Since dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, it passes directly from a solid to a gaseous state, meaning no water to deal with as it melts. 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 Yeti Tundra Haul Portable Wheeled Cooler is a sturdy cooler with a large capacity that will work in nearly every setting. Your perishables will stay cool inside for days while the long handle allows for a comfortable journey between destinations.
Just one unfortunate rock or divot can flip your rolling cooler like a Toyota Supra in a Fast & Furious movie. Its rugged wheels are flat-proof and built for all terrains, including dirt, rocks, and sand. It sports a roto-molded, one-piece construction that’s certified bear-resistant.
Jacqueline Weiss is a professional food writer with over five years of experience and a lifelong lover of working in the kitchen. Her writing has appeared in Eat This Not That, EatingWell, AllRecipes, Simply Recipes, and more. igloo cooler with wheels For this article, she used market research, in-house testing insights, and her own expertise to curate this list. Most of our auctions sell with no reserve prices with shipping and delivery options available anywhere.
Over the years we have expanded our selection of commercial equipment and wholesale supplies to include healthcare, educational, food, beverage, office, parts, hotel, shipping, and industrial supplies. Cooler lights are also helpful if you’d like to illuminate your cooler at night. It’s a no-brainer to assist in finding specific items in the dark, and lights also just add a cool visual effect to enhance your evening environment. We previously noted that Yeti had suspended sales of our backpack pick, the Hopper M20, due to a potential safety issue with the closure, which could fail, releasing magnets, which would be dangerous to ingest. If you want a backpack cooler, we recommend the Polar Bear Original Nylon Backpack Cooler.
YETI’s Roadie 24 and Pelican’s 20QT Elite are two notable exceptions that don’t come with drain plugs, which can make dumping out extra water a bit of a hassle. However, given these coolers’ smaller capacities, most users will be restocking the contents frequently anyway. Many of the top hard-sided coolers are listed as bear-resistant, which is a worthwhile consideration should you be camping in bear country. Specifically, you should look for an IGBC (Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee) rating, which designates that a certain cooler has gone through the appropriate testing and been deemed compliant with the organization’s regulations. However, not all coolers listed as bear-resistant carry this certification—you can see a full list of certified coolers here. If you frequent the backcountry or will be traveling where bear-proof gear is required, make sure your cooler is on the list.
You want a cooler with wheels that has ample space and can hold at least a case of beers in our opinion with a few inches of space for other less important stuff like food and water. Though originally built for indoor and outdoor sports teams, we have placed many rolling cooler carts where industrial warehouses have hydration needs and on factory floors without air conditioning. Workers need easy access to quick water cooler breaks to reduce any loss of productivity… and this fits that bill.
Simply put, coolers are unlike most other categories of outdoor gear that may last for just for a couple seasons before needing to be replaced. 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.
Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). A telescopic handle that is attached to the wheels can be used to pull this cooler around when full and when not in use, those wheels can be folded neatly away. All said and done, we have no problems with recommending this cooler as we feel it represents great value for money and good performance.
When you need a simple, portable cooler, a soft-sided model is a worthwhile alternative, especially for picnics, tailgating, and other one-day uses. The Coleman 42-can Soft Cooler with Wheels may not offer the same ice retention as its hard-sided siblings, but it is crafted with extra foam insulation that keeps snacks and refreshments cold for at lgloo Cooler least 12 hours. The durable two-wheel design and a telescoping handle offer easy transportation, while side handles let you carry it as well. Other practical features include a top hatch that allows for easy grab-and-go drinks, multiple pockets for dry packaged snacks, extra ice packs, and more accessories, including an integrated bottle opener.