We buy all the products we test — no freebies from companies. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission, which helps support our testing.
A good cooler should do three things well: keep your stuff cold for as long as you need, be easy to move, and actually fit the way you use it.
The wheeled Yeti Roadie 48 is the best overall. It's built tough and holds ice longer than any other cooler we tested. From the handle to the wheels, every detail feels high quality.
The Coleman Classic Series 65 Wheeled is our top pick for everyday use. It's easy to roll, has plenty of room for a full day at the lake or beach, and keeps everything cold from morning until night.
We've tested nearly 100 coolers over the past decade using a standardized insulation test with hundreds of pounds of ice, plus real-world use on camping trips, beach days, and backyard BBQs.
Editor's Note: On July 17, 2026, we revised our cooler review, adding new award winners from Coleman, plus additional insights on top-performing options from Yeti and ROVR.
Separately purchased lock installation (coupon often available)
The Yeti Roadie 48 blew every other cooler out of the water across our test metrics, earning its top-of-the-line reputation — and the hefty price that comes with it. No cooler matched its insulation: our food stayed safe below 40 degrees for 6.8 days, and our drinks kept cold for 7.5. It's as easy to maneuver as rolling luggage, with a flat top you can stack gear on — as lead tester Gena Bradshaw put it, “I just stack things on top and roll.” It locks to keep animals out on a campout, though the lock kit is sold separately. We measured it at 45 quarts rather than the claimed 48, but it still holds 77 cans plus a wine or a two-liter bottle standing upright.
If you mostly need a cooler for the day, the Coleman Classic Series 65 Wheeled is much easier to move around, offers more usable space, and weighs just 13.8 pounds empty — less than half of this Yeti. Our test team reaches for the Coleman on most beach days, but the sturdy Roadie 48 is unquestionably the ultimate cooler for a camping trip, or any situation where premium insulation matters most.
The Coleman Classic Series 65 Wheeled nails what most people actually care about: keeping drinks cold through a long day out, hauling a crowd's worth of food, and doing it for a fraction of the cost of premium models. After a couple of days of everyday use, one tester summed it up, “Even with access to all the coolers for testing, this is the cooler I reach for the most often. It is just so light, easy to move around, and has all the insulation you need for the day.” The telescoping handle and rollers make towing it across a parking lot or campground path easy on your back, and the lid is rated to hold up to 250 pounds, so it doubles as a sturdy seat when chairs are scarce. Inside, there's enough height to stand a wine bottle upright.
It isn't flawless. The lid won't stay propped open on its own, so it tends to swing shut while you load. And the small molded grips feel slippery and unsupportive once the cooler is full. If you want substantially longer ice life and a more rugged, roll-anywhere build — and you're willing to pay a premium — step up to the wheeled Yeti Roadie 60. But for shoppers who want a capable, affordable cooler for everyday adventures, this Coleman is hard to beat.
The Coleman Xtreme 50 with Wheels is a budget-friendly cooler that punches above its price, pairing generous capacity with easy portability at just 12.5 pounds. Its wheels are more capable than they look; as one tester put it, “I was able to roll it over most terrain types,” and the telescoping handle rises to a comfortable height that feels satisfying to pull. We'd recommend rolling it, but molded-in side handles are there for lifting when you need them, and the lid adds four shallow cup holders, one in each corner.
On insulation, the Coleman Xtreme 50 held food below 40 degrees for about four days in our testing — plenty for an average beach day, but ice melts roughly 1.6 times as fast as in the top-rated coolers. Stretch it across a multi-day campout or an outing above 100 degrees and you'll feel the difference at the ice counter: a similarly sized Yeti Roadie 48 holds under 40 degrees for nearly seven days. The likely culprit is the lid, which has no seal or gasket — a gap that also lets water slosh and leak when you move it. Even so, for day-trip use on a tight budget, this is the pinnacle of value.
If a large cooler on wheels sounds intriguing, the Yeti Roadie 60 is one of the best options on the market. Two durable wheels and a retractable handle let it roll like a large piece of wheeled luggage, and it stayed remarkably easy to move even over uneven ground. It's also among the top insulators in our entire lineup, keeping food safely cold for more than six days, and it's stacked with thoughtful touches — a dry basket, lock compatibility, tie-down slots for your truck or boat, and add-on extras like a divider that doubles as a cutting board. Durability is where it truly shines: we stood on it and even jumped on it to hunt for weak points, yet it never flexed or leaked, while the nonslip lid kept gear — and our feet — planted. As our lead tester reported after weeks of hard use, “it never showed any signs of weakness.”
