The Adventure Challenge is a monthly subscription that delivers everything you need for a unique, creative date to help you reconnect with your partner as you spend quality time together. While functional by itself, this subscription makes for a great companion to the Couples Camera Set, which is not included.
This is a review of the Adventure Subscription Box which is currently on sale for $39.99 a month.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review purposes. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
Guess what time it is?! You guessed it: Date Night!! After an insanely busy week and even busier weekend, my husband and I were finally able to sit down to try out our newest box from The Adventure Challenge. We were interested to see just what they cooked up for us this time. And, if you missed my "First Impressions" review, feel free to check out how even a well-planned date can turn into a mother/son bonding moment. Read below to find out just how this month's date ended up going.
Diving In
Like I mentioned in my last review, my husband and I are quite familiar with date night boxes. While Dustin's idea of a spectacular date consists of watching hunting videos on YouTube, he will humor me once in a while by participating in a slightly mushy, feelings-y kind of date that these boxes tend to deliver. Like our last box, we were initially impressed. The box itself is super high quality, very chic and reusable, and presents in an exciting way. Upon opening, we found the contents wrapped nicely, displaying a lovely looking time.
The Paperwork
1 of 2
Included in this month's box is a pamphlet describing exactly what we received in the box, suggestions on how to go about our date, and photos of a couple that completed this rendezvous. I'll admit, when I opened the box only to discover that we had to bake, I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE baking, but after making dinner, doing dishes, getting the kids to bed, and cleaning up the house - creating another mess in the kitchen was pretty much the last thing I wanted to do - so we didn't! Because there were kind of two parts to this date, we decided to split it up and save the baking for the next date - win, win right?
Aprons
1 of 2
Because this month's theme was "Build her a cake" we were sent two aprons to decorate for each other. Being tired and just plain not in the mood to be in the kitchen, my husband and I decided to spend our Saturday evening with the first part of the date: painting each other an apron.
Paints
1 of 2
We also received a paint box including 12 different colors of paint with 2 brushes. I appreciated the fact that we were both able to paint at the same time, and that we received a vast number of colors, giving us the ability to mix to create any colors that we didn't receive. While they weren't of the highest quality, they painted on the aprons nicely - just be sure to allow for ample drying time!
Painting the Aprons
1 of 5
The instructions in the date guide suggest getting creative and painting a masterpiece for your loved one on an apron. Because my husband is obsessed with wildlife, I decided to try and paint a deer silhouette. Things were going okay, and then I dropped a big blob of black paint outside of where the deer's head was supposed to be. As there was no way to salvage this mistake, I had to make the head wider, which ended up making it look slightly like a black bear with antlers. Whoops. Dustin decided to put a big pink cupcake on the front of mine, complete with a cherry on top. Boy, do we know each other or what? Side note: this paint took quite a while to dry, so set aside at least overnight before you try it on. Also, has anyone tried washing their apron? Because the paint didn't list what kind it was, I'm a little hesitant to try!
Cake Mix
1 of 4
So, Saturday came and went, and we decided to bake our cake with our nicely dried aprons. Sadly, when I opened the canvas satchel containing our cake making ingredients, I found the cake mix had a hole in it, which dumped over 1/2 cup of the mixture into the satchel all over the other items. Because I just didn't feel good about using the remainder of the mixture, I had to toss it out, and replace it with my own box mix.
Other Ingredients
1 of 3
Also included in the bag was enough oil for the mix and a big cup of Musselman's applesauce. Because I used my own box mix, I didn't end up using the oil or the applesauce, but my son gobbled up the sauce as an afternoon snack.
Frosting
1 of 2
The last item in the satchel was a container of Betty Crocker Rich and Creamy vanilla frosting. I figured I would be able to use this to frost our cake, but discovered the "Best By" date to have been February 2022. If our family wouldn't have just had multiple cases of the stomach flu in the past few weeks, I would have gone ahead and used it, but honestly, after cleaning up way too many bodily fluids this month I just wasn't going to risk it. Out went the frosting, in exchange for a chocolate version I had stashed in the cupboard. Boo!
Cake Pans
The last item we received were these 6" silicone baking pans. I have a few silicone items, but haven't baked in them a lot, so I was excited to see how well these would work. Setting the oven to the designated temp, these baked up like a dream, releasing the cakes perfectly. And the size was adorable!!
Cake Making Date
1 of 4
When we got to actually making the cake, we decided to do this as we were making dinner together. My 7-year-old requested venison back straps stuffed with cranberries and stuffing for dinner, so while the kids were playing a game, Dustin and I whipped up dinner and our cake. Again, not a typical date, but if it involves dishes, I want as many hands-on deck as possible to aid in the clean up! Mama gets tired, people!!
With a delicious meal in our bellies, followed by an amazing dessert, our Sunday turned out to be a great one. How did we do on our date? Not exactly as the booklet described, but isn't that what makes it extra special?
The Verdict
As our second date box from The Adventure Challenge, I have to say, I was a little let down. Our first month's theme was super cool, and though we didn't follow the guide quite as directed, I was thoroughly impressed. This month, we received a damaged item, and an expired item, which was really disappointing as that was the main basis for the box. Also, like I said above, I tend to like to have my date nights after the house is cleaned up and the kids are in bed, so the baking theme was a little like work to me, though we made due. All in all, this box was a bit of a flop, but did leave us with some neat aprons, and a deliciously cute dessert. What do you think the next theme will be?
The Value: Because the materials in this box are custom-made for this box, it is hard to put a retail value on the contents. Between the materials, ideas, and quality time together, had the items not been damaged or defective, I still would have found the $39.99 price to be a little high. Adding some fun sprinkles or food coloring would have been fun inclusions to help bring the value up. what did you think?
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Possibly. The Adventure Box is a preset monthly experience, so it just depends on which one they are sending out at the particular time.
Check out all of our date night boxes the Lifestyle Subscription Box List!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of The Adventure Challenge?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.