In the fall, I discovered that I really love hiking. I love subscription boxes, so I was curious if there were any hiking subscription boxes out there since subscription boxes can be a great way to try new items affordably. I stumbled upon Cairn and ordered their welcome box to give it a try!
What came in the box?
My version of the welcome box included:
- A Cotopaxi Luzon 18L Del Día pack ($55 value)
- HumanGear GoBites (a reusable fork, chopstick, and toothpick set) ($14 value)
- Honey Stinger Gluten Free waffles – 1 Salted Caramel and 1 Vanilla Chocolate ($1.40 value each, $2.80 total)
I paid $29.95 all-in, and the box’s overall value was $71.80. If you’re interested in trying a Cairn subscription for yourself, you can use my discount code pgzy7m to save $10 off (and I’ll receive $10 off my next box too!).
My review of the box
This was my first hiking subscription box, so I didn’t quite know what to expect overall. I was drawn to the welcome box due to the bag, and I do really love it. It is a drawstring style bag with a front zipper pocket, and an inner pocket designed for a water bottle but that can be used for many things, It’s made of repurposed nylon fabric, which I think its cool. The colors are random but mine came in colors I love – they’re so bright and fun. The shoulder straps seem really sturdy. It will be a good day pack if we go on a longer day hike – like our upcoming trip to South Dakota.
Verdict: 5/5 for this item.
Personally, I could take or leave the travel utensils. I appreciate that they’re lightweight and have their own container, so they would be good to throw in and bring with if we ever venture into overnight hiking trips. If you’re a hardcore hiker, I think you’d like these more and they do seem good quality. For now, I wouldn’t really use them though.
Verdict: 3.5/5 stars on the GoBites.
Last – the Honey Stinger Gluten Free waffles. I do like a good stroop waffle so I was excited to have these in the box. Both the salted caramel and vanilla chocolate flavors tasted really great. I ate them each for breakfast with my coffee and on taste alone, I’d definitely buy these again. For a hiking snack though, these don’t really do it for me. They have 10g of sugar and only 1g of protein. I was hungry again about an hour after I ate them, so these wouldn’t cut it on the trail at all.
Verdict: 5/5 on the taste, 2/5 on the “use as a good hiking snack.”
Overall thoughts
I’d land on about a 4/5 for this box. All the items seem good quality and useful. If you’re interested in trying a box for yourself, don’t forget to use my discount code pgzy7m to save $10 off (and I’ll receive $10 off my next box too!).
I am letting my subscription renew, so we’ll see what I get next month – I am excited. I have another hiking subscription box coming from Nomadik as well, which I’ll review here after it arrives!