You can't go wrong here if you want a rugged, highly functional cooler built to deliver years of reliable use — just make sure you'll get enough out of it to justify the price. The Roadie 60 is a genuine investment: smart for frequent users, but likely overkill for anyone who reaches for a cooler only once in a blue moon. If that's you, point yourself toward the Coleman Classic Series 65 instead — it rolls on wheels like the Yeti, holds a similar 96 cans, and costs a fraction of the price, trading away some ice life and rugged toughness you'll likely never miss for occasional use. But if you can shell out the cash and you'll actually put the Roadie 60 to work, we think you'll be hard-pressed to find anything not to love.
The RTIC Ultralight 52 has nearly everything you'd want from a picnic cooler, pairing a medium-large interior — right around 49 quarts, or 61 cans — with a build that's genuinely light for its size. The rope handles ride well above the body, so you won't bang your knuckles hauling it from the car, and the double-drain spigot system made emptying meltwater effortless. It scored well across the board in our testing, impressing us most with its extra features and easygoing day-to-day use. Testers kept coming back to its versatility — as one put it, “you don't need to pack a table for the beach or park; you can eat right off the top of the cooler.” For daytime picnics, it's an easy cooler to love.
The catch is that it's built for easy days, not hard ones. We found it leaked when tilted or sloshed around, a sign the freezer-grade gasket doesn't fully seal, and the latches and hinges read as a potential weak point even though nothing broke during testing — and once it's packed full, those uncushioned hard-plastic handles start to bite into your hands. Its cold-keeping is actually a highlight, holding food safe for close to six days in our controlled test, so the reason we'd hesitate to take it on a rugged multi-day haul is the sealing and durability, not the insulation. If you want similar value in a tougher, better-sealed box for longer outings, step up to the Xspec 60qt. But for a light, affordable, feature-rich cooler for picnics and beach days, the RTIC Ultralight impressed us — and won't dent your wallet.
Unfortunately, RTIC no longer includes the wire basket and freezable dividers with this cooler; they must be purchased separately.
The RTIC 52 is compatible with many of the accessories on their website. We especially like the dry baskets for keeping things separate. Credit: Matt Lighthart
The RTIC Ultra-Light 22 is the perfect size for a lunchbox or a solo outing, and it comes in a range of vibrant colors. Its 2-in-1 shoulder strap and handle is made of durable webbing with a neoprene comfort grip, and while RTIC skipped molded side handles, our tester found a workaround: “there's enough of a lip molded into the body to make it grabbable, if not using the strap, although it does take some effort.” On insulation, it held food below 40 degrees for 3.4 days and drinks below 50 degrees for about nine hours longer — no marathon performer, but more than adequate for the day-to-day lunchbox duty it's built for.
The Ultra-Light 22 piles on thoughtful touches: a silicone pocket hidden under the lid stashes utensils or a snack, the cooler locks if you're worried about your contents, and RTIC offers a deep bench of compatible accessories — we're partial to the slot-in dividers for keeping things organized. It's hard to beat for grab-and-go portability, but a lunchbox this size has real limits on room and ice life. If you find yourself wanting more of both, the Coleman Classic Series 65 is an affordable step up: it rolls on wheels, keeps food cold for closer to five days, and swallows enough drinks and snacks for the whole family — all while weighing only about 14 pounds empty.
The RTIC 22 has a hidden feature, nestled inside the lid of the cooler. A silicone net forms a nifty pocket for storing small things within the insulated storage space. Credit: Matt Lighthart
When the job is feeding a tailgate's worth of hungry fans, nothing else we tested comes close to the Igloo Polar 120. It swallowed a staggering 186 cans across 118 quarts of interior. As one tester noted, “this cooler packs enough to keep a whole parking lot stocked with drinks and still leave room for the food.” The interior runs tall enough to stand wine and two-liter bottles upright, so nothing has to lie flat, and its cold-keeping is plenty for game day. In our controlled testing it held food safely chilled for about four and a half days and drinks cold for five. Sturdy handles that double as tie-down loops for a truck bed and a molded ruler on the lid round out a cooler clearly built for hauling a crowd's worth of provisions.
