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Loot Crate has been on my radar for a couple months, but I’m one of those picky, poor nerds, so I sat biding my time, waiting on a theme that I’d have no choice but to jump on – and it finally happened in October. With Halloween capping off the end of the month, Loot Crate released their theme: #SURVIVE, which can only mean one thing of course. ZOMBIES!!!!!
It’s no secret that I can’t resist zombies, so naturally I also recruited Sam (and Therese after she saw what we got) to the service and we at Nerdophiles can’t be more excited about Loot Crate. My honest first impression of Loot Crate was that it was smaller than I was expecting. I didn’t even know it had arrived because it fit inside my standard mailbox. I was expecting it to land on my porch or at least in a bag hanging off of my mailbox.
Check out the (poorly lit) size comparison next to A Feast For Crows:
With that being said, the little box definitely fits a lot inside of it. From looking at past boxes, Sam and I were expecting one “big ticket” item – the confirmed rumor of a t-shirt in the box was our best guess. We received that and more!
The first thing you get when you open the box is the booklet introducing you to the box. It really pulled together the theme and had a lot of fun little extras, including an interview with Max Brooks, Loot Crate’s top five zombie movies (though I’m inclined to quibble that they have nothing earlier than Army of Darkness on their list), and some gorgeous Shaun of the Dead artwork. Seriously, can I get that in print form, Loot Crate? There’s also info on the mega crate, pictures of Looters with last month’s spoils, a contest, an update on their Minecraft servers, and an explanation of everything in the box.
Inside the box was the t-shirt we were promised – a mash up of Star Wars and The Walking Dead – with Ewoking Dead from GraphicLab. Sam wore hers to a Halloween party and it went over very well. A GraphicLab coupon for $5 off was also included.
The biggest surprise was under the t-shirt and worth more than the box itself (excluding shipping)! Max Brooks’ Zombie Survival Guide was neatly packaged and a delight to see. This is what sold me on Loot Crate, if we’re being honest. The awesome way they pulled together the theme and the two “big ticket” items that made the crate worth it.
A zombie card from OpenMe is the other thing I can see myself getting use out of. It’s cute, it’s printed on sturdy cardstock, and I already have some idea of who I want to mail it to and what I want to use it for.
Everything else was a cute mishmash of novelty things. The 8-bit zombie buttons are adorable – Sam already has plans to make hers into magnets. Loot Crate Labs made those, as well as the Zombie Hunter card that’s cute, but I have no practical use for it. There were gummy candy body parts included, but I got a bug instead. I’m hoping that’s Loot Crate’s way of saying that I’ll survive the undead masses down the line (even if I’m forced to eat bugs eww).
The last thing the Loot Crate Labs provided was tattoos that could showcase whether you were infected or safe. They tied into the contest I mentioned earlier – by taking a picture with one of the tattoos, you could be entered to win a three month extension! This is thoughtful and interactive and I really like the idea of keeping everyone engaged each month.
Do I think Loot Crate is worth the money? Absolutely! It’s the cheapest of the other two boxes we compared it to (Booty Bin and Nerd Block) and has a definite edge in quality and theming. Their social media handlers, as well as their customer service people found on the website, are really easy to get in contact with and, from my experience, have been super helpful!
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