I received product from Patriot Coolers in exchange for a blog post. All opinions and work are my own.
In September 2016, John and I embarked on one of our bucket list goals: a 6-week cross-country road trip to celebrate his transition from Navy life to civilian. We had begun planning it at least a year prior, when John had made the final decision that no, he would not reenlist.
One cool, misty late-September day, we packed our car full of stuff–including a cooler– and we drove west from Quantico, ready for one of the biggest adventures of our lives.
As the East Coast melted into the Midwest, we realized something: the cooler we brought along wasn’t going to cut it once we hit warmer temperatures… or even just a warmer-than-average fall day. It just wasn’t meant to be lugged across the country in the back of a Ford Focus.
We ended up limping along the rest of the trip with it– but we just weren’t able to use it the way we had wanted to, which was a disappointment.
After that, we made it a point to get a great cooler for other trips, outings, and picnics so that we wouldn’t end up wasting food, or opening the cooler to find our drinks bobbing in lukewarm water.
Patriot Coolers
Enter: Patriot Coolers, a brand that–perhaps unsurprisingly, given its name– is designed in the US and specializes in drinkware and coolers with an Americana theme. They offer a variety of products— from insulated tumblers to soft- and hard-sided coolers as well as other gear and equipment. They also offer customization for their coolers and drinkware, which means you may have just found the perfect retirement gift.
Patriot Coolers offers a 15% military discount to active duty service members (including Reserves and National Guard) and veterans who were discharged or retired honorably. To take advantage of that offer, those who believe they qualify for the discount should email Patriot Coolers directly or message them on Facebook. In addition to that perk, Patriot Coolers offers a 30-day, money-back guarantee on brand-new products as well as warranties that last for 5 years on drinkware and coolers and 1 year on all other Patriot Cooler products.
Perhaps the crown jewel of Patriot Coolers’ ethos, however, is their commitment to the military community. They donate 20% of net proceeds from their sales to Homes For Our Troops, an organization–with a 4-star Charity Navigator rating– that builds and donates homes to injured post-9/11 veterans.
Take a look
For this review, Patriot Coolers sent a hard-sided 20 quart cooler. It can hold 17 pounds of ice, 5 gallions of water, or 24 cans. Patriot Coolers claims that their hard-sided coolers are bear-proof too, but because I don’t have a bear, I can’t talk about that particular angle! It’s a heavy-duty cooler, that is very obviously well-insulated, features a locking handle for carrying, as well as rubber toggle locks for keeping the lid secure. This is ideally a cooler for just drinks or for a day trip.
And talking about heavy-duty, the 30-ounce tumbler Patriot Coolers sent along was also impressively double-walled and insulated for hot or cold drinks. It comes with a top that can be sipped from as well as a straw inserted into it. It’s made out of steel and comes in a variety of colors.
Interested in checking more of their products out? Take a look at their online catalogue!
Interested in checking more of their products out? Take a look at their online catalogue!
