Stop shopping for a category and start shopping for a friction. Dad is not hard to please, he is out of room, so a day out solves the problem an object creates.
"Don’t get me anything" is almost never a request to be obeyed. It usually means one of three things: he has enough objects, he does not want you spending money on him, or he cannot think of anything and would rather not be asked again.
Each of those has a different answer, and only one of them is solved by buying harder.
Stop shopping for a category and start shopping for a friction
The gifts that land for a dad who has everything are almost always the ones that fix something he has quietly put up with for years. The barbecue grate that has been rusting since 2019. The tape measure that will not stand out far enough to measure a ceiling alone. The torch he keeps replacing with his phone.
None of these are things he would buy. They sit just below the threshold of being annoying enough to act on, which is precisely what makes them good gifts. Somebody else noticed.
Consumables beat objects when you don’t know Dad’s gear
If you cannot picture the inside of his shed, do not buy something that has to match it. Buy something that gets used up.
Good hardwood smoking chunks work in every smoker ever made. A rub works on whatever he cooks. Charcoal fits any kettle. These are impossible to duplicate and impossible to get wrong, which is a rare combination.
Or give dad a day instead of a thing
For the dad with no space left, an experience solves the storage problem entirely. It also gives him something to look forward to, which an object does not.
One caution, and it matters: check the restrictions before you buy a specific activity. Race drives and jet boats carry height, weight, licence and health limits, and a voucher he cannot use is worse than no gift at all. An open-value voucher he redeems himself sidesteps this completely.
