Tracey, the gift certificate is easiest and leaves to him personal choices, but if he lives in the boonies and has no pfd then by all means shower him with goodies. Any pfd by Lotus is a good buy. Some of the less expensive or high bouyancy ExtraSport pfds tend to be too long in the waist but others are very comfortable (only ones I've bought so far in 10 yrs.) I think the low bouyancy white water pfd's are the most comfortable. Thermarest Sportseats are my personal choice for improving seat comfort (it's a 12x16"x1" inflatable seat pad. A paddle float is a good multi-use item. Hats, one is good, three is better. Long sleeve polypropyene,or Patagonias silk like Capilene light underwear shirts are a first layer good for keeping summer sun off and first layer of many when the weather gets cold. Cheap recyclable/disposable waterproof cameras for chronicling his mis/adventures. 20 ft. of 3/16" bungie cord and a dozen black plastic clip hooks for making his own leashes for accessory items that tend to drift away. An assortment of small and medium dri bags and one long skinny dry bag. There, thats about $300 worth of stuff.