.
#2. Spice Rack
Unless you’re extremely rich or extremely unhealthy, you’re going to cook in your
lifetime, and having a dozen simple spices on hand can turn a pork chop into a
celebration of life with a little dash here and a little dash there. The beauty of it is,
most of them are forgiving as hell, so using the wrong one, within reason, is never a
disaster. Once you get the swing of things with the thyme and the basil, that’s when
you find out that eating is more than just a necessity, it’s a joy
#1. A Baseball Bat
You’re in charge of your house, and even if you don’t subscribe to the “loaded gun
under the pillow” school of thought, shit does happen. A quick option beside your
doorway is worth the piece of mind, you’ll never accidentally bat your foot off, and
you don’t need a license (yet) to keep it in the house. As an added bonus it’s great
for playing baseball with, and makes a wonderfully poignant decoration should you
ever have daughters of a dating age.
by Jeremy Beal