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. With better insulation, a cooler can maintain lower temperatures for longer, thus consuming less ice. That’s important, especially if you, like most people, don’t have a freezer that can produce enough ice coleman sundome to fill a cooler and you tend to resort to buying bags of ice from the grocery store or liquor store. As with all soft coolers, you shouldn’t leave the RTIC Soft Pack Cooler out in the sun or resting on very hot surfaces like the back of a pickup truck or on top of a picnic table for a long time. Although the exterior of the cooler is made of a durable, thickly coated nylon—waterproof and tough—the sun and heat will degrade the material and slowly wear it out.
The most crucial aspect of any wheeled model is how easily it gets you there, which the RovR does spectacularly. That said, it lags a little in the insulation department compared to some intense rivals, which is likely due to the imperfect seal between the top of the body and lid. It is important to remember that you’re probably not interested in taking a wheeled chest on a ten-day rafting trip or a three-week road trip, coleman instant tent but rather to the picnic down the road or a tailgating party. We think the latches are a bit stiff to manipulate but can become easy to learn with some practice. After using it for years now, this rolling icebox is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before and is the only one that our friends request to cart around. Anything smaller, and you end up carrying a lot of bag and not carrying much of anything else.
While we appreciate the simplicity of the pop-open drain, its small size can’t offer the same rapid flow rate as the much wider drains found in the competition. Still, you could purchase 3 or 4 of these coolers for the same price as some of the competition, and it works to keep your goods cold for days. Luckily, the RTIC 65 competes neck and neck with the best coolers out there while costing significantly less than its premium competition. With this model, you get the construction elements and features of top coolers, such as a rotomolded design, robust hinges, comfortable grips for carrying, and two drainage spouts.
Though our scoring system of each contender’s performance does not include the cost of the unit, we recognize that this is a crucial aspect influencing the decision of which one to purchase. This particular market includes a huge range of prices that make one wonder if a plastic box could be worth that much money. In some cases, that extra cash does bring excellent insulation performance, greater utility, and convenience. In other cases, you can spend far less without a substantial drop in overall performance. It’s also helpful to consider how often you find yourself needing the cooling and insulating services these ice chests provide and how burly and rugged you need your gear to be.
I wanted to test how these two coolers I already owned stacked up head ot head. In theory, the Coleman Xtreme is meant to compete on the cooling side of the equation while still maintaining an affordable price. Other high-end coolers are becoming more popular as well, such as those from Engel, RTIC, and Grizzly as well as the Igloo Yukon and Coleman Xtreme. From handmade pieces to vintage treasures ready to be loved again, Etsy is the global marketplace for unique and creative goods. It’s also home to a whole host of one-of-a-kind items made with love and extraordinary care. While many of the items on Etsy are handmade, you’ll also find craft supplies, digital items, and more.
In the world of coolers, YETI pioneered the high-end concept, and the Tundra is its best-selling and most versatile model. This popular line features premium cooling and ice-retention capabilities with a thick, rotomolded build that’s more durable and less prone to cracking than injection-molded options like the RTIC above. Further, you get a handy basket for dry goods, secure closures, and multiple tie-down slots to easily secure it on a boat or truck bed. What’s more, the Tundra coleman ice chest is certified as bear-resistant (locks are sold separately for $30), which is great for those who plan to spend time in bear country. This model is the heaviest of all non-wheeled coolers we tested, but we appreciate that it has one of the largest storage spaces (67 quarts, measured by us), so at least the extra weight gets you more internal room. We also wish there were leashes for the drain plugs, and there isn’t a dry bin included (it’s sold separately at a low price).