Reviewed by The Muddy Madam

A couple of years ago I reviewed the Frío Insulin Cooler Duo Wallet and declared it 'the best product I have found for keeping insulin cool in hot countries'. Frio now do a wider range of insulin coolers, and this Viva Zipper is a continuation of the wallet range. Whereas the Duo holds 2 insulin pens (hence the name), the Viva holds up to 5 pens or 10 vials, so is brilliant for longer trips where you may need to take more insulin with you.

As before, the wallet uses evaporation to keep your insulin cool, and all you need is cold water to make it work, making it the perfect travel accessory for camping, backpacking and places where access to refrigeration is sparse.

How it works

To activate the wallet all you have to do is immerse it in cold water for as little as 5 minutes (depending on wallet size). Crystals contained in the panels of the wallet absorb water and expand into a gel, which remains cool for 45 hours - relying on the process of evaporation for cooling. Then just towel dry and it's ready to go! 

After a quick towel dry, the FRÍO wallet is dry to the touch (a really good feature which means it doesn't wet all your stuff), and then you put it in the colourful Viva Zipper outer cover - which increases the inner wallet's efficiency, and allows it to be carried safely in your pocket or a bag.

When the gel starts to shrink back, which takes a couple of days, all you do is put it back in a sink of cold water, and 'Hey Presto' it's as good as new.

Remember this...

When you get back from your holiday take the inner wallet out of the cover and let it air dry, you can put it near a radiator or on a windowsill, until the gel has dried back into crystals (it will take quite a few days), because if you don't, and put it away it in a drawer it could take weeks or months to dry out, and you really don't want damp drawers (nobody wants damp drawers!).

In 2016, the Viva Zipper won both the Best Accessory category, and the overall Product of the Year at The Outdoor Industry Awards.

Technical bits

Dimensions: Inner Wallet - 20cm height x 16cm width  Cover - 21cm height x 16cm width  

Colours: Teal or Pink

Should you get one?

It's such a low-tech solution for a potentially life-threatening problem, all you need is access to water to make it work, so it's a total no-brainer to get one!

The FRIO Viva Zipper Wallet Suitable for carrying the following combinations of pens, vials and cartridges:

Diabetes Medication
– up to 5 standard sized insulin injection pens either pre-filled disposable or refillable; or
– up to 10 x 3 ml cartridges; or
– up to 15 x 1.5 ml cartridges; or
– up to 5 x 10 ml vials (bottles); or
– a combination of pens, vials and cartridges

Anaphylaxis Medication
– up to 3 x EpiPens (Adrenaline: for emergency treatment of anaphylactic reactions)

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Crohn’s Disease Medication
– up to 3 x Humira® pens; or
– up to 4 x Enbrel® pens

NOTE: they recommend that a waterproof liner is used with metal pens or with any electronic timing device/accessory with electronic components to protect it from moisture which can be bought separately.