Some of the coolest man cave designs I’ve seen on the web or in person usually have some military theme to it. After doing some research online, I didn’t come across a whole lot of ideas that really impressed me that much. Most of the ideas were from Pinterest but didn’t actually have links to the products themselves. While it’s cool to get inspirational ideas from it, I still wanted to be able to put together an article filled with all types of military-style decor items.
It’s easy to find specific websites that have a ton of antique items that fit the theme of this type of man cave but are insanely expensive or unnecessary. I left some links below to a couple of these sites that interested me the most. For the most part, Amazon and Etsy were the best places to find them, but I did all the research for you this time!
The goal of this article is to at least point you in the right direction for quality things to put in the cave. I didn’t go for cheap plastic material style ones, as these are items I will likely purchase in the future for my set up. As always, if you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or reach out at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond!
Table of Contents
- Handhelds
- Wall Art
- Tabletop Decor
- Ancient Warrior Themes
- Gift Ideas for Yourself
- Other Good Sites
Handhelds
Engraved 50 Cal Bottle Openers
Hopefully I’ll stay in contact with my good friends all the way up until I get a home bar and get custom bottle openers for each of them. If you have close friends or even family that routinely come over, these would make a perfect gift. They also would keep your friends accountable for their opener if they have a tendency to lose your stuff a lot.
These ones are crafted from actual U.S military .50 cal rounds which I think is pretty neat. The shop provides excellent service and you can customize names or phrases onto these things however you fashion it.
Tactical Beverage Cooler
A standard, field line beverage cooler that does exactly what you think it does. When you have another party with a bunch of military members, be sure to issue these out at the start of the party. You can use these for hot and cold drinks and it will fit around almost any drink since the shoulders are adjustable.
It may take a little bit of finagling to get the right shape for beer cans or wine bottles, but it’s totally doable as noted by a lot of reviewers. It’s extremely cheap so it’s worth getting more than one. If you’re in need of a cozie, might as well put a military theme on it.
Classic Shot…Shot Glass
If you’ve been browsing the web for products like this before arriving here, I’m sure you’ve come across this by now. To me, it seems weird to have a full sized glass with a bullet sticking out of it so I went with the shot glass. It’s a unique design that’s just a little bit more exotic than a shot glass but also not too much.
It’s even made with a real .308 bullet!
Wall Art
Multi Panel Modern Soldiers
A six-piece multi-panel of a silhouette of soldiers (or Marines), how much cooler does that get? It goes for about $40 on Etsy but you can choose from a wide variety of frame sizes. Shipping can take up to 7 – 14 days but well worth the wait if you’re not in a rush for a gift.
The frame is moisture proof and made from a wooden backboard. The material itself is a standard Framed canvas. You can alter the price of this by choosing how many pieces you want it to come in.
Rustic American Flag Multi Panel
A handmade, rustic American flag multipanel similar to the one above. It’s also made from a natural cotton canvas but with a pine wood frame. A different shop constructs this product but they ship faster (3-5 business days) compared to the one above. It’s a little more expensive than the one above ($60) but it comes down to preference.
Measure your wall before ordering since you can also get this one in a custom amount of panels. If you follow the link from either of these products you’ll come across a lot of similar products/designs to these ones if these don’t catch your eye.
Navy Pilot Wings Award Case
If there are any Naval aviators out there that wouldn’t think this was neat, be sure to call me out on it. I was surprised to see that this costs around $480 but this is also a fully customizable order. You can choose between maple, cherry, walnut, mahogany, and an oak wood cut (you’re also able to choose what color stain you want the wood to be). You can message this provider to even get more detailed customizations done.
Climbing Army Men
My family has a couple of these guys hanging off the side of our wall. They’re a bit heavy but they also stand out when it comes to wall decor. These ones are 43 inches high. The black, metallic design makes it easy to place these next to other furniture and they won’t look out of place.
You just need a standard nail to hang them from the wall and you’re good to go. I definitely agree that the more of these you buy, the better they look.
Tabletop / Decor
Most of these items would fit well on a desk, a coffee table, or a bar counter.
Kneeling Warrior
This measures 5.5 x 3.75 x 6 inches which would be perfect for a desk or on a counter next to a DIY bar. It’s handpainted, lightweight (1.7 pounds) but still durable. No one really had anything negative to say about this product.
Pacific Giftware on Amazon has a bunch of other designs with a military theme if you’re looking for something slightly different. They have everything from dragon designs to ancient Greek warrior antiques of similar size and quality.
