Gettin Cairn Wit It

The amount of information out there about outdoor gear can be overwhelming, especially if you are just starting out in the outdoor world or you don't have the time to surf Twitter or read Backcountry Mag all day. I revel in digging deep into gear reviews and the dark recesses of the internet to find that one article that will justify my purchasing of a tent but a lot of people I know just want to go out and hike and don't want to be granted a PhD in Outdoorology (its a real major I swear) just to go a day hike.

That is why I am so stoked about a company like Get Cairn and their boxes.

As Brad Pitt might ask, what is in the box? What Get Cairn does is put together gear, food and outdoor nick-knacks in a box that comes to you every month to help you get outdoors.

I was surprised at the variety and usefulness of the stuff I received in my sample box. For example, Get Cairn included a Honey Waffle energy bar to help give you some extra pep on the trail. Aside from me using a word from the 1920s like pep, I had never had a Honey Waffle and it was really tasty and did the job keeping my energy up. For the backpacker, they also included a luggage strap to lash things to your pack (always useful!) and some hiker's salve.

There were two real standouts in the pack. One was a water bottle made by HydroFlask

I had never heard of these guys before but color me impressed. The bottle is well built and could probably withstand a nuclear attack (although let't not put THAT to the test) and kept my water cold despite some warm LA conditions over the weekend.

The other was a wrist band to keep mosquitos away

We aren't really buggy here in LA like the East Coast can be but if this thing works, it would be perfect for hikers and a great addition to a hiking/outdoor arsenal.

In the end, that is what I liked best about the Get Cairn package, it was smartly put together with actually useful gear that a hiker of any level could use. Another benefit of Get Cairn is that it is a monthly service so the box you get next month will not be the same as this box and you can slowly build up the things you need as you get out into the outdoors. Get Cairn also wants to work with you through surveys and other feedback mechanisms so they can send you cool gear that you actually need.

The cost is $25 a box per month which either works for your budget or not but if you wanted to leave choosing gear and accessories to someone else, Get Cairn would be the ones to leave it to methinks. Their choices are smart and useful, a pretty good combination.

Want more info? Check out GetCarin Here! http://www.getcairn.com/