Culture Carton is a monthly lifestyle box for men. Each month you’ll receive 3-5 curated lifestyle items and a book they think "every man should read" selected to enhance your gentlemanly status. They have three subscription options:
- Standard - Lifestyle items and a book for $45/month + shipping
- Essential - Just the lifestyle items for $35/month + shipping
- Book Club - One book sent monthly for $16/month + shipping
This is a review of the Standard Culture Carton for $45/month + shipping.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About this Men's Lifestyle Subscription
The Subscription Box: Culture Carton
The Cost: $45 a month + shipping. Other options available.
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
The Products: A curated selection of 3-5 men’s lifestyle items and a book “that belongs on every man’s bookshelf.”
Ships to: The US for a varied cost.
Culture Carton 'McCarthy' Review - March 2020
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Culture Carton comes with a card that announces the theme (McCarthy, the author of this month's book) along with a list of the items inside and their values. There's also a code to get 40% off their whole shop. The second is a welcome card that explains how Apollo is the inspiration for this subscription since he was essentially thought to be "the god of culture."
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No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy - Retail Value $16.00 (found here for $10.39)
When I showed this book to Kurt, he let me know that he already has it but that he regards it as an excellent read. That means I'll be stealing this from him (the second month in a row). As with last month's book offering, I love the movie that was made of this book, so I'm sure to adore the original story that inspired it. As one would assume, Kurt said that the book goes into a lot more detail and character development. I'm excited to get into this one!
From Amazon:
In his blistering new novel, Cormac McCarthy returns to the Texas-Mexico border, setting of his famed Border Trilogy. The time is our own, when rustlers have given way to drug-runners and small towns have become free-fire zones. One day, a good old boy named Llewellyn Moss finds a pickup truck surrounded by a bodyguard of dead men. A load of heroin and two million dollars in cash are still in the back. When Moss takes the money, he sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic violence that not even the law–in the person of aging, disillusioned Sheriff Bell–can contain. As Moss tries to evade his pursuers–in particular a mysterious mastermind who flips coins for human lives–McCarthy simultaneously strips down the American crime novel and broadens its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloodily contemporary as this morning’s headlines. No Country for Old Men is a triumph.
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Veganwear Duffle Bag - Listed Value $90.00
I wouldn't normally go for faux leather but this is a nice looking bag and quite roomy! Although Kurt recently got a canvas weekender bag, this one looks very sleek in all black and has a bit of a classier look. There's a crossbody strap to keep hands free, two sturdy handles, and a zipper closure. In addition, it has a flap that has the brand's logo with a snap that secures the two sides together along with the zipper. Inside, there are more ways to organize with a zippered pocket on one side and two pockets on the other. At first, Kurt wasn't sure he needed another bag but after holding on to it for a few days he grew to like the idea of having a different style than his canvas bag for overnight or weekend trips. This one certainly has a less casual look and I think gives a bit more of a high-end aesthetic to travel.
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Soft Landing Brand Notebook - Listed Value $20.00
Just the other day, Kurt was making a mental grocery list and said he wished he had a notebook to write things down in. I gestured to this notebook on his kitchen counter and he replied, "I want to save that for something nice though!" Agreed, this notebook is little too classy for a silly ol' grocery list but I sympathize with having nice things like this that don't get used for fear of "saving it." A stately black cover with 160 lined pages make up this journal as well as an attached cloth bookmark to keep your place. In addition, it has an elastic loop that is perfect for holding the included pen so you're never without one.
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Soft Landing Brand Rose Gold Pen - Listed Value $10.00
The rose gold pen that accompanies the notebook (both from the same brand) has a very nice weight to it. It has a cloth sleeve to keep its metallic body scratch-free if you decide no to keep it in the elastic loop of the notebook. Kurt isn't as much of a pen nerd as I am but when he tested it out he exclaimed, "Whoa! This is a nice pen!" I concur. It glides smoothly across any paper surface and looks handsome while doing it. I'm sure Kurt will be using this at his desk to jot down notes while working from home.
The Verdict: Culture Carton has once again sent some very gentlemanly items that Kurt may not have picked up on his own but finds useful now that he has them. This month also included a favorite book of his that I'll be stealing since he already has a copy. That just shows that this box is still right up Kurt's alley. The four items this month have a total retail value of $136 which is about 3x the box cost.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, if you order by the 15th, you'll receive the April box as your first.
Orders placed before the 15th of the month will be shipped on 15th-17th of the month. All orders placed after the 15th will ship the following month.
ACTIVE DEAL: Free shipping on all orders over $100
CODE: FREESHIPPING
Value Breakdown: The box costs $53.27 ($45.00 + $8.27 shipping to Pittsburgh). Here's what you're paying for each item:
- Book: $6.27
- Bag: $35.25
- Notebook: $7.83
- Pen: $3.92
Check out all of our Culture Carton reviews and see what the best men's subscription boxes of 2020 are, as voted on by our readers!
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What do you like most about this month's Culture Carton?
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