The most important metric for most of us is how well an ice chest keeps food cold and fresh. This metric is also the source of many extraordinary claims from manufacturers. From models with “5-Day” in the name to stickers boasting up to 16 days of ice retention, it seems that just about every product out there will knock your socks off.
Knowing your investment will last through years and years of adventures is important for any piece of gear you own, and these products are no exception. Though we didn’t have ten years to spend testing each model, we spent months subjecting them to prolonged use and a fair amount of abuse to see how they stood up to the pressure. We overextended hinges, jumped on lids, yanked on latches and handles, and dropped full chests from a carrying height. We set accident-prone friends, young children, and hefty humans loose on them to see what they’re made of by pushing them in ways more typically spread across many years of use. We filled each model with water to see how well their seals worked (or if they worked at all) and left them all out in the scorching midday desert sun for hours on end to see what would happen. Several of our top-performing contestants have been in regular use for several years now, and each season we update their durability and performance information, documenting how they change over time.
The performance of Magellan’s largest offering was very close to Cabela’s Polar Cap Equalizer. The lowest temperature recorded between the two in our cooling tests was less than a degree apart (44.6 vs. 45.5 degrees Fahrenheit). If coleman sundome your main use is for keeping things cold, then the question is whether or not that extra 0.9 degrees is worth paying another hundred bucks for. Our experts tested multiple brands to bring you the best cooler to fit your needs.
Its flexible side handles make carrying a breeze, and we found the exterior organizer pocket to be a nice addition for storing small items like koozies, kitchen utensils, and a bottle opener. Starting at 20 quarts and going all the way up to 140, there’s an Orca cooler for just about any activity. As for large, non-wheeled models, we still noticed many differences that lend themselves toward making specific units more portable than others. The Coleman Xtreme is just a few ounces heavier than the personal-sized Igloo BMX, which is astounding for its 68 quart capacity. The Engel and Tundra 65 are both relatively portable — their combined overall shapes and mid-50-quart capacities make finding what you’re looking for easier. They’re big enough to bring everything you need without being so big that they require two people to lift them out of the car.
However, dry ice can be dangerous to touch (you have to wear heavy gloves to prevent frostbite), doesn’t last long, and many coolers aren’t even rated to handle it. All told, it might take some finessing to perfect your ice strategy, but we think a combination of crushed and blocks is the best (and safest) method. The RovR RollR, Arctic Titan, Yeti Tundra 65, and Igloo IMX all come with practical interior dry storage options, which is great for holding aside some clean ice for drinks or keeping sensitive food out of ice water.
You can find coolers in this line that offer anywhere from 28- to 120-quart capacity, guaranteeing you have plenty of room for all kinds of food and drink. These options also ensure that ice inside the cooler remains frozen for 3-5 days, depending on conditions. By measuring meltwater, we can produce data that illustrates the relative performance of insulation between coolers over time. For example, after five days, the Coleman Xtreme retained 11 more pounds of ice than the Igloo MaxCold did. That translates to the Coleman Xtreme being 20% more efficient than the Igloo MaxCold overall in ice retention during the same time period. We also started tracking the internal temperature of the coolers with the ThermoWorks Signals thermometer to see exactly when temperatures began to rise.
The semi-recent update to the design resulted in more attractive styling and subtle ice life improvements. It can be an adequate personal cooler for an afternoon outing but may struggle beyond that. Also, if you are needing a simple solution for an afternoon picnic (ice life of just a few hours) or a more long-term solution that will keep your items chilled for several days, Coleman has you covered. The Yeti Hopper Backflip 24 was the first backpack-style cooler that we’ve tested, and although its overall performance wasn’t stellar, there were things I did like.
Just as its name suggests, this little box has proved itself to be our go-to road trip companion. In our testing, the Coleman Xtreme kept ice frozen for a full week (170 hours), 30 hours longer than the Igloo MaxCold (140 hours). It measures 28.4 by 15.8 by 17.5 inches, its design incorporates bevels and angles all over the place, and it has a ruler and cup holders molded into its lid.