Top Ten Gift Ideas for Construction Workers

I have been married to a highway construction worker for over seventeen years. Early on, I learned how important clothing and outerwear is to someone working in this field. Quality is always important. If you are investing in something for their comfort while working in harsh conditions, you want it to work well for them and to last all season.

Besides clothing, I found other unique items that tend to make a big hit during the holidays. Not every construction worker is the same, but there are many similarities. Here are my top ten gift ideas for your construction worker.

1. Carhartt Outerwear

This is the big brand name in on-the-job outerwear. Carhartt has been in business since 1889 and produces high-quality outdoor clothing designed to work well on the job. They will be a little more expensive, but they last longer and stand up better than any other product on the market. If your construction worker is working outdoors this winter, this is the brand to buy.

You can find one piece coveralls that zip up the front, or separates. Carhartt makes pants, shirts, jackets, overalls, vests and coveralls.

They use a canvas-type material called duck, which is made of one-hundred percent cotton.

2. Work Boots

Every construction worker needs new work boots. The problem is there are so many types to choose from. You want to ask a few questions to help you decide what type to buy.

Work boots can have safety toes, or not. They can be waterproof, slip and oil resistant and even insulated. Find out if their job requires work boots with safety toes. Do they complain to you about working in cold or wet environments? Do they work in an environment where they could be stepping in slippery substances, such as oil? Find out a few of these things before you begin shopping. Take the most important quality they need in a work boot and start from there. Look at boots with that quality, and find one that meets at least one of their other needs.

3. Warm Work Clothing

Work clothes wear out quickly, which makes warm work clothing an easy gift. Buy flannel shirts and T shirts to go underneath. Some stores carry insulated flannel shirts. These are great for cool days when a jacket is just too much.

New jeans are also always welcome gifts. Flannel underwear and wool socks are other great gifts.

4. Offbeat Tools

Construction workers may have tools on their Christmas lists, but for people who do not have access to those lists, figuring out what tool to buy can be a daunting task. The problem is solved by concentrating on offbeat tools. These are tools that people do not normally think of when they are shopping for gifts.

Some suggested offbeat tools would include: locking pliers, diagonal cutting pliers, hex key sets, various clamps, lumber crayons and chalk reels.

Regardless of what you decide to purchase, any tool is a good gift for a construction worker. They may have fifty screwdrivers, but each one has a unique purpose.

5. Duct Tape

This is not a joke. If you fill a box full of rolls of duct tape, you will have a very happy construction worker on Christmas morning. Once, my husband had over twenty rolls and was very proud of that fact.

6. Coolers

Apparently, different shapes and sizes of coolers are used for very different things. A construction worker uses a small hand held size cooler for their lunch and snacks. They use a large round cooler for drinking water, and the large square and rectangular coolers are for sodas and beer.

There are currently over fifteen coolers within my household. We are still accumulating more. Each Christmas, I buy my husband a new hand held size cooler to replace the one that has gotten beat up over the past year. He refuses to release the old one, but will happily start using the new one.

Choosing a cooler to give to a construction worker is a great gift option. If you can find one with a detachable thermos, that's even better.

7. Flashlights

Construction workers love flashlights. It is one of the oddest things. They can have fifty screwdrivers and have a use for each one, and they can have fifty flashlights and have a use for each one.

I recently went on a trip where I left in the middle of the night. I borrowed one of my husband's best flashlights for my trip. While he was helping me unpack upon my return, he noticed the flashlight and commented on how he was missing that flashlight and did not know where it had gone. I was amazed because he has flashlights all over the house. How could he miss one?

For Christmas gifts, we try to find unique flashlights to add to his collection. Last year I found a spot light flashlight at the Black and Decker outlet store and it is now his favorite. He never uses it, but it is his favorite.

8. Locks

I finally understand my husband's obsession with locks. Construction tools are easily stolen and tool boxes are easy to break into. My husband lost a significant collection of tools when he left his work truck at his company's location. He usually brings his work truck home each night. I never understood his need for new and better locks until this happened.

Construction workers tend to collect locks. Usually key locks opposed to combination locks. A good quality lock can be expensive when compared to the wide variety of locks available, but that is what you should buy when choosing a lock as a gift. Locks have codes on them where you can buy several that use the same universal key. If you are buying several locks, make sure you purchase locks that use the same key. You can always ask a store clerk to help you locate the codes on the back of the packages.

9. Sturdy Briefcase

A sturdy briefcase is a necessity if your construction worker is a foreman or in charge of an aspect of the job site. They will have reports and forms they must complete for the office personnel that cannot get dirty or wet on the job. They may need to have government regulations and emergency forms on hand. They also need a safe place to keep their valuables while they work.

Briefcases get banged up and dirty, so buying a new one will be appreciated.

10. Waterproof Duffle Bag

Your construction worker can take spare clothing and extra layers and know they will have something dry and warm to change into. They may start using this to keep their tools dry while they are working too. You may also pick up a waterproof tool bag to add to your gift.