View Full Version : Cairn box......is it worth it?
dcdennis
12-02-2016, 13:27
I like the concept, but a lot of the gear they show is.....not something an aspiring lightweight/UL backpacker would care about. I'd like to hear from subscribers if they think it's worth it for someone like me (someone attempting to hit the 12lb baseweight).
What is a cairn box? That's a new term for this old geezer.
dcdennis
12-02-2016, 13:52
http://www.getcairn.com/
OK, I followed the link. I still don't get it. What's the connection to "going light?"
importman77
12-02-2016, 14:15
I don't really have the answer to the OP's question. I just want to say that that is one of the worst web pages I have ever seen. Really annoying.
A grab bag. It's the toy in the cracker jack box. You send them some money and they send you a bag of hiking crap that they got at a huge discount because it's excess inventory. My garage is half full of crap just like the valuable items that come in the box. A marketing ploy. Save your money and buy only items that you know you need.
I had a subscription for about 5 months and then I cancelled it. If your goal is to get lighter, a cairn subscription will not feed that desire. During my subscription I received everything from collapsible water bottles to a steel Stanley travel coffee cup. Every once and a while there were some pretty neat knick-knacks that would come, but after only 5 months (5 boxes) I started seeing repeat items. It is pretty cool as a gift for somebody that likes the surprise of new stuff every month, but it certainly isn't geared towards somebody trying to achieve the UL weight. Just wasn't worth $25 every month for stuff I didn't really need.
FrogLevel
12-02-2016, 14:37
I have a hard enough time finding the right equipment when I buy the item myself. Maybe if I were a very casual beginner this would be ok but I'd imagine its a lot of trinkety stuff.
dcdennis
12-02-2016, 14:46
Thank you for confirming my suspicious.
chknfngrs
12-02-2016, 14:47
Not worth it. Looks a lot like Columbia House cd membership pyramid of yesteryear
atraildreamer
12-02-2016, 17:43
I don't really have the answer to the OP's question. I just want to say that that is one of the worst web pages I have ever seen. Really annoying.
The site locked up my computer.
W.....T......F... planet did I just land on????
Oh... right... planet SPAM. .. Obviously there are no mods in these forums and SPAM runs like the spring melt in the Rockies.
dcdennis
12-02-2016, 18:34
it was a legit question gritty. i am not afiliated with the site in any way. drop the cynicism brotha.
saltysack
12-02-2016, 18:36
Buy and carry what you need not what you want......Save your money!
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"drop the cynicism brotha"
A:) I'm not ur "brotha" and B:) Cynic just might be part of my trail name... happy hiking.
you...... have.....got....to ...be....####ing me!
We are talking about THIS?
"For $25 a month (free shipping; save with a 6 or 12-month subscription) a box arrives with a “carefully curated” selection of outdoor related items, usually from these categories:
GEAR: Thermoses, Headlamps, First Aid Kits
APPAREL: Hiking socks, Gloves, Beanies
FOOD/NUTRITION: Energy Bars, Snacks for the trail, Drink mixes
SKIN CARE: Sun products, Insect repellants, Lip balms
EMERGENCY: First-aid kits, fire starters"
Baltimore Jack (RIP) is rolling over in his grave.
la.lindsey
12-02-2016, 20:18
Hey- these subscription boxes *can* be a fun way to discover new products. I used to subscribe to a makeup box, but after a while didn't get products I liked.
For people who have really crap outdoors stores near them and don't want to spend all day browsing the Internet to find gear, maybe it's fun. Maybe it's not. Hence the question. It's obviously not your cup of tea, and it's nowhere near close to the definition of spam, so I think you can back off a little.
We aren't all Baltimore Jack, and we don't all have to hike like him, and wow would that be a boring trail if we did.
And, seriously, why do I care about Baltimore Jack's opinion on my shopping habits?
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bgillomega
12-03-2016, 16:15
Every once in a while there will be something really good. Toaks titanium utensils, inflatable Klymit pillow, etc. I have given away many items to friends. They don't cater to the UL community, just hikers/campers in general.
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Starchild
12-03-2016, 16:53
Not worth it. Looks a lot like Columbia House cd membership pyramid of yesteryear
UnlessIammissingsomething
Unless I was missing something, Columbia House CD membership was never a pyramid. A pyramid requires new members to pay older members, and get more new members. It also is a structure where the many hold up the few, and the few have the power, such as government.
SWODaddy
12-03-2016, 21:04
Oh... right... planet SPAM. .. Obviously there are no mods in these forums and SPAM runs like the spring melt in the Rockies.
Kinda smells like Spam to me too.
SWODaddy
12-03-2016, 21:07
These things are the scratch-off tickets of hiking. I don't get the appeal at all myself.
rocketsocks
12-03-2016, 21:11
I'm trying to get rid of crap I don't need.
ScareBear
12-03-2016, 22:05
Its essentially stuff for glamping/cramping...
It is the antithesis of ul or lightweight backpacking where rule rule is eliminating useless crap. This is a crap subscription.
saltysack
12-04-2016, 11:15
It is the antithesis of ul or lightweight backpacking where rule rule is eliminating useless crap. This is a crap subscription.
My thoughts exactly.....
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Traveler
12-04-2016, 17:46
you...... have.....got....to ...be....####ing me!
We are talking about THIS?
"For $25 a month (free shipping; save with a 6 or 12-month subscription) a box arrives with a “carefully curated” selection of outdoor related items, usually from these categories:
GEAR: Thermoses, Headlamps, First Aid Kits
APPAREL: Hiking socks, Gloves, Beanies
FOOD/NUTRITION: Energy Bars, Snacks for the trail, Drink mixes
SKIN CARE: Sun products, Insect repellants, Lip balms
EMERGENCY: First-aid kits, fire starters"
Yeah, this thread is apparently talking about this website. But its not unusual to have a range of topics simmering at any given time. Other threads are discussing how dogs fare on the AT, decisions about synthetics vs down, shelter fabric differences, footwear, arming oneself with weapons, proper cat hole preparation, and a range of things from the ridiculous to the sublime. Topics come, they go, some have an orbit that repeat at predicable times, others are just kicked up periodically.
Though it does seem a stretch to pay membership into something like this, Barnum quipped there are a lot of people who may go for this kind of thing. Where better to expose the site for what it is (or perhaps isn't)?