The trade-off is right there in its size: with no wheels and a footprint this big, a fully loaded Polar 120 is unquestionably a two-person lift. But that matters far less at a tailgate, where you park, unload once, and set up camp for the day rather than dragging the cooler all over. If you do need to move a big cooler under your own power — across a lot, down to the beach, or over rough ground — step up to the Yeti Roadie 60 instead, which rolls on sturdy wheels, holds nearly 100 cans, and actually posts stronger insulation, keeping food cold past six days. But when the cooler is staying put and all that matters is packing in enough for a crowd, the Polar 120 is the one to beat.
We've tested soft coolers for a decade, and the Engel HD30 continues to impress us. This is one of the best overall in our review of soft coolers. In our insulation testing, it offers some of the best insulation of any tested, keeping its contents below 40ºF for just over three days. While many similar coolers have thick zippers that can be difficult to operate or very narrow openings that are difficult to navigate, this soft cooler is impressively easy to use. The corners unclip, allowing the top to open quite far for swift loading and locating items. And with a large (for a soft cooler) capacity of 48 cans, the Engel HD30 just might be enough to get you through a weekend camping. Despite its oversized build, our testers remarked, “It's more portable than I expected, and the comfortable handles on each end make carrying it that much easier.” After years of regular use, this durably constructed soft-sided model looks and works like the day we first bought it.
Carrying the Engel HD30 can feel rather heavy when this cooler is packed to the brim, though we appreciate the padded shoulder strap. After a rainstorm, the external pocket felt slightly damp. However, this complaint is minor, and during our soak test, the HD30 held up well with minimal dampness in its interior compartments despite being submerged in water for hours. Even with these minimal gripes, this big cooler bag is our favorite thanks to its primo insulation, large capacity, and terrific features like a removable bottle opener and rounded handles. If you're not into all the bells and whistles, the AO Coolers 24 Pack Canvas Cooler is another excellent option sold at half the cost.
If you spend enough time camping in a car or van, you might consider upgrading from the old ice chest to a powered cooler that uses the energy from your vehicle or a power station to keep things cold, like your fridge at home. The best powered cooler we have tested is the seriously impressive Dometic CFX5 45. It won our Editors' Choice award in our review of electric coolers and offers some of the coldest achievable temperatures and extremely precise and accurate temperature control.
The steep price tag on this cooler makes even the most expensive non-electric coolers look like a bargain. While you save money by not needing to buy ice, you need to use this cooler a ton to justify buying it for ice-saving alone. The main reason to buy a powered cooler is for the precision temperature control: you can precisely adjust the temperature to prioritize keeping meat fresh as long as possible or even making ice. Temperature control is much harder, if not impossible, just with ice. In addition, if you are camping far away from ice, often a powered cooler is the only way to keep key things cold reliably.
With a powered cooler, like the Dometic CFX3 45, bring items camping that you'd otherwise have to leave behind if you were using a soggy, meltwater-filled regular cooler. Credit: Maggie Nichols
Product Comparison Table
Our team cut open several coolers to get a closer look at the insulation used, including modern rotomolded and more traditional plastic constructions, noting a significant difference in thickness and volume across the range of products. Credit: Matt Lighthart
How We Test
This review represents over 600 combined hours spent using, abusing, and meticulously testing more than 45 different ice chests since 2016 — not including the time spent researching hundreds of new and promising models to find the ones worthy of inclusion. We ran and re-ran insulation tests under controlled but harsh laboratory conditions. We dragged our test subjects through the gravel, sand, mud, and grass while road-tripping, tailgating, camping, and hanging out on the beach. We asked our friends and family spanning three generations to help us dive into these coolers (sometimes literally) and identify the top performers. From being thrown into vehicles, dropped onto concrete from waist height, jumped on by a 200 lb tester, submerged in water, dragged across hot surfaces, yanked on, jerked around, and otherwise abused, these chests have seen it all.
We purchased, hauled, and poured gallons of ice into each cooler to test each unit's insulation performance.
Our cooler testing was focused on examining five rating metrics:
Insulation (35% of total score weighting)
Moving & Lifting (35% weighting)
Packable Space (20% weighting)
Ease of Use (10% weighting)
Learn more about our detailed side-by-side testing in our how we test article.
