This isn’t as much a gift guide as it is a recap of the material things that have brought me more joy than expected in 2025. More for me than for you. I’m very fortunate to get to experience a lot of amazing product design and this is a good reminder.
I am a coffee snob and the coffee subscription from Coffee Collective is wonderful. It is most definitely excessive to ship coffee from Denmark but, I can’t find light roasts of the same quality in the US. If you prefer buying from US roasters I am also happy with my Trade Coffee subscription.
There are too many ways to brew coffee. If you need one more, the Origami Coffee Dripper is both beautiful and in my amateur opinion better than the Kalita equivalents. The filter doesn’t stick to the sides and I get a more even extraction. This is very much not backed by science so it’s probably best to ignore me.
For camping I have settled on the Aero Press Go. It makes decent coffee and doesn’t take up much space. For backpacking, a caffeine pill has to do.
3D printing has gotten a lot easier. We are eerily close to Star Trek Replicator territory. I want to spend as little time possible maintaining and fixing my 3D printer and instead spend time printing. That’s why I own a Bambu Labs 3D printer (specifically the X1C). I’m sure the newer models are great but any Bambu Labs printer will do. I use it to print replacement parts for things that are no longer in production, home organization, and slip casting molds.
My closet is full of unused backpacks so naturally I added one more to the lineup. The greatest backpack of all time is still the Goruck GR1. But, it’s heavy. This year I almost exclusively used the Peak Design Outdoor Backpack. Besides the reduced weight, I love that it works with the Peak Design Camera Cubes and the synch system is great for quick access. You can also get the Peak Design Outdoor sling and attach it to the backpack. I’ve used it every day for my commute to the office, most hikes, and even for an overnight backpacking trip.
If you’re at all into woodworking just get a Festool Track Saw. Specially if you don’t have room for a bigger table saw. My “workshop” is a 1 1/2 car garage that needs to park a car. It’s expensive but it’s worth it. You can thank me later.