That said, if ruggedness is something you need, the Coleman may not be the best choice. Its handles, hinges, and latches don’t inspire confidence in their ability to last the years in the same way as the high-end, IGBC certified, and rotomolded models do. Every time we’ve used it over the past several years, it seems to pick up numerous extra scratches and dirt, though it still works the same.
I just wanted to see how two coolers I already owned stacked up against each other under normal usage conditions. After the 6th day, the Yeti joined the Coleman Xtreme and was all out of ice as well. This combination of shade and sun is typical of what you might run into if you have a cooler with you out camping.
We tend to steer clear of most bargain-basement coolers—they may work well for a day or two but often lack the impressive ice retention of premium models and won’t stand up as well to regular outdoor use. Igloo’s ECOCOOL 52 isn’t totally exempt from these drawbacks, but it’s more well rounded and functional than much of the budget competition. For just $60, the Igloo boasts a generous 52-quart capacity, and the proprietary foam insulation does a good job keeping food and drinks chilled for up to three days (in the right conditions, of course). The feature set is also pretty well sorted for the price, including four self-draining cup holders and functional lifts at the bottom that slightly elevate the cooler off the ground or truck bed.
The Coleman Chest Cooler is Coleman’s standard offering for those looking for an “everyday” type of cooler. It is similar to their Marine line except this one is intended more for on-land excursions (and it will typically be a bit more affordable as well). It contains Thermozone coleman ice chest insulation which promises extra-long ice life compared to other similarly-priced coolers in the industry. In contrast, open-cell foam is permeable to air and water like a sponge (which is why it frequently appears in foam pillows, as it’s squishier and it breathes).
It offers some of the best insulation of any soft cooler, keeping its contents below 40º F for just over three days in our insulation testing. While many similar coolers have thick zippers that are a struggle to operate or very narrow openings that are difficult to navigate, this soft cooler is impressively easy to use. The corners unclip, allowing the top to open quite far for swift loading and locating items. And with a large (for a soft cooler) capacity of 48 cans, the Engel HD30 just might be enough to get you through a weekend of camping. Despite this oversized stature, it’s more portable than we expected, with comfortable handles on each end that make carrying it that much easier. After years of regular use, this durably constructed soft-sided model looks and works just about the same as the day we first bought it.
From picnics in the park to beach BBQs, we carted these models everywhere we went to learn which models were most portable and enjoyable to use. We also went through hundreds of pounds of ice and frosty cans in our rigorous insulation tests. Whether you’re setting out on a road trip or a hunting trip, we can help you choose your perfect icebox. These coolers are in the budget tier and even then are sometimes on sale where they can dip to an extremely affordable price.
That’s important, especially if you, like most people, don’t have a freezer that can produce enough ice to fill a cooler and you tend to resort to buying bags of ice from the grocery store or liquor store. The Original is made with an exterior of 840-denier UV-resistant nylon wrapped around open-cell foam. Technically less insulating than closed-cell foam, open-cell foam performs fairly well for most applications as long as the cooler isn’t left in the open sun. The Original can do exactly what you need it to do, which is to keep things cold for the day while you focus on the fun at hand. This roto-molded cooler costs far less than the Yeti Tundra 65 but performs just as well in nearly every way.
ORCA (Outdoor Recreation Company of America) isn’t a household name like YETI, but the Tennessee brand has gained a dedicated following of committed outdoorspeople. Their 40-quart cooler gives premium rotomolded models here a real run for their money. Its flexible side handles make carrying a breeze, and we found the exterior organizer pocket to be a nice addition for storing small items like koozies, kitchen utensils, and a bottle opener. Starting at 20 quarts and going all the way up to 140, there’s an ORCA cooler for just about any activity. Choosing the right Coleman cooler really depends on what type of trip or event you are taking your cooler to.
We also aren’t in love with the comfort of its narrow, plastic handles in the shadow of some of the broader, more cushioned options utilized by its competitors. While we appreciate the simplicity of the pop-open drain, its small size can’t offer the same rapid flow rate as the coleman screen tent much wider drains found in the competition. Still, you could purchase three or four of these coolers for the same price as some of the competition, and it works to keep your goods cold for days. When you’ve got a hungry, thirsty gang, your average cooler just won’t cut it.
Most cooler manufacturers provide a “claimed ice retention” spec in their product listings (YETI is one major brand who does not). That said, we always take manufacturer-provided specs with a grain of salt, and there isn’t an established, standardized test here. In practice, most of the claimed ice retention times feel quite inflated to us, perhaps due to extremely favorable testing conditions (storing the cooler inside with the lid closed in cool temperatures, for example). If we had to generalize it, we would say that you should expect to get approximately half of the claimed ice retention time in real-world use, give or take depending on your specific circumstances.