The most important purchase I made in Hawaii: Island Crew insulated lunch bag
After nine days of living like a camping Girl Scout, Island Crew won me over
When I went to Hawaii (first Maui, then Oahu), I was an unapologetic tourist when it came to souvenirs. If it said “Hawaii” on it, I grabbed it. Sometimes I grabbed stuff that didn’t even make sense to buy in Hawaii. (I could justify the Barack Obama figurine, but why did I need a “Breaking Dawn” tote bag or the Team Jacob bracelet? I was really into the Quileute tribe at the time, and clearly you know whose team I was on. And I was none the wiser about the chaos that followed Bill Cosby, but “I Didn’t Ask To Be Born” was a good read regardless.)
But there was one set of items that I didn’t put much thought in. I didn’t even really bag my lunch enough to care about the items. I solely bought them because the designs were pretty: Island Crew insulated thermal bags and a smaller Island Crew bag (also made by manufacturer Lialoha) to stuff my jewelry and cosmetics in.
And after I returned home from Honolulu in 2017, the Island Crew insulated bag pretty much collected dust next to my cereal boxes for seven years. It wasn’t that it wasn’t a good bag. I used it a couple of times. But I quit my last corporate job in the fall of the next year, so I haven’t had many reasons to pack lunches for six years. I’ve used that Island Crew cosmetics bag on countless occasions, and I’m so impressed that it still looks like it did when I (literally) left the island.
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Still, I never expected for not just one but two refrigerators to die on me in 2021 and again in 2024.
Recommended Read: “Avoid Domestic & General for extended warranty services ~ Before purchasing an extended appliance warranty, review Better Business Bureau complaints”
What else didn’t I expect? Island Crew (or Lialoha Inc.), a brand that I’ve never heard much about, turned out to be essential in helping me save a bunch of food from being thrown into my garbage disposal.
Recommended Read: “Is ‘Too Good To Go’ Surprise Bag worth the money? ~ Trying to help curb food waste one mobile order at a time”
Although it’s hard to find in popular retailers (Walmart appears to have one maybe in stock), I dumped the remaining ice from my ice bucket into this thermal bag and hoped for the best. To my surprise, several products like vegan cheese, plant-based eggs, margarine and a couple of frozen vegetables survived until I could gradually eat the cold items. And after nine days of eating canned and boxed food (and cooking just enough to avoid leftovers) like I was back to camping in Girl Scouts, it worked out.
I promote a sizeable amount of brands through Amazon Affiliate* and as an Impact Marketing affiliate, but I don’t gain a dime from this item. I don’t even know if I can get another one. This is just a “thank you” to Island Crew for making nine days without a refrigerator way more tolerable for a lover of all things Hawaii.
* There are some Amazon Affiliate referral links throughout this post. I earn a percentage for purchases made while using those links.
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