Gun Lamp
I had this one in a different article that was under general man cave decor but it’s worth putting in this section as well. If you need some extra lighting in your set up and want an old Western theme, this is the way to go. It goes for about $60 which I think is a fairly decent price for a lamp. It looks surprisingly realistic and you can tell that it’s not made from a cheap plastic material that won’t last.
The lamp is made from a fabric shade (with a sweet looking engraving of horsemen) and measures 19 x 10 x 7. It turns on using a spinning switch that is centered on the power cord itself.
Marine Corps Pub Table
Pub tables are generally around $200 but this one goes for $359. That’s a lot more expensive but the cost comes from the chrome finished plastic banding that the emblem is created on. You’re probably also paying for the “brand” itself but rest assured the quality will be up to par with any other pub table.
It’s 100% scratch resistant and coated with some UV protection if for some reason you want to move it outside for an event. Overall, it’s a great, sturdy table. I haven’t seen a pub table that comes with the other branches, but I’ll leave a link at the end of this article to a site that does specialty designs for the armed forces.
Armed Services Bar Stool
If you would rather not steal these from the galley, you can get these stools on Amazon for $140. The Marine Corps has the same model stool and the other armed services have respective stools in the “related products” section. The USN and USMC model stools have the swivel feature and the triple plated chrome finish should keep it from squeaking.
Military Slate Coasters
If it’s not obvious by now, I’m a little biased towards the USMC. I love the design of these coasters. The slate design has a rustic look that I think could easily fit the theme of any man cave. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find the same set of coasters for other branches of the military BUT I was able to find a site that does custom coaster designs.
The only thing that sucks is that you have to order at least a 100! I included the link (non-sponsored) just in case you have a situation in which you would need that much. Until Amazon puts up slate coasters for other branches, you might just have to join the USMC in the meantime.
Ancient Warrior Themes
I included this section since it will appeal to anyone who’s big on embracing the warrior ethos. Even if you have a modern man cave, a lot of these items would look awesome with pretty much any setup. Some of them look like they would strictly be antiques, but I can see them fitting in with a lot of people’s designs. Some products will be from sites other than Amazon, but they are all reputable and have a way to contact them if you need customer service.
Achilles Greek Hero
A very detailed and high-quality Greek hero. It weighs about 1.6 pounds and is approximately 9 inches tall. Almost everyone agrees this is a solid piece that’s well crafted. It comes exactly as it looks and is made from the same Bronze material as the other Greek statue.
I find pieces like this to be inspiring to some extent. It’s a great depiction of warriors from ancient time that reminds us to always embrace the warrior ethos. This one goes for $55 on Amazon.
Leonidas Helmet
A near perfect replica of the helmet of one of the finest warriors. It’s made from a plated antique brass (18 gauge steel) and black horse hair. It’s even fully wearable! The helmet doesn’t come with the stand so if you have another idea for displaying it that would work too.
I thought an antique like this would be a lot heavier but it’s actually under 4lbs. You can get it for around $100 on Amazon. Even
Suit of Armor Display
I would say this one is for the most ancient warrior enthusiasts. I’ve never been to a house that has a full suit of armor on display, but I’ve seen some pretty sweet images online and this provider only had 11 left in stock when I checked on it. The shipping on this will take a little bit longer than 3-5 business days (I think it has to ship from overseas).
It’s made of 18 gauge solid steel and you can even create a custom size order if you don’t want the default dimensions of it. They sell a lot of items very similar to this. The person who left a review of this specific one was extremely satisfied with the quality and customer service. This suit could easily be the most stunning item on display.
*NauticalMart (non-sponsored link) is a site that sells anything to do with medieval replicas, armor collections, and antiques. A lot of their products aren’t on Amazon but they do have quite a presence on there too. Check out their original site if you want to browse more of their extraordinary collection. *
Gift Ideas or for Yourself
A lot of these items would already make some great gifts but this section is just a little bit more on the budget scale. If the only thing you know about the person is that they like guns and like the military, these items would most likely be a universal fit.
Holographic Gun Light
This thing could very well be the last touch you need if your cave is more on the retro side or if you just like Call of Duty. I’m sure lots of military members are going to skip over this one but I threw it in because ever set up is unique and can be accommodated by different themes.
