For those who plan to carry or move their cooler with any regularity, weight should be an important consideration. Even when empty, hard-sided options weigh anywhere from pounds for low-capacity models up to 50+ pounds for premium designs with 75+ quarts of storage. And despite including carry handles, they’re simply too hefty to travel with for long distances. If portability is a priority, we recommend looking at options with wheels, such as RovR’s RollR 45 or Igloo’s Trailmate Journey. For $65, the 50-quart Coleman Xtreme is another standout in the value category, and this time with wheels. In the same family as our top budget pick, this basic cooler certainly is a far cry from the RovR RollR, Igloo Trailmate, and Pelican 80QT Elite above, but the functionality is decent for the price.
Though they’re comfortable and easy to use, they proved to be less secure when jostled or dropped and occasionally popped open during our testing. Without a buddy to help you lug the fully-loaded Engel HD30 to the beach, it can feel quite heavy while using its shoulder strap. We also discovered after a rainstorm that the external pocket isn’t waterproof, though this is a small gripe. All in all, this big cooler bag is our favorite thanks to excellent insulation and great features like rounded handles and a removable bottle opener. It’s also become an expectation that your cooler should keep your food cold and ice frozen not just for one or two days but for at least a solid week.
The Xspec strikes a very happy medium, narrow enough for simple solo carrying, tall enough to fit an upright bottle of wine, yet shallow enough to find whatever you’re looking for easily. If you’re interested in a smaller capacity option, we’re big fans of the exceptionally useful 40-quart volume and compact shape of the Orca 40. Though these won’t last you an entire week in the desert (unless you chill the cooler and its contents beforehand combined with mostly ice), it is an excellent option for weekend trips or day excursions. Both models are rotomolded with freezer-style gaskets designed to keep cold air in and hot air out. We ran and re-ran insulation tests under controlled but harsh laboratory conditions.
The green Coleman cooler’s spacious interior provides enough room for 223 cans, plus ice. The unit features the same rugged, heavy-duty build that’s made Coleman the most trusted name in portable drink and food storage systems. The model features an eco-friendly build, crafted with Thermozone insulation that’s free from toxic chemicals that can damage ozone levels, including CFCs, HFCs and HCFCs. A rustproof-build and a leak-resistant drain empower no-tilt emptying and easy carrying. The Coleman beverage cooler is outfitted with two sturdy two-way handles for comfortable carrying and a hinged, snap-tight lid that keeps contents neatly contained, even on bumpy rides. The lid is designed with four built-in cup holders for added convenience.
This cooler feels like you can roll it across anything without the handle straining or bending, or the wheels breaking. Tradeinn Retail Services as the data controller will process your data in order to respond to your query or request. You can access, rectify and delete your data, as well as exercise other rights by consulting the additional and detailed information on data protection in our Privacy Policy.
According to our testing, over a long enough period of time, a cooler with closed-cell foam will keep things cool for longer. But in the 24- to 48-hour range, we haven’t seen a huge difference between using ¾ inch of closed-cell or open-cell foam in a cooler. Closed-cell foam is considered coleman sundome a better insulator than open-cell foam because the tiny bubbles of gas in closed-cell foam remain independent from one another. Air bubbles that do not share cell walls and in effect stay insulated from one another are better at reducing the overall transfer of heat through the foam.
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 coleman ice chest 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.
The Arctic Titan has an oversized drain to decrease the time you spend emptying it. And if one drain isn’t enough for you, the Ultralight features two drains, one on either end. As far as drains go, several products have dual-function drains, meaning there’s a hole through the shaft of the drain plug that lets water run out without having to remove the entire drain cap. Of course, if you want a faster flow, a total plug removal is advised, but don’t misplace that cap, as most models we tested don’t come with a tether to keep it attached to the body of the box.
Uniquely, it includes a release valve to alleviate the pressure created by the lid’s seal. Though the Dometic CFX3 doesn’t have an energy-saving mode like many other powered coolers, it does have different levels of battery conservation that ensure it won’t prevent you from starting your car in the morning. And even while cooling, it draws just 50.7 watts, which is on the low end of powered coolers we tested.
Similar to any other true roto-molded cooler, the RTIC 65 is practically indestructible, which makes it great for tougher outdoor environments. In our testing, the RTIC 65 kept ice frozen for 10 days with some periodic draining. We’ve also used this cooler for nearly five years for grocery runs in Hawaii, and it’s still going strong.