All thermoelectric coolers we tested showed about the same performance in insulatory capacity, and the Igloo came in right in the middle of the pack. The lid won’t stay open for loading and unloading, and during our testing, the screw holding the connector between the body and lid of the cooler ripped out from the lid. We also found many user complaints online of other pieces of this cooler being unable to withstand the test of time. Thermoelectric coolers are quite affordable and do not require ice refills and ice packs that will cost you extra money.
Bear in mind that most of these coolers are available in multiple sizes, so our notes on internal size are more for general storage expectations. The first step is establishing why you need a portable electric cooler. If you just want something to keep sandwiches edible on a road trip, thermoelectric is just fine. If you need to freeze fresh meat after a hunting trip or keep frozen food frozen until you arrive at your destination, you’ll want a compressor cooler. Thermoelectric coolers are the only powered off-grid fridge option that requires no refrigerants.
If that’s necessary for you, here’s IGBC’s list of certified bear-resistant products (PDF). This roto-molded cooler costs far less than the Yeti Tundra 65 but performs just as well in nearly every way. It’s almost indestructible, lgloo Cooler it has two drainage ports and replaceable parts, and it kept our ice frozen for 10 days. Also, coolers will mostly connect to a DC outlet, but you can connect them to an AC outlet, too, with a convertor.
The dual-opening lid allows you to only open one side to prevent the temperature from escaping. The built-in handles and wheels allow you to tote this ice box everywhere you go. The cooler also features removable magnetic doors that keep the regulated temperature inside and everything else out. Closed-cell foam is considered a better insulator than open-cell foam because the tiny bubbles of gas in closed-cell foam remain independent from one another. Air bubbles that do not share cell walls and in effect stay insulated from one another are better at reducing the overall transfer of heat through the foam. Closed-cell foam is also much more expensive to produce than open-cell foam.
It plugs into a 12V DC power source and can cool down to 40°F below the ambient temperature. The PowerChill features a unique door design that can open from either side, providing igloo electric cooler easy access to contents. The adjustable shelf divider allows for better organization, and the cooler can be used in either a vertical or horizontal orientation.
We’ve also used this cooler for nearly five years for grocery runs in Hawaii, and it’s still going strong. One charm of the RTIC 65 is its reasonable price, which allows us to be far less careful with this equipment than we are with something as expensive or desirable as a Yeti. The Coleman Xtreme features replaceable hardware, whereas some of the company’s cheaper models don’t. At the moment, you can buy Coleman’s replacement hinges and replacement handles for less than $10 each. Many companies have spent an astronomical amount of money and time to convince people that they need to spend ridiculous sums just to keep a drink cold.
We searched for coolers that customers liked most, and found a set of five with fairly good reviews and a similar set of features. We wanted to compare with a 45-quart ice-filled cooler from our cooler review, so we settled on that size as a baseline. If your requirements are flexible and you just want a cheap cooler, the Igloo is not a bad design overall, with a useful carry handle and a good-looking exterior.
All in all, the Dometic TC35 is a well designed and feature-packed thermoelectric cooler. We set up our group of coolers on the patio for six days of 90-plus-degree weather. Each cooler was loaded with a pack of hot dogs, a pair of yogurt cups, and a water bottle. All items were refrigerated to about 40° F before we loaded up the coolers, but the coolers themselves had been sitting in 80° outdoor temperatures.
The cooler is 2V DC/110V AC capable and will keep this up to 40F cooler than ambient temperature. If you fill this thing with ice, check on it in 5 days and some of it will still be frozen. The multifunctional Ivation thermoelectric has a 25L capacity. It is designed to be versatile for various activities such as camping, traveling, fishing, barbecuing, and picnicking, among others. It maintains cool temperatures up to 40ºF and hot temperatures of up to 130ºF. It operates on a quiet brushless motor and has a cooling fan that circulates the air to facilitate cooling.
That being said since you don’t need to include ice inside these you do get a nice boost of usable storage space. Igloo Coolers are probably a brand that most people recognize. However, a lot of people are surprised when they come to find out that Igloo also offers up some well-received iceless coolers to go along with their traditional coolers. While they have had several model changes and facelifts, their top two thermoelectric coolers (as far as we are concerned) are the Breeze 28 and the Powerchill 40.