Speaking from personal experience, these lights work the best when a plastic material is kept dust-free. It also makes a neat, ambient light
A lot of these products would already make some great gifts. I put this section in here for anyone that is potentially browsing for someone. Take a look below if that applies to you.
Military style clock
I wouldn’t say there is anything extremely special about this one other than the fact that it looks like a bigger version of a G-Shock (and tells 24 hour time). Take a look at the link if you’re in need of a clock. You can get ones that have a “Go Army” background on them but the design of them looked a little corny.
It’s durable, scratch resistant, and has the same, long battery life as other analog clocks.
Roman Soldier Antique
Any Greek warrior fans will find this to be a perfect tabletop decoration. It’s about the same height that a school textbook would be and is made from a cold cast bronze metal. If you ended up going to Italy recently and didn’t have time to get a souvenir, it wouldn’t be too late to pick up one of these for your den. Most reviews say that it’s a little bit taller in height than they imagined. I imagine it wouldn’t be best to shove it in between the space on a bookshelf unless it’s well spaced out.
Ultimately, I think it’s one of the coolest depictions of a Roman legion that display intricate detail and it’s for a fairly reasonable $65.
Challenge Coin Display Case
Of all the items in this list, I would imagine this one would be the most suitable for the man cave of someone who had a long military career (or is still in service). What better way to display years of collection throughout different commands than to have a dedicated display case. It’s lockable and the cover is completely glass. Obviously the challenge coins aren’t included.
I’ve seen quite a few of these display cases that go for a couple hundred dollars. I’m not convinced it’s necessary to have an expensive display case when the challenge coins speak for themselves. That’s why I picked this $40 display case but you can get tons of variations in the related sections.
Gun Cylinder Pen Holder
This could easily be the simplest way to say a lot about yourself. If your cave includes a desk of any kind, why not make a pen holder out of a cylinder? If anyone has already tried this with an actual revolver cylinder let me know. I’m not sure if the shape of an actual revolver would suffice but for $17 this one seems like it would be suitable for anyone who likes to be reminded of shooting.
Other Good Sites
While I was looking for military man cave products, I came across some sites that have some unique and dedicated products just for the armed services. A lot of them have a strong presence on Amazon which is why I just linked to their section within the site. If you want to see more of the products that they have, most of them also have an original website under the same name.
Verones
This site is great if you want to browse a larger collection of ancient warrior figures. A lot of them are models of Greek gods or famous mythical figures (Medusa, Celtic goddess, underworld theme). Most of their prices range from $30 – $70. They even have cups and some modern figures of soldiers. Their items are just as good as unique items you would find at a street Bazaar in a big city.
Mancave Collection
If you were looking for a specific armed service branch for stools or pub tables but didn’t find one on Amazon, this site will likely have it. They have a bunch of other sections for themes like “gamers caves, hunting, sports, etc.” This was the first website that actually had products geared towards such a wide variety of themes. You can literally find products related to all themes of man caves here. Be sure to check out their retro collection where you can purchase gumball machines and more!
Wayfair
This is another site that focuses on selling “ancient warrior” related content. This would include things like wall art, shields, mirrors, and armor suit sets. You can buy antique swords, chainmail armor, and shields. Some of their products you can actually wear but I think they would look better on display. They have products for almost any price range whether you want authentic looking antiques or need some cheap items for a themed party.
Conclusion
I honestly didn’t come across much on the web that had written articles on military man cave designs. The sites above are a great starting place since they have a lot of common man cave items just with a military theme. I’ve noticed that a lot of themes you see on the web are primarily a DIY endeavor. I don’t have much experience with projects of that caliber which is why I haven’t posted anything related to that. If anyone has come across some interesting DIY projects related to this theme I would be really interested to see that.
A final thought on mancave decor
There’s a ton of different themes that can express someone’s personality in a room. I think the reason a lot of people don’t create the kind of steller rooms you see on the web is not that it’s too expensive, but because people don’t actually dedicate a theme to their room. Obviously, it’s not for everyone but it’s easy to do over time if you know you won’t be moving anytime soon. After doing a lot of this research and trying to create an awesome space in my family’s house, I’ve found that the most expensive products are the core of the home theater/game room. The decor part can take care of itself if you do some research to find unique items.
Even one of these items or design ideas would be enough to speak about your interest/service in the armed forces. Again, if you have any questions or comments feel free to reach out at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond! If you’re looking for similar content check out another related article I wrote specifically for outdoors and more general ideas. Thanks for reading!