Guide · Gifts
Gifts for soldiers:
What really goes down well
You want to give a soldier something and don't know what. You're not alone. Partners, parents, siblings and friends often face the same question, because military service is hard to grasp from the outside. What does he need? What does he already have? And what ends up in a drawer after a week?
We are Predator Customs, a small brand from Lauben-Frickenhausen in the Allgäu. Our motto is “By soldiers, for soldiers”. In this guide you'll find gifts for soldiers by occasion and by branch, plus everything you need to know about sizing and gift wrapping. We write “him” here, and we mean female soldiers just the same.
What makes a good gift for soldiers
A good gift for a soldier doesn't have to be expensive. But it should tick three boxes.
It connects to his branch
For most soldiers, their own branch is more than a line on paper. Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers), Gebirgsjäger (mountain troops), Panzergrenadiere (mechanised infantry) and Pioniere (combat engineers) have their own badges, their own mottos and their own history. A gift that shows exactly this branch tells him you know what he serves for. No voucher and no generic “Bundeswehr” design can do that.
It can take a beating
Whatever a soldier wears has to survive the wash, the rucksack and the training area. Most of our shirts are 100% cotton and printed by hand in Germany. The designs are water-based screen print, printed into the fibre so it doesn't crack. How we work is on the page The Quality of Predator Customs.
It's personal, but not kitsch
A personal gift for a soldier shows that you know him. It doesn't have to be loud. A design of his branch that he likes to wear or hang on the wall says more than any slogan on a mug.
What you'd better not give
Some gifts are well meant and still miss the mark.
- The wrong branch. A Fallschirmjäger shirt for a Pionier stands out straight away. Better to ask once more.
- Gear without a clue. Many soldiers would rather pick a head torch, knife or gloves themselves, because they know exactly what they need on duty. If you don't know which model he uses, a gift for his branch is the safer bet.
- Kitsch and novelty items. They're quickly bought and quickly forgotten.
- Big gifts before a deployment. There's no room for them in his kit.
Gifts for soldiers by occasion
Every stage of service has its own occasion. Here you'll find an idea for each one.
Gift for the pledge or the swearing-in
The pledge (Gelöbnis) and the swearing-in (Vereidigung) are not the same thing. Anyone doing voluntary military service takes the solemn pledge. It reads:
“I pledge to serve the Federal Republic of Germany faithfully and to bravely defend the right and the freedom of the German people.”
Fixed-term soldiers and career soldiers, on the other hand, take the oath of service, and that is the swearing-in. It begins with “I swear”. The soldier may leave out the words “so help me God” at the end. Both are set out in Section 9 of the Soldatengesetz (German Soldiers' Act).
So a gift for a Bundeswehr swearing-in or for the pledge can carry some meaning. If he already knows which branch he's going to, a shirt with its design is a good choice. For the barracks room or his own room, a flag fits.
After basic training
Basic training is done, and now he's off to his unit. From here on the branch becomes his own. A shirt or a patch with its badge is a small sign that you noticed this step.
For a promotion
He earned his promotion. Something he wears off duty suits the occasion: a shirt of his branch or, for Gebirgsjäger, the Gebirgsjäger Premium Hoodie.
Gifts for soldiers on deployment
Before a deployment, space is tight. Big gifts have no room in the kit. Our embroidered patches, on the other hand, attach with hook-and-loop to a rucksack, plate carrier or helmet. The most important gift before a deployment costs nothing, though: a letter or a photo he carries with him.
Farewell gift in the Bundeswehr
A farewell is usually about the end of service, DZE for short (Dienstzeitende), and sometimes about a transfer. After years in the forces, a big part of a lifetime is tied to the branch.
A flag of his own branch has its place on the wall once the uniform stays in the wardrobe. A shirt with his branch's design stays with him after his service too. If the platoon or company is collecting for a farewell gift, a bundle is the simplest solution: shirt, flag and patch in one package.
For Christmas and birthdays
Even without a special occasion, a gift connected to his branch goes down better than a generic one. If you want to give something for Christmas, order a little earlier so it arrives in time.
The complete gift: bundles
If you don't want to choose between shirt, flag and patch, take all three together. For Fallschirmjäger, Gebirgsjäger and Pioniere there is a bundle each of shirt, flag and patch. As a set you pay less than for the three items separately, and shipping is free.
