Guide to the Best Ice Chests And Coolers [Tops Summer Picks]

Finding a quality cooler today takes a bit more effort than in earlier times. Only a couple of decades ago, a cooler was a box looking thing that kept your beer cold during a tailgating party or your milk from spoiling during a family camping trip. At worst it was made from cheap Styrofoam. At best, it was a flimsy plastic contraption that wasn’t the most attractive part of your camping setup.

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Today, however, there are dozens of different coolers on the market all proclaiming to be the best model for certain activities. From coolers promise to keep your ice from melting for up to week to coolers that claim they can withstand a bear mauling, there truly is something for everyone.

In this short article, we will look the different types of coolers on the market, the most well trusted brands of coolers, and also offer a breakdown of the top ten top rated coolers.Once you have read through our ice chest reviews, we also will give you a complete buying guide so that you can find the best cooler for your needs.

Here's Our Top Picks At A Glance:

• Coleman 48 Quart Cooler
• RTIC 30 Soft Pack
• Arctic Zone Titan Zipperless Cooler
• Yeti Tundra 35
• Pelican Elite Cooler
• Coleman 120 Quart Coastal Xtreme Series Marine Coolero
• Coleman 16-Can Soft Cooler With Hard Linero
• RTIC 20 Coolero
• Coleman 54 Quart Steel Belted Coolero
• CleverMade SnapBasket 50 Cano

Different Types of Coolers

It doesn't matter where you are going, on a hike or a trip to the beach, the type of cooler you need will largely depend on how you plan to use it, where you will be taking it, and what you will be storing in it. For example, if you are heading out on an overnight hike with some buddies and want to keep a few T-bone steaks cold, you obviously don’t want to be hauling around a massive 35-pound ice chest. Rather, a smaller and lighter model with a carrying strap would be much more adequate.

Similarly, if you are planning on taking your family camping in the backwoods of Glacier National Park, you will one of the toughest coolers on the market to make sure that you won ́t wake up in the morning to find your food had been stolen by raccoons, bears, or any other type of animal.

Traditional Cooler

This cooler is what you probably remember from the time you were a kid; a rather plain,square box made from hard plastic. These types of coolers usually come with some sort of foam insulation which helps to keep things cool for a day, at most, but not much longer than that. The plastic exterior casing is usually glued to the inner foam walls which provide most of the insulation.

One of the perks of these types of coolers is that they are usually on the inexpensive end and definitely do the trick for most family camping outings, trips to the beach, or other types of activities where a nearby gas station can offer you another bag of ice to cool things down.

High-End Cooler Models

Why would you pay four times as much for a cooler you might ask? While high-end cooler sare certainly more expensive than traditional models, they are also without a doubt much better made, more durable, much more efficient, and offer superior insulation. Instead of cheap foam for insulation, these models offer foam injected insulation that is often twice as thick.

The outside plastic shell uses a unique molding technique where in plastic is essentially melted and then made into the shape you need. For these coolers, then, the exterior plastic shell is actually a hollow inside (adding extra insulation) and has no seams whatsoever which is a big plus when it comes to stopping the escape of cool air.

Furthermore, the lids come with rubber gaskets to make a completely air tight seal. With a high-end cooler, you are pretty much taking a refrigerator with you since they will keep your food and drinks cool and preserved for several days at a time. They are great options for everything from those week-long fishing trips to a cross country drive with the kids.

Soft and Strapped Models

The main drawback to both the traditional and high end coolers is that they are heavy and bulky. While you can pretty easily put them in a car and take them wherever you need, if you are planning on carrying them on your back, you most likely won ́t last a mile.

Soft and strapped models don’t offer the same storage capacity nor the insulation for long term storage of foods, but they are definitely more mobile and you to comfortably carry your cooler during day hikes or into the stadium.

Brands

There are dozens of different companies manufacturing coolers of all different types,though some are definitely of higher quality than others. Here we will look at three different companies, each one best known for manufacturing one of the types of coolers we explained above.

Coleman

Coleman is one of those companies that has been around since the days of your grandparents. In fact, you probably have a distant, stored memory of your grandpa pulling some beers out of his trusty Coleman cooler during a picnic or trip to the beach.

Coleman has been manufacturing all different types of camping supplies since 1900 when the founder started selling gasoline pressure lamps in rural Oklahoma. Since that time they have grown to one of the largest outdoor gear and camping supply companies in the world. Most of the coolers that Coleman sells are of the traditional type, though they are significantly better made than the one your grandpa used.

Yeti

Yeti is a relative newcomer to the cooler industry, though they do offer some of the most unique and quality high-end coolers on the market. Yeti is a company that specializes in making high-end coolers, soft coolers, vacuum insulated stainless steel drinkware and other similar accessories.

Yeti started up by the initiative of two brothers in 2006 and has since found a niche mostly amongst hunting and fishing enthusiasts who are looking for quality coolers and other gear to keep them cool on a hot summer day. Though their coolers are much pricier than other models, the fact that they are one of the fastest growing outdoor companies gives testament to the quality of their products.

RTIC

RTIC is another company offering high-end coolers that compare in quality to what companies like Yeti produce. RTIC claims that because of their direct marketing schemes they are able to offer high-end coolers and soft coolers of quality making for a much-discounted price.

This Houston based company does not distribute through major chains nor advertise through traditional means. Rather because of their direct marketing scheme, they are able to offer quality products that get sent directly to the consumer from the producer without any sort of middlemen.

Overview of the Top 5 Coolers on the Market

Though the best cooler for you will depend on how you plan to use it, we offer here the top five coolers, including two high-end coolers, one traditional cooler, and two soft and strapped coolers. With these five products you will surely be able to find a quality product for whatever your need may be.

Coleman 48 Quart Cooler

The Coleman 48-quart cooler is the bread and butter when it comes to traditional coolers.While there is nothing fancy about this model, it is extremely useful and well designed for a number of different uses.

They claim they you can store up to 63 cans in this cooler, making it a great addition for any tailgating party. Their ThermOZONE insulation carries the promise that absolutely no CFC ́s, HFC ́s, or HCFC ́s were used in the insulation making it one of the most“ecological” models out there.

This Coleman cooler has a handy drain that will help you get rid of the extra melted water without having to completely empty the cooler. It is also tall enough that you can even place a two-liter bottle upright in the cooler. You should be able to find this cooler for under$40 dollars no matter where you look making it one of the most inexpensive coolers out there.