The Nomadik Review – The Best Outdoor Subscription Box?

What is in a Nomadik Quarterly Box?

The new quarterly boxes are filled with gear for the outdoor enthusiast. If you like to camp, hike, fish, or just have fun outdoors, they have a lot of useful items. They do not typically contain tactical or survival gear but lean more towards practical “everyday” use items, such as water bottles, sunglasses, and camping stoves.

What I like about them is they include gear that I don’t normally see in the outdoor section of my local store. They feature new items from small companies that I never knew existed. It is also fun trying out new gear and not knowing what I am going to get next (after the first box).

The Portable Shower Box

Our first box, the Portable Shower Box, came with these items:

• Beach Box Portable Shower Tank
• Clean Oceans Designs Outdoor Utility Mat
• Nectar Chucktown Polarized Sunglasses
• Vapur Elements 1L Anti-Bottle
• Chums Universal Fit Eyewear Retainer
• Fieldsheer Mobile Cooling Hydrologic Neckband
• HiBar Moisturizing Shampoo Bar

The portable shower is super useful when I am out with the kids at the lake and need to wash their feet. They seem to get sand all over them, and we typically don’t have a good way to wash them off.

The mat complements the shower very well and allows the sand to drain away from their feet. It is also great for my knees when I need to kneel down at camp or in the parking lot getting the kids ready.

My daughter loves the sunglasses. I wear prescription sunglasses, so they are not very useful for me. At first, she really didn’t want to try them, but after wearing them, she liked how the polarized lenses eliminated glare and made everything stand out. I have polarized lenses in all of my glasses and recommend them.

The Vapur Elements water bottle is a unique idea. It is a collapsible bag with a sturdy lid and carabiner. I like it because it takes up hardly any room when I don’t need it but is still durable.

The other items are not something that I would typically buy, but they are interesting to try out. The shampoo bar is nice to throw in a pack, and I don’t have to worry about it leaking.

The Summer Basecamp Box

Our second box, the Summer Basecamp Box, came with these items:

• Grayl 16.9 oz Ultrapress Water Purifier
• Flextail Zero Ultralight Inflatable Camp Mattress
• Primus Essential Trail Backpacking Stove
• Nomadix Bandana Towel
• Morakniv Companion Knife and Sheath
• Unemployed Philosophers Guild Camping Notebook
• Wilderness Athlete H.E.R.O Energy & Hydration Drink Mix

We are very familiar with the Grayl Ultrapress. It is one of our favorite water filters and purifiers, and is featured in our Best Survival Water Filters guide. I keep one in my vehicle as part of my Get Home Bag, but also use it as a water bottle on hikes and when I am camping.

We are very familiar with Mora knives as well. The companion model is one of our favorites and we list it as one of the best budget bushcraft knives. Mora’s durability and quality is known all over the world, and we rarely have a conversation about knives without mentioning a Mora.

The Primus Essential Stove is a great compact stove to have on hand not just for camping but for emergency preparedness as well. We have a similar one recommended in our Best Emergency Stove guide. While it is not the most compact one we have used, it does provide a nice stable base for a larger pot. (Note that the gas canister is not included.)

I was surprised at how light and compact the Flextail Zero Mattress is. It rolls up into a small bag that is only about 4 inches in diameter and 8 inches tall. I weighed mine and it came in just under 20 ounces. It is great when I want to save weight and space in my pack and not carry the typical larger pad. It does not self inflate though, so a small rechargeable pump is handy.

The other items are nice extras, especially the bandanna towel. It feels like a microfiber cloth but is more absorbent. I keep it in my pack so I always have it when I am in the woods.

The City to Serenity Box

Our third box, the “City to Serenity” box, came with these items:

• Laek DryBag 30L Backpack
• Gerber Swagger Folding Knife
• Aquabend Soft 750 ml Water Bottle
• LoopRope Tie Down System
• Exotac Fire Sleeve
• Right on Trek Backcountry Chili Meal

The Laek DryBag Backpack is a great idea. Dry bags are great for canoeing or kayaking, but I always struggle with carrying them. They just have the handle on the top and they are not very big.

This one solves that issue. It is a 30L backpack with external pockets and it is also a drybag. I can get everything I need in it for a couple days and it loads from the top just like a typical bucket style backpack. It is also one of our favorite bug out bag backpacks.

When I saw the Exotac fire sleeve, I though, “what a great idea.” Instead of trying to design yet another lighter, Exotac made a sleeve to improve the tried and true Bic lighter.

A Bic lighter is just a essential piece of fire starting gear as we discussed in our Survival Fire Starting Kit Guide. But, when they get wet, I have found they don’t work very well.

The Exotac Fire Sleeve solves this problem. It comes with a cap to form a waterproof and floating case for my lighter. Since fire is so essential, it was a no brainer to add this to my survival kit.

I have a ton of pocket knives. A good knife is the one essential piece of survival and outdoor gear. With a knife, I can get by when worse comes to worse. Because of this, I keep one in all of my survival and emergency kits, not to mention in my pocket at all times.

The Gerber Swagger is the perfect size for carrying everyday and it is very light weight thanks to the G10 handle. While I prefer a straight blade, the serrated drop point blade works well as a multi-use knife. This knife is more of a work horse than a show horse, so I can just use it for everything without worry.

The other three items that came in this box are well thought out and useful as well. The Aquabend water bottle folds up in my pack, so it saves valuable space. It is perfect for my survival kit and doubles the amount of water I can carry in an emergency. I can just fill it up with my Grayl purifier from the last box.

The LoopRope is great for securing gear in my SUV, much better than the typical bungie cords that I typically use. I really like the versatility of it.

Finally, I am always looking for an easy meal when camping and hiking. The Right on Trek chili meal is enough for two people, and chili is may favorite meal to eat sitting my the fire.

All in all this is a great box and I found that each item was useful and worth the money.

The Ready to Roam Box

Our fourth box, the “Ready to Roam” box, came with these items:

• Selk’Bag Puffy Blanket
• MPowered 18′ Solar String Lights
• FixNZip Tent Repair Kit
• Toughbox SE56 Micro EDC Drybox with mounting bracket

The star of this box is the blanket. While blankets are not so exciting, this one is more than just a blanket.

I like how it stuffs down into a bag. Instead of trying to deal with folding it up and it taking up a bunch of room, I can throw this in my pack or just in the back of my SUV. It also has a carabiner attached to it so I can hook it to the outside of my pack.

It has a zipper pocket that allows me to stuff the blanket into it to form a pillow. And, it has two sides with different textures. One for cold weather and one for warm weather.

It also has buttons so I can wear it like a poncho, and a zipper pocket for my phone or other smaller items.

The toughbox is a waterproof box with a padded interior that is great for a kayak, canoe, or any type of boat – or even an ATV. I can store my phone, wallet, keys, and other items without worrying about losing them or getting them wet. I comes with a mounting bracket so I can mount it securely almost anywhere.

The solar string lights are a great idea. The circular case contains the battery, solar panel, and holds the lights for storage. I can string these across camp for light at night and then during the day they charge themselves. I don’t have to worry about a power bank or external power source.

The FixNZip tent repair kit is a nice little kit that I keep in my pack. It seems like I never know I have a hole in my tent until it starts raining. With this kit, I can make quick repairs without having to leave camp.

While not my favorite box, this one does have some unique items.