For those of you avid hikers, you likely already know that a “cairn” is a man-made pile of rocks to help guide you along a trail. It derives from the Scottish Gaelic word càrn.
The subscription box company Cairn wants to act as a “trail marker” for us outdoors enthusiasts, enabling us to try out cool items and motivate us to get outdoors more.
How Does Cairn Work?
For a $25 monthly subscription fee, you receive a box of 4-5 items with a total value between $35-40. You can also purchase a gift subscription – holiday gift idea anyone?!
Hiking Lady’s Review of a Sample Cairn Box
I received my sample Cairn box, and inside were the following items:
I hadn’t tried any of these products before, so it was a fun way to get introduced to new snacks, a DEET free bug spray, and the Klymit Pillow X!
Is A Cairn Subscription a Good Value?
The total retail value of the items in the box was $43.50. Since the monthly subscription is $25, including shipping, if you aren’t interesting in looking for sales and coupons, then this is absolutely a great deal!
I decided to check the retail prices online and see if I could easily find some of these items on sale. Since we are in the midst of holiday season, some of the discounts I found may be unreasonably low, but for you sale sleuths out there, you’ll find this interesting.
| Item: | Retail Price of Item: | Online Discounted Prices Found: |
|---|---|---|
| Klymit Pillow X | $30 | Available at CampSaver (in the same Burgundy color as in the Cairn box) for $10.83 + tax + shipping.
(If this were the only item you purchased at CampSaver and did not hit their $50 free shipping threshold, you’d have to pay $7.95 shipping.)
|
| Sierra Sage Bugs Be Gone, 1 FL OZ | $8 | I was not able to find the 1 ounce version sold separately (usually they are in a pack with other items from Sierra Sage). The 4.5 ounce bottle is available on Amazon for $18.89 with free shipping. |
| Munk Pack Blueberry Acai Flax Oatmeal | $2.50 | Campsaver has them available for $2.50 each. |
| Mountain House Neapolitan Ice Cream | $3 | Amazon has it available for $2.54 + shipping (free shipping on orders over $35). |
Bottom line is that it would be difficult to replicate this particular box for a lower price, unless you bought in bulk, which presumably Cairn does.
Conclusion: Yay or Nay to the Cairn Box?
I think that the Cairn box subscription is a fun service for people wanting to try new outdoor related items, and it is a good gift idea. You pay a little for convenience, but you get to try out products that you might not otherwise have ever considered.
Happy trails!