I Tested 11 Coolers to See Which Ones Stayed Ice-Cold and Survived Being Pushed Off of a Truck

I live on the west coast of Florida, but not on the water. From here, it’s a short trip inland to the woods or, in the opposite direction, the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the climate, cold drinks are a must-have for either destination and coolers are ubiquitous—so much so that (in a weird cultural phenomenon) local people display their brand loyalty on their cars, trucks, and boats. 

As an outdoor enthusiast, I’ve always regarded coolers as strictly utilitarian devices, unable to wrap my head around the fierce loyalty of the cooler-as-status-symbol craze. To attempt to understand the hubbub, I took 11 top-selling coolers into my home and, to some degree, punished them to see which stood up to my tests. I let them bake in the summer sun, threw them in the dirt, and dragged them down stairs. As fun as that sounds, it was also a little exhausting. After my tests, here are the best coolers you can buy.

The Tests

• Capacity Test: I set out to see how much each cooler could hold, and I loaded each cooler with three ice packs and enough food and drink for a few people for an overnight camping trip. As I packed each cooler, I noted if all the items fit, if anything was crushed when I closed the lid, and if there was room for more food. 
• Mobility Test: After I loaded the coolers, I picked each one up and walked around with it for one minute—across my wooden deck, down a few steps, and over some grass. Some of these coolers weighed almost 40 pounds empty, and it was important to know how easily one could move them when fully loaded. For coolers with wheels, I pulled them across my wooden deck, bounced them down a few steps, and traversed grass, sand, and pavement to see how easily they rolled.
• Durability Test: Cooler manufacturers pride themselves on their product’s durability. But how do the claims add up? My “driveway” is part alley, part beat-up parking pad, and a mixture of broken asphalt, brick, sand, gravel, and crushed oyster shells. I loaded each cooler, placed it on my truck's tailgate, and pushed it off onto my “driveway” five times. My neighbors should be used to the odd sights of my product testing by now, but one couldn’t help themselves and yelled, “Yeah! Screw them coolers!” as they watched me repeatedly knock them down. After that brief interlude, I noted any damage from the fall and if the cooler’s lid stayed closed.
• Cold Retention Test: Every manufacturer claims that its cooler will hold ice for a long time. To verify this, I used the unique climate of West Central Florida as a test environment. I filled each cooler with 16 pounds of ice and set it in the full sun. The daily “feels like” temperatures topped 100°F, with the actual high temperature around 95°F, nighttime lows in the mid 80°F range, and humidity from 70 to 93%. I tracked the temperature every morning and early evening with an instant-read thermometer. Once a cooler’s temperature topped 40°F (the maximum food-safe temperature), I removed it from the test population. I continued the test until all the coolers exceeded 40°F.
• Drain Test: I don’t know how I acquired this task, but I am responsible for dealing with every cooler in my house once it’s empty. Some coolers are easier to drain, and some require flipping a 20-plus-pound cooler upside down while holding the lid open to remove leftover water. All the coolers I tested had drains, and I wanted to see how well they worked. I recorded how much water remained after the draining stopped and how easy or difficult it was to empty that remaining water.

What We Learned

Cold Retention Varied

In what’s arguably one of the worst summer environments in the US, these coolers all held ice for a respectable amount of time. Your cold needs may be greater or shorter than someone else’s, so here’s how each model rated in my tests. I checked the coolers each morning and evening. Below is when I found them above 40°F:

Insulation Cost Storage Space

Most coolers I tested were thickly insulated, often with polyurethane foam or a similar substance. That insulation provides long cooling times but often limits interior storage space. Additionally, some of the wheeled models sacrificed space to accommodate wheel wells. How much room can insulation take up? The chart shows exterior size versus interior room.

To explain how that usable storage space played out in real life, these are the items I added to each cooler to test its capacity:

• One 1L bottle of sparkling water (about the size of a bottle of wine)
• One 12-pack of seltzer
• One pound of bacon
• One pound of sliced deli meat
• One pack of sliced cheese
• One dozen eggs
• Two packs of charcuterie
• One pound of butter
• One bag of apples
• One loaf of sliced bread
• One pack of snack cheese

Most of the coolers, with a few exceptions, accommodated this amount of food and drink. The smaller Yeti Roadie coolers aren’t designed to hold this much. The Yeti Tundra 45 couldn’t fit all the ice packs, and its lid wouldn’t close with the sparkling water bottle inside.

