Collection: Gifts for Conservative Men

Why gifts for conservative men should be things he will actually wear

The best gifts for conservative men are things he will put on without being asked: a dark tee with a design he agrees with, or a cap that fits his head. Most men rotate the same handful of shirts and one or two hats until they fall apart. Get into that rotation and your gift gets worn every week. Miss it and it lives in the closet with the novelty socks.

Men also tend to like their politics the way they like their trucks: practical and a little understated. A shirt that looks like it came off a vintage recruiting poster or an old Texas battle flag gets worn to the hardware store. A shirt covered in slogans gets worn once, to make you happy.

How to choose a gift for a conservative man

Start with what he already wears

Look at his closet before you look at designs. If he lives in black and navy tees, stay there; most of the designs on this page come in one or both. If he wears a ball cap every day, a cap is the safest gift on the page. If he spends Saturdays on the golf course, go for the rope-style golf hat. And if he only owns flannel and hoodies, a heavier crewneck sweatshirt will get more use than a tee.

Sizing without asking him

The tees are Bella+Canvas 3001 in a unisex retail fit, which runs like standard men's sizing. Buy the size on the tag of the shirt he wears most. If he is between sizes, or is broad through the shoulders or the middle, go up one; men almost never complain that a shirt is a little roomy, and they always notice when it is tight. Sizes S to XL are $27.95, and larger sizes are $29.95 or $31.95. To keep the fit he picked, tell him cold wash and low heat, or just accept he will not listen.

The caps

• MAGA Dad Hat ($23.50): washed cotton twill with a vintage, broken-in look and embroidery. The easiest cap to wear with anything.
• Keep America Great Cotton Baseball Cap ($24.50): unstructured with a curved visor, an adjustable strap and a small American flag on the back. It runs on the smaller side, so it suits an average or smaller head better than a big one.
• Not A Commie Golf Hat ($29.95): a rope-detail golf cap with an adjustable snapback. Dry humor that will not get him kicked off the course.

Match the design to the man

For the gun owner, Come and Take It or God, Guns & Glory. For the Constitution guy, We The People. For the Trump voter, the Uncle Sam poster designs or the Fight Fight Fight tee. For the man who wants one shirt that says everything, the America 250 Flag tee has four prints: chest, a big distressed flag on the back, and both sleeves. If the man you are shopping for is your father, our gifts for conservative dad page is built around the dad who says he does not need anything. For flag and 250th designs without the politics, see patriotic gifts for men.

The history behind the designs he will wear

Come and Take It: Gonzales, 1835

In 1831 Mexican authorities lent the settlers of Gonzales, Texas, a small cannon to defend against raids. In the fall of 1835, with tensions rising, troops were sent to take it back. The settlers refused, raised a homemade white flag showing the cannon, a single star and the words "Come and Take It," and on October 2, 1835 they fired the cannon at the soldiers. It was the first battle of the Texas Revolution. The phrase echoes an older one: "molon labe," the reply Plutarch attributes to the Spartan king Leonidas at Thermopylae when the Persians demanded his men's weapons.

The eagle and the thirteen stars

The bald eagle became a national symbol when Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. The ring of thirteen stars on the 250th designs goes back further, to the Flag Resolution of June 14, 1777, which called for thirteen white stars on a blue field, one for each of the original states, and described them as "a new constellation." The resolution did not say how to arrange them, which is why early flags show circles, rows and other patterns.

Christmas night, 1776

The We Crossed Anyway tee marks the night George Washington took his army across the icy Delaware River to surprise the Hessians at Trenton. This Christmas is the 250th anniversary, which makes it a Christmas gift with a real reason behind it, and one he can keep wearing in July.

All about Patriot Feed Shop

Patriot Feed Shop sells patriotic, conservative and Christian apparel and gifts, all original designs printed on demand and shipped from US print partners. Through December 8, any 3 eligible tees are $69, with the price dropping at checkout and no code needed. Three tees is about how many a man needs to replace the worn-out ones he refuses to throw away. The ugly sweater sweatshirts are Gildan 18000 Heavy Blend crewnecks at $44.95, and caps run about $23.50 to $29.95; neither is part of the 3-tee offer. Orders of $50 and up ship free in the US. For Christmas delivery, order by December 8. Shopping for the woman in his life too? See our gifts for conservative women.