From smart rings and everlasting flowers to weighted vests and LED masks, there’s a gift for every kind of mom.
If you—or your mom—are a woman of a certain age, or live in a neighborhood with women of a certain age, you have seen someone walking around with a weighted vest. Along with eating your weight in grams of protein, the weighted vest is a rite of passage for newly minted middle-aged women. In fact, I’m surprised they aren’t assigned one at their annual physical when they turn 40. A form of resistance exercise, wearing a weighted vest is supposed to help stave off osteoporosis and the slow, inevitable decline into enfeeblement.
I have seen a lot of these vests, and rucking backpacks, and most of them are either made of smelly neoprene or have a clasp that fits inconveniently straight across the chest. The Spy Ruck is the best weighted vest I have ever used. It’s made just for women, designed by former CIA officer and GoRuck cofounder Emily McCarthy, and is not only small and manageable but has a clasp that fits up higher, so you don’t feel like you’re being cinched down like a mummy. The straps are nicely padded, the steel pellets inside won’t rust if the vest gets wet (yes, this happens on cheaper vests), and there are reflective stripes for increased visibility. You can choose from 8-, 12-, or 16-pound weights (aim for 10 percent of Mom’s body weight; or your best guess, anyway) in five colors. I especially like that this vest is low-profile enough to wear out and about on errands without looking like you’re training for a tactical raid. —Kat Merck