We place temperature sensors in each cooler and record the data to get an objective performance rating. Credit: Matt Lighthart
A lot of time, energy, and planning goes into creating testing plans and carrying them out to gather relevant data. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Why Trust GearLab
Our team of dedicated testers and reviewers understands the power of a great cooler's value, whether for off-grid living, celebratory summit beers, road trips, or backyard barbecues. Review Editor Mallory Paige has been testing and reviewing outdoor products full-time since 2014. For the past 7 years, she has been living off-grid and often relies on a good cooler to keep perishables cold when powering the fridge isn't an option. Senior Review Analyst Austin Palmer has been testing gear for 10 years and spends long summer weekends on Lake Tahoe relying on a good cooler. Senior Review Analyst Genaveve Bradshaw is an expert at applying the most scientific approach possible to test and rate a diverse array of products. Kolby has spent much of his career in the construction industry, often grinding days away in triple-digit heat where a poorly performing cooler can ruin a day.
The supplies we used during our cooler testing.
Analysis and Test Results
We divided our Cooler test into several categories: insulation, moving & lifting, packable space, and ease of use. We spend hundreds of hours comparing all of these attributes side-by-side to find the best cooler for every use case.
Worse Value
Better Value
What's the Best Value?
More expensive coolers generally offer better insulation, though there are exceptions. The best-insulated models also tend to be less portable. Ultimately, the best value depends on how much ice retention you need and how important easy portability is to you.
The Coleman Classic Series 65 Wheeled is the best overall value. It holds ice well, has a decently large capacity, is easy to transport, doubles as a comfortable seat, and clocks in well under 100 dollars.
The Coleman Classic is affordable, reliable, and doubles as a camp chair. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Right behind it is the Coleman Xtreme 50 with Wheels. It has slightly less capacity and insulation than the Coleman Classic 65, but it's lighter and more compact thanks to its cube shape. The two coolers are very close in overall score, and it's debatable which one is easier to pack, making it tough to call a clear winner for most people.
The RTIC Ultralight 52 is another strong value. It's not cheap, but it delivers excellent insulation, solid capacity, and relatively light weight — all for hundreds of dollars and many pounds less than the higher-scoring coolers.
Finally, the RTIC Ultra-Light 22 is our favorite value option for great insulation in a small portable package.
See our Soft Cooler Review for the best deals on backpack and tote soft options.
Insulation
To keep this measure objective, we recreated a hot summer trip the way most people would actually use a cooler. We half-filled each model with ice, dropped in a temperature logger, then sealed them all in a temperature-controlled room for over a week and tracked how long each stayed cold inside.
We flagged two critical temperature thresholds: 40 and 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Based on FDA regulations, 40 degrees is the maximum acceptable temperature recommended to ensure food safety, as it minimizes the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Simply put, keeping refrigerated food below 40 degrees reduces the chance of camping food spoiling and making you sick.
The 50-degree threshold represents the average maximum ideal temperature to serve beer. We set this threshold to track based on the optimal temperature range for serving different types of beer, as established by the American Homebrewers Association. This 50-degree standard also allows us to easily monitor the rate at which each cooler heats as the ice melts within, allowing us to compare how much time passes between reaching the 40 and 50-degree marks.
The final insulation score combines the results from our granular data gathered by the iButton sensors used in our testing. Those that quickly surpassed safe and desirable temperatures scored lower. Coolers with lower insulation scores still have relevant use cases and often include specific accessories or features that might be more important than pure insulation performance.
Insulation Rank
Days Until 40 Degrees Fahrenheit
Days Until 50 Degrees Fahrenheit
Yeti Roadie 48
6.8
7.5
Yeti Roadie 60
6.3
6.9
Xspec 60qt
6.2
6.7
Ultralight RTIC 52
5.8
6.3
RTIC 65
5.5
6.1
RTIC 65
5.4
5.9
Yeti Tundra Haul
5.4
6.0
Yeti Tundra 65
4.8
5.3
Classic Series 65-Quart Wheeled
4.7
5.1
Igloo Polar 120
4.6
5.0
RTIC 45 Ultra-Tough
4.6
5.0
Engel 65
4.5
5.0
Ninja Frostvault 50qt
4.4
4.9
Yeti Roadie 24
4.3
4.7
Igloo Marine Ultra 70
4.2
4.6
Yeti Tundra 45
4.1
4.5
Coleman Classic Series 52
4.0
4.4
Igloo BMX 25
4.0
4.4
RTIC Ultra-Light 22
3.4
3.8
Yeti Roadie 15
3.4
3.7
Coleman Snap 'N Go 45-Quart Collapsible
2.4
2.5
The Yeti Roadie 48 is the undisputed champion, holding a safe, food-cold temperature for close to a week in our controlled testing — long enough to anchor a multi-day trip far from a fresh bag of ice.
