The Ultimate Guide to Coolers

General Notes

• We choose what we carry based on extensive research on what's the best value to our customers (e.g., price given performance & durability features) across all the top brands. We specifically do not carry every brand & model; for details on why we do/don't carry certain items in the following What To Use & How To Choose section
• Buy prices are MSRP with tax, i.e., what you see is what you pay. Prices may differ in-store due to change in models or discounts, but this is rare. If we don't sell what we rent, we list MSRP value with tax
• Rent prices are the starting prices; enter trip dates on our Catalog to get exact prices (based on total trip length, not per day!). We also don't charge sales tax, an automatic savings of almost 10%!

Capacity Standard hard-shell cooler type	40 quart (38L)	60 quart (57L)
Model
	Igloo MaxCold	Igloo Ice Cube
Buy MSRP with tax	$50 value	$45 value
Rent	$8+
Size	24X14in & 18in tall 61x36cm & 46cm tall	20in cube 51cm cube

When you rent online, you can select from available options or we'll pick out something for you. You can also write-in any preferences on the last page of checkout. This section describes the majority of our models & options, but sometimes we carry others.

Key factors

Cool zippers, new waterproofing, etc... sometimes it's easy to get lost in all the hype (over-spending happens on features). Our guide focuses on the fundamental factors you should always keep in mind (thus, this short list is similar across all items). Then only at the end do we have some questions to get you thinking about other minor features.

• Type or Style
• Price
• Capacity (size)

We highly recommend reviewing Type or Style first, where we review what you can use to address the Core function--a regular item you have at home may work! The other factors are secondary & depend strongly on the Type or Style you've picked.

While we encourage you to use regular items wherever possible, as an outdoor gear shop, we only carry outdoor-specific products

Type or Style

We've organized the most commonly used items people use to address the Core function below, with example images, characteristics, features, etc.

Our category name		Single-use cooler	Standard cooler	Technical cooler	Thermoelectric cooler	Solar cooler
Example qualities & features	Example images
	What does it need to keep cold?	Ice or ice packs			Electricity
	How long will it keep things cold?	Up to 1 day	Up to 1 weekend	Up to 2 weeks	As long as there's "fuel"
	Is it durable?	E.g., Styrofoam; really not worth it	Less so if made with fabric, a soft-shell, vs plastic, a hard-shell	Some models are certified bearproof storage devices	All hard-shell
Effect on secondary factors	Price	<$20	$10-100	$300-600	$100-1000
	Capacity	Small lunchboxes or Thermos to mini-fridge sized			From 26qt (25L) to mini-fridge sized
	Rationale	Less technical			More technical
Why we do/don't carry it = we rent = we sell		There may be issues with durability	Standard for most outdoor uses. For rent only because it's not outdoor-specific enough for us to sell	Most people would not need something this technical

Capacity (size)

In most of these gear guides, we have a table with the various possible capacities & general use cases in the outdoors. That's almost impossible to do with coolers, because the use cases are so diverse! We've tried to capture a few below for reference, of course, the bigger the cooler, the more expensive!

• Picnic lunch: 10 quart (9L) for a nice picnic spread & some drinks
• Camping: 40-60 (38-57L) quart for a weekend for 2-4 people
• Drink fridge: Rule of thumb: in a cooler, 1 quart = 0.75 cans = 1 bottle, coolers often have approximate can or bottle capacity written on them as well!
• Hunting or fishing: Usually at least 60 quart & likely more than 1 depending on size of animal

Additionally, you'll want to think about a cooler fitting in your vehicle or in a stationary bearproof storage (bear box). Some examples:

• At 40+ quarts (38+L), coolers may be too tall to fit in a bear box or car trunk
• Although, coolers without wheels are "flatter" in shape & may fit better
• Even the largest coolers can usually fit in a car's backseat

Minor features that may be important

Here, we give you a list of questions to start thinking about minor features. We hope our approach of savings these features for last gets you to more critically think about what you need & not get caught up in the hype of what's cool and over-spend your budget.

• Does it have wheels?
• Does it have locks on the lid for security & to seal in the cold?
• Are there cup holders (on the lid)?
• Is there a separate ice tray for drinks?
• Is there a drainage spigot at the base?
• Can the lid be used as a seat?

Coolers perform at their best when they are pre-chilled. You can do this by filling it up with ice (or putting it in your freezer if it fits) overnight. Then put in fresh ice before your trip starts. Since ice is so bulky, consider using reusable ice packs! If you can't pre-chill, at least try to keep your cooler in a relatively cool place; you don't want to have it be pre-warmed either!

Cleaning

It's important to clean between uses. No one wants food pieces to go bad inside! Thoroughly rinse with soap & water after use

Storing

Don't put it away or close any lid(s) until it's fully dry

We have a general protip on how to store & maintain gear that we highly recommend reviewing as well. If you send us video or a good photo series, we may be able to help you evaluate your repair needs.