I have gone through a lot of coolers in the last few years, and the search has always been difficult for me to find ones that are “just right”. How do you find a cooler that not only is light and easy to transport, but holds enough beer to be worthwhile for those big shares or weekends? What if I want to bring a growler or two? Bombers? It’s a tall order of a cooler bag to fit all my criteria.
I think that I’ve found it, though with this cooler bag from a website called Groovy Guy Gifts – before I dig in to it though, I want to let you know that the company reached out to me and sent me one as a gift… so while I was definitely going to write about it – know that the thoughts are definitely my own. I don’t bullshit you guys.
The Problems With Most Coolers
There are a lot of reasons that I haven’t been happy with most of my coolers. They’re the simple things that I know I’ve talked to some of you about before in my hunt for the perfect way to transport my beer:
- Coolers are too big.
- They’re bulky.
- If they aren’t too big, they’re way too small, and don’t hold the things I need.
- They are hard to carry.
- Coolers don’t have other compartments to store stuff.
- They can look a little goofy sometimes.
It seems with every cooler that I’ve owned, and used, I’m always sacrificing on at least one of these points… usually a couple of them. I was starting to get frustrated, and content with just accepting that it was how it was going to be – until these folks reached out to me.
The Cooler Bag
When Groovy Guy Gifts reached out to me and I found myself flipping through their online catalog – I knew as soon as I saw this bag that I needed to put it through the paces. It looked perfect for what I want out of a cooler. Luckily for me, I was scheduled ot take a trip down to Asheville, which would provide some amazing testing ground to see how this thing would hold up to actual use. I loaded it up (it even fits growlers… that’s how big this thing is) and really tested it out in some real world “drinking” conditions for a solid 4 days or so before making up my mind.
They’ve nailed it.
This cooler is big – but doesn’t feel like it’s ‘too big”, and with the backpack straps, it’s never too hard to carry with you. Pockets on the side are big enough to fit full 64oz growlers on each side of the bag, while the inside cooler part can easily hold a case of beer (though when you fully load this thing up, it feels like the weight is too much for the backpack straps). There’s a zippered pocket on the outside, and a mesh pocket on the lid to stash whatever you need to bring with you.
This cooler is serious about what it does – and what it does is haul a TON of beer around wherever you need it. If you find yourself heading to bottle shares or backyard barbecues on a regular basis, it’s perfect. Keep in mind that it’s still a soft cooler bag, and it doesn’t hold ice the way a fancy- schmancy Yeti cooler might… but I don’t think that’s going to come as a surprise to anyone who is shopping for it.
If this sounds like a bag you’d like to check out – 1) Invite me over for a bottle share… I’ll probably bring this bag. 2)Jump over to their website to order your own, or browse around at some of their other products… they offer personalization on them all – so they make great gifts too for that guy (or girl) that is on your shopping list. (Here’s a link right to the specific bag that I’m talking about)