Buying a cooler used to be a pretty straightforward affair; all you had to do was choose your size and find a color you liked. 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. Wheeled coolers make it easy to transport drinks and snacks for any outdoor activity. If you need to bring more than a few drinks, a cooler with wheels is far more portable than a non-wheeled model.
In fact, studies show that 40% of campers today are Millennials and 35% are Generation Z. And the majority of campers are camping at least 3x a year, which gives your logo more chances of exposure. The handle and wheels makes travel simple and easy to your destination. I suspect that one of the ways Coleman keeps costs down is by making the Xtreme 5 out of traditional injection-molded plastic rather than the insulated polyethylene you’ll see on some coolers. I’m sure it’s easier to dent this kind of material, but it looks like it will hold up well as long as you don’t abuse it. Finding the right size cooler mainly depends on what you’ll be using it for.
Even better, that capacity came in at a bigger-than-advertised 58.1 quarts when I filled it with water to double-check. Many Coleman hard coolers are recognizable with their bright blue bodies and white lids, though there are other colors available. Coleman soft coolers come in various shades, from drab green to red, black and silver. You will enjoy a bump up in ice life and toughness with this cooler but it also comes with a bump up in the asking price. Plus, for the size, it is quite mobile thanks to the side handle and attached wheels. The only weak point comes with the handles and hinges potentially coming loose over time.
Unlike several other competitors, the RTIC 65 has two drainage ports for quick cleaning and draining. This roto-molded cooler costs far less than the Yeti Tundra 65 but performs just as well in nearly every way. It’s almost indestructible, it has two drainage ports and replaceable parts, coleman cooler and it kept our ice frozen for 10 days. A. There are wheeled versions of the Xtreme 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.
That being said, the lid can be a bit stubborn to open and close and screws used on the hinges can also strip prematurely. We like the recent upgrades that Coleman has done on their Marine Coolers. This is particularly true in the Offshore Pro Series which cranks up the ice life and toughness. Also, many of the weak hinge issues they suffered from in the past have been corrected. Outside of the somewhat weak handles, these are solid-performing ocean-friendly ice chests that can be had at a reasonable price.
As for performance, the was one of the better options I found for less than $50. Coleman hard coolers come as low as $14, with plenty of solid models running between $25-$75. Higher-end coolers cost in the range of $80-$150, while the marine model is much more expensive. These simple soft-sided coolers are surprisingly resilient and should last for a few years without major issues. The major issues include water easily leaking out and a challenge in storing as many cans as Coleman states that it can.