It’s rugged and tough enough to withstand those questionably-maintained roads you may find yourself driving down. And it is practically bursting at the seams with ridiculously convenient features and well-thought-out usability. Two internal baskets make loading and locating things that much easier, as you can lift out the basket to find what you need. An internal light helps you find that last beer in the dark, and a tall interior easily accommodates your celebratory champagne.
If you’re wondering what kind of foam your cooler has, a good rule of thumb is to try to squeeze the foam with your fingers. If your fingers can compress the foam more than 75%, you’re probably dealing with open-cell foam. If the foam feels denser than that and doesn’t compress much at all, you probably have your hands on closed-cell foam. This comfortable, tough, waterproof backpack cooler insulates just as well as any soft cooler we’ve tested.
We also like the OtterBox Venture’s cam-style latches for their ease of use while also providing an excellent seal. At the other end of the spectrum, budget-oriented models like the Coleman Xtreme and Igloo ECOCOOL forgo latches completely and rely on a good fit between the lid and cooler body. This results in reduced insulating performance and means you need to keep a close eye on the lid to make sure it doesn’t pop loose or fall off in transport. Over half of the coolers on our list cost $200 or more, which goes to show how pricey these units can be. Hard-sided coolers from YETI, RTIC, ORCA, and others are able to keep ice frozen for significantly longer than budget options from companies like Coleman or Igloo. And while bags of ice come relatively cheap, it can be a real pain to have to drain your cooler and replace the ice on a daily basis .
Blocks of ice, on the other hand, take much longer to melt than crushed ice. However, blocks are bulky and take up a lot of space in the cooler since they don’t conform around your food and cans. If we have enough space, our preferred method is to use both block and crushed ice together, and YETI has more great tips here. Most of the hard-sided coolers on our list have drainage systems to help you empty out water once your ice has melted. Typically, this comes in the form of a screw-on or pop-off cap at the base of the cooler—simply take it off and let the water pour out.
That said, it’s still important to set reasonable expectations at this price point. As we saw with budget models like the Coleman Xtreme and Igloo’s own ECOCOOL above, the BMX’s ice retention is a considerable step down from high-end options from YETI, RTIC, ORCA, and others . Some users also report leaking around the lid due to the lack of rubber seal, which likely has an impact on those cooling capabilities. That’s enough to hold plenty of ice, drinks, and food for a family of three.
These coolers are simply made by inserting hot plastic into a defined mold, given time to cool, and then removed. The process is simpler and cheaper than rotomolding and allows for greater precision because of the molded shapes. But they’re made with multiple pieces—unlike the single, uninterrupted form with rotomolding—which can lead to a drop in durability and added susceptibility to cracking. ROAM is primarily a rooftop tent manufacturer and well regarded among serious outdoor-goers like overlanders and those who like to get off the grid. But their foray into coolers hasn’t gone unnoticed, combining the ruggedness and utility that ROAM is known for with a myriad of functional features.
coleman ice chest states themselves this cooler is designed to keep ice for a maximum of 3 days, in up to 90 degree weather. It doesn’t help that I don’t have a way to pre-chill my cooler and I’m usually boondocking in the hot desert. Most products in new condition may be returned within 90 days either to a store or by mail, except as detailed in the Online Return Policy. Patrons of shopmyexchange.com who shop via the Veteran’s Online Shopping Benefit can return shopmyexchange by mail. I bought this cooler for my fishing boat and to do double duty in case of a hurricane.
no secret that Yeti is one of the most expensive cooler brands on the market. This particular Yeti cooler currently costs $375, which is only mid-range price for Yeti coolers. It became such a hangup that I actually bought a short hose and cooler drain plug so I could simply attach a hose to the cooler for draining.
Impressively, the Orca is one of the top performers in our rigorous insulation testing. All of our coolers underwent head-to-head tests against the same five performance metrics. A rubber seal helps trap cool air inside the rotomolded Roadie 24 while a 13″ tall interior fits most wine and 2L soda bottles upright. The Coleman has four beverage holders molded into its lid and makes an inexpensive companion on your next camping weekend. Maybe you want to rope down your cooler in the back of a truck, or secure it to the interior of your van. The “65” in “Yeti Tundra 65” is supposed to represent the number of quarts it can hold–but due to its thick insulation, it really holds closer to 57 quarts.