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Cairn Box Review – June, July, & a Giveaway

July 28, 2016 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS 35 Comments

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Last Updated on March 9, 2022 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS

One of the highlights of my month is when I get the “Your Cairn box has shipped” email in my inbox.   Incase you’ve missed the last handful of reviews, let me sum up the Cairn subscription concept: it’s an adventure in a box.   For as little as $22 a month, you receive a box full of not just samples, but actual useful outdoor tools for the hiker, camper, trail runner, or simply outdoor lover in all of us.

Cairn June July Review

I’ve had a Cairn subscription for about 5 months now, and have yet to be disappointed.  But the June and July’s boxes have been total home runs, hit waaaaaay out of the “what you should expect in a subscription box” park. So much so, that I’m pretty ashamed that I haven’t blogged about June’s box until now.  So without any more procrastination, may I present you with a double shot of a Cairn box review.

JUNE:

Cairn June

Cotopaxi Luzon del Dia 18L Daypack

I had been eyeballing one of these ever since I saw it in the Backpacker Spring Gear Guide (which coincidentally, came in my April Cairn box).  Admittedly, what appealed to me at first was the colorways of this pack.

cotopaxi luzon del dia 2

Cotopaxi Luzon inside view

The Luzon del Dia that is for sale on the website is designed with total creative control by employees in the Philippines, meaning no two bags are alike.  The Cairn Luzon del Dia, however, was made in exclusive colorways for Cairn subscribers only.

Cotopaxi on the beach

The Cotopaxi Luzon del Dia features a highly packable design, repurposed ripstop nylon, mesh backpack straps, and internal hydration sleeve that make up the perfect adventure pack.  It is lightweight and 100% handmade.

Cotopaxi Luzon

What I love about the Luzon del Dia the most is how small it packs up, making it a perfect “random adventure” daypack.  It easily holds a hydration bladder and all of my gear, yet is incredibly lightweight, unlike many of my other daypacks.

NMB sports complex trails

Cotopaxi adventure

MSRP: $49.95

Mountain House New York Style Cheesecake Bits

There is still such a novelty about freeze dried food.  For me, at least.  Perhaps it’s my inner child who still remembers the freeze dried ice cream for sale at the NASA gift shop on a family visit to Florida. They can freeze dry anything!

Cheesecake bites

I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of these bites from Mountain House. Believe it or not, these things taste just like cheesecake.  The taste of cream cheese nearly overwhelmed me, as I expected a sort of dry, stale, overly sweet type of crouton.  Made with rich cream cheese, brown sugar, notes of citrus, and a graham crust, these little treats are the perfect snack to pack on your next adventure.

MSRP: $3.49

Rumpl Beer Blanket

The little card that comes in the Cairn box clearly states that you’ll probably need tow of these beer blankets, because friends will steal them.  Now, I’m not pointing any fingers, but for the life of me, I can’t find my Rumpl beer blanket.

Hmmmm.

Rumple coozie

Thankfully, my friends Lorelei and Hannah, both loyal Cairn subscribers, were quick to share photos of their Rumpl beer blankets.  Heck, Hannah even had hers at work and was able to take a photo the second I asked for one.

All of the technology from Rumpl’s award winning compressible, technical camp blankets, but in a “blanket” for your beer.  Adorable.

MSRP: $7.00

JULY:

July’s box I immediately dubbed as “TransRockies Run” box, as if Cairn had curated it just for my upcoming adventures.

Cairn

RUN Performance Gum

One of my most favorite things in the world is caffeine.  If I could keep only one vice in this world it would be caffeine.  I love it. I need it. I’m not ashamed.   I also don’t drink coffee, so as you can imagine, this is an interesting scenario I often find myself in.  So caffeinated gum seemed perfect.

RUN performance gum

One piece of Run Gum contains 50 mg caffeine, 20 mg taurine, 110% RDA of Vitamin B6, and 50% of B12. My review on the gum….uh, erm, well…I didn’t love it.

Run Gum 2

It *did* indeed give me a caffeinated boost.  It did not taste very good.  In fact, the taste got progressively worse with each chew.  I imagine it’s the B vitamins I’m tasting.  I initially tried the cinnamon flavor, and as I’m typing this very post, I’m chewing the “Fruit” flavor.  Just to double check that I truly don’t like the taste of this gum.

I don’t.   In fact my tongue is currently tingling.  Sorry Run gum, I tried.

