Finding the best ice chest cooler is as difficult as finding the perfect camping tent for personal taste. Outdoor coolers have the same adventurous spirit as those who carry them. Your cooler should be able to handle any drops or even attacks from wile animals. Whether you’re planning to take this cooler deep-sea fishing, big game hunting, or even to a tailgate game, we’ve provided you the best ice chest coolers that’s worth any adventure.
Best Ice Chest or Not, Here’s a Good Pro Tip:
I’m sure you know that your food will go bad if you don’t add ice… However, the makers of these coolers suggest you pre-chilling them, meaning putting ice in them the day before or storing them in a cool, dark place — or even both. This way, when you’re actually going to start using your cooler, the new ice won’t melt as quickly, allowing the cooler to maintain its cold much longer. Another good pointer is to evenly distribute the ice, to ensure everything in cooler is the same temperature.
Yeti Hopper Two 30 Softside Cooler
This is one of the first completely leakproof soft-side travel cooler you’ll ever come across. No other soft-side cooler can handle as well as this Yeti Hopper 30. It is completely waterproof, made of the exact same material as the high-performance whitewater rafts and features a Hydrolok zipper, which is the best-performing zipper in the world. This Hopper Two 30 can handle 18 canned beers and 26 pounds of ice. This is perfect for any tailgating and beer pong.
ORCA 40-Quart Cooler
ORCA stands for Outdoor Recreation Company of America. The two founders of this company wanted a cooler to take when they’re fishing and hunting — and that’s what they created. Built 100% in the U.S. of A, the materials used can literally withstand a bear mauling. This fine piece of equipment weighs 24 pounds, is roto-molded and boasts a lid gasket to prevent ice from melting and anything from spoiling for days. All ORCA products have a lifetime warranty (which is a plus), and a portion of each purchase gets donated to several American conservation groups and charitable organizations.
Yeti Tundra 75 Cooler
If you need a cooler for your fishing trip, this Yeti Tundra 75 is the best ice chest you can get. It comes with a non-slip feet, which has the same molding as popular boat coolers, so it’ll easily slot aboard your current boat. This beauty has enough space to hold two cases of beer. The Yeti Tundra 75 isn’t limited to waters – it’s also small enough for one person to carry. It is roto-molded and has several layers of pressure-injected insulation to hold ice for several days.
25-Quart Bison Cooler
This is a smaller cooler that this company makes, but it has the same toughness and cold retention you’ll see on the bigger ones. All of their products are designed with heavy-duty rubber latches, and tight-sealing rubber gasket, built for waterproof and leakproof, which will help preserve anything for five days. Even though this is smaller, its still quite heavy, so carry only for short distances or with another person.
Pelican Elite 70-Quart Cooler
A well known brand, Pelican, makes high-quality cases for everything from drones to cameras. This Elite ice cooler comes with a lifetime guarantee from any breakage or defects in workmanship. This cooler can handle a lot, and will keep your perishables fresh for a good amount of time.
Orion 85
A lesser known cooler, but it still retains cold very well. It is durable as the Yeti and you’ll be able to get different color coolers. Check out Matt and Agnes Hage’s Instagram account. These are outdoor professional photographers that travels around the world in remote locations, and their cooler of choice is the Orion.
OtterBox Venture 45
Heard of the name? They’re known for their indestructible phone cases. OtterBox is new to the cooler game, but the company’s injection-molded Venture cooler has some innovative features. In addition to being Certified Bear Resistant by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, the cooler has an easy-locking mechanism and a nifty built-in bottle opener.
IceMule Pro Cooler XX Large (40L)
On a good hike and need your goods to be cold? Take a peak at this IceMule Pro. Its a soft-side cooler built as a backpack. It has 40L of carrying capacity, large enough to hold 36 cans plus ice — which is rated to 65 pounds. So if you want your buddies to love you even more, this might be something to pick up.
Igloo Sportsman 20
For this size, the Igloo Sportsman 20 packs a mighty punch. The roto-molded design, easy-carrying handle and the aluminum hardware will make this cooler worthy for any overnight camping or day trips on a boat ride.