More Insulation Meant a Heavier Cooler

I used to do a lot of work traveling for out-of-town fundraisers, food festivals, and the like. I’d have to fly with coolers packed with food for a few hundred people as checked bags. I’d frequently find one or more coolers over the 50-pound weight restriction, which was very easy to do when starting with an empty cooler that weighed 22 pounds. Unless you’re flying somewhere for, say, a camping vacation, you probably won’t find yourself in that position very often. However, you will probably have to load a cooler into and out of a car. Be aware that modern coolers, with their sturdy construction and thick insulation, are not light. Adding 20 or so pounds of food, drinks, and ice increases the weight dramatically. Here’s how much each of the coolers I tested weighed empty:

Unsurprisingly, wheeled coolers were the easiest to move over longer distances. I also preferred coolers with long, rope handles with large silicone grips, which prevented them from twisting around or biting into my palms. If you want a cooler that's super portable, you'll probably just want to opt for a soft cooler.

They Were Hardier Than Expected

The Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee rates some of the coolers I tested as bear-resistant (under certain conditions). I expected those to be durable, but what about the others? Well, not one cooler escaped the abrasive amalgam of my driveway without at least some superficial damage—but that was the extent of it. I expected some to lose tops or break handles, but they didn’t. Curiously, every cooler landed upside down on its lid, where it took scuffing and a few deeper scratches. No cooler broke, though. 

Drains Could Be Effective—or Not

Every cooler I tested had a plugged drain that worked with varying degrees of success. The ORCA and Yeti Tundra 45 had the most effective drains, removing water completely on their own. The most infuriating drains were ones with deep depressions around them that trapped residual liquid, even after turning the coolers over to empty them.

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Cooler

The best cooler is the one that suits your needs. Do you want a high-capacity cooler or one that holds ice for days? Also, consider how often you’ll use it. The coolers I tested range in price from $48 to $400, so you may not want to make a major investment if you’ll only use it once a year. My favorite coolers balanced cold retention and storage space, with weight as a tertiary consideration. 

Our Favorite Coolers

The Best Cooler

Yeti Roadie 48 Rolling Wheeled Cooler

$400 at Amazon View on Yeti.com View on Westmarine.com

What we liked: The Roadie 48 has a cube shape and a large storage capacity. The telescoping handle has a comfortable 6.5-inch grip and the cooler features rugged, seven-inch wheels. Its built-in handles are also comfortable, and I had no issues carrying the cooler around. It had great cold retention with a tight-latching lid that complemented the thick polyurethane insulation.

What we didn’t like: At 28 pounds, it wasn’t the heaviest cooler I tested, but starting off at that weight translates to a heavy cooler when it’s full. Its drain is more frustrating than others. Yes, it drained water, but about a half-inch remained at the bottom. I rocked the cooler back on its wheels, and most of the remaining water came out. 

Key Specs:

• Capacity: 76 cans/54 pounds ice
• Exterior dimensions: 20.6 x 20.1 x 19.8 inches
• Interior dimensions: 14.5 x 11.4 x 15.8 inches
• Weight: 28 pounds
• Wheels: Yes
• Extra features: Telescoping handle, dry bin, tie-down points, non-skid feet

The Best Large Cooler

ORCA 58-Quart Cooler

$400 $360 at Amazon $360 at Target $360 at Dick's

What we liked: The ORCA has one of the best storage capacities of any cooler I tested. It held ice for over 60 hours and was one of two models that drained completely without the need for human intervention. It had tough latches and, though it took some superficial damage when I pushed it repeatedly to the ground, was quite durable. 

What we didn’t like: The handles, which are curved plastic grips covering woven straps, are comfortable to hold, but the cooler is heavy enough that it’d be difficult for one person to carry easily.

