Cooler Sizes: Shop Ice Chests By Dimensions

Do keep in mind this lightweight cooler will not keep your food and beverages as cool as the other coolers. What we really like about these big coolers is you can put as much or as little ice as you need. If you igloo electric cooler need ice retention for a week you can add more ice. If you need ice retention of 3 or 4 days you add less ice and more food. The Party Bar is certainly a unique design and a cool addition to any large gathering.

Many injection-molded designs also allow for various mounting locations for accessories like tables, cup holders, and cutting boards—something you don’t typically get with rotomolding. By measuring meltwater, we can produce data that illustrates the relative performance of insulation between coolers over time. For example, after five days, the Coleman Xtreme retained 11 more pounds of ice than the Igloo MaxCold lgloo Cooler did. That translates to the Coleman Xtreme being 20% more efficient than the Igloo MaxCold overall in ice retention during the same time period. We also started tracking the internal temperature of the coolers with the ThermoWorks Signals thermometer to see exactly when temperatures began to rise. We’ve tested Polar Bear coolers for seven years now, buying them or receiving test units from Polar Bear.

A final factor when considering a high-end cooler is longevity. Simply put, coolers are unlike most other categories of outdoor gear that may last for just for a couple seasons before needing to be replaced. This means that when you’re making the calculation of whether spending $300 or $400 on a cooler is worth it, you are getting a product that literally should last for decades. That said, if you don’t need multi-day ice retention, even a cheaper hard-sided cooler should be around for many years as well. These coolers are simply made by inserting hot plastic into a defined mold, given time to cool, and then removed.

This is a very attractive cooler bag that is quite durable thanks to quality materials and decent construction. It is also easy to use thanks to the multiple access points. But the ice life is a little lackluster and the zipper design could be improved upon. The Contour is a small but potent cooler that can handle ice for a weekend excursion. It is an adequate size to fit most items a small group would need and is designed to take up minimum storage space.

igloo ice chest

And the features that are in place make this a very portable and reliable product. The Igloo BMX is Igloo’s latest igloo cooler with wheels attempt to compete in the premium cooler market. The overall performance and ice retention numbers are good.