Maple Mountain Soft Coolers


We were thrilled to help Maple Mountain bring their innovative new soft cooler design to life. We helped eliminate zippers from the design, allowing users to get in and out of the cooler extremely quickly. Two small format coolers and a backpack, all come with the “Ice Vice” closure. A magnet helps the cooler snap shut, and a few twists ensure that drinks stay cold for days.

Conceptual Direction


We knew we wanted to implement a one-handed opening procedure to make things quick and easy for the user. We also incorporated standard “molle” straps, custom aluminum fasteners, and the most rugged outer skin we could get our hands on. A drybag, custom bottle opener, and internal storage trays to complete the design.

sketches of three sizes of cooler bags

Mechanical Design


We tested many gasket variations to ensure we had a design that would close quickly, but also keep ice cold for a long period of time. Once we locked in our preferred assembly direction, we made prototypes to test out all of the features.

backpack cooler exploded view showing all the individual parts

Refining the Details


Each part of the coolers have been designed to be as useful as possible, while remaining lightweight. Fasteners formed from aluminum give the straps extreme strength without compromising on style or weight. Laser etched logo details help to support the high-end look of the coolers.