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The 8 Best Outdoor Subscription Boxes for Gear Lovers

Man in hammock opening a Nomadik subscription box.
The Nomadik

Combining the ease and convenience of online shopping with the excitement of receiving real-world mail, subscription boxes have become extremely popular in recent years. The best subscription boxes for men offer everything from clothes and grooming products to bacon and booze. By working with leading and up-and-coming brands, subscriptions expose their recipients to products and companies that they may not be aware of and offer products at reduced, member-exclusive rates.

With so many specialized sports that require top-notch gear, this is a great way to discover new items at a great price and to widen your horizons to other ways to explore and appreciate nature. On top of that, there’s the choice of more general, outdoor-oriented boxes or sport-specific ones for fly-fishing, hiking, and so on. Regardless of what you like to do in the great outdoors, these are the best outdoor subscription boxes for men to try.

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The Nomadik

The Nomadik subscription box on grass.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ideal for outdoorsmen with a wide range of interests, The Nomadik customizes its monthly boxes based on you and your interests. When signing up, you fill out a profile and answer some basic questions, which allows The Nomadik to curate a box of up to seven pieces of gear just for you, ranging from water skins to snacks to hats and much more. You can also buy boxes themed around specific outdoor challenges, like a “Weekend Camping Trip” or “Winter Warmth.” Subscriptions are available on a month-by-month, six-month, or yearly basis, with the option to skip any month or cancel at any time.

Rates start at $33 per month, but signing up for a six-month or yearly plan allows for better value, as the monthly rate goes down to as low as $30 per box with a guaranteed retail value of at least $50.

Postfly

Flatlay of the Postfly box with fly-fishing tools.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you love fly-fishing, Postfly is the service for you. Each box includes three to five goodies like high-quality flies, educational materials, a fun sticker, a leader, and a quarterly bonus gift like a buff. You have your choice of the Regular Postfly Box or the Guide Box (for professional guides or hard-core enthusiasts), and you can customize based on what kind of trout you usually fish (like warm water or saltwater). Then, expert guides select the choicest pieces of gear for you based on species, season, and region.

It all gets shipped out monthly with prices starting at $28 per month for the Regular Series and $50 per month for the Guide Series.

Read more: How to Fly Fish

Beachly

The Beachly box with flip-flops and beach gear.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

This quarterly surfing-oriented subscription service promises to “make every day a beach day.” Each month, surfers and beach bums score everything they need for a groovy and stylish time in the sun and surf. Inside, you’ll find up to five high-quality, curated items like tees, sandals, hats, and boardshorts from leading brands like Billabong or Quiksilver, as well as up-and-coming companies. Subscribers also get exclusive access to the members-only online store. Plus, it supports a good cause: Portions of the proceeds go to support coastal cleanups.

With a year-long membership, each box costs $85 dollars with a guaranteed $180 retail value minimum and is delivered every three months.

Cairn

The Cairn box with outdoor apparel on a white backdrop.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Named for the man-made piles of stones found along hiking trails and on mountaintops all over the world, Cairn is catering to people who know their stuff. The team behind this famous subscription box service admits to spending a ton of time outdoors and is serious about doing it. Plus, while it is an outdoor subscription box company, the brand has also started sending some packages in stylish paper bags that are 100% biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable.

The monthly boxes, which start at $33 with free U.S. shipping, come with three to six expertly tested, full-size outdoor products, including apparel, water bottles, first-aid kits, navigation tools, sunblock, and more. While there are the standard monthly, six-month, or yearly subscription options, you can also try the deluxe Obsidian Collection ($250 a quarter) that ships quarterly and is stocked with some of the best gear on the market.

The RunnerBox

The RunnerBox Monthly Subscription Box.
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The RunnerBox delivers carefully curated subscription boxes designed for runners and other endurance athletes. Every monthly package includes about a dozen hand-picked pieces of running-related kit, including essentials like brand-name socks, all-natural energy bars, watchband liners, and other accessories.

First-timers can purchase a single box for $28 to test out the service. Prepaid annual subscriptions work out to just $25 per box and include up to $60 worth of gear.

Hiker Crate

The Hiker Crate box surrounded with hiking food and gear.
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For avid hikers, Hiker Crate is a great option for finding new accessories, cutting-edge gear, and healthy trail snacks. Delivered monthly, each crate includes five to eight items ranging from practical tools like water filters and headlamps to different varieties of food and snacks like dehydrated meals (ideal for thru-hikers), bars, and more.

A prepaid yearly plan averages out to just $38 a month, but you can also just go month to month for $43 each.

Alpha Outpost

Alpha Outpost box with extreme outdoor gear.
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Are you an outdoor extremist? Do you want to be able to go off into the wilderness and survive on your wits and skills alone? Then Alpha Outpost is the box for you. Specializing in gear that will help you hone your outdoor survivalist skills and knowledge, a box will include technical, specialized items like a firestarter kit, knives, axes, and more, ideal for living in the forest when society collapses or just for fun on your next rugged adventure. There are multiple monthly boxes to choose from, like “The Torch” or “The Terrain,” that focus on specific areas of expertise.

Rates start at $40 (plus shipping) with the option to skip a month if you plan on staying home for a bit.

BattlBox

The BattlBox Pro Plus Outdoor Subscription Box inclusions.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

For even more hardcore outdoor gear, there’s BattlBox. This monthly service delivers subscription boxes targeting avid outdoorsmen with a heavy lean toward survival and EDC gear. The entry-level Basic plan starts at just $30 per month (plus shipping) and includes essentials like survival manuals, emergency supplies, and other critical tools. For serious survivalists (think doomsday preppers), the Pro Plus plan upgrades to brand-name gear from industry leaders like Spyderco, Gerber, CRKT, and Kershaw for $160 per month (plus shipping).

Zoe Baillargeon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Zoe Baillargeon is an award-winning travel writer and freelance journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. She covers travel…
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