Soft-Sided Coolers Put in Hard Tailgate Labor
Tailgating’s hard on your gear. Banging around the back of your ride. Sitting on hot asphalt early in the season, and in snow and ice late in the year. Drunk buddies spilling beer and chili on it. A couple of seasons can take a toll.
Fishpond, maker of nearly indestructible gear bags for fishing, hunting and camping, has a couple of coolers they’ve designed for tailgaters that can hold all your food, beer and gear, and take a beating season after season.
The Avalanche Lunch Box (pictured left) – looking like an oversized tool bag with its anvil-style top opening – has two waterproof and leakproof compartments lined with PVC that hold a ton of food and beer. Multi-layered insulation to keep everything cold in case you get stuck in an endless line of cars entering the lot. It’s made of ballistic nylon for durability and tear resistance, and the bottom is hard molded plastic to handle rough parking lot surfaces. Three outside pockets and one in the main compartment handle whatever else you need to haul. And a padded air mesh handle and removable shoulder strap, make lugging it to your tailgate site easier.
The Ice Storm Cooler (right) has all of the same construction features as the Avalanche, but has a huge 2400 cubic inch capacity that lets you pack enough food to feed a whole team, with outside pockets to hold your utensils and and cooking gear. And unlike the typical hard-sided cooler you’ve been using, it folds down for easy storage when the party’s over.
Looks like it’s time to think soft.
$69.00 – Avalanche Lunch Box small
$89.00 – Avalanche Lunch Box large
$79.00 – Ice Storm Cooler