Choosing the right Coleman cooler really depends on what type of trip or event you are taking your cooler to. For example, if you’re taking a picnic lunch to a park in town, perhaps a soft-sided Coleman cooler is all you need. A soft-sided cooler is easy to pack, fits easily in your vehicle, takes up little space, and keeps your food and drinks cold.
There just isn’t enough room in those smaller sizes for them to be functional for anything except an individual lunch or a few drinks. Another example came up last year during a power outage, as one of our staff members was able to store most of the contents of a fridge in a 70-quart cooler, along with the necessary ice to keep it cold. 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. And importantly, all these features are integrated nicely and have the same solid and confidence-inspiring feel as the rest of the aptly named Rugged.
The IGBC specifically states that this does not mean the product in question can’t be opened or destroyed by a bear, nor does it mean the product is leakproof. With that said, even the minimum construction standards required to deter a hungry 10 foot long, 900 lb grizzly lend a lot of credibility to the durability of a product. coleman ice chest Models we reviewed that are IGBC certified include the Yeti Tundra 65 and Tundra 45, Orca 58 and 40, Pelican Wheeled 80 and Elite 20, Engel 65, Arctic Zone Titan 55, and RovR RollR 60. These products proved to be very durable, despite the fact our team was unable to find a grizzly bear willing to test each of them rigorously.
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. Open- and closed-cell foams act as insulators to reduce heat conduction, while fabrics and liners, such as coated polyurethane and reflective Mylar, create a radiant barrier that reduces and reflects heat radiation. 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.
Though it’s tempting to assume all sizes of a particular model are the same, we put that to the test. True to its name, this thin-profile ice chest has a full 40 quarts of internal storage. Additionally, you get bonus storage on the outside of the ice chest with this line’s external, velcro-sealed coleman ice chest mesh pocket stretching across the entire back of the box. It’s the only model we tested that has actual pneumatic tires instead of cylindrical plastic chunks labeled as wheels. You can pump them up just like your car or bicycle tires, giving you the freedom to run over the same types of terrain.
From picnics in the park to beach BBQs, we carted these models everywhere we went to learn which models were most portable and enjoyable to use. We also went through hundreds of pounds of ice and frosty cans in our rigorous insulation tests. Whether you’re setting out on a road trip or a hunting trip, we can help you choose your perfect icebox. Mid-sized models offer a middle ground between the many large options that can often be overkill for a simple picnic or road trip but offer more storage space than the small personal chests.