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BuckFlicks
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03/31/2017 03:37PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Cairn box subscription thingy

Anyone subscribe to this? If so, do you find it worth your money? It looks like the only sub box I'd actually subscribe to. I used to subscribe to Nature Box, but it wound up costing way more than I ordinarily spent on snacks, and didn't have any better stuff than I could get at Whole Foods or Central Market or Market Street.

 
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03/31/2017 05:30PM  
I've been subscribing to it for a few months now. So far I like it. The gear is always worth more than the subscription fee. There are usually about 4 items, one of them being some sort of snack. I suggest looking on you tube. There are a bunch of videos on there of people opening their boxes. You can go back several months to see what has been in them. Sometimes you'll get something that you may not have a use for. The latest box had a hydration bladder as the big item. At first I figured I would have no use for that. Then I realized I can put wine in it for my next BW trip! I subscribe month to month so I can unsubscribe any time. I really like it because it has introduced me to brands that I have never heard of before. One of the coolest ones was a SegSac from GobiGear. It's a cool stuff sac with separate compartments. Look up the December 2016 unboxing on YouTube. That was a cool box!
 
04/01/2017 07:59AM  
quote BuckFlicks: " Cairn box subscription thingy
I could get at Whole Foods or Central Market or Market Street.
"


Must be from Texas? lol I don't think they have Central Market anywhere else?
 
Grandma L
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04/01/2017 10:16AM  
Well, for the $25 a month - by August I would have the $100 I need for an ENO underquilt.
Not sure about this - seems a little like gambling or a box of Chocolates. You never know what you will get?
 
04/02/2017 04:18PM  
quote Grandma L: "Well, for the $25 a month - by August I would have the $100 I need for an ENO underquilt.
Not sure about this - seems a little like gambling or a box of Chocolates. You never know what you will get?"


I love the mystery of not knowing what the next box will be. And $25/month, well, some spend more than that per month at Starbucks or the local watering hole. I just like looking forward to a new box of goodies each month.
 
jeepgirl
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04/03/2017 06:01AM  
I just ordered a 6 month subscription. I figured that if I don't like any of the items in the box, I will just keep those items for stocking stuffers.
 
BuckFlicks
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04/03/2017 04:10PM  
quote jeepgirl: "I just ordered a 6 month subscription. I figured that if I don't like any of the items in the box, I will just keep those items for stocking stuffers. "


I did the same. It seems like the few boxes I went back and looked at all had at least one thing I would consider using. I really liked the solar charger in the last box.

I was particularly interested in the more expensive quarterly box, but at $200 per box, that was way more than I was willing to spend on gear that I may or may not use, or that may or may not fit. Their clothing sizes only went up to 2X, which is 1X too small for me... but the sleeping bag in the current box looked pretty nice.

But I'll for sure be watching all the unboxing videos of the big box from now on to see what I might want to get on its own.

I kind of like the idea of a Woot-style bag of random crap every month, except it's not crap.

 
BuckFlicks
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04/03/2017 04:14PM  
quote Oisinirish: "
quote BuckFlicks: " Cairn box subscription thingy
I could get at Whole Foods or Central Market or Market Street.
"



Must be from Texas? lol I don't think they have Central Market anywhere else?"


Indeed! Born in El Paso, Raised in Fort Worth, went to college in Austin, and now live in Collin Co outside of Dallas.
 
jeepgirl
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04/10/2017 12:22PM  
I received my first box last week. I got a 2 liter reservoir from Mazama, purifier drops from Purinize, lemon lime chews from Saltstick, and a mango coconut nutritional pouch from Noka. So far so good. I think its worth the money.
 
BuckFlicks
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04/10/2017 02:09PM  
quote jeepgirl: "I received my first box last week. I got a 2 liter reservoir from Mazama, purifier drops from Purinize, lemon lime chews from Saltstick, and a mango coconut nutritional pouch from Noka. So far so good. I think its worth the money. "


I like the reservoir - the handle and the brace design will make it easier to get it in and out of sleeves.

