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Cairn Box – April Review & Giveaway

April 18, 2016 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS 43 Comments

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Last Updated on January 30, 2022 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS

It’s 2016, and the majority of us are seriously lacking in the “patience” department. I am no exception.  The second I receive a shipping confirmation and tracking order from absolutely anything at all, I begin to stalk the USPS website with reckless abandon.   So imagine my surprise and sheer delight when the April Cairn box showed up at my front door BEFORE the shipping confirmation.   It’s the little things in life that make me happy, and despite my attempts to lessen the grip of material objects on my life,  I won’t deny this little brown box always puts a huge smile on my face.

So what’s in the April box?

Cairn April Box

Mountainsmith Hemp Cooler Tube

When I saw this hemp bag all wrapped up and secured with rubber bands inside of the box, I immediately assumed it was some sort of yoga mat holder. I don’t know why, but that’s what came to mind.  So when I opened it up and discovered it was a 6 pack cooler, I laughed in delight.  It’s no secret that I enjoy a microbrew from time to time.  I’m no beer snob (OK, maybe a little) but when you hail from New England, specifically Vermont, it’s hard to NOT enjoy good beer.

Mountainsmith Hemp Cooler Tube

Anyway, this cooler is a mighty fun invention.  With an adjustable strap, it is significantly easier to tote around than your standard cooler.  And a little unassuming, for what it’s worth.  Not that I’d try to sneak a cold brew into an unauthorized zone like the beach or a state park or anything. Ahem.

The Mountainsmith Cooler Sling Tube specs include:

  • Full length zippered closure
  • Ideal for standard can and tall boy carry
  • Adjustable shoulder sling for easy carrying
  • PEVA waterproof seam-sealed lining

 

Mountainsmith Hemp Cooler Tube 2

MSRP: $24.95

Green Goo Skin Repair

Green Goo Skin Repair, from Sierra Sage Organics, is a 100% all natural skin repair for sunburns, sun spots, puffy eyes, wrinkles, scars, dark circles, and minor burns…according to the package.

Green Goo

Thankfully, I’m currently without any burns…but I won’t deny the puffy, wrinkly, dark circle “I have stress in my life” eyeballs.  Sadly, 48 hours of use isn’t enough to let you know if this Green Goo makes any visual differences.  But I can attest that the skin repair is non greasy, has a very, very subtle smell, and goes on gently.   Plus the 0.7 ounce tin is the perfect size to toss into a backpack or hydration pack to keep on hand incase of any skin irritationson the trail.

MSRP $9.50

Backpacker Magazine Spring Gear Guide

I remember when I was a little girl, and the Sears Christmas catalog would show up in the mailbox sometime around late October. I would spend hours pouring over the toy section, making extensive lists of the things I wanted Santa Claus to bring me.  The 2016 Backpacker Magazine Spring Gear Guide is exactly the same…except I’m 26 years older and the “toys” I am drooling over are significantly more expensive.  Why yes, Santa, I WOULD love a Leki Breeze Chair and a JetBoil stove and a super lightweight, ultra warm, mummy bag. I promise I’ve been good!

Backpacker Magazine Spring Gear Guide

I hardly ever buy magazines, but when I do, or when one somehow makes its way into our home, I read it cover to cover and back again at least twice.  The 2016 Spring Gear Guide from Backpacker magazine is no exception.

Cover Price: $7.99

Ally’s Bar Original Sweet Potato

I’ll say it first: sweet potato? IN A BAR?  Ummm…eww.  Maybe.   I actually tried to bribe my kids and then Geoff to take the first taste.  None of them would.   So I went for it.

Ally's Bar

Like a little kid told to take a bite of his vegetables or he can’t leave the dinner table, I took the tiniest possible nibble off of the corner of the bar and braced myself for the taste.  I was pleasantly surprised.   Not to name competitors (sorry Ally) but this almost reminded me of an apple pie flavored Lara bar.  I know, how does one go from sweet potato to apple pie? Your guess is as good as mine.  But the bar, it was delicious.  With 250 all natural, real food calories, 38 g of carbohydrates and 4 g of protein, this is a great “don’t let the blood sugar crash” bar for a hike.

MSRP: $3.67

Gear Aid Tenacious Tape Tattoos

While these were supposed to be in the box…they weren’t.  Hey, my friends at Cairn are only human, and we all make mistakes (and they gifted us bonus Cairn points to make up for the mistake.)   Anyway, Tenacious Tape Tattoos are ultra-aggressive adhesive gear patches that stays put regardless of the conditions you put them through.  Except instead of traditional squares or circles, these patches come in hilarious shapes.

Gear Aid Tattoos

You know I probably would have put a hole in my jacket on purpose just to use that bigfoot patch.

