Lakeland Cool Bag (Lakeland Cool Bag)

Member Name: Machair1

Product:	Lakeland Cool Bag
Date:	28/10/08 (146 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Keeps food cold for up to 16 hours/ roomy,easy to clean.

Disadvantages: None except the price at £23.99

You may know from some of my previous reviews that I am a great fan of the homewares company Lakeland! I think I fell in love with them when I first discovered the origins of their company. In the 1960s deep in the Lake District they were selling amongst other items made from plastic sheeting little coats called lammacs designed for new born lambs to wear to keep them warm on cold hillsides. They have moved on from humble beginnings but the genesis of them is in these hills, and today they are a family company selling everything you could wish for in the kitchen and more.

I spend an eternity travelling up the M6, A1, M74 and the winding roads of Scotland as I holiday in The Outer Hebrides and regularly visit my daughters who both live in Scotland and this involves as much as 16 hours on the road sometimes with an overnight stop.

This is where this coolbag is second to none. I have tried so many over the years and when I found this one I stopped looking. It is made from a material called Flectalon which was developed by NASA for the space programme. Sometimes in our car on sunny days it gets really hot and even in direct sunlight the contents are still chilled and fresh on arrival! So for a day on the beach it is perfect.

It's a roomy bag but it folds flat for easy storage. Its dimensions are:
45 x 18 x 30cm H. (17¾" x 7" x 12"). 20 litre

What I do is to freeze cartons of orange juice, some snack size, and some large and I also freeze milk too and I use these as ice packs instead of buying them. The great thing is that if you are staying overnight by the next morning they are thawing nicely and you can have them in tea/coffee or on cereals.

It saves so much money especially if you have a large family. When I had 4 children all living at home going on these journeys it was a real bonus as it saved the expense of using motorway service areas to buy sandwiches and treats.

It is also really useful if you go somewhere and want to bring back food. I know people who go to the Outer Hebrides and want to bring back Salmon and I am sure this would travel perfectly. Being veggie I haven't tried this myself but I do stop off at a place on Skye which grows beautiful watercress and this travels beautifully in the bag.

I actually have two of these and I often pack one with salad and fresh cheeses and smoothies which I leave unopened so it is like a starter pack for our holidays. We don't then have to arrive and start searching for supermarkets straight away!

Priced at £23.99 it isn't cheap but it is everything it claims to be and soon pays for itself.

It wipes clean beautifully and I usually leave it to try in the sun for a few minutes before storage.

If you look on the Lakeland website you can read a review by a lady who says she has used this as a fridge for 3 months! It is that good.

So in conclusion I think this is the best product of its type on the market. You can purchase direct from lakeland by mail order, or visit one of their shops which are sprinkled round the country.

www.lakeland.co.uk

Summary: In my view this is the best cool bag on the market.