The drops are a neat idea, but seem like something I wouldn't use. I like the chews - I'm always looking for something to replace electrolytes. I found some tablets one time that you dropped into your hydration bladder that made the water slightly bubbly, and were supposed to "clean" the reservoir, all while replacing electrolytes. The water tasted really good and the bubbles were nice, but they didn't have enough electrolytes. I still had to eat a pack of sport beans when we got to camp after hiking up to the Chicago Basin in Colorado from the Durango/Silverton train stop because I cramped up so badly I was virtually paralyzed from the waist down.

A little too focused on the food and water aspect for me in this box, but I will use the bladder for sure.
 
04/10/2017 05:00PM  
We do the Barkbox, and love it. Its always so fun to see what kind of dog treats we're going to get, and new toys for the pups. I imagine this would be similar but with camping/backcountry gear.

Looks neat!

My husband also found this: BattlBox
 
FLATLINER
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04/10/2017 07:36PM  
quote Grandma L: "Well, for the $25 a month - by August I would have the $100 I need for an ENO underquilt.
Not sure about this - seems a little like gambling or a box of Chocolates. You never know what you will get?"


At the risk of being a Hammock Snob, check out Arrowhead equipment. They have a sale once or twice or a year on synthetic quilts where you can buy one for around $75. Far superior quilt in my not so humble opinion. My buddies son uses one.

Personally, I back pack enough that I went with down but then you have to look at skipping the box a lot longer ;-)
 
04/11/2017 07:36PM  
quote Goldenbadger: "I've been subscribing to it for a few months now. So far I like it. The gear is always worth more than the subscription fee. There are usually about 4 items, one of them being some sort of snack. I suggest looking on you tube. There are a bunch of videos on there of people opening their boxes. You can go back several months to see what has been in them. Sometimes you'll get something that you may not have a use for. The latest box had a hydration bladder as the big item. At first I figured I would have no use for that. Then I realized I can put wine in it for my next BW trip! I subscribe month to month so I can unsubscribe any time. I really like it because it has introduced me to brands that I have never heard of before. One of the coolest ones was a SegSac from GobiGear. It's a cool stuff sac with separate compartments. Look up the December 2016 unboxing on YouTube. That was a cool box!"


Just signed up for the Carin box. Excited!
 
BuckFlicks
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04/19/2017 02:42PM  
I got another Cairn box yesterday, but not the April box... I received the October box. This is something that magazines do that pisses me the hell off... they throw in old issues after you start a subscription hoping you won't notice and then they cut off your sub a month early.

In this case, I don't terribly mind as it has some fairly useful items in it:

#1) Fozzil Solo Pack
3 piece plastic set with a cup, a bowl, and a "dish" that are flexible, snap together and fold flat and only weigh 4 oz total. Seems pretty useful, but not totally my thing. It looks kind of difficult to drink out of the cup. The bowl might be the most useful to me - for oatmeal in the mornings, ramen at lunch. I do like the dish, too - it's got high sides, which will keep hot dogs from rolling off the plate. I might actually take this to work for pot lucks and such.

#2) Jimmy bar nut- and gluten-free bar. I didn't care for it. It's similar in concept to Lara Bar's Apple Pie offering, but doesn't taste as good. Also, I'm not sure what it was, but there was a hard bit in it that seemed like a almond or pecan shell that nearly chipped my toof. I won't buy any of those.

#3) Some Swedish brand cutting board/strainer combo
Not sure how much I'd use this as I don't do just a lot of fresh food prep in the outdoors, but I see its utility. The strainer would definitely be of more use than the cutting board, but I know many of you would like it.

#4) Gearline gear organizer
This was my favorite of the bunch - I'm a sucker for anything that will help organize gear, especially in the tent. I love the gear loft and hanging pouches. I have a little clippy thing with a Nalgene-sized sleeve to hang my water bottle from in the tent. This little gadget will definitely be used.
 
Northwoodsman
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04/19/2017 05:29PM  
I may be stingy but if you were to walk into your local outdoors store, and see a box with everything that you received in the 12 month subscription, would you hand the person behind the counter $300 cash. Or would you rather use it for a new tent, or a down sleeping bag, a nice hammock system, a couple of new air mattresses, some nice CCS packs, a new CCS tarp AND a new camp stove...
 
