Of course an insulated backpack cooler is your best friend on a camping trip, a day at the lake, or hanging out by the pool. It's simply super convenient to stow your favorite beverages in an easy-to-carry container that has enough heft on the outside to stand up to concrete, sand, and dusty trails and enough heft on the inside to keep contents cold for a whole day.

But an insulated backpack cooler can come in handy for a lot more than relaxing near bodies of water or roasting marshmallows by the fire. We thought of six more situations, from daily activities to special occasions, when you might find yourself very glad to have an insulated backpack cooler on hand.

Six Ways An Insulated Backpack Cooler Might Come In Handy

1. Prepare for family road trips with cold drinks and snacks. Anyone who’s met a toddler knows that the details can be hugely important. It doesn't matter if you packed your tot’s favorite snack or a root beer treat if it’s the wrong, “yucky” temperature. Packing a few favorites from home like string cheese, juice boxes, dip for broccoli or carrots, or peanut butter will make long car trips easier for the whole family. And eating foods you know your kids already like can save a lot of money on trying to eat out with pint-size picky eaters.
   
   
   
   
2. Throw the best tailgate ever. Whether you’re tailgate camping outside your team's home stadium, passing out sodas before your daughter’s big match, or are making a pilgrimage to your favorite NASCAR track, the key to a great tailgate is cold drinks and tasty grub. Bringing along a quality insulated backpack cooler ensures that your ingredients will stay fresh from the minute you leave your house to long past the final touchdown. That means more time to focus on those neck-and-neck clinchers and less of the day wasted running out for another bag of ice.
   
   
3. Preserving the catch of the day. Keep a couple drinks or snacks cold until you pull up your first catch and then keep that fresh fish in a cold ice slurry. This will keep your fish in prime condition to serve up for dinner that night or to finish processing and freeze for later use. Rather than simply keeping your fish in a catch bin or cold water, freezing the fish immediately after dispatching them, and keeping them at low temperatures after gutting and cleaning the fish will improve both food safety and flavor.
   
   
   
4. Save your ice cream from melting on the commute home. It’s so frustrating when you realize halfway home with a trunk full of fresh, cold milk, yogurt, fancy cheese, and frozen burritos that now is your only chance to get the brakes checked or drop that check off at the bank. Keeping your insulated backpack cooler in the car ready to go means you can take your time getting home from the store— or make a special trip to that bulk or gourmet grocer the next town over.
   
   
5. Keep medications cold during travel. Whether you’re hopping from hotel to hotel, planning a weekend camping trip, or flying internationally, having a solid cooler that you know will keep your medications cool for 24 hours definitely provides peace of mind. The same is true if you’re trying to travel while nursing and want to make sure that you have fresh breast milk on hand or the ability to pump without worrying about having to dump any out.
   
   
   
   
6. Chill your sunscreen and aloe for beach or desert trips. The only thing better than getting to play in the sun all day is swiping on cool, creamy sunscreen and aloe over your toasty skin. Plus, an insulated backpack cooler can keep more chill than just your lotion. It’s a great way to keep your electronics out of the sun so they don’t overheat, too.