Coolers

2–5 days in real-world use. A 20- to 25-quart cooler is plenty for two people on a weekend. A 20-can soft cooler under 2 lbs is the sweet spot. A 48-quart cooler is the sweet spot for two people on a weekend trip. A 50-quart cooler is enough for two people on a three-day trip. A 50-quart cooler is the sweet spot for two people for a weekend. A 50-quart cooler is the sweet spot for two people on a weekend trip. A 70-quart cooler is the sweet spot for two people on a week-long road trip. A 70-quart cooler is the sweet spot. A backpack cooler is better for hiking and commuting. A cooler and an ice chest are the same thing. A cooler can keep food warm, but not for long. A cooler can slow-cook your food, but you have to do it right. A cooler helps, but it's not a safe zone. A cooler in a hot car will fail you. A cooler in a hot trunk is fine for a few hours – if you pack it right A cooler is not a cast iron cooling rack. A cooler is not a fridge—even with power. A cooler keeps food hot — if you do it right. A cooler with an aerator works for short trips. A cooler with battery packs works, but it's not a fridge replacement. A cooler works fine for a temporary ice bath. A cooler works for hot food — get rotomolded. A cooler works like a fridge if you do it right A cooler works, but don't expect miracles. A day in direct sun, maybe two if you're lucky. A few simple tricks double your ice life. A good cooler beats a cheap fridge for road trips A good divider and a dry basket are the only cooler accessories worth buying. A good soft-sided cooler works for a beach day — if you do it right. A light-colored cooler will keep ice longer. A rotomolded cooler is the only real option for 5 days. A rotomolded cooler is worth every penny for saltwater fishing A rotomolded cooler is your best bet. A rotomolded cooler keeps ice 2-3 times longer. A rotomolded cooler keeps ice about 2-3x longer than a budget one. A rotomolded cooler with a flat lid is the move. A simple padlock works. A soft cooler is the move for trunk groceries. A soft cooler is the right call for kayak fishing. A soft cooler with thick insulation is fine for groceries. A soft-sided cooler with big wheels is your best bet for the beach. A threaded drain plug is the answer. Add a brass drain plug to your cooler. An hour, tops. Backpack cooler for real hikes. Backpack cooler wins unless your hike is on pavement Backpack coolers beat wheeled coolers on trails. Baking soda and vinegar kill cooler mildew smell. Baking soda and vinegar will help, but you need to scrub. Baking soda paste gets most cooler stains out. Bleach and baking soda will fix a fishy cooler. Bleach and baking soda will fix that cooler smell. Bleach and hot water is the only way. Bleach and hot water. That's it. Bleach and water kills cooler mold. Bleach and water. Nothing else. Bleach first, baking soda second. Bleach is fine, just rinse. Bleach is the answer. Bleach is the fastest way to kill cooler mold. Bleach is the move for moldy coolers. Bleach is your best bet for cooler mold. Bleach is your friend. Bleach kills cooler mold best. Bleach kills cooler mold. Bleach kills cooler mold. Use bleach. Bleach won't fix a smelly cooler. Block ice beats cubed ice every time. Block ice beats cubes for 5-day coolers Block ice beats cubes for beach coolers Block ice is the answer. Buy two 7-pound bags of ice for a 50-quart cooler. Cheap soft coolers beat expensive ones for picnics. Cheaper rotomolded coolers are just as good. Clean the gasket and check the hinges first. Close a dollar bill in the door. Coleman Xtreme is the answer. Cool it first. Don't wing it. Cooler accessories? Just get a divider and a board. Cooler capacity ratings are usually optimistic. Cooler cracks and broken latches are easy fixes. Cooler dry brining is fine — and smart Cooler organizers are for people who actually need them. Coolers with Bluetooth speakers exist, but they're niche. Crack the lid and put a towel inside. Dedicated insulin coolers exist, but a cheap lunch bag works fine. Don't bother seasoning a new cooler. Don't leave a cooler in a hot car and expect it to keep things cold. Don't leave perishables in a hot car cooler. Don't sit on a cheap cooler. Drain plugs are worth it. Drain plugs on coolers are worth it. Dry ice in a cooler works great — pack it right. Dry ice in a cooler works great. Vent it and don't touch it. Dry ice in a cooler: yes, but safety first Dry ice is the answer. Dry ice is the cooler hack. Dry ice works for a week-long trip but requires caution. Dry ice works great — but you have to be careful. Dry ice works in a rotomolded cooler—but vent it. Dry ice works in a standard cooler, but crack the lid. Dry your produce and ventilate the cooler. Durability beats recycled materials in coolers. Electric coolers are great for road trips, terrible for hot days without power. Epoxy is the right answer for a cracked cooler lid. Fill every void with ice — and prechill everything. Fill it with ice and water, then drain. For occasional use, get the injection-molded cooler. Frozen jugs are better than ice packs for coolers. Frozen water bottles beat bagged ice. Frozen water bottles beat ice packs every time. Get a 12V cooler instead. Get a 50-quart cooler. Get a 65-quart cooler for a family of four camping. Get a 65-quart cooler for a weekend with four people. Get a 70-quart cooler. Get a Coleman soft cooler. Get a Yeti Roadie (or Engel, or RTIC). Get a Yeti Roadie 20 (or the RTIC clone) Get a Yeti Tundra — or any cooler with rubber feet and tie-downs. Get a cargo rack and use good bungee cords. Get a cooler that fits your truck bed, not the other way around Get a cooler with a compressor if you really want no ice. Get a cooler with non-slip feet Get a divider, skip the rest. Get a rotomolded cooler if you need five days Get a rotomolded cooler with stainless steel hardware. Get a rotomolded cooler. Get a rotomolded cooler. Yeti is fine, but not special.

