Posts Tagged coolers
NorChill Soft-Sided Cooler for Road Trips — or Plane Travel
Ever use a soft-sided cooler bag as a carry-on? I did last month, when we were flying from Colorado to Minnesota to begin a wild mystery road trip through seven states. A cooler for storing water bottles, snacks, sandwiches and leftovers is a non-negotiable must have for our family road trips, and I knew I had to have a good one for this adventure that didn’t start from our own garage.
My brand-new soft-sided cooler, the NorChill 24-Pack (yes, it holds a case of soda or beer), did the trick — in so many more ways than one. First, I packed the heavy-duty, thickly padded bag with my DSLR camera, laptop computer and other necessities for my plane trip. It’s size — 10 by 18 by 12 inches — is ideal for carrying on a plane, as is the shoulder and hand straps. I also appreciated the extra cushion for my valuables; the external zipper pocket was ideal for storing I.D., boarding passes and paper itinerary.
Did I feel a little silly carrying a royal-blue, soft-sided cooler as my carry-on? For sure. It’s not quite as classy as my Briggs & Riley Shopping Tote or as sleek as other backpacks and rollerboards I have in my rotation, but it’s efficient to use a cooler as a suitcase, that’s for sure. Gotta love any travel item that can pull double duty.
Once we were on the road — from Minnesota to Texas over the course of a week! — we made use of the cooler daily. It fit perfectly between the kids in the backseat of our rented Ford Flex (when we needed a barrier between them to allay arguments) or at their feet when they were getting along. At hotels where we didn’t have a fridge in our room, we used bags of ice to keep our food cold overnight; we can confirm that the heavy-duty “leak-proof” liner indeed does not leak. We didn’t use it to keep hot foods hot, but the bag does have a “dual-temp insulation system” for just that use — great for transporting warm dishes to potluck parties.
I forsee using our NorChill cooler until it wears out. It does have a two-year warranty, that I need to activate online, but it’s so sturdy and solidly manufactured, I see this cooler lasting for a long time to come.
The 24-Pack Cooler retails for $49.99 on the Norchill site; also browse around Amazon.com to find it at a discounted price.
Posted by Kara in General Gear on July 16th, 2010
Convenient, Sleek IcyBag Keeps Travel Items Cold
Even when I’m not traveling, I’m often on the go. I’m either running around to various volunteer-related commitments or doing errands during my work day (which is the kids’ school day, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.). And I’m the type of person who never wants (healthy) food to be too far out of reach. That’s where my IcyBag insulated pouch comes in handy.
It’s just compact enough to fit into my tote-style purse. In the IcyBag, I can store two mozzarella cheese sticks, a snack-size baggie of grapes and a diet soda (okay, so I’m not always that healthy). If the kids are in tow, I forego my can of soda, and fit their small juice boxes, and bring it along to our excursions to the park or to our weekly Wal-mart run.
But the IcyBag isn’t just for keeping snacks cool. It’s ideal to pack in a carry-on bag for plane travel, since the included gel pack — in its own water-resistant sleeve — is 3 ounces. Use the IcyBag to keep medications cold — like that icky pink Amoxicillin that is more tolerable when it’s not room temperature.
Or bring the IcyBag along on a tropical vacation: store the gel pack in your mini-fridge’s freezer compartment overnight, and bring the bag to the beach to keep chapstick from melting or sunscreen from getting all hot and runny.
The IcyBag is a sleek 6 x 2 x 8 inches and retails for $15 (one gel pack) or $20 (two gel packs); choose from three colors: black, turquoise and black, and pink and tan. Purchase at IcyBag.com or Amazon.com
Posted by Kara in Kids and Family, Travel Light on May 1st, 2009
