It seems that monthly boxes have become all the rage lately. Whether you’re looking for healthy meal ingredients, a collection of fine shaving products, or a gift pack of fair-trade toys and organic, high-end treats for your pet poodle Froo-froo, there’s a subscription plan for you. Truthfully, I have never been into the idea, but after I ran into Get Lost at Overland Expo, I decided to give the idea a shot.
Let’s start with the basics. Get Lost is a hassle-free, easy to use site that delivers awesome overland and outdoor gear to your front door step. Each box is filled with equipment that is tested by the Get Lost owners or their ambassadors, which ensures they only send out products that will be useful and last through the abuse of your adventures.
Customers can purchase their boxes in a few different ways. The first, and most obvious, is a subscription for one, three, six, or twelve months. The longer the subscription period, the larger the discount you receive per box, the largest of which would save you about $150 a year.
Great! So what the heck do you get in these boxes? Well, that depends on what level of package you buy.
The Adventurer – $38 USD
The base-level box is called the Adventurer, and it features smaller items like personal lights, cooking utensils and kitchen kits, learning tools, survival gear, knives, and other similar products. At this level, you’re only saving about $22 every six months, or$2 to $4 per box.
The Explorer – $57 USD
Inside this mid-level box you’ll find everything from cooking equipment to water filtration units, first aid kits, and navigation products. This box boosts your savings a bit more, and with a year subscription, you’ll save about $72 or about $6 per box.
The Overlander – $119 USD
These top-tier boxes are packed with higher-end items like recovery gear, off-road lights, tools, cooking gear, and first aid products. At the year subscription level, you’ll be saving just over $150 a year, or $12.50 per box.
Our Impressions
I received our brown cube of goodness just before the holidays and was surprised to find I was quite excited about it. It took me back to being a kid on Christmas, not knowing what fun toys I was about to unwrap from under the tree. I guess that sensation is part of the attraction of this whole box concept. I promptly brought it inside and did a quick inspection. Although trivial and pointless, I have to say I was impressed by how cool the box itself was. The designs and patterns covering its exterior look awesome, and I was half tempted to keep the thing for some future use.
Inside the Overlander Box I found a plethora of goodies. A Get Lost-branded beanie, a sweet sticker, a waxed canvas Overland tool roll, a bag of Kicking Horse Coffee, and a Stanley vacuum steel French press, all carefully wrapped and packaged. I immediately pulled out the French press and coffee which found a permanent home in my truck’s kitchen kit. I love coffee, so both of these were serious wins for me. I also really liked the sticker, which found a place in my Alu-Box alongside many others I have collected during my travels so far.
I was also pretty stoked about the beanie. I really do love the Get Lost logo, and I would be proud to wear it around on a warm hat in winter. The only problem is that there’s a huge Adidas logo on the back, which makes it feel sort of cheap. I could have lived with a small logo off to one side, but the large logo directly on the back seems last minute, and it makes people think your hat is on backward. Yes, people told me.
The waxed canvas tool roll, on the other hand, is well thought out, a perfect option for small wrenches and other miscellaneous items. Although I already have a set of Adventure Tool Company tool rolls and bags, I needed some additional storage for my ratcheting wrenches. This fit the bill perfectly and tucks neatly into my toolbox alongside my other rolls. You have to love organization!
Overall, this box was filled with some awesome stuff, but it was a mixed hit for me personally. I didn’t really need every product in it, but I found a use for them, wherein lies the problem with the box concept. If you already own a lot of gear or have very specific tastes, you can wind up with an excess of certain types of gear and a dearth of others.
Even so, I feel confident recommending the Get Lost boxes for many people. If you are just getting into overlanding for example, it’s a great way to get some of the basic necessities you’ll want on trips. You can purchase a single month of the boxes you want, or just order a few months and watch the products roll in. They’re also a great way to augment your kit if you know that you specifically lack a certain type of gear. For example, if you’ve been a four-wheel drive enthusiast for years and have plenty of recovery gear, the adventurer box is a perfect way to start building your camping and kitchen kit.
Where this box concept truly shines though is gifting. I mean, it’s rare that your friends or relatives nail that one thing you really wanted for your birthday or holiday celebration, and overlanding isn’t the easiest thing to explain. The Get Lost box is the perfect solution to this problem. They can purchase a surprise box for you, and it will arrive filled with equipment that you’ll actually want and use. You’ll never have to fake excitement when opening presents again.
To learn more about the Get Lost Boxes, their subscription plans, or their contents, visit their website here.