The Yeti Roadie 48 held a food-safe temperature for nearly a week. Credit: Matt Lighthart
The wheeled Yeti Roadie 60 trails it only slightly, and the Xspec 60qt proves you don't need to spend top dollar for serious staying power, landing within striking distance of the premium Yetis.
The Xspec 60qt has strong insulation, though it melted faster than Yeti. Credit: Matt Lighthart
The lightweight RTIC Ultralight 52 and the burly RTIC 65 round out the top five, both comfortably carrying a long weekend.
The Coleman Snap N Go is best for a simple day trip. Credit: Matt Lighthart
At the other end of the table, designs that prioritize convenience pay for it in cold: the collapsible Coleman Snap 'N Go 45 ran warm the soonest, which firmly stamps them as day-trip companions.
Moving and Lifting
Moving & Lifting captures how easily a cooler travels from your trunk to your spot — by wheel, strap, or handle — and it's weighted just as heavily as insulation. We also took into account how heavy the cooler is unloaded, which can affect how easy it is to move and lift when storing.
Moving and Lifting
Loaded Weight (With Cans)
Wheels
Yeti Roadie 15
27.5 lbs
No
Yeti Roadie 24
38.7 lbs
Yes
RTIC Ultra-Light 22
42.4 lbs
No
RTIC 20
42.5 lbs
No
Coleman Snap 'N Go 45
67.7 lbs
No
Coleman Classic Series 52
69.3 lbs
No
RTIC Ultralight 52
71.0 lbs
No
RTIC Ultra-Tough 45
72.6 lbs
No
Yeti Tundra 45
73.3 lbs
No
Engel 65
89.4 lbs
No
Yeti Roadie 48
89.0 lbs
Yes
Yeti Tundra 65
90.7 lbs
No
Ninja Frostvault 50
91.6 lbs
No
Coleman Wheeled 65
91.9 lbs
Yes
Rovr RollR 60
95.9 lbs
Yes
Xspec 60
103.2 lbs
No
Yeti Tundra Haul
104.9 lbs
Yes
Igloo Marine Ultra 70
105.9 lbs
No
Yeti Roadie 60
110.1 lbs
Yes
RTIC 65
113.2 lbs
No
Igloo Polar 120
168.7 lbs
No
Featherweight personal coolers dominate the top: the Yeti Roadie 15 leads the whole field on the strength of its low weight — just 9.7 pounds empty — and comfortable shoulder strap. The RTIC Ultra-Light 22 is right on its heels for the same reasons.
The Yeti Roadie 15 is easy to carry by the strap or the side handles. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Among the larger haulers, the wheeled Yeti Roadie 48 rolls like fine luggage and the Rovr RollR 60 muscles into the top five thanks to air-filled, all-terrain tires that glide across sand and gravel where smaller wheels simply bog down.
The Rovr 60 has large, inflated tires that can handle pretty much anything. Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Coleman Classic Series 65 is a telling contrast in the middle of the pack, too: it lands lower than you'd expect for a roller because, as our testers found, its small, slippery handles squished and gave out under a full 90-pound load — proof that wheels alone don't guarantee an easy haul.
When fully loaded, the Coleman Classic 65 has side handles that are too small and spongy to make carrying easy. Credit: Matt Lighthart
The hardest models to move are the big, wheel-less boxes: the cavernous Igloo Polar 120 and the heavy RTIC 65 are jobs best handled with a second set of hands.
The Igloo Polar 120 is a beast to move around. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Packable Space
Packable Space measures how much food and drink a cooler swallows and how usable that room really is — we tallied can capacity, measured interior volume, and rewarded interiors tall enough to stand a wine bottle upright.
The enormous Igloo Polar 120 is in a league of its own, with 118 quarts of space and room for a staggering 186 cans — a small army's worth of drinks — that no other cooler came close to matching. The Igloo Marine Ultra 70 delivers similarly generous capacity in a far lighter shell, swallowing 114 cans across 76 quarts while weighing barely 14 pounds empty, less than half what some smaller boxes tip the scales at.
The Igloo Polar 120 could handle an incredible 186 cans during our test. Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
The RTIC 65 offers a roomy, squared-off interior that's easy to fill. Our everyday-use pick, the Coleman Classic Series 65, punches well above its price here: it matches the far pricier RTIC's 96-can haul and posts the tallest interior in the entire field at 19.5 inches, so bottles, jugs, and two-liter sodas stand upright with room to spare. The wheeled Yeti Roadie 60 completes the leaders, pairing a 98-can capacity with nearly 16 inches of height for the same easy upright packing.
