Updated March 2024
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Considerations:
- Size
- Insulation
- Convenience Features (handles, wheels, bottle openers, etc.)
What you need to know:
When choosing a cooler, or ice chest, you need to consider the size you need, how well it insulates and does it come with the type of features you are looking for to allow it to suit your needs. Here’s what we look for in a cooler:
Size
Cooler sizes are measured inconsistently; when shopping, you will see the size measured in liters, gallons, quarts, or cans. As a rough guide:
- 50 liters ≈ 54 quarts ≈ 13 gal ≈ 77 cans This is a “medium size” cooler. You can estimate up or down from here, with whatever units are being advertised, to find the one that will fit your purpose.
Insulation
Insulation is measured in days of ice retention, at least by some manufacturers. There are some facts you should know about this measurement:
- A big cooler will always keep ice longer than a small cooler. Imagine a big pile of ice and a small pile of ice sitting in the sun, the small ice pile will melt sooner. The same applies to coolers with similar insulation, a big one will keep ice longer than a small one.
- The numbers assume you drain water from the cooler regularly.
- They also assume you start with a pre-cooled cooler. If you want to get close to the times that are advertised, put some ice in the cooler 12+ hours ahead of your trip to give the insulation itself a chance to cool down. -If you put in warm food and drinks, it will melt more ice than necessary while it comes down to temperature. Food from the freezer or refrigerator will stay cooler longer than warm food.
Convenience Features
Lots of extra features are available. The decision comes down to personal preference, here is a list of the more common options:
- Handles
- Wheels
- Lock
- Bottle Opener
- Hinged Lid
- Cup Holders
- Seat
- “Bear Proof” rating
- Material: Metal, Plastic, Roto-molded plastic, soft-sided
CritiPicks
| Our Pick | Size | Link | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Coleman 54 Quart Steel Belted Cooler | Medium (54 Quart) | Amazon | $198 |
 |
Coleman Portable Rolling Cooler | Medium (50 Quart) | Amazon $54.46 | |
 |
Coleman 28 Can Backpack Soft Cooler | Small (28 Can) | Amazon | $35 |
Listed prices are accurate at time of review.
