The very first thing to think about when shopping for a cooler is how you are going to use it. When you aren’t heading out for days at a time, you in all probability do not want an costly high-end cooler. All of the coolers we have suggest above are able to holding issues at a protected temperature for a day, supplied you retain them within the shade. Equally, in the event you’re navigating rugged terrain, you may want beefy wheels—and in the event you’re simply going to the seaside, you won’t want them.
Arduous-sided coolers: These vary from the outdated inexperienced Coleman coolers—as soon as a staple of each tenting journey—to Yetis, which price as a lot as automobiles did when Coleman began making coolers. You may surprise why the Yetis are so costly. That I am unable to reply, however Yeti did upend the cooler business by introducing rotational molding, or “rotomolding,” the place melted plastic is molded over foam insulation in a single piece. Rotomolded coolers supply seamless, uniform density of their partitions and lids, which drastically improves a cooler’s efficiency. In distinction, these historical, reasonably priced plastic coolers we have all used have thinner partitions, leaky seams, and fewer insulated lids. Whether or not you want the additional insulation will depend on what you are doing and the way sizzling it’s once you’re doing it. Need to be taught extra? Our In-Home Know-It-All has a extra thorough insulation clarification.
Arduous-sided coolers usually have the luxurious options you need, like leakproof lids and drain plugs, and a few are even bear-resistant (test this checklist of bear-proof merchandise in the event you’re headed into ursine nation). The draw back is that these coolers are usually enormous and heavy.
Tender-sided coolers: Tender-sided coolers embrace every little thing from well-padded, impressively insulated sling luggage (just like the Yeti Hopper Flip above) to roll-down, dry-bag-style coolers excellent for these delicate seaside days. The most effective mushy coolers are simpler to hold, pack away simply when not in use, and have a versatility that conventional laborious coolers lack. (I’ve used dry-bag-style coolers as, nicely, dry luggage.) Ice does not final as lengthy, however for brief outings the place you do not want a big cooler, these are what we suggest.
Electrical coolers: Certain, they don’t seem to be crucial, however in the event you’re headed out on longer adventures and have entry to energy, you will by no means have to fret about your ice melting.
Different Options to Look For:
- Drain plug: This significantly simplifies life by making it simple to empty the water out of your cooler. When you’re shopping for a big cooler, be certain it has one in every of these.
- Divider: One in all our high suggestions for long-term cooler use is to have two coolers: One you deal with as a fridge and infrequently open, and one other for drinks. If that is not attainable, you may obtain a number of the identical by getting a cooler with a dividing wall in it. That means you may pack one aspect tightly with ice to maintain that meat at a low temp, and use the opposite aspect for chilling drinks with cubed ice.
- Wheels: Coolers get heavy and wheels are superior. They will not at all times work (good luck wheeling your cooler over tree roots), however once they do, they’re utterly value it.
