Who says ice is a must-have for ice-cold beverages? Certainly not the team behind Chill.Systems, a new iceless beverage cooler that may just become your best friend this summer. Unlike the traditional monstrosities that you’ve resigned yourself to lugging around at the beach, Chill.Systems offers sleek, portable coolers that not only keep your drinks cold all the livelong day but look fantastic doing so.
Created by two former Google and Apple employees, Chill.System purports to be the “ultimate ice-free way to keep beverages cold while on the go.” Key to their design is the aptly named Chiller, a football-sized device that contains freezing gel in its very design. This portable cooler promises to chill room temperature beverages in 30 minutes and keep them cold for hours on end. A Chiller can contain three standard 12-ounce beer or soda cans or a range of larger 750mL to 1L wine or spirit bottles.
If you’re in search of something a little larger, there’s also the Chiller’s Pack, which is meant to contain not only the Chiller but also a six-pack of cans or a hydration bladder. And for even greater capacity, there’s the Chiller’s Tote, which holds a Chiller, six beer bottles, 12 cans, or four bottles of wine. Of course, if you decide that you don’t want to use the Pack or the Tote with the Chiller, they can also double as sleek backpacks in their own right. With their canvas exterior and faux leather trim, both packs cut quite the stylish profile.
“From our extensive experience enjoying drinks outdoors, we noticed a persistent problem that everyone experiences — too many beverage cooling options with one big melting ingredient … ice,” the team notes on its Kickstarter page. “We had enough of struggling with and watching others struggle with bulky coolers. So we decided to reinvent portable cooling.”
To begin using the Chiller, simply pop it in the freezer for six hours to let the freezing gel set. Once that’s done, you’re ready to begin loading, with drinks chilled at a rate of 2o degrees per hour. That means that from the time you leave your house to the time you get to the beach, you should have icy beverages ready to be enjoyed. Chill.Systems is currently seeking funding via Kickstarter, where as of press time, it had raised nearly $27,000. You should always exercise caution before backing a crowdfunding project, of course, but if you’re interested in this ice-less solution, early bird pricing begins at $45.
Updated on July 1: Added information about the rate of cooling, which stands at 20 degrees per hour.
