The Cairn box is one of the best outdoor gear subscription boxes on the market. Below, we review the service, go over the features, and help you decide whether or not you want to subscribe.
The short answer: yes, for a little while.
For the long answer, a full description of Carin's services, and our review of sample boxes, read below.
Update: Cairn, once a popular outdoor gear subscription box, was acquired by Outside in 2021 and rebranded as the Outside Discovery Collection. However, the rebranded service was short-lived and quietly discontinued by mid-2022, leaving many outdoor enthusiasts without a reliable gear subscription option.
If you're looking for a modern alternative, we recommend checking out Nomadik Subscription Boxes. Nomadik delivers curated, high-quality gear for all types of adventurers, with flexible subscription options, a commitment to sustainability, and a strong track record of delivering value-packed boxes that keep you inspired to explore.
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Cairn Outdoor Gear Subscription Box Review
Cairn sent us two months of Original Boxes to get a sense of the service, and we have tracked the company for the last two years to see how they perform and what the outdoor community thinks. Overall, people are happy.
There's nothing quite like receiving a small box of mystery outdoor goodies once a month. It brightens the stoop, reminds you to get outside, and scratches that gear junkie itch most of us have.
What's in the Original Box
Cairn breaks down their included gear into 5 categories: Gear, Apparel, Food/Energy, Skin Care, and Emergency/Medical. These categories fit for outdoor gear, but do not expect to receive all five categories in a single box.
Of the two boxes we received, one had four items, the other had three. The number of items depends on the relative cost of each item in a box.
What We Received
In our first box, we received:
- Gobi Gear 20L SegSac: An awesome subdivided stuff sack that helps organize your packing. Excellent for non-minimal backpacking.
- HumanGear Gobites Duo: One of the better spoon/fork tools on the market. Compact, light, and durable. We'll be using this.
- FixnZip Zipper Repair Kit: Great to have around, but only something you'll need when you need it. If you don't have a broken zipper now, it'll sit in storage. Also, most outdoor brands fix broken zippers as part of the warranty, so not 100% useful.
- Gomacro Macrobar: Organic, vegan, non-GMO, and delicious. A bar will get eaten, and a clean-foods, raw bar will get eaten first.
In our second box, we received:
- Packtowl Luxe Towel: The largest quick-drying towel Packtowl offers. Comfy, excellent for travel, but too large for backpacking. Makes the perfect travel and camping towel.
- Tyny Tools Key Clips: Two simple clips that can be used as bungees, tie-offs, or to hold most items. While we find them interesting, it's more of a “cool, how should I use this?” item than a “yes, I'll use this!” item.
- Viter Energy Mints: Caffeine-laced breath mints. Kind of odd, but can clutch for those who want good breath and a boost of energy in the woods.
From the above items, there are some deductions we can make:
There's usually one or two “large” items, a small handy item, and a food or supplement. This diversifies each box. Every box will likely come with a clutch item, like the Packtowl, something you've been eyeing, or would have bought if you were treating yourself. This item really makes it worth it, and the other items might be perfect for you, or you might regift them to a friend.
The brands are interesting. Cairn does an excellent job of fostering strong relationships with brands large and small, and it makes for an interesting mix. Packtowl is well-known, Gobi Gear less so, but both items were awesome.
The boxes are themed. Each box will vary in its theme, but Cairn does its best to match items to work together. Our first box was more of a backpacking box, the second more of a camping/river trip box. This means you'll have gear for every activity. (If you're an Obsidian subscriber, you will get custom-tailored boxes to your interests.)
You probably would not buy these for yourself. The beauty of Cairn is that it gives you permission to use and explore new products you would never have found or bought for yourself. If I needed a micro-fiber towel, I probably never would have gotten the largest, most expensive PackTowl. But, hey, it's in the box. Will our staff use it? Of course.
Some items are great, some are just OK. This will vary for every person and their interests, but we found the majority of the items in these boxes to be excellent, surprising products. We also thought some of them weren't that useful, or that we'd have to go out of our way to find a use for them.
Thoughtful Touches. Cairn also includes a small newsletter in each box, wrapping paper, and the box itself has some charm. These go a long way towards customer satisfaction and anticipation. The newsletter in particular provides a bit of info on the gear, discounts to other brands, and alerts for other opportunities as a Cairn community member.
Cairn's Platform
Cairn's boxes of gear are the cornerstone of their platform, but as the company has grown, they have launched other interesting initiatives as well.
Subscription Boxes
Cairn currently offers two subscription platforms:
The Original Box: A monthly box with up to $50 in gear, costing roughly $28 per month (depending on how many you pay for in advance). This is what we received and reviewed above, and what most people are familiar with.
The Obsidian Quarterly Box: A quarterly box (4 times per year) with $300+ in gear, costing roughly $250 per quarter. This is a much more costly option but includes much more costly gear. Sleeping bags, backpacks, solar chargers, sleeping pads, and down puffy coats have all been seen in the Obsidian box. The Obsidian box is also tailored to your specific interests, so you are sure to end up with items you'll enjoy. Cairn does this through a profile survey, which asks questions to help determine your unique package.
Cairn Rewards and Reviews
Cairn is all about giving perks to its subscribers. Once you subscribe, Cairn lets you leave reviews of the boxes it sends, and each penned review equates to points. Get enough points, and get a free box. This sort of system keeps you linked to the brand, and encourages people to use and comment on the products they receive.
Monthly Adventure Upgrades
By being a Cairn subscriber, you are automatically entered into the company's Monthly Adventure Upgrades program. This is a chance to win new, exciting gear from some excellent brands. It's a bit like being perpetually subscribed to a monthly gear giveaway, and the prizes are really good.
Should You Subscribe to a Cairn Box?
This is the real question. In our opinion, yes, the Original Box is worth trying. Even if you're a dedicated gearhead with tons of gear, there are cool items and brands that show up in these boxes you would have never known about, and because the items are relatively small, they make excellent gifts if you can't use them.
But where Cairn really shines is for outdoor lovers who don't have an entire garage full of gear. Subscribing to the Monthly Box will build up a collection of cool gear to try out; subscribing to the Obsidian Box, even for a single quarter, will provide you with excellent gear without the hassle of researching and shopping yourself.
The quality of gear in either subscription is top-notch.
Finally, if you have an outdoor lover in your life, consider the gift of Cairn. Nobody will refuse a few months of outdoor gear delivered to their doorstep.
All that said, if you're a discerning, research-based shopper, Cairn's platform may be too much of a broad stroke for you. After all, you can't pick what you receive, and it does cost money you could spend on campsites or very specific gear you know you want.
As we mentioned above, the Cairn outdoor gear subscription boxes are sadly no more, but thankfully, there are still plenty of great subscription boxes to choose from. Personally, we highly recommend the Nomadik subscription boxes as a great alternative.
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