MSRP: $9.95

BONUS DISCOUNTS:

Cairn Box Discounts

15% off of DrinkTanks

Steel, double wall insulated growlers that hold up to 60 psi.  Perfect for filling up at your local brewery, or even filling with A LOT of coffee. I know how much you coffee drinkers like coffee.

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Photo credit: DrinkTanks.com

$20 off Your First Order at Fireside Provisions

Fireside Provisions is a meal service that delivers meals for your camping or cabin adventures.  They take all of the thinking and prep-work out of your meals. Just pick your dates, number of mouths to feed, and they deliver the goods to your door, adventure ready.  Just add a campfire.

___________________________________________________________

The March box contents would retail separately for approximately $56.06 (not even including the aforementioned discounts).  Your cost: as little as $22.00 .  The amount of adventure you can have with these items?  Endless.

But wait! There’s more!

All of the Cairn direct links in this post? They are referral links.  And what do I get for referring you? Cairn points.  What am I doing with all of my Cairn points? PASSING THEM ON TO MY READERS!  That’s right, every time I earn enough points for a new box, I’ll be gifting a Cairn box to one lucky reader.  And that starts NOW!

To enter for your chance to win, use the rafflecopter below.  Per usual, there’s a gazillion ways to enter, so pick and choose as you please.   The fine print:  Open to U.S. residents only with a valid email address that responds to my emails!  Winning entry will be validated.  I will be using my personal Cairn points to provide the winner with (1) month Cairn box gift subscription.  Box will ship directly from Cairn.   Contest ends at 12:00 AM on 4/26/16.  Winner will be notified on this blog AND via email. 

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS
Website | + posts

Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion.   She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade.  Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.

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Filed Under: Running Gear Tagged With: Cairn Box Review

About Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS

Heather Hart is an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), UESCA certified Ultrarunning Coach, RRCA certified Running Coach, co-founder of Hart Strength and Endurance Coaching, and creator of this site, Relentless Forward Commotion.   She is a mom of two teen boys, and has been running and racing distances of 5K to 100+ miles for over a decade.  Heather has been writing and encouraging others to find a love for fitness and movement since 2009.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nicole @ Fitful Focus

    April 18, 2016 at 6:38 pm

    That 6-pack holder is genius!

    Reply
  2. nancy

    April 18, 2016 at 6:52 pm

    Green goo sounds like a must have for travels and adventures!

    Reply
  3. Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner

    April 18, 2016 at 7:46 pm

    that has some cool stuff in it! I’ve not heard of that subscription box but they are fun to get

    Reply
  4. wendyistakingthelongwayhome

    April 18, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    I could use that skin repair! Today when I was biking in the forest preserve, I got this great idea to go take a picture of myself on a tree stump in the woods. What I didn’t realize was that the whole woods was full of sticker bushes. I am now covered with scratches. Kind of reminds me of when I was a kid and we used to play in the woods.

    The best part? The stump was surrounded by water. I am an idiot!

    Reply
  5. Theresa

    April 18, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    Love the cooler idea!

    Reply
  6. Kathryn @ Dancing to Running

    April 18, 2016 at 9:19 pm

    That cooler is a brilliant idea!

    Reply
  7. carmyy

    April 18, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    Those gear patches are SO CUTE.

    Reply
  8. Brian DePersis

    April 18, 2016 at 10:21 pm

    Awesome site! Also, seriously hope I win!

    Reply
  9. Kimberly Hatting

    April 18, 2016 at 11:05 pm

    Interesting! I have never heard of Cairn. I (currently) do not get any subscriptions other than Runner’s World….there are so many options, though, with monthly “boxes” of goodies!

    Reply
  10. runswithpugs

    April 19, 2016 at 8:22 am

    This is really cool! I guess I should look more into this box, since trail running is on the list of things I need to conquer next. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  11. Morgan

    April 19, 2016 at 8:52 am

    Cairn boxes are great! I love the idea of trying out new items that I normally wouldn’t buy for myself. The sweet potato Ally’s bar intrigues me. Usually friends tell me to try out Larabars; however, I am not a big fan of dates. I love sweet potatoes, so perhaps I should give Ally’s bars a try!

    Reply
  12. Ginger Marie

    April 19, 2016 at 9:17 am

    I am always going on hikes because I live right next to a preserve! This is such a cool subscription box, I’m surprised I never heard of it! Thanks for sharing!!! 😀

    Reply
  13. Christine

    April 19, 2016 at 9:23 am

    I am hoping to take my kids camping for the first time! Ages 2 and 4. I hope I don’t regret it!

    Reply
  14. Patty @ Reach Your PEak

    April 19, 2016 at 11:03 am

    wow lots of cool stuff! I lol-ed at your comment about sneaking beers onto a beach…that cooler DOES look like the perfect way to do that 😉

    Reply
  15. rusthawk

    April 19, 2016 at 11:56 am

    My next adventure will be hiking in Glacier this summer.

