Gift Ideas?

It's that time of year and I find myself woefully unprepared with a list of handy "wants". Normally my wife asks me for a list of a few gadgets that she knows I'll enjoy, but to be honest, I haven't seen anything lately that's "blowing up my skirt" as Mr. Heston so aptly put it.

I figure if anyone knows of some good tools/gadgets/survival items, it would be ETS.

Obviously some items might not make it on my personal list, but I'd love to see what everyone has put on their own lists for Santa. I'm looking for items in the sub $100 range, but if something is still reasonable, and totally rocks, I might make a push for it. ;-)

It looks like my xmas present this year will be new exhaust manifold bolts. And it's not going to be under $100.

Are you going to DIY it? If so, have you done it before? PM if you need questions answered.

Well, since we usually just buy what we want during the year, we have a real hard time coming up with Christmas (and BD) gifts for each other. We take a state map and draw a circle with a 200 mile radius centered on our location. Each of us look for something in that circle we want to visit, and we would write the names on slips of paper and put them in a bowl. Then we would draw one, and take a two or three day trip there...

Smeg no. Backing headless bolts out of the head is not something I'm going to attempt. I've done enough DIY things to realize when I'm better off paying someone else to do it. Like plumbing, but that's a different story.

Ok, just thought I would ask. I grew-up with parents that owned auto parts stores. As such, I have built and rebuilt MANY engines, and cars. Learned a few tricks along the way. Exhaust anything is usually the worst though.

OBG -- that is a terrific tradition!!

Most Americans (including me) already have way too much stuff. Much better to give the gift of time together.

Excellent!

Glad you guys like the idea! Happy travels...

Yep, it's a good idea, and I might bring it to the wife, as we generally get whatever we need (and many things we want within reason) during the year. I've been a good boy, so I was hoping for some more ideas. I'm thinking the Maxpedition bag I have in my wishlist might be a good time to try, and a lot of the gear mentioned definitely looks interesting. Maybe I should try to pickup some summer-time gear deals?

Aside from the buying parts to repair your vehicle or going on mini-vacations, any other ideas? Or am I right that not a whole lot of cool innovative gadgets have come out in the last year or two? :-)