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.
And don’t think that just because Coleman makes an extra-large cooler and also a personal cooler that they approach both in the same manner. I was able to fill the Lifetime High Performance Cooler with 62.4 quarts of water without causing it to overflow when I shut the lid. The previous title holder for this category was one of the cheapest coolers we’ve tested to date, the Coleman Stacker.
Whether you are trekking gear to the beachfront or headed out for a hiking day, having free hands is always a bonus. The backpack has lots of straps and hitching points, too — I imagine the target demographic is more hiking-oriented than day-at-the-beach, but in either case, you’ll be able to secure extra stuff. The temperature down in the ice would have been roughly the same in all of the coolers, leaving retention as the only real variable.
It doesn’t fare well in the sun for very long but it is very reasonably priced. It has long enough ice life for a day’s outing and comes with solid and proven construction. Our only issue is that the lid doesn’t like to stay coleman sundome open but for the attractive price, it is easy to deal with. Coleman Coolers are designed more for people on a budget who are looking for a simple cooler that can meet their needs for a weekend trip to the lake or a tailgate.
As committed cooler enthusiasts know, the type of ice you use heavily impacts how much you’re able to store and how long it stays cold. 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 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.
For more background information, see our cooler comparison table and buying advice below the picks. The RTIC Ultralight and RovR RollR are two more of our favorites among the crowd for their ease of use. The RovR has a sizable dry bin and tall interior with nearly vertical walls. This feat is made even more impressive by all the bouncing you’ll be doing with coleman screen tent the enormous wheels over debris on your way to the party. It also boasts one of the tallest internal heights of any cooler we tested, so you can rest assured that your chilled Pinot Grigio will stay that way all day. The RTIC offers a similarly simple interior that’s spacious enough to bring a ton of food with you on your hunting trip or camping adventure.
This would make bottling a ton easier if I didn’t have to siphon and could just use the ball valve straight into the bottle. I modified the outside nut a little bit by cutting off the plastic part that holds the plug. I also widened the inside hole with a knife, cutting carefully to only shave off some of the threads. The plug was broken and it wouldn’t hold water anymore, but it’s perfect for this since I’ll be removing that part anyway.Most homebrewers brew beer in 5 gallon batches. If not using a new cooler, try and pick one that is clean, smooth on the inside and free of cracks. Since the cooler in this instructable already has a plug hole drilled into it, I will not be covering how to drill a new one since it isn’t necessary.
Even after several years of use, the Tundra 65’s latches are virtually the same as the first day we bought the cooler. The best powered cooler we have tested is the seriously impressive Dometic CFX3 45. It won our Editors’ Choice award in our review of the best powered coolers.
It has an adequate amount of storage space for a small excursion but don’t expect this to hold ice for very long. In particular, the Coleman Xtreme Cooler Series and the larger sizes of Coleman Marine Coolers can promise impressive ice life. But in terms of toughness, they aren’t quite on the level of a premium cooler. All sizes are optimally shaped, meaning that you should be able to use a vast majority of the storage volume. There is a pretty good selection in regards to sizes and price points so definitely browse around in our reviews and we are sure you’ll find a particular product that aligns with your needs and price point.
If portability is a priority, we recommend looking at options with wheels, such as RovR’s RollR 45 or Igloo’s Trailmate Journey. For $65, the 50-quart Coleman Xtreme is another standout in the value category, and this time with wheels. With a similar overall construction as our top budget pick, this basic cooler certainly is a far cry from the RovR RollR, Igloo Trailmate, and Pelican 80QT Elite above, but the functionality is decent for the price. All told, like the non-wheeled 316 Series model above, this Coleman cooler should meet the needs of many recreational campers, concert-goers, and tailgaters without breaking the bank. RTIC’s 52 QT Ultra-Light above offers a hard-to-beat combination of weight, capacity, and price, but its injection-molded design falls a little short of rotomolded options in all-out durability.