Each cooler was opened only once per day to photograph where the ice level was and how well each cooler was doing. For this test, I placed each cooler in direct sunlight for approximately half of each day and then in shade for the other half. This test is just a practical, real-world test of how people actually use similar coolers. In theory, the Coleman Xtreme is meant to compete on the cooling side of the equation while still maintaining an affordable price.
But we think that, for most people, it’s worth the investment to get a cooler with a latching lid, more durability, and better insulation. While the steel of the body felt solid, stable, and durable, the rest of coleman instant tent the cooler was slightly lacking in build quality. While we initially thought that the swivel mechanism was super cool, the plastic component on the lid that it latches into popped out with very little force.
Even after regular use over several years, the Tundra 65 performs just as well as the day we bought it. Yeti also continues to diversify the colors and personalization options available for this cooler, providing more choices to match your style better. As we prefaced above, if your cooler must-haves include easy coleman instant tent mobility, large capacity, and maximum ice retention, it’s best to consider a rolling hard-sided model. From our picks above, the RovR Products RollR 45, Igloo Trailmate Journey, Pelican 80QT Elite, and Coleman Xtreme have rear wheels and tow handles, and Yeti’s Tundra series also includes the wheel-equipped Haul.
According to the brand, this cooler backpack can keep food and beverages cold for up to 16 hours. It fits 36 cans at a time, and the side pockets can fit a bottle of wine. When the outdoors beckon, this rugged cooler has a bold, sturdy construction with best-in-category cooling performance that’ll keep you and your small crew happy for days. On multi-day trips where restocking ice isn’t an option, or when your camp cooking involves raw meat or other highly perishable ingredients, keeping your cooler at a safe temperature is crucial.
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.
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. Our biggest complaint about this cooler is that its cords are barely over six feet long, which just doesn’t get you very far from the outlet.
Though this seems like an unimportant detail, when packed with goodies, it can be a little painful to grasp onto hard plastic. All in all, we were impressed with the RTIC Ultralight, with its lightweight construction, ease of use, and pleasant price. Previously, we tested hard coolers in the summer in Baltimore through a week that saw highs of 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit coleman ice chest and lows of 64 to 72 degrees. And more recently we tested most of our picks again throughout the year in Hawaii. Still, the handles were comfortable to hold and relatively easy for one person to carry. The rope handles made carrying this cooler with two people a breeze, although the hard rubber could be a little uncomfortable when the cooler was fully loaded.
Here is a selection of four-star and five-star reviews from customers who were delighted with the products they found in this category. The paper pulp of the Recool composts easily in the backyard, and it performs basically as well as any cheap single-use cooler. The BMX did exceptionally well in our insulation tests, finishing just behind the Yeti. We attribute some of its better performance to it being the smallest cooler in our test, but we were still impressed. Read on for our full reviews and our tips on choosing the right camping cooler for your needs.
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. Closed-cell foam is also much more expensive to produce than open-cell foam. The resulting product is strong and especially rigid feeling, and typically it weighs more than 1.7 pounds per cubic foot with more than 90% of its air cells closed to one another. Closed-cell foam is also water-impermeable—so it’s an ideal material for, say, surfers’ wetsuits. Different types of insulation work in their own ways to minimize heat transfer into a cooler.