The Coleman Classic 65 can handle a wine bottle upright, which is a nice bonus, and during testing, we fit 96 cans inside. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Unsurprisingly, the lunchbox-class coolers hold the least: the RTIC 20 and the Yeti Roadie 15 are best treated as one-person, one-day boxes. And the Igloo BMX 25 and RTIC 22 are only a step ahead.
The RTIC 22 has a smaller capacity than larger coolers. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Ease of Use
The Ease of Use chart ranks every cooler we tested by how fuss-free it is to live with day to day — how well the lid stays put, how smoothly the latches work, and how easily it loads and cleans up. Higher scores mark the models that just work without a fight, while the lowest scores go to coolers that tend to annoy and require extra work.
Ease of Use
Handle
Lid and Latches
Drain Plug
Overall Star Rating
Yeti Roadie 60
Telescoping handle & molded handles
Has a seal
Sturdy lid stays open
Very easy latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Yeti Roadie 48
Telescoping handle & molded handles
Has a seal
Sturdy lid stays open
Very easy latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Xspec 60qt
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Sturdy lid stays open
Easy rubber T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Yeti Tundra 65
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Sturdy lid stays open
Easy rubber T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Yeti Tundra 45
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy rubber T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
RTIC 65
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy silicon T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
RTIC Ultra-Light 22
Adjustable shoulder strap & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy silicon T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
RTIC Ultra-Tough 45
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy silicon T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Yeti Roadie 24
One adjustable shoulder strap
Molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Very easy latches
Can't be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Yeti Tundra Haul
Towing handle & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy rubber T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Rovr RollR 60
Towing handle & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Very easy latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Yeti Roadie 15
Adjustable shoulder strap & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Very easy latches
Can't be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Engel 65
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Bear resistant latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
RTIC Ultralight 52
Two rope & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy silicon T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Ninja Frostvault 50qt
Molded handles
Has a seal
Very easy latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Igloo Marine Ultra 70
Two plastic handles
Does not have a seal
Lid stays open
Easy to use single latch
Can't be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Coleman Snap 'N Go 45-Quart Collapsible
Two plastic handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
No latches
Can't be locked
✖
1
2
3
4
5
RTIC 20
One carrying handle & molded handles
Has a seal
Lid stays open
Easy silicon T-latches
Can be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Igloo BMX 25
One carrying handle
Lid stays open, no seal
Easy rubber T-latches
Can't be locked
✖
1
2
3
4
5
Igloo Polar 120
Two plastic handles
Finicky lid and latches
No seal
Can't be locked
1
2
3
4
5
Coleman Classic Series 52
Two molded handles
Light lid, no seal or latches
Can't be locked
✖
1
2
3
4
5
Coleman Xtreme 50 with Wheels
Telescoping handle & molded handles
Light lid, no seal or latches
Can't be locked
✖
1
2
3
4
5
Classic Series 65-Quart Wheeled
Telescoping handle & molded handles
Does not have a seal
Finicky lid & no latches
Can't be locked
1
2
3
4
5
The Yeti Roadie 60 was at the top, combining secure, one-handed latches with a well-behaved lid, and the Yeti Roadie 48 is nearly their equal.
The Canyon latches are unique and well-designed. We love how easy they are to use, yet still feel very secure. Credit: Matt Lighthart
The Xspec 60qt earns high marks for fuss-free closures, and the RTIC 65 is another standout for no-drama operation.
The RTIC 65 performed well in our ease-of-use test, with a lid that stays open easily. Credit: Abriah Wofford
The lowest scores went to several inexpensive models where the lid is the weak link. Our own everyday-use pick, the Coleman Classic Series 65, lands near the bottom here too, dragged down by a lid that refuses to stay open.
The Coleman Classic Series 65 lid falls shut easily, which is annoying when loading. Credit: Matt Lighthart
We've got all your camping needs covered, from camping chairs and fire pits for relaxing at camp and camping tents for when it's time to hit the hay.
How to Pick the Best Cooler for You
Cooler designs have changed quite a bit over the years, and they've also become quite a bit more expensive with the introduction of rotomolded designs. There are several types to choose from (hard coolers, soft coolers, powered coolers, etc), which we outline in greater detail in our cooler buying advice guide. Our review generally focuses on hard-sided ice chests designed to keep your perishables cold longer.