→ Fallschirmjäger Bundle
→ Gebirgsjäger BundleEach piece has its place. He wears the shirt on duty and after. The flag comes along to the platoon party and later hangs in the barracks room or at home. The patch sits on the rucksack. That makes a bundle the gift for the big occasions: swearing-in, farewell, Christmas.
To the sets: Fallschirmjäger Bundle · Gebirgsjäger Bundle · Pionier Bundle
Gifts by branch
A gift means the most when it shows his own branch. For every branch we have an article that explains the story behind the design.
Fallschirmjäger
The Fallschirmjäger go by the nickname “Green Devils”. Their patron saint is the Archangel Michael, and his cry “Quis ut Deus” means “Who is like God?”. In the Fallschirmjäger Collection you'll find the Fallschirmjäger Shirt, the “Victory or Death” flag and two patches with St. Michael. There is more on the branch in The Green Devils: History of the Fallschirmjäger and in Quis ut Deus: Who Is Like God?
Gebirgsjäger
The mountain troops have worn the Edelweiß since 1915. The Gebirgsjäger Collection has the Gebirgsjäger Shirt, the Premium Hoodie, the flag in the colours of Bavaria and Germany, and two patches. The history of the branch is told in Gebirgsjäger: Where the Terrain Is the Enemy.
Panzergrenadiere
“Dran. Drauf. Drüber.” is the guiding principle of the Panzergrenadiere: close in on the enemy, hit him with firepower, roll over him with the combat vehicle. In the Panzergrenadier Collection you'll find the Panzergrenadier Shirt and the flag with this guiding principle. Why the Panzergrenadiere trace their roots to the dragoons is explained in Panzergrenadiere and Dragoons.
Pioniere
The patron saint of the Pioniere is Saint Barbara. The Pionier Collection has the Pionier Shirt “German Combat Engineers”, the Saint Barbara patch, a lasercut patch and the flag. Why Pioniere and artillery share the same patron saint is in The Lightning and the Rock. What the branch does on operations is explained in What Do Pioniere Actually Do?
Jägertruppe
For the Jäger, the German Jägers Collection has the German Jägers Oversize Shirt and the German Jägers Flag.
Don't know where he serves?
Just ask him. Or look at the badge on his beret, which shows the branch. You'll find every design at a glance under All Products.
Which size should I choose?
With clothing as a gift, size is the most important question. The branch shirts have a normal cut, regular fit. They sit cleanly on the shoulders and chest, so take his usual size. If a shirt has “Oversize” in its name, like the German Jägers Oversize Shirt, it is cut wider. If he doesn't like it loose, go one size down there.
Have it gift-wrapped
A gift only really works once it's wrapped. With us, you don't have to do that yourself.
Every order arrives neatly packed: the shirt is wrapped individually, and everything together comes in our own shipping bag. If you want more, tick the box “Gift wrap this order” above the buy button on the product page. We then wrap the whole order in our own gift paper. Frieder designed the paper himself in the brand's style. The invoice is in the shipping bag, outside the gift paper.
Gift wrapping costs €3.90 and covers the whole order. Whether there's a single patch or a whole bundle in the package, you only pay for it once.
Frequently asked questions
What do you give a soldier?
Ideally something connected to his branch that holds up in everyday life and that he likes to wear or hang up. A shirt, a patch or a flag with his branch's design are safe ideas.
What is a good gift for a Bundeswehr swearing-in?
A gift that suits his future branch, for example a shirt with its design. For the barracks room, a flag fits.
What is the difference between the pledge and the swearing-in?
Those doing voluntary military service take the solemn pledge. Fixed-term soldiers and career soldiers take the oath of service. This is set out in Section 9 of the Soldatengesetz.
What is a good farewell gift in the Bundeswehr?
Something that reminds him of his branch once his service is over: a flag for the wall or a shirt with his branch's design. If the whole platoon is giving, a bundle of shirt, flag and patch fits.
What's in a bundle?
Shirt, flag and patch of one branch. As a set you pay less than for the three items separately, and shipping is free.
Can I have my order gift-wrapped?
Yes. Tick the box “Gift wrap this order” on the product page. Wrapping costs €3.90, once for the whole order.
Is there an invoice in the package?
Yes. The invoice is in the shipping bag, outside the gift paper. If you send the package straight to the recipient, he'll see it when he opens the shipping bag, before he unwraps the gift.
Which size should I choose for a shirt?
The branch shirts are true to size, so take his usual size. Only shirts with “Oversize” in the name are cut wider.
When is shipping free?
We ship free of charge from an order value of €70.
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