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.
When it comes to high durability and above-average insulation and usability, the Ultralight 52 is a fantastic example of a high-value item. This lower-priced (yet over-performing) model has been handily getting the job done for weekends full of summer fun, all while being kind to the wallet. If you don’t need such a beefy box or a lengthy time frame for storing delicate food items like raw meat, the Coleman Xtreme coleman instant tent 70 is another good choice, saving you both money and weight. On the other hand, if you’re the type of explorer heading off the grid for extended periods and pushing your gear to the limits, the extra cash you’ll drop on the Cabela Polar Cap 80 is well worth the investment. This bear-resistant box provides top-notch insulation and superb usability, making it our team’s go-to companion for longer trips.
Though we didn’t have ten years to spend testing each model, we spent months subjecting them to prolonged use and a fair amount of abuse to see how they stood up to the pressure. We overextended hinges, jumped on lids, yanked on latches and handles, and dropped full chests from a carrying height. We set accident-prone friends, young children, and hefty humans loose on them to see what they’re made of by pushing them in ways more typically spread across many years of use.
The lowest temperature recorded between the two in our cooling tests was less than a degree apart (44.6 vs. 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit). If your main use is for keeping things cold, then the question is whether or not that extra 0.9 degrees is worth paying coleman instant tent another hundred bucks for. Each had a little bit of water in the bottom of the cooler and experienced a bit of melt due to cooling down the room temperature coolers. Yes, I do realize that the coolers I tested are slightly different sizes.
Coolers range in size from 6-pack sized to a whopping 350-liter beast ready to hold a quartered elk. The cooler’s small size is easy to move around with just one person, even when fully loaded. During testing, we set out for a weekend adventure with an 18-pack of beer and about 15 pounds of ice in the BMX. At the end of the weekend, we still had a small amount of ice left. It’s expensive, but if you want a top-of-the-line camping cooler, this one is well worth the investment. Considering that the Tundra product line is certified as bear-resistant by the IGBC (when used with bolts or padlocks), we’re not surprised by its durability.