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 drain plug located at the bottom of the cooler facilitates easy and quick cleaning, eliminating any hassle after use. The lid features a UV inhibitor, ensuring the cooler retains its vibrant color and remains resistant to fading, even after prolonged exposure to sunlight. The spacious interior can accommodate up to 114 cans, making it perfect for large gatherings or extended trips.
The feature set is also pretty well sorted for the price, including four self-draining cup holders and functional lifts at the bottom that slightly elevate the cooler off the ground or truck bed. Igloo also added holes in the swing-up handles, allowing you to string a bungee between them to make carrying heavier loads easier. It’s the only model we tested that has actual pneumatic tires instead of cylindrical plastic chunks labeled as wheels. You can pump them up just like your car or bicycle tires, giving you the freedom to run over the same types of terrain. While other models often have tiny wheels, rigid wheels, low clearance, or narrow, uncomfortable handles, the RovR is what a wheeled chest should be.
Its broad handle has functional rubber grips on either end, so it’s comfortable to stroll down the sidewalk, through the grass, and across the beach with this box in tow. The RovR also boasts solid, durable construction, hefty latches, and integrated hinges that we expect to last through countless picnics and get-togethers. If that’s not enough, it also comes standard with some of the most useful features we’ve seen, including igloo electric cooler a large, removable dry bin and a giant dry storage box that attaches to the lid and literally doubles the amount of stuff you can haul. You can put everything you need for the barbecue in and on this cooler and wheel it to the park with one hand. You can also pick up the handy bike attachment and tow the RovR behind your bicycle. It costs extra, but we bought it, tried it, and now we can’t imagine life without it.
Closed-cell foam is also water-impermeable—so it’s an ideal material for, say, surfers’ wetsuits. With better insulation, a cooler can maintain lower temperatures for longer, thus consuming less ice. That’s important, especially if you, like most people, don’t have a freezer that can produce enough ice to fill a cooler and you tend to resort to buying bags of ice from the grocery store or liquor store. The Original is made with an exterior of 840-denier UV-resistant nylon wrapped around open-cell foam. Technically less insulating than closed-cell foam, open-cell foam performs fairly well for most applications as long as the cooler isn’t left in the open sun.
Uniquely, it includes a release valve to alleviate the pressure created by the lid’s seal. Though the Dometic CFX3 doesn’t have an energy-saving mode like many other powered coolers, it does have different levels of battery conservation that ensure it won’t prevent you from starting your car in the morning. And even while cooling, it draws just 50.7 watts, which is on the low end of powered coolers we tested. Our biggest complaint about this cooler is that its cords are barely over six feet long, which just doesn’t get you very far from the outlet. It’s also very expensive, but if you’re ready to take the plunge into the iceless world of powered coolers, the Dometic is consistently the best-performing model we’ve tested.
Rubber T-grip latches are popular as a durable, easy-to-use solution for keeping your ice chest closed. Even after several years of use, the Tundra 65’s latches are virtually the same as the first day we bought the cooler. If you prefer thicker, sturdier latches and don’t mind the extra muscling required to operate, the Orca 58 and 40 both have brawny rubber T-grips (in the shape of Orca tails) that practically exude security and confidence. Over half of the coolers on our list cost $200 or more, which goes to show how pricey these units can be. Hard-sided coolers from YETI, RTIC, ORCA, and others are able to keep ice frozen for significantly longer than budget options from companies like Coleman or Igloo. And while bags of ice come relatively cheap, it can be a real pain to have to drain your cooler and replace the ice on a daily basis (not to mention having to travel and purchase more of it).
Among high-end hard-sided coolers, you’ll commonly find two rubber T-handles along the front that keep the lid locked securely in place. These handles are fairly user-friendly, extremely strong, and minimize any openings igloo cooler with wheels for cold air to escape. At the other end of the spectrum, budget-oriented models like the Coleman Xtreme and Igloo ECOCOOL forgo latches completely and rely on a good fit between the lid and cooler body.
Say goodbye to worrying about melting ice and hello to refreshing drinks and fresh food throughout your adventure. Among hard coolers, a 70-quart size is big enough for a variety of tasks. Another example came up last year during a power outage, as one of our staff members was able to store most of the contents of a fridge in a 70-quart cooler, along with the necessary ice to keep it cold. That said, there’s something a little bit extra about a plastic box that’s not only well-designed and durably built but also clearly shows attention to detail at every turn. These details perhaps don’t matter in the long run from a durability standpoint but go a long way toward making your expensive cooler look as impressive as its price tag and performance suggest. 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.