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. Igloo also added holes in the swing-up handles, allowing you to string a bungee between them to make carrying heavier loads easier. We’ve tested soft coolers for many years, and the Engel HD30 continues to impress us.
The market for ice chests continues to grow over the years, resulting in some extremely close competition and hard-fought rivalries. To help you find the right model, we tease apart performance differences between contenders, implementing specific tests spanning five exhaustive, mutually exclusive metrics. We test the insulation performance, durability, ease of use, portability, and features of every single model. As some performance aspects are more important than others, we weigh each metric accordingly.
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.
Even after several years of use, the Tundra 65’s latches are virtually the same as the first day we bought the cooler. The best powered cooler we have tested is the seriously impressive Dometic CFX3 45. It won our Editors’ Choice award in our review of the best powered coolers.
The Coleman Xtreme features replaceable hardware, whereas some of the company’s cheaper models don’t. This is an important detail because the first thing that will wear out on a cooler is either a hinge or a handle, and having affordable replacements means a cheap repair rather than a brand-new purchase. At the moment, you can buy Coleman’s replacement hinges and replacement handles for less than $10 each. It’s also worth noting that the Coleman 316 Series Insulated Portable Cooler has also earned high praise from Yeti cooler loyalists. One impressed shopper said that it kept their food “nice and cold” on a camping trip and noted that the “Coleman kept up pretty well” with the Yeti cooler they also packed.
All that said, if you just need a reliable cooler for days at the beach or packing a lunch on the road, it’s probably a good idea to save your cash. But if you consistently head outside for days at a time, the investment is well worth it. Rotomolded coolers like Yeti’s Tundra above are made out of a single piece of continuous plastic, which is great for durability but means they typically lack built-in features and mounting locations. Tack on a price that undercuts the similarly sized Tundra 65 above by a considerable $135, and the Xspec stands out as a very well-rounded design at a great value. This makes it more comfortable to carry but also frequently positions the handle in a way where it inhibits opening the lid.
Whether you’re heading out on a multi-day adventure or just want to keep your snacks cold during a day trip, the Cabela’s Polar Cap cooler is an excellent choice for all your cooling needs. For those who plan to carry or move their cooler with any regularity, weight should be an important consideration. Even when coleman sundome empty, hard-sided options weigh anywhere from pounds for low-capacity models up to 50+ pounds for premium designs with 75+ quarts of storage. Once loaded down with ice, food, and beverages, that number skyrockets. And despite including carry handles, they’re simply too hefty to travel with for long distances.
As committed cooler enthusiasts know, the type of ice you use heavily impacts how much you’re able to store and how long it stays cold. Crushed ice is the most readily available—you can find it at most gas stations and supermarkets for fairly cheap. The major draw is that it easily fills the gaps between your food and beverages, cooling them quickly and efficiently. However, crushed ice is also the fastest to melt and you’ll likely need to replace it fairly frequently. Blocks of ice, on the other hand, take much longer to melt than crushed ice.