Most coolers you’ll see in picnics or tailgate parties are bulky, cumbersome containers. They’re sturdy, of course — that’s the whole point, anyway. Consider the Igloo Recool radically different.

It’s brown, has the texture of a cardboard egg tray, and instead of a hinge, it’s got a nesting lid. But perhaps the most important aspect here is that it’s completely biodegradable. Igloo designed the recool as an alternative to cheap styrofoam coolers commonly found at gas stations and grocery stores.

They’re great godsend backups if you forgot to bring your traditional cooler along for the trip. But styrofoam breaks easily, isn’t biodegradable, and they aren’t that good when it comes to regulating temperature. Add the fact that a growing number of cities and towns are making the material illegal.

The Igloo Recool cooler address all these kinks and offers an excellent, easy, and intuitive option. Especially if you don’t want to carry your massive cooler along. The molded pulp construction is much stronger than styrofoam, for starters. Bumps, crashes, jolts, sways — it’ll handle it. The Igloo Recool can carry a load of up to 75 pounds. It has a 16-quart capacity that’ll keep ice for up to 12 hours and hold water without leaking for five days straight.

And it isn’t immediately ruined afterward. Just dry it out and you can use it again. Sure, it’s not indestructible and will probably pare down after a couple of uses. But it’s good enough for everyday common cooler needs, especially if you need a quick, no frills solution.

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Photos courtesy of Igloo