    Reply
  16. Ann

    April 19, 2016 at 12:53 pm

    this sounds so great!

    Reply
  17. thebarbella

    April 19, 2016 at 1:34 pm

    That cooler is awesome and honestly all of those products look fun and new. This would be a great gift for some of the avid nature loving folks in my life. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  18. Megan A

    April 19, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    Those gear patches are adorbs!

    Reply
  19. ahotsouthernmess

    April 19, 2016 at 4:30 pm

    One of those moments when I became certain I had found “the one.” When we camped in the rain and, even tho I had the better sleeping bag, he kept waking me to be sure I was warm. Love!

    Reply
  20. jujubee777

    April 19, 2016 at 10:18 pm

    i’m going to japan!

    Reply
  21. throuthehaze

    April 20, 2016 at 2:54 am

    My boyfriend would love this. He has plans to go camping this summer and then hiking the AT in fall.

    Reply
  22. Liz Lew

    April 20, 2016 at 10:37 am

    RnR Nashville for me!

    Reply
  23. Jordyn Manucci

    April 20, 2016 at 3:20 pm

    I’m doing a 50 mile triathlon in a week and a half (ack!). My next camping adventure will be at Firefly music festival in June.

    Reply
  24. Annamarie V

    April 23, 2016 at 2:41 am

    We are heading to Minnesota in May for a long weekend of fishing and hiking with family and friends for my Husbands birthday.

    Reply
  25. Amy Lawson

    April 23, 2016 at 6:54 am

    My next adventure is the Wings of Life World Run– it’s a worldwide run where the finish line follows you. It’s simulcast at the post race finish line festival. Runners start and run until a “catcher” car catches up.

    Reply
  26. Amy

    April 23, 2016 at 11:39 pm

    Cooler would be great for the beach!!

    Reply
  27. Dani Correlle

    April 25, 2016 at 8:55 am

    Our next adventure is to follow a guide for hiking in Pennsylvania!

    Reply
  28. Lissa Crane

    April 25, 2016 at 10:12 am

    My next adventure will hopefully be hiking in Yellow Stone National Park! I’ve been saving for years and I’m hoping this year will be the one that I take my trip!

    Reply
  29. heyjudette

    April 25, 2016 at 10:49 am

    I’m going on a huge hike in northwestern NJ this weekend!

    Reply
  30. Pat

    April 25, 2016 at 11:32 am

    This summer I’m going to hike the trails around the area where I live.

    Reply
  31. Meghan B

    April 25, 2016 at 12:17 pm

    have a white water rafting trip coming up!

    Reply
  32. Claire

    April 25, 2016 at 12:23 pm

    I don’t have one planned just yet.

    Reply
    • chickie brewer

      April 25, 2016 at 4:17 pm

      I don’t have any planned.. Although I wish I could go camping!

      Reply
  33. Heather G

    April 25, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    I plan on hiking in next month

    Reply
  34. Misty woods

    April 25, 2016 at 3:31 pm

    The 6 pack holder is great!

    Reply
  35. elizabeth miller

    April 25, 2016 at 4:36 pm

    Our last adventure was a girl scout camping event. Our one prior to that was in the mountains camping and zip lining and hiking.

    Reply
  36. jennyscheldberg

    April 25, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    I’ll be checking out the Apostale Islands later this summer. I can’t wait!

    Reply
  37. Anne Perry

    April 25, 2016 at 5:01 pm

    We are raising goats and sheep.

    Reply
  38. charlene

    April 25, 2016 at 5:26 pm

    We have some camping and fishing planned

    Reply
  39. Lhpuppy24

    April 25, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    Hoping to hike a portion of the PCT this summer!

    Reply
  40. Fiona N

    April 25, 2016 at 6:56 pm

    What an awesome giveaway! I love the subscription boxes, too! I have a plan to visit New York this summer!!
    Thank You for the chance

    Reply
  41. Stephanie o'day

    April 25, 2016 at 7:50 pm

    My husband and I are going to Seattle next month! We’ve never been and we’re super excited!

    Reply
  42. Karrie Millheim

    April 25, 2016 at 9:48 pm

    I am heading to NC in a few months and gonna do some major hiking..i cant wait

    Reply

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Welcome to Relentless Forward Commotion. My name is Heather Hart, I'm an ACSM certified Exercise Physiologist, UESCA & RRCA certified coach, ultrarunner, adventure racer, mom to two teenagers, and cofounder of Hart Strength & Endurance Coaching. It is my passion to help every day athletes better understand exercise science, and to learn how to balance training for big athletic goals with “real life”.

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