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Cairn Outdoor Subscription Box Review + Coupon – May 2019

Christen Russo
ByChristen RussoJun 11, 2019 | 5 comments

cairn review may 2019

Cairn is a monthly subscription box that sends members outdoors, adventure, and fitness gear. Cairn's goal is to enrich your outdoor adventures by connecting you with best-in-class products. 

This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out our review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)

About Cairn

The Subscription Box: Cairn

The Cost: $29.95 per month with discounts for 6- and 12-month subscriptions

Check out our review of the "Hammock Collection" welcome box to see what will be included.

The Products: Outdoor gear, including apparel, nutrition/energy products, skincare, and other essentials to keep you prepared and comfortable on your adventures.

Ships to: US for free, Canada for $5, and internationally for $10

Cairn May 2019 "Feeling Festive" Review

As always, this month's box includes a copy of Cairn Scout, which gives the lowdown on the month's products, subscriber perks, and more. This issue includes a brand feature about Revel Gear, which has a product in this month's box. They also highlight an initiative of theirs called #GetOutForGood, wherein they donate lights to a student in a developing country. The Cairn team also recommends one of their favorite gear discoveries: Turtle Back Trailers.

Revel Gear Trail Hound 30ft Camping Light, Warm White Dimmable - Retail Value $29.99

Revel Gear is one of the brand Cairn spotlighted in Cairn Scout. I am a complete and utter enthusiast of camp lights and never leave for an overnight stay in the outdoors without mine. These warm-white, dimmable lights are much snazzier than the battery-powered ones I own!

First off, the strand of lights is 30 feet long. For those of you who haven't set up camp lights (or other string lights) before, know that those feet get used up quickly. The longer the string, the better—if you don't need the full length of lights, you can just double 'em up for extra twinkle. I'm going camping this weekend and am already starry-eyed imagining how beauteous our site will be!

Here's what the dimmer control panel looks like.

They also have a nice piece of Velcro that helps you neatly wrap, secure, and store the string of lights in an organized fashion. Simple, but thoughtful. Here's the one thing about these lights—they have to be plugged into a power source to work. The wind got taken out of my sails a little bit when I realized that I'll be lost without a battery pack, which is something I don't typically bring with me. Revel Gear sells a really nice solar battery pack that I might have to invest in at some point. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bummed that these lights can't be used without a power source, but in the long run, once I have my hands on a battery pack, they're going to be awesome.

Aunt Fannie's Mosquito Wipes - Retail Value $9.99

So, you know how I said we're going camping this weekend? It'll be our first time camping with our nine-month-old baby. Our gear list has practically doubled, haha! Anyway, we have managed to avoid using sunscreen and bug spray on her so far, but both are going to be very necessary this weekend, so these DEET-free mosquito repellant wipes came at the perfect time!

My husband and I usually do use DEET despite generally opting for natural body products. It hadn't occurred to me that we should reconsider that this summer, given our new baby. I can't wait to see how these wipes work!

Peak Sherpa Energy Bites, Cranberry Pecan - Retail Value $3.00

Yessss to resealable everything! I get so lit up when snack companies use their noggins and realize folks don't always consume snacks in one sitting. In this case, one package does equal a single serving size, but I appreciate that this trail fuel still has a resealable top flap.

The flavor is sweet, but not too strong, and the consistency is very chewy with a puffed-rice-style crunch in there. It's good!

Lasting Smiles Organic Lip Balm, Vanilla Bean — Estimated Value $14.99

This lip balm seems to be in high demand. It's hard to find online. The Lasting Smiles site lists Amazon as a carrier of their product, but Amazon only has one version left in stock that's selling for nearly $15. Dang! One of the Amazon reviews mentioned that Target sells it for $2.99, but I wasn't able to find that price online. I totally get it, though—I swiped some on about ten minutes ago, and my lips are feeling pretty satiny. Plus, vanilla is a great neutral-but-lovely flavor for lip balm. This stuff is nice!

Verdict: This was an especially exciting Cairn box to dig into because of my upcoming camping trip—I knew I'd find some useful gadgets in Cairn! I'm hoping to get my hands on a good battery pack, so I can use the lights while out in nature. The mosquito wipes will for sure be put to use. Honestly, the energy bites and lip balm would be great to bring along, too. I'm really happy with everything I received. 

This box costs $29.95, which includes free shipping, and the contents add up to $57.97 (or $45.97 if you were able to find the lip balm for $2.99 like the one Amazon reviewer mentioned). Either way, great deal, as always!

To Wrap Up: 

Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Based on their subscription model, your items may vary based on your survey responses and boxes you have received in the past. 

Coupon – Use code HAMMOCK to get the Hammock Collection welcome box your first month! Check out our review of the Hammock Collection welcome box to see what will be included.

Value Breakdown: This box cost $29.95 + free US shipping, but I estimate it contained $57.97 worth of product (or $45.97 if the Amazon commenter about the $2.99 lip balm was correct). Here’s what you are paying approximately per item:

  • Camp lights: $15.49
  • Mosquito wipes: $5.16
  • Energy bites: $1.55
  • Lip balm: $7.74

Check out all of our Cairn reviews, and learn more about our readers' favorite fitness boxes.

Keep track of your subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!

What do you think of Cairn this month? Did you get the same items as I did?

Christen Russo
Christen Russo

Hi there, I'm Christen. I am all sorts of things:

🌳 a writer who loves to convey feeling

🌲 a mother who wants to have just as much fun as my kids do

🌳 an outdoors-lover who's achieved #1000hoursoutside with my family

🌲 a low-maintenance self-carer

🌳 a general hungry person with an unstoppable sweet tooth

You'll find me collecting stationery and squirreling away stickers, riding bikes and swimming with my family, creating outfits in colors and silhouettes that make me feel amazing, wearing big earrings, drinking beer and asking my husband to feed me harmonies to sing, taking my vitamins, living for dancing to live music, roping everyone into a craft, being human and vulnerable, and celebrating the phenomenon of being alive.

...and doing it all with energy, delight, and jokes along the way.


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5 comments

Tat

I got excited to see the lights only to be devastated, just devastated, 😁not to be solar powered.

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Christen Russo

Agreed, whyyy oh why are they not solar powered!?!

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Flo

Not loving Cairn lately, maybe because I’ve been a subscriber since near the beginning. One only needs so many camp lights and beverage containers. This whole box feels seriously overpriced. I can get equivilent lights at TJs for 5-10 bucks, organic lip balm for 4 or less. We don’t get mosquitos usually, but maybe the wipes will be handy because I’d never use a whole bottle of repellant for the few camps that do have them.

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Erika

I wish I had gotten this instead of Nomadik 🤔🤔 also, I’m too terrified to take my 6 month old camping with me so maybe I don’t need any of it 😂😂

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Christen Russo

I will say this past weekend’s camping trip went better than we thought. Now that we’re home she’s napped easily in broad daylight with the background noise of us doing our thing in the house with no problem. I hope that aspect of it sticks! It’s tricky to get things done when you have to tiptoe around!

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