Do you really need ICEMULE’s Ultra-Portable Backpack Cooler?

I’m reviewing the ICEMULE R-Jaunt 20L soft-sided backpack cooler. No spoilers but please know that there are affiliate links in this article. Thanks in advance for supporting our website!

The folks at ICEMULE asked if we’d like to take a look at and review one of their extensive collection of soft-sided coolers. I wasn’t initially sure because we’ve always used smaller hard-side coolers for our trips and picnics. However, after looking at their selection, I was impressed with their gear. So we took the opportunity to see how one of their coolers might work for us.

Picking the R-Jaunt 20L backpack cooler

I was surprised at the variety of sizes and carry options at ICEMULE. There were single-strap sling bags from 9L to 20L, backpack styles from 9L to 33L, and a small, three-can one that can attach to your bike’s handlebars. With all those options, I had to think about how we’ve used our little coolers in the past.

After some reflection, I decided the 20L R-Jaunt would be the best fit. It’s a backpack, so it’s easy to carry. The 20L was the sweet spot for size. Any smaller and lunch wouldn’t fit. Any larger and I’d be tempted to overfill it. The R-Jaunt was the final selection because the outer bag and straps are made of recycled materials, which I’m always happy to see.

First impressions of the 20L R-Jaunt cooler

Right out of the box, I knew this was a great piece of gear. It just felt good to pick it up. The material was heavyweight. The stitching was well done without any loose ends or uneven lines. The backpack straps were nice and wide. All of the fabric welds were even. I was excited to see how it’d perform.

I was happy to see the R-Jaunt has a roll top just like the dry bags in my collection. Using that roll top as directed (folding not rolling) is important, as I found when I didn’t. The interior is a nice bright color so you can see what’s in there.

The bag dimensions are 10” wide x 9.5” deep x 16” high. That narrow and skinny profile means it fits a lot better in the truck than the rectangular cooler we’ve used for years. Those dimensions give you a capacity of 20L, which translates to 18 cans or 5 750ML bottles plus ice. I haven’t loaded it up with cans or bottles so I can’t comment on what that load weighs. But I can tell you that a full lunch for two, including drinks and ice, weighs about 20 lbs (more below). I had no issues with that load; it was an easy carry.

One cool thing I hadn’t noticed until I received the R-Jaunt was the IM AirValve™ It allows you to add air to the insulation layer by simply blowing into the valve, which increases the bag’s insulation value. Then, when you need to fold up the bag to store it, the valve allows you to remove that air as you roll the bag. Pretty cool. That extra air does make a noticeable difference in ice retention.

Our Experience with this Backpack Cooler

The first time we used the R-Jaunt was a bit of a gimme. It held four drinks and ice for us when we went to a concert in one of our local parks. It was a nice day, about 75 degrees, and we were sitting in the shade of giant Douglas Firs.

Unsurprisingly, it did great. I purposely poured in cubed ice versus bagged or cold pack to see if water would leak or bottles would bang around. Nothing on either front. In fact, when I emptied it a couple of hours later, there was hardly any water at all. The majority of the ice was still ice.

The next test was a little more challenging, We took the R-Jaunt with us to carry drinks and to store items we couldn’t fit into our larger cooler during a two-week car camping trip through Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and Colorado.

Our days in Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon and Canyonlands National Park in Utah were hot, in the 85-90 degree range. Overall, the R-Jaunt did great over the four or five days we had really hot weather. A full bag of ice lasted all day in the back of a hot car. Good cold retention even after most of the ice was gone. The only quibble from the trip was the lack of a grab handle at the top of the backpack straps. A handle would have made getting the bag out of the truck easier versus grabbing the rolled-up top or backpack straps.

It was in Malheur that I learned the importance of closing the top. One day I didn’t fold the top per the instructions, I just kinda rolled it and then snapped it closed. Because this was the third day after adding ice, I ended up with a couple of cups of water in the back of the truck. The items were still cold, but I had a mess to clean up. So, a pro tip, fold the top towards the front before securing it to keep any melt water inside the bag.

Did we really want a backpack cooler?

We were really pleased with the performance of the R-Jaunt on that long road trip, but, to be honest, I still wasn’t sure this soft-sided backpack cooler was for us. Why, considering it worked so well on the trip? Well, we don’t really move cases of drinks around much these days. We’re more picnic kind of people and I was a little unsure the R-Jaunt would carry as many of your picnic containers and bags as our old cooler. So we did a picnic test to put my concerns to rest. Here’s what we took:

I have to say, I was amazed at how much stuff fit. There’s all that on the table plus two half-gallon bags of ice. Additionally, the R-Jaunt fit behind my seat, which the old cooler couldn’t do. And it was much easier to carry fully loaded than our old cooler. A grand slam performance that addressed all my concerns.

In fact, when we returned home I pulled out our old cooler to see how this would have fit and it couldn’t! We took about twice as much stuff. Without the R-Jaunt, we’d have split up the “must stay cold” items from the “can survive at room temperature” items. Everything tasted better because it was cold and we didn’t have to take another bag.

Bottom-line on the ICEMULE R-Jaunt – Highly Recommended

From drinks in the park to a full picnic for two, this soft-sided cooler will keep your items cold for days at a time even during hot weather. High-quality materials, great construction, and the technology of the “IM AirValve ^TM“ make the R-Jaunt a cooler that will give you years of value at a great price.