The Coleman Xtreme is a non-rotomolded cooler with a single pair of end handles and an internal height that fits most wine bottles or 2L sodas. It features an integrated fishing ruler and four cupholders in the lid. Beach, lake, backyard or tailgate—bring the party in comfort with our Southern Comfort Coleman Cooler. Since dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, it passes directly from a solid to a gaseous state, meaning no water to deal with as it melts.
Having a cooler small enough to fit underneath the benches meant it would stay more chilled being tucked away and not take up precious living space in the van. A. There are wheeled versions of the Xtreme coleman camping chair 5, but the one I tested did not have wheels. If that’s an important feature to you, check carefully when you place your order. The 70-liter capacity is enough room for food and drinks for several people.
Performance is important, but design matters, too — and sometimes, it’s a deal-breaker. Oh, and if you’ll be spending lots of time camping in a place where bears are a concern, then you’ll probably want to invest in a bear-resistant cooler. The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee keeps a running list of certified options, which includes a number of coolers from this rundown. Several models I’ve tested from Cabela’s, Orca, Rovr, Magellan Outdoors and Yeti all make the cut. That’s all well and good, but I worried that a standard ice retention test on its own wouldn’t tell us the whole story.
Most of the hard-sided coolers on our list have drainage systems to help you empty out water once your ice has melted. Typically, this comes in the form of a screw-on or pop-off cap at the base of the cooler—simply take it off and let the water pour out. Some also boast drainage channels that funnel water through the opening, which is a nice touch for helping with the clean-up process. Yeti’s Roadie 24 and Pelican’s 20QT Elite are two notable exceptions that don’t come with drain plugs, which can make dumping out extra water a bit of a hassle.
I wanted a cooler that would serve as my “mini fridge” that I could also easily store away. When it comes to van life without a fridge, the cooler you use can have a big impact on your van life meals. I’ll be comparing two of the biggest names – a Coleman vs YETI cooler. That’s a lot easier to stomach than some of the trendy high-dollar coolers out there. It would be nice if I could just buy the best products available with no questions asked, but my bank account’s balance doesn’t have enough commas for that.
On the topic of wheeled coolers, the Igloo Journey Trailmate 70qt All-Terrain cooler also came with a dizzying amount of extras and features. Overall, it wasn’t quite as durable as the Rovr, but I think they’re mostly designed for different purposes. If I’m trekking into the woods for a weekend with a couple of pals, I’m going to take the Rovr, no question.
Companies like Yeti, Kong, and Rtic will happily charge $300 for a 70-liter cooler, so it can be hard to know what’s right for you. As long as Coleman offers the Xtreme 5 at $69.99 on sale, I have to think there are better places for your money (namely, the contents of the cooler) if your budget looks like mine. That price puts the Xtreme 5 in between the premium brands and the generic coolers that make me question their build quality. What sets the Coleman cooler apart from its counterparts is the brand’s signature TempLock FX Insulation, which offers multi-day ice retention, according to Coleman.
We tend to steer clear of most bargain-basement coolers—they may work well for a day or two but often lack the impressive ice retention of premium models and won’t stand up as well to regular outdoor use. Igloo’s Ecocool 52 isn’t totally exempt from these drawbacks, but it’s more well rounded and functional than much of the budget competition. For just $60, the Igloo boasts a generous 52-quart capacity, and the proprietary foam insulation does a good job keeping food and drinks chilled for up to three days (in the right conditions, of course). The feature set is also pretty well sorted for the price, including four self-draining cup holders and functional lifts at the bottom that slightly elevate the cooler off the ground or truck bed.
Coolers with removable lids tend to be cheaper coolers that aren’t going to perform in the top percentile — with one exception I’ve found so far. Magellan Outdoors has a double-latching, double-hinged removable lid and happens to have won our picks for best small and large cooler. The easy-to-use, double-latched design means you coleman instant tent can open the cooler from either side and, if you’d prefer, you can disengage the latches on both sides to remove the lid altogether. To do that, I started with a modified version of the ice retention test. Instead of a full load of ice in each cooler, I went with an amount of ice equivalent to 10% of each cooler’s total volume.
At the other end of the spectrum, budget-oriented models like the Coleman 316 Series and Igloo Ecocool forgo latches completely and rely on a good fit between the lid and cooler body. This results in reduced insulating performance and means you need to keep a close eye on the lid to make sure it doesn’t pop loose or fall off in transport. Most cooler manufacturers provide a “claimed ice retention” spec in their product listings (Yeti is one major brand who does not).