Before choosing a cooler, take a moment to consider what features are most important to you. Credit: Matt Lighthart
How Much Insulation Do You Need?
What do you plan to use your cooler for? How long will you need to keep perishables fresh before returning them to a refrigerator or replenishing with ice? If you primarily need a cooler for afternoon barbecues at home or a day at the beach, a lower level of insulation in your cooler may work just fine. If you plan a multi-night trip into the backcountry where fresh ice is unheard of, you need to have confidence in the cooler you will carry your meals in. The material construction of a cooler is a key determinant in how well it will keep your perishables safely cold, and it can also be a significant factor in cost. It's important to consider your real use needs before honing in on a shortlist.
An inside look at the insulation of three hard-sided coolers. The rotomolded insulation of the Xspec 60 and Yeti 48 on the left is far beefier than the plastic-encased foam of the Coleman to the right. Credit: Matt Lighthart
Many hard-sided coolers are constructed from plastic that sandwiches a layer of insulating foam. Rotomolded coolers, like the ones brands like Yeti are famed for, use a heat-softened plastic that molds to the hard foam interior, creating a single fused piece of plastic that boosts insulating properties, effectively sealing cool air in and warm air out. The type of seal and locking mechanism also informs how well a cooler keeps your perishables at a safe temperature. Rubber gaskets, similar to what your refrigerator uses, help seal in the cold. For longer trips, you'll want a cooler that holds a steady, cool temperature for longer. See our buying advice article for advice on maximizing your insulation efficiency.
Coolers are designed with key features like handles, drains, wheels, etc. that will impact how easy it is to use and move. Some even come with nice extras -- think bottle openers, dry baskets, cup holders, and more -- that can improve your overall experience snacking on the go. Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
What Design Features and Accessories Will You Need?
Ideally, your cooler should be easy to use. Are there latches, and are they easy to operate? Does the lid stay closed even when packed to the gills or driving down a bumpy road? We like coolers with well-placed drains and tethered plugs that can't fall off or get lost. Portability is another important factor — is the cooler easy to transport? Some models have wheels, and most have handles on either side. Some are quite heavy and easier for two people to lift when fully loaded. We also appreciate models with extra features, like an interior basket, so that certain food items stay dry and not get buried in the ice. Some models have additional dry storage outside, cupholders on top, and even attached bottle openers. Decide what features are important to you when making your selection.
Are You Going into Bear Country?
Several of the models we tested have IGBC certification, meaning a certification from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, which verifies that the product in question has been tested by said committee and meets minimum standards for design and structural standards that are considered “bear-resistant” by a team of grizzly bear experts. The IGBC specifically states that this does not mean the product in question can't be opened or destroyed by a bear, nor does it mean the product is leakproof. That said, even the minimum construction standards required to deter a hungry 10-foot-long, 900 lb grizzly lend a lot of credibility to the durability of a product. Models we reviewed that are IGBC certified include the Yeti Tundra 65, Engel 65. These products proved very durable despite our team not finding a grizzly bear willing to rigorously test each of them.
A Note on IGBC Certified Products
Bear resistance certification is based on the assumption that you will use bear-resistant locks (sold separately) to secure the closed lid of each model. Don't expect the rubber latches to protect your food from bears alone. And depending on where you find yourself on your adventures, it might not even be a legally accepted way to store your food, so be sure to always check local regulations for your destination before you leave home.
Wheels can help, but can still be difficult over sand, gravel, or rough paths. Usually, having a friend help you tote your cooler will be the easiest way to move it. Credit: Abriah Wofford
If a more packable cooler is what you're looking for, we recommend checking out our best soft cooler review, where you'll find many creatively designed coolers with convenient features and great portability. We've also tested the top powered coolers on the market for those with access to a power source or who prefer an iceless approach.
Conclusion
We've been researching, testing, and retesting popular coolers for years to bring you the most competitive models, and this most recent round of contenders is no exception. After months of rigorous side-by-side testing and years of analysis conducted by our experts and a veritable crowd of friends and family who also enjoy fresh food and cold drinks, we got to know these models quite literally inside and out. Keep GearLab in mind to help you make smart, informed decisions on all your camping gear needs.
—Mallory Paige, Austin Palmer, and Genaveve Bradshaw
