7 Best Camping Coolers Review (January 2023)

When it comes to camping coolers, there are plenty of choices up for grabs in the market. The sheer presence of huge brands, features, sizes, and aesthetics can overwhelm you. Whether you are going out camping or kayaking, these coolers are indispensable camping gear that you can’t afford to miss. The best camping cooler is the one that can keep your food and drinks chilled for a longer period of time and is durable to survive the elements of nature. A camping cooler is one of the most under-estimated camping gear, but only the experienced campers can tell its importance.

Best Camping Coolers

To help you get out of this dilemma, we have rounded up the list of the best camp coolers you can consider buying. These coolers are great options when you are planning to buy one, and to top it off, we have mentioned our buying guide to selecting the best cooler that will guide you to find the best one.

1. Igloo Super Tough STX Cooler 54 Quarts

Igloo has carved out a niche for itself as one of the leading giants in camping coolers. This camping cooler from Igloo is designed using heavy-duty material that ensures its longevity for the years to come. Igloo Super Tough Cooler is a high-performance cooler that can survive in extreme weather conditions and offer you an incredible ice life. The cooler features premium hardware, bolt through handles, stainless steel hinges, heavy-duty latches that combine to make this a rugged and sturdily-built cooler.

Talking about the insulation ability, you can expect at least 6 days of ice retention thanks to the presence of a solid lid and extra-thick shell. Talking about the space, this cooler comes in different sizes, and you can take your pick accordingly. You can find a cooler that comes with 150 quartz of capacity to hold your food and drinks. Take a look at the specifications of this cooler:

Specifications

• Dimensions – 26 x 15.6 x 15.1 inches
• Weight – 10.18 pounds

Pros & Cons

2. Coleman 30-Can Soft Cooler

This cube-shaped soft cooler from Coleman is designed especially for the outdoorsmen. Coleman 30-Can Soft Cooler is ideal for your day to day activities, and in fact, you can carry this at work since it will serve as a lunch box. This cooler has the capacity to hold 30 cans of beers, but it will be a good idea to pack 24 cans while leaving some space to store ice as well. This cooler exterior is leak-proof, which means you don’t have to worry about water seeping out.

To top it off, this camping cooler comes with side pockets, a front pocket that offer you additional space to store your things that don’t have to be essentially cold. You will never run out of space with this cooler. Talking about portability, this cooler comes with shoulder straps that make carrying this cooler smooth as a breeze. Check out the specification of this camping cooler.

Specifications

• Dimensions – 12.4 x 10.1 x 13 inches
• Weight – 2.2 pounds

Pros & Cons

3. Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze 30 Cans

This soft-sided camping cooler from Arctic Zone will totally redefine your camping adventure. In fact, this is one of the best-insulated coolers that can retain and preserve your food for multiple days. So, at the end of the day, you won’t have to eat soggy sandwiches at all. There are a few reasons that this high-performance cooler has great insulation ability, and its heat-reflecting fabric is one of those few reasons that gives ice more life. Thanks to the zipperless lid, you get instant access to your food and drinks.

This camping cooler comes with a Smart shelf to separate your dry food from the drinks to not get crushed because of drinks. This smart shelf is removable, which means you get more space to store your food and drinks together. There are side mesh pockets to stow your other stuff and keep them handy. On top of that, it comes with a shoulder strap for comfortable carrying. The addition of a bottle opener is another nice touch given to this camping cooler.

Specifications

• Dimensions – 16.5 x 11 x 12.8 inches
• Weight – 3.4 pounds

Pros & Cons

4. Pelican Elite Soft Cooler

The brand, Pelican, has become a go-to destination for campers all over the world. They have an impressive range of soft-sided coolers, and these coolers have everything you would expect them. Durability, Ice Retention, Storage Space – these coolers are teeming with incredible features. Pelican Elite Soft Cooler offers an enormous space where you can put 24 cans with ease along with ice. Thanks to the addition of high-density closed-cell foam insulation, it will keep things cold for a longer period of time. This cooler will serve your meal and keep your ice frozen for multiple days.

This camping cooler is ideal for those who plan for a weekend getaway – be it camping or kayaking, or hiking. The shell of this cooler is extremely rugged, leak, and waterproof. It offers you quick access, and the double lock buckle system secures your food. It comes with a built-in bottle opener that eliminates the need for carrying it separately. Take a look at the specifications of this best camping cooler.

