Yet, every unit we’ve tested from Orca appears clean and polished. These details perhaps don’t matter in the long run from a durability standpoint but go a long way toward making your expensive cooler look as impressive as its price tag and performance suggest. We ran and re-ran insulation tests under controlled but harsh coleman sundome 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, who span three generations, to help us dive into these coolers (sometimes literally) and identify the top performers.
But the best value doesn’t have to mean the least amount of money. It gave the lowest temperatures in the midsize cooler category, and low enough to play ball with the largest of coolers we tested. The performance of Magellan’s largest offering was very close to Cabela’s Polar Cap Equalizer.
After the 4th day, the Coleman was about 90% water and 10% ice but still very cold. It still has high-end cooling capabilities but at a much cheaper price than the big boys. There is little concern about sun damage or leak paths forming and the hinge should hold up to quite a bit of abuse. That being said, it is somewhat annoying having to deal with the lid since it won’t stay open. It would be nice to have some sort of lock that allows it to stay open for extended periods but we assume this was Coleman just trying to maximize ice life.
Additionally, the RTIC tie-down kit is compatible with this design. Though it’ll still set you back a few hundred dollars, this option is on par coleman instant tent with its competitors that go for a significant amount more. Performing well across the board, this is an excellent companion for your next trip.
That translates to the Coleman Xtreme being 20% more efficient than the Igloo MaxCold overall in ice retention during the same time period. We also started tracking the internal temperature of the coolers with the ThermoWorks Signals thermometer to see exactly when temperatures began to rise. That’s because rotomolded coolers tend to be substantially larger than a more basic hard-sided cooler of the same capacity. Their thick walls can quickly eat up a lot of vehicle space without any added storage space. The Xtreme’s light weight also made it relatively easy to carry, though we couldn’t get past the awkward plastic handles. We had to resort to an awkward waddle when carrying it with two people due to their short design.
This may or may not be an issue with long-term durability, but the slight difference in quality compared to the Yeti was noticeable. The only place where it lost points for durability was in the rubber components. They held the lid securely, but we could pry it open a few millimeters, which wasn’t the case with the Yeti. RTIC bills its cooler as bear-resistant, but it isn’t certified bear-resistant by the IGBC as of this writing.