When we first laid eyes on The Kooler, the product didn’t look like something we would be into. The idea of a gallon jug mixed with the convenience of carrying a shaker definitely sounds interesting, although we were a little concerned about its design being more function over form. Over the past few weeks we’ve had turns living with the 2-in-1 item to come up with today’s The Kooler review. Despite all using it in slightly different day-to-day lives, we all seemed to come to the same conclusion. The Kooler does exactly as advertised, however it does come down to each individual person as to whether or not the accessory is right for them.
How it works
One of the first things you need to understand is how The Kooler works. Basically you have a giant gallon jug that you can fill up with almost whatever you want and have access to through a sipper that lifts up from the top. The second part of The Kooler is attached to the center of the lid and is where the shaker convenience comes in. As difficult as it is to explain, the product comes with a spare shaker cup that screws into the lid creating a holder inside the jug that gives you space to put your shaker. If that description isn’t clear enough then the video below should give you a much better idea on the anatomy of The Kooler.
Living with The Kooler
Moving on to living with The Kooler, as large as it is it’s not as difficult to cart around as you’d expect. The handle makes it a lot more comfortable to carry from place to place as well as easier to drink out of due to its height. At the end of the day even if you’re not used to walking around with a bottle this size, it will quickly grow on you. Most of us just started using it at work and home, however once you get comfortable with it you tend to take it everywhere. If anything we would say it’s about as normal as carrying a 6 Pack Bag or Fitmark Shield around with you. While it may look strange to those not in the know, The Kooler is essentially the drink management system. It packs a gallon of liquid and has room for your shaker or whatever else you’d like to carry around in the middle compartment. If you are a meal bag user it only makes sense that you complete your fit look with The Kooler, as you pack a days worth of meals so why not pack a days worth of water, aminos and protein.
As useful as The Kooler is throughout the day, you can put it to good use in other places. What might be considered it’s more suitable scenario, The Kooler is of course the perfect assistant for the gym. While it won’t replace your gym bag if you’ve got a session lined up that requires a bit of equipment, it will however be the only thing you need to take on days where no extra equipment is required. You can easily fit all your supplementation in The Kooler with water/aminos in the main jug and post-workout concoction in the shaker compartment. You don’t need to stop there as the gym isn’t the only place an active person can make good use of The Kooler. Game day, hike, road trip, tournament, the list of applications could go on. The innovation basically takes the classic gallon jug and shaker and puts the two together, so wherever you would usually take a bottle and a shaker The Kooler can help you out.
There is one other feature of The Kooler that is worth trying out and that is its obvious ability to keep things cool. After all The Kooler is officially described as the “world’s only kooler within a kooler.” Despite it being a rather major selling point for The Kooler we do have to say it wasn’t a feature we cared too much about. Having a cold post-workout was nice, but after years of having them normally and being used to throwing them back without a care for taste it’s not an attractive highlight. Where the cooling ability does come in handy is during the day, as staying refreshed with almost ice-cold water or aminos is a luxury you won’t mind making the effort for.
Functionality
Now that we’ve discussed what The Kooler does and how easy it is to adapt to using and eventually needing it, it’s time to talk about a few things we noticed with the product’s functionality. Firstly you have to appreciate the entire lid of The Kooler being able to come off. The brand could have built this so many other ways, but the ability to open it up and throw powder and ice in like it’s a cauldron is extremely handy. As big of an upside as the lid size is, it does have trouble being put back on. If you push it down too much you’ll find it doesn’t screw on properly which leaves room for leakage. It’s definitely not a major issue, although one you will likely face.
Despite how tricky the main lid can be to get on, the shaker compartment is a whole lot simpler. Push down and screw on, it’s as easy as that. Inside the shaker compartment though we did have a bit of trouble. We noticed that quite a bit of liquid managed to get in, and continued to get in even after we played around with the tightness and even switched up the cups. Like the occasional issue with the main lid, the leaking wasn’t a problem but another thing you may come across.
One last area we’d like to touch on is the inside of The Kooler. At this point we are getting a bit picky however this is something you’ll want to know. Inside the jug there is no measurement marks like you get on a shaker or some water bottles. We’re not saying it’s necessary to know if you’re at half way or anything, but a mark around the top would be helpful. The reason we say this is because when you mix everything together then put the lid on, the shaker compartment of course raises the level. Over time you will learn roughly where you should fill the Kooler to, although it is a problem that could easily be avoided with some kind of maximum mark.
The Kooler review final words
All in all we have to say The Kooler is surprisingly useful. If you didn’t get it from The Kooler review, the unique accessory will grow on you. Whether you start off using it at the gym or like we did during the day, you’ll notice you become more and more dependent on it. It’s almost too difficult to go back to what The Kooler was designed to replace after you know what it’s like to have a bottle and shaker in one. Despite its few flaws that we won’t be surprised if the likes of a Kooler 2.0 corrects in a couple of years, the shaker carrying gallon jug is definitely a product that we could see everyone getting on board with. At $32.95 it’s not too big of an investment, especially if you’re already a jug carrier and wouldn’t mind a more convenient and colorful upgrade.
