We also like the unique assortment of multi-toned colorways that add a nice dose of flair. For soft coolers, we recommend igloo cooler with wheels anything in the 20- to 24-can range. That’s enough to hold plenty of ice, drinks, and food for a family of three.
We’ve been making coolers since 1947, so we know all about what you need from an ice chest. If you want a large, good-looking hard shell cooler for your backyard BBQ, we’ve got options. Going camping or to a beach bonfire with friends and family?
Whether it is a small cooler with wheels or a portable ice chest cooler they are going to be durable. Igloo uses high-quality products and many are made in the U.S.A. The handle and wheels make it very portable and the cooler only weighs 13.5 pounds.
And it is still sized in a way that makes it easy to store. Combine that with solid construction and a reasonable asking price, and you have a true contender. But it does come with some issues, including weak zippers and a smaller-than-desired top access point. Another portable solution, the Hard Top Gripper is extremely mobile for those who can make do with the small storage space. Being small does mean that it is very easy to carry and store and the ice performance, despite being little, isn’t too bad.
However, dry ice can be dangerous to touch (you have to wear heavy gloves to prevent frostbite), doesn’t last long, and many coolers aren’t even rated to handle it. All told, it might take some finessing to perfect your ice strategy, but we think a combination of crushed and blocks is the best (and safest) method. 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.
Crushed ice is the most readily available—you can find it at most gas stations and supermarkets for fairly cheap. The major draw is that it easily fills the gaps between your food and beverages, cooling them quickly and efficiently. However, crushed ice is also the fastest igloo ice chest to melt and you’ll likely need to replace it fairly frequently. Blocks of ice, on the other hand, take much longer to melt than crushed ice. However, blocks are bulky and take up a lot of space in the cooler since they don’t conform around your food and cans.
From electronics, to housewares, athletic equipment, Igloo coolers, food, health and beauty supplies, and pretty much anything else under the sun, you’ll have no trouble finding exactly what you’re after. According to our testing, over a long enough period of time, a cooler with closed-cell foam will keep things cool for longer. But in the 24- to 48-hour range, we haven’t seen a huge difference between using ¾ inch of closed-cell or open-cell foam in a cooler. Different types of insulation work in their own ways to minimize heat transfer into a cooler. If you’re wondering what kind of foam your cooler has, a good rule of thumb is to try to squeeze the foam with your fingers.
They also help regulate the temperature by keeping your lid properly closed. Do keep in mind that coolers with better latches typically are more expensive. I can remember many camping trips or road trips growing up that were not very long, and we had warm milk. The IMX cooler will keep your milk and beverages cold for the longest amount of time.
That said, we always take manufacturer-provided specs with a grain of salt, and there isn’t an established, standardized test here. If we had to generalize it, we would say that you should expect to get approximately half of the claimed ice retention time in real-world use, give or take depending on your specific circumstances. For those who don’t know, Pelican is an industry leader in tough, dependable cases for storing and protecting everything from camera equipment and laptops to guns and drones. Therefore, the jump to hard-sided coolers was a logical progression. Like the venerable YETI Roadie above, Pelican’s 20QT Elite here is a lower-capacity option for day trips on the water, strapping to the back of an ATV, and other short outings away from home.