I eat up kitsch. Give me all of it and I will love every second. So when I received this watermelon-shaped cooler bag from ban.do, they got me hook, line, and sinker.
While I don’t carry a bunch of things, or take Instagram photos for a living, I do love a good, photographable bag, one that’ll make people stop me and ask where I got it. This cooler bag is so much more than just something to toss some ice packs and a couple beers into while heading to the beach. It’s what makes summer great, bright colors and cold drinks, rolled up into a fruit-shaped tote.
My bag is the bright pink watermelon, but they also have a more subdued lemon shape, and an über-hip grapefruit that I may or may not also have to get. You don’t necessarily have to fill it with drinks, as it zips closed and will function just as well as a normal beach tote.
They warn that it may leak when filled with water or ice, but that’s the case with most soft-sided coolers. I would stick to just ice packs, though. My plan is to fill this thing up with at least a six-pack, probably of canned wine, because it deserves its day in the sun, literally. The bag itself is washable with a damp cloth, so if you end up spilling liquid, that may or may not be alcoholic, in it, all is not lost.
Another point in its favor? The outer material is water resistant, so you don’t have to worry about anything inside getting wet, unless whatever is inside is already wet.