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The IceMule Is a Must for Picnics, Road Trips, and Farmers Markets

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IceMule Classic Medium Soft Cooler (15L)

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I live my life, and my vacations, on the go. A “normal” week might see me going from Philadelphia, to New York City to Connecticut and back, often lugging the contents of my fridge with me so that my family and I are set up with food, snacks, and coffee wherever we are. When traveling by car, my Yeti Hopper or Oyster Tempo are my default coolers since there’s plenty of room and weight isn’t an issue. But for plane and train travel, picnics, or any time you need to be packing light, a very different solution is necessary. You need an IceMule.

Perhaps you know the feeling: You’ve just landed after eight hours in a straitjacket of an airline seat, you’ve cleared customs, made it to your Airbnb where your host’s friend’s neighbor was improbably there on time waiting for you with a key, but you aren’t done. The only edible thing in that Airbnb is salt. It’s time to shop.

As a food editor, I love nothing more than eating out when traveling, but as a parent, I know something else entirely, which is that eating out for every meal with my kids is too expensive and stops being fun after more than one restaurant meal per day. Cooking wherever I travel, beginning with exploring local markets and bringing just enough tools with me to make nearly any kitchen work, is part of the fun. That is why my IceMule is such a critical piece of kit.

Image may contain: Bag, and Backpack

IceMule Classic Medium Soft Cooler (15L)

Think of it as the best PACKABLE soft-sided cooler you’ll ever use. The IceMule compresses down to the size of a medium-weight sweater in your luggage, but it can also function as a backpack in its own right if you want to use it as a carry-on. It combines strong yet thin insulation with inflatable sidewalls that enhance its thermal retention still further.

In practice, that means no more starting from scratch in every place you visit, having to run out to buy milk, butter, and other perishables. When out exploring for the day, you can start out by packing lunch in it and then slowly fill it with a market’s haul of yogurt, cheeses, meats, and even produce that might otherwise wilt in your car or grocery bag. It allows me the flexibility to be a better shopper and traveler, not having to fear spills and allowing for easy fridge clean-outs between stops.

You’re probably thinking, Oh, but I have that flimsy little cooler bag I used to bring ice cream home from the supermarket that day. Let me tell you, that thing is a paper airplane compared to the USS Enterprise that is an IceMule,

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