BuckFlicks
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04/20/2017 11:27AM  
quote Northwoodsman: "I may be stingy but if you were to walk into your local outdoors store, and see a box with everything that you received in the 12 month subscription, would you hand the person behind the counter $300 cash. Or would you rather use it for a new tent, or a down sleeping bag, a nice hammock system, a couple of new air mattresses, some nice CCS packs, a new CCS tarp AND a new camp stove..."


I don't think you're out of line. I know a lot of people who think like that, and there's nothing wrong with it.

I like the idea of "what will it be this month?" and only did a 6 month subscription for just over $100 to see if I like it or not. Right now, I'm on the fence as to whether I will keep it after that 6 months, but it's fun when the box arrives.

As it is, I don't currently need a new tent or sleeping bag or other high-dollar items... but my accessories inventory is rather aged and I've already gotten 3 items in my 2 boxes that will be going into my regular packing rotation.
 
04/21/2017 05:17PM  
quote Northwoodsman: "I may be stingy but if you were to walk into your local outdoors store, and see a box with everything that you received in the 12 month subscription, would you hand the person behind the counter $300 cash. Or would you rather use it for a new tent, or a down sleeping bag, a nice hammock system, a couple of new air mattresses, some nice CCS packs, a new CCS tarp AND a new camp stove..."


I love the anticipation each month of what the new box will hold. And most of the time there are really cool items in there from companies I've never heard of.
 
Northwoodsman
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04/22/2017 10:57AM  
I didn't clarify or set up my earlier post well. I agree, the surprise would be fun. If you don't have to make a long term commitment for a big price, it certainly makes it enjoyable. I remember as a youth going to auction sales and buying a box of random stuff and uncovering some hidden gems. I wasn't knocking these subscriptions at all. Heck I used to buy the "bag of crap" on Woot.com whenever they had it. I can say that I got the sort end of the stick every time, but it was a game. Maybe if enough members on here subscribe their could be a big "swap meet" at one of the wing nights in the future.

I have been trying to teach my 21 and 22 year kids budgeting and money management. They look at everything at from a "per month" perspective. If you see a car advertised on TV you will never see the full price like we did back in the 70's and 80's. Instead it's only $299 per month! When my kids want something that costs $300 or $400 they decide they can't afford it because of todays' expectations for not having to wait for anything. So they go out and spend $30 on something else to get rid of that temporary urge.
 
BuckFlicks
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04/25/2017 01:44PM  
I can never get to the actual buy page on the Woot bag of crap. Server is always overloaded.



 
jeepgirl
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05/11/2017 12:35PM  
Just got my box and it had a hammock in it! A Serac single hammock with tree straps! Plus a power bar and some repel wipes. Its a good Cairn box this month.
 
05/12/2017 02:35PM  
I think if I was younger (e.g. did not have enough gear to start my company like Cairn) I would enjoy something like this. As it stands, I really do not need, and, surprisingly, do not want any new gear except big items like canoes and paddles.
 
05/12/2017 08:29PM  
quote jeepgirl: "Just got my box and it had a hammock in it! A Serac single hammock with tree straps! Plus a power bar and some repel wipes. Its a good Cairn box this month."


I know! My husband was like, how much do we pay for this?... Super good deal this month!
 
BuckFlicks
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05/15/2017 12:12PM  
Yeah, I was pleasantly surprised. I ate the cliff bar for breakfast on Friday. I usually don't like the "puffed rice" style bars because their carb-to-protein ratio is usually a little higher than I like, but it tasted good and wasn't too sweet.

I don't have trees in my yard, so I can't try it out, but I'm keen to go camping now and try it out.

 
05/15/2017 06:51PM  
Cairn knocked it out of the park with this box. The goodies inside are worth around $70 total. Much higher quality than my current, cheap hammock.
 
jeepgirl
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06/13/2017 12:11PM  
Got the new box. Not bad. A nice thermo cup with 2 lids, water bottle cleaner tabs, and a granola bar. So far in 3 boxes I have liked everything I have received and feel its worth the money. Will subscribe for another 6 months. I like getting new gear in the mail. Besides if I don't want an item, I just put it in the stocking stuffer bag for one of my family members.
 
Lotw
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06/13/2017 05:02PM  
The hammock was a huge hit on last weeks canoe adventure! I will be buying another for sure! That was a great deal! I could save that money for gear I really need or want .....but I'm still
Gonna get that stuff anyway!!!
 
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