MSRP: $5.99 for the 3 pack sampler

Surface Dry Touch Ultra Sheer Sunscreen

Did you know that UV rays become 4% more intense for every 1,000 feet you climb above sea level?  So considering we heading from sea level to sunny (well, hopefully sunny)  12,000+ feet above sea level, sunscreen is going to be IMPERATIVE.

Surface Sunscreen

I sent Geoff out to work today in the sun wearing the SPF 30 Surface dry touch sunscreen.  I’ll update if he comes home with a burn, but I’m willing to bet he won’t.   A little test on my own skin revealed that the Surface sunscreen is indeed ultra sheer and dry, it went on fast and didn’t leave my hands feeling greasy.  And trust me, living at the beach with two little kids, I know the perils of spending 5 full minutes trying to rub in sunscreen.  No one enjoys that.

Geoff Sunscreen

Surface dry touch sunscreen is hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested, safe for kids, SPF 30 Broad Spectrum UVA/UVB protection, and water resistant for up to 80 minutes.

MSRP $10 for 2.5 FL OZ.

Fitsok CF2 Shadow Yarn athletic sock 3 pack

Socks are one of those “THERE ARE NEVER ENOUGH” items in our household, so needless to say I was very excited to receive THREE new pairs of socks in my Cairn box.  I was conveniently sent a pack of size “Large”, which fits Men’s size 9-11 and Women 10-11.  Geoff is a 10 in men’s, I’m a 10 in women’s so this meant we both won.

Fitsok2

Naturally, we immediately each grabbed a pair, put them on, and hit the trails.  Though I only covered about 8 miles in them, they were incredibly comfortable and cushioned, leaving zero hot spots or chafing.

Fitsok

MSRP: $20

2Skin Anti-Chafing Gel

To put it bluntly: blisters and chafing suck.  Therefore, I’m always willing to try something new when it comes to preventing this all too common, all too uncomfortable, running ailment.

2Skin
According to their website, 2Skin by Pjur Active: “Immediately after application on the skin, 2skin creates an invisible protective film as silicone based skin protection with special film-forming ingredients. This reinforces the skin’s cell structure, and distributes the stress and pressure on the skin over a larger surface area. This increases protection against chafing, blistering or other unpleasant skin irritations. And: the skin still breathes! The protective film can be individually reinforced by multiple applications of 2skin.”

2 skin on foot

I put a little bit of 2Skin on my feet to simply test out the feel, and had zero issues.  I also had zero blisters, but I wasn’t really expecting any on that particular run. I’ll get back to you on the effectiveness of 2Skin after TransRockies.

MSRP: $11.00

Let’s do some math:

The June box contents would retail separately for approximately $60.44

The July box contents would retail separately for approximately $46.99

(Neither of these totals include the discount cards that come in the Cairn boxes, with tons of deals for future purchases)

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 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.

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 8/5/16. Winner will be notified on this blog AND via email.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

Disclaimer: As a Cairn ambassador, I receive a monthly subscription at no cost to me.  However, all opinions stated are my own.

Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS
Website |  + postsBio

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. Christine

    July 28, 2016 at 10:22 am

    I’ve got the Copperhead 20K coming up! I won’t be drinking the beer (I’m such a lightweight) but I am so excited about an evening trail race!

    Reply
  2. Diane H

    July 28, 2016 at 10:44 am

    I have the Baker Lake 25K trail race in September, with lots of hiking and trail running between now and then. The Cairn boxes have lots of awesome stuff in them!

    Reply
  3. ahotsouthernmess

    July 28, 2016 at 10:46 am

    I’m thisclose to registering for Portland 🙂

    Reply
  4. Colleen

    July 28, 2016 at 11:49 am

    We have the Hood to Coast relay, plus a couple of Ragnar trail relay races on our calendar in the next 6 weeks. A Cairn box would be a fun way to start that series!

    Reply
  5. Kristin

    July 28, 2016 at 12:00 pm

    My 13 yr old daughter wanted to run the color race that’s coming up in a few weeks in our town so we are going to run it together. I don’t have any other scheduled at this time but hopefully will get to one before summer is over.

    Reply
  6. Gina B

    July 28, 2016 at 1:22 pm

    I am running my first trail race – a half marathon – in September!

