A 48-quart cooler is the sweet spot for two people on a weekend trip.

Big enough for food and drinks, small enough to carry, and you won’t run out of ice by Sunday.

Two people for two days: you need space for a few pounds of meat, some sides, condiments, a six-pack or a bottle of wine, plus ice or ice packs. A 48-quart gives you that without making you wrestle a chest freezer from the car to the campsite. Drop to a 30-quart and you’ll be Tetris-ing everything, probably skipping that extra beer. Go to a 70-quart and you’re hauling a monster you don’t need.

If you’re mostly eating out or doing all dehydrated backpacking meals, you could get away with a 20-quart for drinks. But for a real camping weekend with real food? 48-quart,