It won our Top Pick award for backpack-style coolers in our review of the best soft coolers. Though the number of backpack-style soft coolers has continued to increase, this one is the only one we truly find comfortable to carry for serious and longer distance hikes. Its walls coleman ice chest can be inflated or deflated to match your load, body, and preference and its shoulder straps are soft and flexible. It offers solid insulation to keep your peak-bagging beverages chilled until you reach the summit and an easy roll-top design that’s beyond simple to use.
For more background information, see our cooler comparison table and buying advice below the picks. The RTIC Ultralight and RovR RollR are two more of our favorites among the crowd for their ease of use. The RovR has a sizable dry bin and tall interior with nearly vertical walls. This feat is made even more impressive by all the bouncing you’ll be doing with the enormous wheels over debris on your way to the party. It also boasts one of the tallest internal heights of any cooler we tested, so you can rest assured that your chilled Pinot Grigio will stay that way all day. The RTIC offers a similarly simple interior that’s spacious enough to bring a ton of food with you on your hunting trip or camping adventure.
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. With a similar overall construction 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. All told, like the non-wheeled 316 Series model above, this Coleman cooler should meet the needs of many recreational campers, concert-goers, and tailgaters without breaking the bank. RTIC’s 52 QT Ultra-Light above offers a hard-to-beat combination of weight, capacity, and price, but its injection-molded design falls a little short of rotomolded options in all-out durability.
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. I wanted to test how these two coolers I already owned stacked up head ot head. In theory, the Coleman Xtreme is meant to compete on the cooling side of the equation while still maintaining an affordable price.
A reliable cooler is great to have on hand, and borderline essential for backyard get-togethers, camping trips, tailgating events and other summertime staples. Whatever outdoor activity you decide on, having a cold place to stash drinks is key for you and your guests to stay cool, hydrated and happy. In addition to pre-chilling, you can maximize ice life by always storing your cooler in the shade, limiting the amount of time you open it, and never draining the melted water. It would definitely be time to pack in some more ice or wrap up your camping trip.
Most of the contenders we tested also have a sloping channel behind the drain to help gravity pull water out. Still, several have unfortunately paired this with a large lip or other obstruction that then stops your drainage progress before it’s 100% complete. Models that we found the easiest and most thorough to drain include the RTIC Ultralight, Kenai, Xspec, Orca(s), Titan, and Tundra(s), which all feature either a tiny or sloped lip to make emptying your meltwater a breeze. The Arctic Titan has an oversized drain to decrease the time you spend emptying it.
This would make bottling a ton easier if I didn’t have to siphon and could just use the ball valve straight into the bottle. I modified the outside nut a little bit by cutting off the plastic part that holds the plug. I also widened the inside hole with a knife, cutting carefully to only shave off some of the threads. The plug was broken and it wouldn’t hold water anymore, but it’s perfect for this since I’ll be removing that part anyway.Most homebrewers brew beer in 5 gallon batches. If not using a new cooler, try and pick one that is clean, smooth on the inside and free of cracks. Since the cooler in this instructable already has a plug hole drilled into it, I will not be covering how to drill a new one since it isn’t necessary.
It has an adequate amount of storage space for a small excursion but don’t expect this to hold ice for very long. In particular, the Coleman Xtreme Cooler Series and the larger sizes of Coleman Marine Coolers can promise impressive ice life. But in terms of toughness, they aren’t quite on the level of a premium cooler. All sizes are optimally shaped, meaning that you should be able to use a vast majority of the storage volume. There is a pretty good selection in regards to sizes and price points so definitely browse around in our reviews and we are sure you’ll find a particular product that aligns with your needs and price point.
Whether you are trekking gear to the beachfront or headed out for a hiking day, having free hands is always a bonus. The backpack has lots of straps and hitching points, too — I imagine the target demographic is more hiking-oriented than day-at-the-beach, but in either case, you’ll be able to secure extra stuff. The temperature down in the ice would have been roughly the same in all of the coolers, leaving retention as the only real variable.
But it is limited in features, size options, and it will be a bit more expensive than most other Coleman Coolers. Many of Coleman’s coolers have helpful little features or accessories built into the coolers to make things as convenient as possible. Examples of this include features such as molded cup holders, easy-access lids, multiple carrying methods, stacking capabilities, and much more. A lot of these unique twists and features you won’t find in many competing brands, and it goes to show that Coleman has a nice understanding of what it takes to make a viable cooler.