Key Specs:

• Capacity: 46 cans
• Exterior dimensions: 27 x 19.4 x 19.4 inches
• Interior dimensions: 19.9 x 13.4 x 13.1 
• Weight: 36 pounds
• Extra features: Cargo net for storage, slip-resistant feet

The Best Wheeled Cooler

Rovr RollR 60 Cooler

$27 at Walmart $320 at Backcountry.com View on Westmarine.com

What we liked: The RovR held its temperature for over 72 hours and was one of only two coolers that completely drained on its own. Thanks to the oversized nine-inch tires and comfortable, T-shaped handle with dual four-inch grips, this cooler rolled down steps and across sand, grass, and concrete with great ease. It’s tough, too. Although it scuffed in the durability testing, this cooler is bear-resistant when taking the proper extra steps (like using bear-resistant locks).

What we didn’t like: While this cooler rolled over any surface I tested it on, the wheel arrangement hit my legs when I was carrying it, making movement clumsy. The wheel wells ate into usable storage space.

Key Specs:

• Capacity: 60 cans plus 10 lbs of ice
• Exterior dimensions: 16.9 x 20.8 x 20 inches
• Interior dimensions: 19.6 x 10.6 x 12 inches
• Weight: 39 pounds
• Wheels: Yes
• Extra features: Tie-down points, dry bin, non-skid feet

The Best Value Cooler

Coleman 316 Series 52 Quart Insulated Portable Cooler

$48 at Amazon

What we liked: I’ve had Coleman products in my orbit since I was a toddler, including a tent I’ve owned for about 30 years that protected me from a tropical storm that passed over three times. Coleman gear isn’t flashy, but the products are simple and reliable, such as the 316 Series. It has none of the highly engineered, inches-thick insulation of many of its competitors. It won’t keep pace with them, but it did hold a food-safe temperature for over 36 hours. It didn’t take significant damage in the fall tests and is an excellent cooler for overnight trips that costs less than $50. 

What we didn’t like: This cooler has no latches, and the lid popped open during three of the five fall tests. 

Key Specs:

• Capacity: 80 cans
• Exterior dimensions: 26 x 16.3 x 16.5 inches
• Interior dimensions: 22 x 12.7 x 12 inches
• Weight: 16.4 pounds
• Wheels: No
• Extra features: Molded cup holders

The Competition

• Yeti Tundra 45 Hard Cooler: The Tundra performed well in most of my testing but lacked capacity. I couldn’t stand a wine bottle up inside, I could only fit two of three ice packs, and I couldn’t close the lid without crushing the bread.
• Rtic 52-Quart Ultra-Light Wheeled Hard Cooler: The Rtic held ice for over 48 hours and had reasonable storage space. It wasn’t particularly comfortable to carry; the molded grips required me to hold it like I was doing bicep curls to relieve stress on my hands. 
• Canyon PRO 45 Quart Cooler The Canyon might be discontinued at this point, which is a shame because it rated very highly in testing. There were a few downsides: The cooler weighed 38 pounds empty, and after about two hours in the sun, the handle grips emitted an oily, sticky substance that coated my hands and was difficult to wash off. 
• Igloo BMX 52 Quart Hard Cooler: There was nothing wrong with this cooler; it just didn’t impress. It held ice for over 48 hours, and if I had to find fault with it, the positioning of the fold-up handles caused strain on my wrists.
• Yeti Roadie 32 Cooler: The Roadie 32 is a smaller-capacity cooler that’s fine for an overnight trip for two, but it’s not highly versatile. It held ice for over 72 hours.
• Yeti Roadie 15 Cooler: The Yeti 15 is a newer model that was even smaller than the 32 but had equal performance. It’s a great picnic cooler but not large enough for an overnight trip.

FAQs

Where are Yeti coolers made? 

Yeti has manufacturing facilities worldwide, including the USA, Vietnam, the Philippines, Poland, China, Mexico, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

Why are Yeti coolers so expensive?

Yeti coolers have a reputation for high prices, and most of the Yeti models I tested ran between $300 to $400. The price comes from the almost over-engineering of the one-piece molded design and thick insulation. But coolers of a similar caliber and manufacturing fall in line with Yeti’s prices, like the RovR RollR 60 Rolling Cooler (about $400).

Why We’re the Experts

• Greg Baker is a multi-time James Beard Award-nominated former chef from Tampa, Florida. 
• He’s reviewed knife sharpeners, charcoal starter chimneys, and more for Serious Eats.
• Greg punished 11 coolers in the Florida summer heat for this review and desperately needs hydration.