Specifications

• Dimensions -17 x 10 x 13.5 inches
• Weight – 5.2 pounds

Pros & Cons

5. ENGEL ENG35 High-Performance Hard Cooler and Icebox

Engel is known for manufacturing Top Rated Coolers, and Engel 35 High-performance cooler is anything but ordinary. These coolers are highly durable and can withstand any toughest abuse they encounter. With that said, it is worth mentioning that these coolers are bear-certified, and they are so tough that they can endure the attack of a wild creature to secure your food and drinks. These high-performance coolers are designed using rotomolded construction, which is why these coolers are highly solid, and they have amazing insulation ability.

This cooler comes with 2 inches of thick insulation, and it will keep your ice frozen for multiple days or even for 10 days. It is incorporated with compression latches that do not allow cool air escape adds to the insulation ability. It comes with non-marking feet, so they are stable and don’t leave any scratches behind. Take a look at the specifications of this cooler:

Specifications

• Dimensions –25 1/2 x 13 x 15 1/4
• Weight – 22 lbs

Pros & Cons

6. YETI Tundra 35 Cooler

Probably, you would have heard everyone screaming about Yeti cooler. No wonder why Yeti is the most revered brand of all. While manufacturing these top-rated coolers, Yeti coolers are the epitome of functionality, quality, and of course, style. Its Tundra series has been a mammoth hit since these coolers have all the bells and whistles. Yeti Tundra 35 Cooler delivers exceptional performance when keeping the ice frozen during the warm months of the season.

This cooler is designed using rotomolded construction that adds more to the toughness and strength of these coolers. YETI Tundra 35 Cooler has an amazing capacity of holding 24 cans while still leaving some space for keeping ice. Yeti Tundra 35 cooler is quite convenient and easy to use. In fact, it is quite portable to be carried around easily.

What Are The Different Types Of Camping Coolers?

Well, when it comes to camping coolers, you can choose from the Hard-Sided Coolers and Soft-Sided Coolers. Hard-Sided coolers are basically those traditional coolers constructed using heavy-duty material and are solid, durable, and last for years to come. Since Hard-Sided coolers are designed using heavy-duty material, they really weigh heavy, and it is a bit difficult to carry them around. Such types of coolers are perfect for a long vacation trip or weeklong getaway since these coolers’ insulation ability is actually great, and you are sure to find your food and drinks chilled for multiple days and sometimes, for the week.

On the other hand, Soft-sided coolers are designed using lighter material, so they are quite easy to carry around. The material designed using them creates an extremely rugged surface, which makes it tear-resistant and resistive to cuts and scratches. Because of the portability, these coolers don’t come in huge storage space. For anyone who frequently steps out for camping for a couple of days, soft-sided coolers make a befitting choice for them. They are quite convenient to carry since they feature shoulder straps, plus, they have amazing insulation ability to retain ice frozen for like 48 hours. Another thing worth mentioning is its space-saving design. Today’s best soft-sided coolers can collapse down easily when not in use, thereby saving space for other things.

How To Choose The Best Camping Cooler For Your Next Trip?

There are different kinds of coolers up for grabs in the market, and you are sure to feel overwhelmed because of these different styles. To help you, we have listed some key considerations that will help you buy the right one for yourself. Take a look at the factors that you must consider.