Get a rotomolded cooler. Yeti or RTIC, your pick. Get a rotomolded soft cooler with a waterproof zipper. Get a soft cooler with a dry pocket. Get the cooler with the rubber gasket. Half a bag of ice is enough for a day trip Hard coolers keep ice longer, period. Hard coolers keep sand out. Hard coolers win for serious ice retention. Soft ones are for convenience. Hard coolers win for staying cold. Hard-sided coolers win for long beach days. Ice cream won't last more than a few hours. Ice packs work if you pre-chill. Ignore the gadgets. Buy thick insulation. Insulin-specific coolers are worth it. It works in a pinch, but you'll be buying ice every day. Just plug the drain. Just replace the drain plug. Keep drinks cold and sand-free with a dry bag Keep produce dry in the cooler. Leave the lid cracked. Let it cool first. Lighter colors actually help ice last longer in the sun. Lightweight coolers can keep ice two days — with the right prep. Marine coolers are built for abuse — you probably don’t need one. Measure your hatch first, then buy a soft cooler. Most coolers can double as a seat Not for most people. Pelican's lifetime warranty wins for daily use. Perfect-fit coolers don’t exist — measure your space. Pick a soft cooler that fits your cockpit. Plan for two days with a good cooler. Plan on 2 days, hope for more. Plastic weld the shell. Replace the handle. Pre-chill everything and add a buffer layer. Pre-chill everything and layer ice like a lasagna. Pre-chill everything and use block ice. Pre-chill the cooler and use block ice. Pre-chill the cooler before you pack it. Pre-chill with ice, not air. Pre-chill your cheap cooler and it will hold ice all day. Pre-chill your cooler and fill every gap. Pre-chill your cooler and use block ice. Pre-chill your cooler with a big block of ice overnight. Pre-chilling a cooler buys you hours, maybe a day. Pre-chilling a cooler is worth the ten minutes. Pre-chilling helps, but not enough without ice. Put drinks on the bottom, food on top. Put the cooler in a freezer if you can. Otherwise, fill it with ice the night before. RTIC 45 is the move for a road trip cooler. RTIC is almost as good as Yeti for half the price RTIC is the best cooler for week-long camping. Reflective material is the cheap upgrade that actually works. Reflective tape and foam board can turn a cheap cooler into a solid one. Replace ice when it’s mostly melted. Replace the plug. Roto-molded coolers are the only choice for saltwater. Roto-molded coolers keep ice longer, but injection-molded is fine for most people. Roto-molded coolers win on ice retention. Rotomolded coolers are for serious camping. Rotomolded coolers are for serious trips. Injection-molded is fine for tailgating. Rotomolded coolers are overkill for a day at the beach. Rotomolded coolers are overkill for a party. Rotomolded coolers are overkill for tailgating seats. Rotomolded coolers are the best bet, but you don't need to spend Yeti money. Rotomolded coolers are the only choice for freezing temps. Rotomolded coolers are the only choice. Rotomolded coolers are the only coolers for a truck bed. Rotomolded coolers are worth the money here. Rotomolded coolers keep ice longer, but probably not enough to justify the price. Rotomolded ice packs are the only ones worth buying. Rotomolded with a brass-free drain plug. Rubber latches and a flat lid. Screw the dividers, get a basket tray. Seal the cooler drain plug. Separate ice from drinks to keep them dry. Skip the Yeti if you're not using it weekly. Skip the all-in-one cooler. Skip the bottle opener cooler. Skip the cooler with a built-in ruler. Skip the thermoelectric coolers. Skip the wheeled cooler at the beach. Soft coolers are fine for day trips. Soft coolers are not as good at keeping ice. Soft coolers beat hard coolers for beach days. Soft coolers win for day hikes. Soft-sided coolers are fine for the beach. Soft-sided coolers are your best bet for a festival. Soft-sided coolers with big wheels beat hard coolers for airports. Stick with a 70-quart cooler. Stick with injection molded unless you're camping off-grid. Store it clean, dry, and cracked open. Store it dry and upside down. The Coleman 24-can soft cooler is the one. The Coleman Xtreme 5 Day is your best bet. The Igloo BMX 25 is your best bet. The Ozark Trail rotomolded is the best under $100. The Yeti Hopper Flip is overkill for most people. The lasagna method keeps ice the longest. The most eco-friendly cooler is the one you already have. Three to five days in 90°F. Three to five days, realistically. Use a 2:1 ice-to-food ratio. Use a bag of cheap ice to pre-cool your cooler. Use block ice and fill every gap. Use frozen water bottles, not loose ice. Vinegar and baking soda are all you need. Vinegar and baking soda will kill mold in your cooler. Wheeled cooler wins unless you're walking miles. Wheeled coolers sacrifice some ice retention. Yes, a cooler works fine for keeping food warm. Yes, but bring a thermometer. Yes, but vent it. Yes, but vent the cooler. Yes, but your cooler might crack. Yes, dry ice works – but don't seal the cooler. Yes, good gaskets matter, but not as much as the cooler itself. Yes, pre-chilling a cooler actually helps. Yes, you can. But there are rules. Yeti Roadie 24 is the best seat cooler, but RTIC is close enough. Yeti Tundra wins by days, not hours. Yeti coolers are not worth the premium. Yeti coolers are overkill for your occasional needs. Yeti coolers are overpriced for most people. Yeti keeps ice longer, but Coleman is fine for a weekend. Yeti's warranty and customer service are the gold standard. You can check a cooler, but the airline has a say. You don't need a $200 cooler for a day hike. You don't need a marine cooler. Your cooler is your frozen food's best friend. Your cooler sweats because physics, not because it's broken.