What I love

Drybag design fits into sea kayak dry hatches. The IceMule Classic comes in four sizes: Mini (9L), Small (10L), Medium (15L), Large (20L). For sea kayaking I recommend the Medium because it’s size, even when full of ice, brats, cheese and eggs, fit into the hatch behind the seat. I could have fit the Large cooler into my larger stern hatch but then I would lose precious cargo space for items like tent, sleeping bag, non-perishable food, etc.  

Holds ice cubes for 24 hours. But strangely enough, a Yeti ice pack becomes a Yeti slop pack in about eight hours. No idea why other than it’s a Yeti thing and not an IceMule thing. The IceMule’s insulation technology is a combination of foam and air. However, the key to getting ice to remain ice for 24 hours is to minimize the amount of times you open the cooler. It’s not a refrigerator where you can open the door, stare at the contents for ten minutes while you ponder the future of civilization and what you’ll have to eat. Open it, get what you need, roll down the top, depress the air valve and then tighten the roll a bit more. For best results, complete these steps in five seconds or less.

Absolutely no leakage. It’s waterproof—both inside and out. After the ice cubes melted, the brats and Gouda cheese were eaten and all that remained were four hardboiled eggs and half a bag of shredded cheese that at least had to remain cool during the warmer parts of the day. So I secured the shoulder strap to a log of driftwood and let the IceMule bob and float on the 36-degree Lake Superior water to keep the exterior nice and cold.   

Tough. I’ve had this IceMule Classic cooler for about year now. After stuffing it into and pulling out of my sea kayak’s dry hatch on at least six multi-day sea kayaking trips, there is nary a single tear, thanks to its construction of heavy-duty vinyl with welded seams that are reinforced at the bottom.

What I didn’t like

Uhh…?? I can’t think of anything at the moment. Just be cognizant of how much food you put inside so that you can get three rolls.

Final thoughts

A lot of gear passes through my hands in a year’s time. Most are new colors or upgrades of last year models or lighter, sexier versions of a competitor’s model. It’s rare to see such a unique concept that is so basic and simple. Take a waterproof drybag, figure out a way to insulate and there you have it: The Holy Grail.

If you’re a sea kayaker, the IceMule Classic cooler needs to be in your dry hatch. 

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TrailFork Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal compostable and burnable packaging burning in a campfire

*You still gotta pack out your trash, people. Leave no Trace.

I had the opportunity to try TrailFork Peanut Butter Banana Oats and Pizza Casserole the week of Memorial Day on a sea kayaking trip to Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands.

The weather was typical spring on Lake Superior. It rained. When it wasn’t raining the menacing sky threatening to rain. The water temperature was around 38 degrees. The nights down to the high 30s and the mornings were damp chilly. Hot food in the form of oatmeal and casserole makes nature’s adverse elements bearable.

What I Loved

Peanut Butter Banana Oats: Apple-n-brown-sugar-flavored Quaker instant oatmeal it ain’t. It’s more like the steal-cut oats that I buy in bulk at my co-op, cook for 40 minutes and then add bananas, peanut butter, walnuts and cranberries.

In Minnesota, we call this concoction “paddler’s porridge”. The TrailFork version took less time to cook and filled me up. As for flavor, it’s oatmeal. On its own its bland. But mix in some almond or peanut butter and some honey and voila.

TrailFork PIzza Casserole compostable and burnable packaging burning in a campfire

Pizza Casserole: It’s not what comes on the menu at California Pizza Kitchen but when camping it’s as close as one can get.

Still,  the veggie sausage, spiced marinara, red and green bell peppers, and the mozzarella cheese topping made a four-day sea kayaking trip on the Apostle Islands that much more of a slice of heaven.

Final Thoughts

Per instructions on the package, pour the freeze-dried food into a pot, add boiling water and cook or reconstitute accordingly.

Because TrailFork’s packaging is home-compostable and burnable in a campfire, it isn’t lined with foil to aid the reconstitution and cooking process. This is a culture shift from the days of Mountain House and Backpacker Pantry but one I have been waiting for and embraced.

A couple other notables of TrailFork that I have to call out.

• Woman-owned, woman-developed. Grit and Gear is a women-centric site and we promote women in the outdoors, women-run and led-companies, and women athletes. This is a product we can easily get behind because TrailFork hits all our hot buttons.
• Gives back 1% to the planet by donating to the Friends of the Cedar Mesa in Utah.
• Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and paleo friendly.
• Customizable. Tell them what you like and they’ll cook it up for you (for a fee).

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