• Durability – The construction of a cooler is the first thing you would need to look at. A well and sturdily built cooler will last for years to come while you can’t anticipate the lifespan of those coolers that are cheaply designed. Today’s best camping coolers are designed using a rotomolded process, which is why they are solid, durable, and tough. Apart from that, these coolers can withstand any abuse and keep ice frozen for a longer period. The construction of a cooler will also impact the insulation ability of these coolers. A rotomolded cooler is said to have the best insulation ability, and adding more to that, the high-quality gasket and heavy-duty latches create a solid tight-seal that does not let the cool air escape. So, before you buy one, make sure to look at the cooler’s construction and see how durable these coolers are.
• Portability – Another important consideration that you will have to ponder over is the easiest way to transport this cooler from one place to another, especially when it is fully loaded with food and drinks. Hard-sided coolers are quite heavier even when they don’t have anything stored inside them and when they are loaded up to the brim, it becomes fairly heavy to transport them from your car to your campsite. Carrying it will include at least two men unless the cooler has wheels. Some of the best coolers now come with wheels, and that means you can easily carry them to the party site without any sort of struggle. While some models include small wheels, you will be able to find coolers with beefy wheels that can mount on any terrain. Well, there will be times when the wheels won’t do much. At some point, you will need to lift these cooler to bring them downstairs or load up in the car. That’s when you will rely upon the handles to offer you a superior grip so that you can conveniently lift it and take it to places. Well, As campers, we hardly consider this thing, which can really impact our camping experience.
• Features – Apart from the basic features – to retain ice, most of the coolers are now equipped with a myriad of amazing features that can be helpful at times. Some of the coolers come with built-in bottle openers, which means you won’t have to carry an additional one. Apart from that, you will find a removable tray to let you keep dry goods separate from drinks. The presence of an interior basket will keep things well packed and gives you easy access to food and drinks. In some coolers, you will find cup holders, and they really add more to your comfort. Well, you should always look at the additional features that you are getting with that cooler.
• Type of cooler – Another important thing to consider is to know what type of cooler you want – Hard-Sided Cooler or Soft-Sided Cooler. Hard-Sided coolers are designed using heavy-duty material, and thus, these coolers are tough to carry around. On the other hand, Soft-sided Coolers use lighter fabric and are ideal for people going out camping for a couple of days. Such coolers are quite easy to carry since they come with shoulder straps. When it comes to ice retention, you can expect superior ice retention from hard-sided coolers. So, depending upon what type of cooler you need, you can take your pick accordingly.

How To Maximise Insulation Ability Of Camping Coolers?

No matter what type of cooler you are planning to buy, you can always extend these coolers’ insulation ability by performing these tips. These tips will ensure that you have increased the cooling performance of these coolers. Take a look at the steps that you need to follow.

• Pre Chill Your Cooler – The first that you will have to do is pre-chill your cooler. Most of us don’t use them until we are planning out for a weekend, and by then, we would have kept them in the garage or somewhere in the attic. So, the idea is to get that cooler and leave it open for a day so that it can exude the hot temperature it has amassed while it was left unused. Apart from that, you can also use “Sacrificial bags” to cool down the ice chest. Doing this will mean that you will have ice frozen for a longer period.
• Pre- Chill Your Content – Everything you are putting inside the ice chest should be refrigerated a day before leaving. It is a good idea to use frozen items that you plan to eat on later days of trips. Pre-chilling your content will mean that these items will remain chilled for a longer period of time.
• Replace Normal Ice Cubes – Replacing normal ice cubes with dry ice only if your cooler is compatible with that will do the trick. Dry Ice does not melt away quickly, which means that your food items will be served chilled for a longer period. Today’s best-rotomolded coolers are compatible with dry ice, and you can actually keep your drinks and beverages chilled for a longer period. In case your cooler is not compatible with dry ice, it is a good idea to use reusable ice packs that will save you the cost of buying ice cubes again and again. Apart from that, they are non-toxic to use. So, replacing normal ice with these substitutes can improve the cooling performance of the cooler.
• Keep Your Cooler In Shade – Needless to say, the UV rays of the sun can impact the cooling performance of your cooler negatively, and you are sure to find your drinks warm when you keep them under constant exposure to the sun. We often overlook this thing to find out our drinks are getting warmer and warmer as the day passes. So, make sure that you have placed the cooler in the shade and away from the sun. Also, make sure that the surface you are keeping it is not hot since it will impact the bottom’s food and beverages. Putting your cooler on a heap of grass can do the trick to avoid placing it on the sand.
• Minimize the opening of the lid – Well, this might sound an obvious tip, but we tend to forget everything in the excitement for camping. Whether you are digging out your food or anything else, make sure to limit the opening of the lid. What is even important to remember is not let your kid roam around cooler and play with it. You never know when he opens the lid, and it will result in premature ice melt. Also, make sure to open the lid enough to bring your drink out. This will not let the cool air escape through the cooler and not draw hot air inside the ice chest.

Customer’s FAQ’s