The Best Portable Coolers on the Planet

[rickbrowne]

First, thanks to everyone who chimed in on my request for information on barbecue gloves you love, or hate! Got great responses and some of them are mentioned in the upcoming review of gloves.

Now - I'm evaluating some of the best coolers out there and would like your positive and negative comments on THESE COOLERS ONLY please. Otherwise there are a million out there and I'm only reviewing the ones listed here: Need you comments ASAP as I'd like to wrap up the review/testing next week.


Here are the coolers: (top) old Coleman, Grizzly (bottom) Cabella's, Orion, Yeti, new Coleman. All the coolers are either 40-45 Qt size. Color doesn't matter.

FYI - several other major cooler companies were invited to participate but passed.

Please comment on the ice-holding capability you've experienced, or hot holding if you've used it like a hot box, do you like the latches, hinges, weight, portability, carrying handles, gadgets (cup holders, bottle openers, etc.), what is your overall satisfaction with your recommended cooler. If you've had problems please tell me, or share with fellow Pitmasters any anecdotes involving these coolers.

Thanks for your input, looking forward to hearing from a lot of you.

Coming up in the near future are reviews/testing of:
Grill Lights
Smoke Machines
Unique BBQ Tools
Knife Sharpeners and Stones

If you have suggestions, thoughts, experiences, recommendations for any of these please send them along either with a note here, or to [email protected].

ThankQUE all

Rick

[texastweeter]

Yeti hands down. Have used it to brine in, as a cambrio, ice chest, step stool, flotation device, safe... You name it. Only negative is the weight. Never had one break and have abused several. Keeps ice twice as long as other coolers, and keeps food hot at least twice as hot. Have cooked briskets, put the in a preheated yeti, and taken a 7 hour trip. Food was still HOT when we got there!

[kmhfive]

I have a Yeti. I’ve used it to haul frozen chip steak from Philadelphia to N. Illinois on a hitch hauler over the highway in the middle of summer. I had family with me so we took two days. The meat was still frozen solid and there was still ice in the box. That was about 50 pounds of meat.

Aside from rom the fact that it worked, I liked the ability to lock it to the hitch haul with "interior" hooks and then lock the lid closed. It’s sturdy. I can easily stand on it and have.

On the downside, it’s heavy on its own, but packed full, you really need two people to move it. It’s better as a set in place cooler — like tied down in your boat or truck bed. Then use a lighter cooler to haul the cold stuff to the campfire or whatever.

[Potkettleblack]

No interest in the Coolest?

https://coolest.com/

[Spinaker]

My Dad bought that one on Kickstarter. Interesting cooler that is for sure. Gimmicky, in my mind.

[shush]

I have one. It's a neat party trick... and quite functional, but the blender motor takes up quite a bit of internal space. Took _forever_ to get one. (I was an early backer)

[DWCowles]

Yeti!!!

[mattcotool]

Cabelas All the Way!!! I love mine as a cooler and cambro. Field & Stream did a test vs Yeti and the Cabelas Polar outperformed all. Best cooler I have ever owned.

[ecowper]

I’ve always had Coleman’s. I have them ranging from 45 qt all the way up to 120 qt .... the really big white one. I take them fishing/camping in Eastern Washington every summer. WIth ice blocks and crushed ice, I keep my beer and food cold for all my long weekend trips. One of the great things about Coleman is that you can order replacement parts. I’ve replaced the hinges and latches on my big Coleman twice now, had it for 20 years.

[Dadof3Illinois]

IDK, for the money I like the old Coleman’s. I have one I use for a cambro, one for ice/drinks and one 60qt is my cigar humidor. I’ve had these for maybe 10 years and their still in pretty good shape.

[Polarbear777]

I could see both an ice test and a test as a cambro being done on all these. Controlling the variables on side by side performance tests would give some interesting results. For instance do the claims of some for 6 or 10 days keeping ice true? Or is it factory test condition only to get these results?

Since they all likely work well owners are going to recommend what they have.

[Huskee]

Yep, very true. Whether you buy the priciest or the cheapest if it works you'll like it.

[Polarbear777]

Also should probably add ease of cleaning as a factor and test this by putting a measured amount of bbq drippings and grease in each and measuring the frustration level and time while being cleaned. :-)

[texastweeter]

Love this idea! And maybe a torture test of some kind.

[ComfortablyNumb]

Not to mention a math quiz. I mean, come on, any cooler can keep food cold for a period of time, but how many can do calculus?

[Huskee]

I have the 2 Colemans in your pic, the rectangle one on top and the square one on the right (except mine are light blue instead of grey). They're no YETI OR RTIC, but for their price I like 'em just fine, especially when they're on sale at Walmart for $20 instead of $60. They keep my beer & groceries cold for my 3-4 day camp trips, even one trip when it was 93 and sunny every day still had plenty of ice left over. Had I spent hundreds on a YETI my ice would've still been there too, possibly more of it, but I couldn't have afforded the beer.

[Danjohnston949]

I Like the Igloo Marine Coolers slightly Higher Priced than Colman but they Keep Stuff Cold (Devil Alcohol) and the BBQ Hot❓
Different Days❓ The Divider isn't sufficient for Both at the Same Time❓
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[shush]

I bought an RTIC on sale. Best cooler/cambro/camping seat I have ever owned. 3 pork butts, put in hot, sat btwn 3-8 hours. Final butt came out after 8 hours at 165F.

[FireMan]

Oh man, now I have to go out and get a new cooler?

[HawkerXP]

We have a Yeti to keep on board the company plane. If you can imagine the hassle, during international flight operations in the past we had to haul anything that needed refrigeration with us through customs to the hotel and back again or give it to the international handler and hope it was taken care of properly. Now with the almighty Yeti we can leave it on board and and things stay cold. We did not try any other brand. "If its the most expensive its got to be the best" right?

[Danjohnston949]

HawkerXP, You Sound Like a Fellow I Met while Working on the Ramp at Grand Forks ND Int'l Airport! A G-2 Grumman came Rolling In and the Pilot Parked Right in the Middle of the Ramp, Cut His Engines, Lowered His Ramp and Proceeded Disembarking "Big Wigs" into a Fleet of Limo's❓
Being My Usual "Sophisticated Self", when I could Speak I Keyed the Mike and advised the Pilot to Re-Start and to Pull arround to the edge of the Apron where He Could Park (We Had 3 Airliners Inbound), at that Point that Simple Minded
A-----e) asked me if I Knew How Much It Cost to Hot Start a G-2❓ I may have Lost My Patience but I just Had to Ask if the Owner Can't Afford It Why in Hell are You Flying It❓ To Make a Long Story Shorter, it Wasn't to Long before I was Called to the Airport MGR'S Office to Explain Why I Had Insulted "Nelson Rockefeller"❓❓ WTF❓❓
I Swear This Is True❗️ Rockefeller was Campaigning to be VP for Nixon at the time❓
From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, Dan

[HawkerXP]

Hehehe, love it! We fly a Gulfstream, formally Grumman, G-5 and yes our pilots would do the same thing if the FBO's didn't have guys n gals with florescent colored wands in their hands waving at them! Or drive around in jeeps or golf carts with a big sign on the back "FOLLOW ME!"

[Baltassar]

I've had a Coleman for a million years that has always performed as expected, but I'm not a power user by any means. The comments about Yeti are interesting, though.