    Reply
  7. Karen G

    July 28, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    I’ve got the Ragnar Trail Cascades! Can’t wait! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Mikki

    July 28, 2016 at 3:56 pm

    All this looks really cool. Love that back-pack. We need something like that for our upcoming Utah trip.

    Reply
  9. Morgan

    July 28, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    In a few weeks, my husband and I are going on a road trip. We’ll start in Washington D.C and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway south, stopping along the way to explore outdoors.

    Reply
  10. carmyy

    July 28, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    What a fun giveaway! I’ve yet to try run gum!

    Reply
  11. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness

    July 28, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    VERY cool subscription box! This would make a great gift idea (and I’m always scrambling to find something cool or unique for people during the holidays). Thanks!

    Reply
  12. sarah@creatingbettertomorrow

    July 28, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    I am so in love with this trend of home delivered boxes!!! We live way far out in the country and not near many fun stores…these boxes bring it right to my front porch! 🙂

    Reply
  13. ilkasblog

    July 28, 2016 at 7:04 pm

    The 2Skin anti-chafing lotion sounds great! So many great products in this box!

    Reply
  14. Robin

    July 28, 2016 at 7:26 pm

    I’m always up for a good adventure – nothing specific on the calender just yet, but we are looking at some camping trips!

    Reply
  15. Prof. kitty

    July 28, 2016 at 7:35 pm

    A curated box? That’s pretty cool! Thanks for the reviews and use of the word “colorways.” Have a great trip west!

    Reply
  16. minted meagan

    July 28, 2016 at 9:46 pm

    I’m currently training for the Ragnar Trail Relay-SC in October.

    Reply
  17. LevitaU

    July 29, 2016 at 8:22 am

    Outback in the Ozarks this fall!

    Reply
  18. Kelli

    July 29, 2016 at 8:37 am

    I have the Goofy challenged coming up in January 2017! I can’t wait!!

    Reply
  19. Erin DeGroff

    July 29, 2016 at 9:09 am

    I have 3 half marathons coming up in September and October. Marathon training for the Disney marathon also starts in September 🙂

    Reply
  20. Tori

    July 29, 2016 at 10:03 am

    So glad you made this review! I have really been interested in this subscription box 🙂 I am running a 50k trail run in so. IL at Camp Ondessonk in Oct. and attempting the Tunnel Hill 50 miler in Nov. (also in so. IL) 🙂

    Reply
  21. DJ

    July 29, 2016 at 11:10 am

    I am planning on hitting the mountains next month.

    Reply
  22. Megan A

    July 29, 2016 at 12:59 pm

    That backpack is awesome! I love packable bags!

    Reply
  23. Natalie

    July 29, 2016 at 1:37 pm

    That backpack looks perfect! I’ve got to try it out!

    Reply
  24. Michelle B

    July 29, 2016 at 3:12 pm

    I have a half marathon in a month. It ends in a wine festival, so it’s going to be pretty sweet.

    Reply
  25. Jordyn Manucci

    July 29, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    My next race is a local one called the Dreaded Druid Hills 10k. While not a big race, it is full of hills 🙂

    Reply
  26. Stephanie Taylor

    July 30, 2016 at 3:09 am

    I’ll be camping at Mt. Charleston next month! Great way to beat the summer heat.

    Reply
  27. Carolsue

    July 30, 2016 at 3:39 am

    The San Francisco Marathon is on my mind — it is this weekend!
    Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net

    Reply
  28. Tessa

    July 31, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    I’m training for the Kansas City marathon in October.

    Reply
  29. Kyle

    August 1, 2016 at 2:23 am

    We have a half marathon in a month and we so aren’t ready for it…. Ugh.

    Reply
  30. François

    August 2, 2016 at 1:35 am

    I will run the Lausanne Marathon at the end of October, stoked for that!

    Reply
  31. jujubee777

    August 2, 2016 at 10:33 am

    a fun 5 k

    Reply
  32. Angela Saver

    August 2, 2016 at 3:50 pm

    My hubby & I are going hiking in Eureka Springs, Arkansas later this month!

    Reply
  33. Nova

    August 2, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    A week backpacking in Glacier NP in late August. Woo hoo!

    Reply
  34. Joan Kubes

    August 2, 2016 at 8:44 pm

    Bike ride across Nebraska on the cowboy trail.

    Reply
  35. Annamarie V

    August 3, 2016 at 2:12 am

    I’m going to Costa Rica in December with an adventure cruise line and there will be lots of hiking.

    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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