About two weeks ago I got my hands on the Icemule cooler. It sounded like a really neat idea and soft-sided coolers have always appealed to me. Anything that can be flattened, folded, or rolled up when not is use always seems like a great idea.
Once the IceMule Cooler arrived, I looked it over and read the instructions very carefully. The idea was really simple. Put in (insert food/beverage) of my choice, add ice, FOLD the top of the bag over several times, then latch shut with the plastic buckle. The only thing that was not included in the instructions was when or to what degree the cooler should be inflated. There was a port for inflating on one side, but no information on using it.
The first thing I discovered was that sealing and closing the IceMule was easy. The second thing I discovered was that if I inflated it first, it could be inflated to a point that almost nothing could be put inside the cooler. Without any further instructions I decided that inflating had to come after filling. I fired off an email to customer service about the inflation information, but have not heard back from them quite yet.
The first few times I used the IceMule was on trips to the community pool or just driving around in the car. I would put a few bottles of water in the cooler, fill with ice, and then take a short trip to work or with the kids.
This last Sunday I was off to a family reunion in New Waverly, Texas and my wife told me to get the cooler out and pack her giant bowel of fruit salad. To me, this was a job for the IceMule.
I stuffed her huge green plastic bowel of fruit into the bottom of the IceMule. I was actually very happy to see that it went in properly since this same bowl eats a lot of room in my regular coolers.
TupperWare Bowl in IceMule
Once the bowl was wedged in nice and tight, I filled the IceMule with as much ice as it would hold.
IceMule filled with ice
This turned out to be a bit too much ice since I could not fold the top of the cooler over more than once. I took a bit of ice out so that I could successfully fold the top of the IceMule over four times, locked it shut, and attached the shoulder strap.
IceMule filled and closed
The fruit salad and the ice survived the hour and half drive in the car and then sat outside in 95 F + temperatures for about three hours before it was removed and served.
The ice had not melted and I found out that I had to take most of the ice out in order to get the bowl out. This was not a problem with the IceMule. It was was a problem with the idiot who jammed a large bowl into it and poured ice over the top.
At this point I find the IceMule interesting. The summer heat in Texas is not getting any cooler and I am going to be able to put this cooler to good use with travelling and just plain old going to the pool to play. Check back in about a week for an update on this cooler.
Update:
The one thing I can say about the last few weeks is that it has been HOT. Far too many days with temperatures in the 100 F range here in Texas for anyone to enjoy being outside a whole lot. I have kept most of my outings to early mornings or late afternoons, but on some occasions I have been outside during the day.
If I was outside during the day, so was the Ice Mule cooler. I have taken it to Galveston, Lake Conroe, the pool, the yard, and on several day trips I the car. With all the use I have been putting it to; I have developed some very interesting feelings about this cooler.
The first thing I have come to grips with is how much I can carry in the cooler. There is a strange mix of how much I want to take and how long I will be outside that factor into every use of the Ice Mule. The more I want to carry and keep cold, the shorter amount of time it will work. From my experiments I feel confident that carrying 12-12 ounce cans allows me enough ice to keep everything cool for about five hours. Less content means more ice and a longer stay.
The other thing I deal with on every trip is the ice. I have to remove ice every time or I cannot fold the top down correctly. This is a definite user issue since I want to cram as much ice in as I can rather than an Ice Mule issue.
To sum this up, there is just not enough room to pack a whole lot of stuff in this cooler. I do not think this is an issue if I am going to be out for a short period of time, but depending on the Ice Mule for 12 + hours is going to probably end in heartache.
Now there are some definite upsides to using the Ice Mule. It can be crammed into any space in the car. By crammed, I mean stuffed in and forced into the available space at hand. This makes it easy to pack at the last second. On this same track, when empty, it is nice to be able to roll the Ice Mule up and pack it away in the car, again without taking up a huge amount of space.
I can carry it. The carrying strap is great. It allows me to take the Ice Mule easily wherever I want to go without a lot of hassle. I have even hung the Ice Mule in the yard so that I can swing by on the riding lawn mower and grab a cold drink out of it without stopping for too long. Convinence is a word that goes very well with the Ice Mule and its carrying strap.
The last thing I really enjoy about the Ice Mule has to do with my taking in on several recent fishing trips. The first benefit of using it on a boat is that no one will sit on it. While everyone else is shoving, yelling, and otherwise getting upset because space is at a premium and some is sitting on THEIR ice chest and impeding the access to cold beverages, I was able to laugh and enjoy a drink whenever I wanted. NO ONE sits on the Ice Mule. It just does not appeal to anyone in that manner and I loved it.
Along the same vein, most people are intimidated by the manner in which the Ice Mule folds closed. On the boat that meant no one went after my drinks because they had no idea how to close the Ice Mule. The less desirable side of this is that small children also have no clue how to close it and that means that daddy always has to make sure it is secure after small hands have retrieved their bottles of water.
Since my last update, I have received an email back from customer service about inflating the Ice Mule. They confirmed what I had figured out for myself and that is to fill the cooler, fold it closed, and then inflate it a bit. Simple and easy.
For short trips to the pool, mowing the yard, or even fishing, the IceMule is nice. The convenience of the carrying strap puts it far ahead of my hard sided coolers in my book. My only real complaint is that is just does not seem to be big enough.
Another Update
By Andy Bowman
August 24, 2009
Ice Mule Loaded With Wings
I almost cannot remember a time when I did not carry the IceMule Cooler. While it is not a high capacity monster that allows me to carry food for the entire office in it, it is just the right size for a day or afternoon out.
One of the best uses I have found for the IceMule is transporting strangely shaped bowls or tupperware containers full of food. I have carried chicken salad, fruit salad, watergate salad, and a whole barrel full of other foods that my wife has constructed for me to carry to various parties and family reunions this summer. Best of all, if that is all we need to carry, the IceMule is really convenient for stuffing with a huge bowl, covering it with ice, and travelling without worries of spills or taking up too much room. The picture above shows the IceMule stuffed with 27 pounds of chicken wings that I need to load quickly and get to the grill. It was a short drive, but the wings and just a touch of ice made the trip quickly and were ferried from the car to the grill by the IceMule.
The IceMule has also been carried to the beach and the pool and is perfect for holding water bottles for my children. It is really nice to throw the IceMule over a shoulder and then load my arms down with towels, blankets, chairs, and any other gear without having to worry about who is going to help me carry the cooler.
I have taken it out fishing on my friend’s boat several times and I like the fact that people will not sit on it or risk opening it to steal a beer since they do not know how to close it. At this point, I consider it the perfect way to carry an afternoon’s worth of beverages that I do not want to share.
The IceMule has even made an appearance on the golf course. I carried enough bottled water for nine holes and when we took a break after that, I refilled the IceMule with more water and ice for the back nine.
Its portability offsets my issue with how much it holds. Carrying it around the golf course with my clubs was damn easy and once everyone realized that it was not heavy, my partners took turns carrying it as well.
Despite what I see as a limited capacity, I do like the IceMule. It is perfect for short day trips where I am not going to need gallons of refreshments. It is so easy to carry and if folds down when empty, which is doubly important when the car is stuffed full even at the end of a trip to the beach. Even better, it is really easy to fill the IceMule with water to pour over the camp fire to make sure it is really out. I think I have used it in almost every way I could think of.
If a soft-sided cooler that is very portable, easy to use, and just the right size for an afternoon out what someone needs, then the IceMule is definitely the way to go.
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