Camping can be fun, but going without the comforts of home isn't for everybody. So if your idea of roughin' it for the weekend still includes ice cold water and the ability to charge your phone, the Little Luxury Outdoor Extreme Water Cooler might be for you.
The Little Luxury Cooler is designed to be filled right from a natural water source, thanks to a filter designed to remove the nasties you might encounter drinking straight from a river or lake, and chills the water to a refreshing 43° F (6° C).
According to its inventor, Laurelle Charne, the idea for the water cooler came about during a camping trip that involved lugging big, heavy bottles of water to the site, even though there was a beautiful stream right there.
"It suddenly hit me," says Charne. "How amazing would it be if we could take any water from a river, stream or creek and filter it into crystal clean, healthy and ice cold water? We went through four years of testing to ensure what we said was backed up with tests and the ability to perform in extreme conditions."
The unit holds 1.8 gallons (6.8 L), and the water is gravity fed through a two-phase filtration system, which Charne says removes sediment, viruses and bacteria. The filter cartridges are replaceable, and can be swapped out for a less heavy-duty version if you're just using it at home.
The cooler can be powered by a mains connection or a 12 V battery, which runs the cooling system, LED "moonlights" and a USB port to charge your phone. Charne says that power is apparently not required to run the filtration system, so even when you're way off the beaten track, you'll still have access to filtered water.
The Little Luxury Outdoor Extreme Water Cooler has already exceeded its Kickstarter goal of US$10,000, with about a month remaining on the campaign. The minimum pledge level for the product is $90, which is a significant discount on the $190 retail price. If all goes to plan Little Luxury expects the first units – complete with the option of a camouflage finish –to ship in August this year.
Source: Little Luxury