TN Picks: The Top Ice Coolers for Travelers

The 24 and OtterBox Venture both have plastic and rubber latches similar to the Xspec, but they’re both exceptionally easy to use, requiring less finagling and feeling much stronger overall. The RTIC has visually similar rubber latches that are much more flexible. As such, they are easy to use, lacking the stiff stubbornness of many other latches. Still, more flexible rubber might have a shorter lifespan than denser rubber, though we haven’t had an issue after using this product for years. The Igloo IMX 70qt is similar, with exceptionally flexible, soft, easy-to-use latches, also giving us pause about how well they’ll hold up through years of UV and user exposure.

Having a coleman ice chest cooler is a versatile way to keep your cold things cold without sacrificing as much portability as most hard coolers. Without a buddy to help you lug the fully-loaded Engel HD30 to the beach, it can feel quite heavy while using its shoulder strap. We also discovered after a rainstorm that the external pocket isn’t waterproof, though this is a small gripe. All in all, this big cooler bag is our favorite thanks to excellent insulation and great features like rounded handles and a removable bottle opener. Food and drinks stay chilled longer with the Coleman 70-Quart Hard Ice Chest Cooler, which Keeps the Ice up to 5 days.

ice chest

But while coleman ice chest hard to argue with the premium quality and rugged nature of a YETI rotomolded build, the Roadie 24 realistically is a niche cooler with a steep price tag. Food and drinks stay chilled longer with the 120-Quart Hard Ice Chest Cooler, which Keeps the Ice up to 6 days. One of the most important factors in choosing a cooler is its ability to stay cool and maintain ice for as long as possible. Coleman soft coolers have a much shorter cold retention time than the hard models, usually 24 hours.

We evaluated each drain to see how thorough a job it does and how simple it is to use. And for wheeled models, of course, we considered how that pair of spinning discs affects the chest’s usage when you’re not actively pulling it around. When it comes to handles, models with immobile handles have an additional advantage. The Engel, Tundra 65 and 45, Xspec, Titan, Orca58 and 40, RTIC, and Igloo IMX all follow this model. The thick handles jutting out from the OtterBox sides also impressed us with their obvious strength.

They can be incredibly useful when it comes to storing food items and keeping them fresh. The Xtreme also offers ample room for your beer, claiming a capacity of 50 quarts. Even better, that capacity came in at a bigger-than-advertised 58.1 quarts when I filled it with water to double-check. A cooler that rolls along behind you is a sensible upgrade for anyone who hates carrying things, and at $45, the Coleman Xtreme Wheeled Cooler will get the job done. It isn’t the sturdiest piece of plastic I’ve ever lugged around, but it kept things colder for longer than its closest rival, the Igloo Latitude Rolling Cooler. A. Yes, a model like the 5-quart Coleman FlipLid is great for making a large ice block.