These 9 Kickstarter projects will help you have the best summer ever

Woodchuck Cider, America’s original craft cider, was built on the spirit of hard work, high standards, and lots of elbow grease. We’ve been handcrafting our hard cider in the Green Mountain State since 1991. This is our salute to fellow craftsmen building great things by hand.

Summer is the time for adventuring and exploring with family and friends. It’s also the time for many entrepreneurs to finally bring that project idea out of the garage and into the world.

We took to Kickstarter to find some of our favorite projects that are perfect for enhancing your own summer plans. From staying healthy to staying cool, you can get in on the groundfloor of these efforts and help support DIY entrepreneurs and their projects while also making the most of your own summer.  

1) The Coolest Cooler

If you’ve ever thought something could be added to an all-in-one cooler to make it just a little more convenient and, well, cool, then chances are Ryan Grepper has you covered. His Coolest Cooler not only has lakeside necessities like a Bluetooth speaker (waterproof and removable), a bottle opener, and plenty of storage space, but it also boasts a rechargeable blender for chilled, iced drinks and necessary tech accessories like a USB charger and LED light. It’s basically a summer party in a box, and all you have to provide is the Woodchuck Cider!

2) Woodies sunglasses

There are many sunglass options to help you look stylish this summer, but we particularly love Cory Stout’s nostalgic approach. Taking as inspiration the classic Woodie-style automobile frame, Stout and his team have designed sunglasses (and watches) from bamboo and premium wood that have a sleek but retro appeal at affordable prices. Perfect for your next beach blanket bingo party. 

3) Bunch O Balloons

An idea so brilliant that it leaves you wondering why it took someone so long to figure it out! Luckily, Texas inventor and father Josh Malone has finally hacked the age-old problem of filling water balloons, and it’s sure to be a game-changer for any neighborhood water fight in the future. 

While we love the instant arsenal approach to Malone’s water balloon project, we love the emphasis that he’s put on sustainable materials even more. It probably won’t be long before Bunch O Balloons arrives in your local stores, so we’d recommend getting a headstart on your neighbors by being the first to load up through Kickstarter. 

4) The Ice Chest by Wintersmiths

The fine folks (and fellow Vermonters) at Wintersmiths had so much success and demand with their original Ice Baller project last year, they’ve returned with an expanded version of the project. There’s something satisfying about a perfect ice ball for your summer drink, and now you can share it with their Ice Chest, which creates four crystal clear ice spheres from tap water. 

5) GripSnap

Point-of-view GoPro videos are great, but sometimes you just need to set up a nice action shot that won’t make you dizzy when you rewatch it later. GripSnap has you covered. Matt Franklin has designed a magnetic mount for your phone to improve the world’s selfie arm reach affliction, and better yet, capture your awesome summer stunts even if you’re playing solo. 

6) Violet UV Tracker

Here’s some new wearable tech for all of us out in the sun this summer. Violet, in sync with a mobile app, provides customized user guidance on optimal sun exposure. It tracks your UV exposure, and notifies you when you’re reaching your limit of harmful rays, allowing you to achieve not just your perfect tan but also the right balance of healthy sun exposure before you hit (the literal!) red zone. If you get in early with support, the device is quite a deal, and we’re excited to see such projects pushing the functionality of what wearable tech can do. 

7) Aquabot

Ever been at the park or pool when an instant water battle breaks out and you’re caught in the crossfire without a squirtgun? Well, Aquabot has your solution. Aquabot turns your water bottle into spray bottle that can shoot up to 25 feet. Sure, there are more practical uses that it can be put to, but we all know someone is eventually going to get watered down.

8) Squeo Waterproof Speakers

Also handy if you find yourself in the midst of a water fight is a set of waterproof speakers. Squeo’s portable Bluetooth speakers look great, and they’re durable, thanks to hermetically sealed casing that will protect them from water and sand. They’ll even float if you drop them in the water. The speakers can last up to eight hours on a full charge. That’s plenty of juice to keep your summer soundtrack blasting. 

9) The Skate Ray

Just because the sun has set doesn’t mean your summer fun should stop. The Skate Ray was specifically designed to attach to your skateboard to light up the path in front you, with a slim, lightweight design that won’t interfere with your ride. Of course, its uses could expand beyond skateboards, but we particularly like the idea of maybe fashioning the Skate Ray to one of these handcrafted reclaimed bourbon barrel boards! 

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If you enjoyed these perfect summer Kickstarter projects and love spending time with fellow makers, make plans to join us for our grand opening Ciderbration in Middlebury, Vt., on Aug. 23. 

In addition to great live music and events, enjoy our full line of hand-crafted ciders and meet the Cider Makers—the craftspeople behind the whole operation. 

The party’s sold out, but we’re giving away 23 round trip tickets to Middlebury. Enter to win a trip for you and a friend. 

Woodchuck. Real cider from a real place.

Photo via Woodies