Ice Chest Coolers & Hard Coolers

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. Equally as important, the RovR’s handle swings out far enough from the chest’s body to avoid painful heel smashing.

Whether you’re taking a day-trip to the beach, heading off for a weekend camping adventure, or relaxing at an afternoon cookout, you can count on Igloo to have an ice chest cooler to fit your needs. Hard coolers make the perfect option for safe, reliable storage that will keep your snacks and beverages cold all day. And all of our hard coolers made in our USA facility lgloo Cooler incorporate THERMECOOL™ insulation. This innovative foam lowers CO2 and VOC emissions, so we’re lowering our environmental impact while creating coolers that can last a lifetime. The RTIC Ultralight and RovR RollR are two more of our favorites among the crowd for their ease of use. The RovR has a sizable dry bin and tall interior with nearly vertical walls.

Its dual drains make cleaning it a breeze, and the flexibility of this model’s rubber latches means it’s easier to open and close with a single hand than other rubber-latched models. 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. igloo cooler with wheels 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. While all these things will help extend the life of your ice and, therefore, the freshness of your food, it’s unlikely that every consumer will follow these stipulations for each use.

It offers solid insulation to keep your peak-bagging beverages chilled until you reach the summit and an easy roll-top design that’s beyond simple to use. Made of thick, waterproof material, this backpack cooler proved itself more than capable of holding its integrity through all our backcountry rough handling. Sure you can buy one that costs double and may keep ice a day longer but it probably weighs double this cooler too. It was easy enough for two men to carry, performed well, and cleans up easily. A cooler’s latch or closure system is one of the defining characteristics of a premium model and plays a significant role in overall cooling performance.

igloo ice chest

We have a family member who purchased an original YETI Tundra back when the line first hit the market in 2008, and the cooler is basically like new today (he had to replace one rubber latch after more than 10 years of use, but that’s it). This means that when you’re making the calculation of whether spending $300 or $400 on a cooler is worth it, you are getting a product that literally should last for decades. That said, if you don’t need multi-day ice retention, even a cheaper hard-sided cooler should be around for many years as well. We have hardside coolers with a rugged build, handy features, easy carrying capabilities and, most importantly, up to seven days of ice retention — because you can’t properly go camping without a fully packed cooler.

In this diverse selection, you’ll find amazing offerings from some of today’s most well-respected companies. From electronics, to housewares, athletic equipment, Igloo coolers, food, health and beauty supplies, and pretty much anything else under the sun, you’ll have no trouble finding exactly what you’re after. According to our testing, over a long enough period of time, a cooler with closed-cell foam will keep things cool for longer. But in the 24- to 48-hour range, we haven’t seen a huge difference between using ¾ inch of closed-cell or open-cell foam in a cooler. 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.

And we have a huge selection of hard coolers for the beach, perfect for keeping you and your crew refreshed for as long as you need. “This collaboration with Igloo solidifies how Sonic the Hedgehog goes beyond the limits of solely video games,” said Alex Gomez, senior director of licensing at Sega of America, in a news release announcing the cooler. Sure, Yeti puts up the numbers now, but has it been there all your life? Igloo’s website boasts that there’s one sitting in one out of every three garages in the U.S. The company sold the first plastic coolers, the first with wheels, and the first with speakers.

As committed cooler enthusiasts know, the type of ice you use heavily impacts how much you’re able to store and how long it stays cold. Crushed ice is the most readily available—you can find it at most gas stations and supermarkets for fairly cheap. The major draw is that it easily fills the gaps between your food and beverages, cooling them quickly and efficiently. However, crushed ice is also the fastest to melt and you’ll likely need to replace it fairly frequently. Blocks of ice, on the other hand, take much longer to melt than crushed ice.

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. The locking lid ensures that it won’t pop open, keeping your precious cargo secure. The cooler also has a built-in bottle opener so you can quickly open your favorite beer without digging around for one. UV inhibitors in the plastic prevent the cooler from getting sun damage so it lasts longer, and the threaded drain plug allows you to hook it up to a hose while draining. Used this cooler on 5 day camping trip, with frequent opening and closing we started with 3 small bags of ice and added 2 small bags of ice over the 5 days.

Fresh, delicious snacks and ice-cold beverages are an easy way to make sure your next office barbecue is a hit. This ice chest provides you with ample space for sandwiches and drinks, so everyone can enjoy something to eat and drink. The Xspec and Roadie 24 are also notable for innovative and fairly effortless latch experiences. They combine a rubber latch for tightness and security with a plastic locking mechanism that makes them a breeze to use and requires much less brute strength than any of the 100% rubber latches demand. The Kenai 65 features mostly rubber, stretchy latches but swaps out the rubber T-grip section for short metal posts that grip grooves underneath the rim of the body.