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.
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 |
Price
One of life's certainties is the trade-off between price & quality. This creates an inherently unfair situation. If you save money today by buying something lower end, you'll end up replacing it more frequently, spending money & time each instance so that at the end, you probably haven't actually saved anything. On the other hand, if you decide to invest in something higher end, you'll need a lot more upfront money, and you need to be able to use the item frequently enough to make it worthwhile.
We developed our rental program to address this unfairness. We don't sell lower end items. But for our higher end items, we offer them for rent at up to 90% off retail price, generally well below the cost of buying even the cheaper option. That's a win-win!
It may seem like the price & quality trade-off is disappearing, because you can find a cheap version of almost anything for tens of dollars that still has good reviews (assuming the reviews are real). Remember 2 things:
- Many reviews are written after only a trial use, first use, or infrequent use: We've seen entire review videos of gear done at home, which is very different than actually being outdoors!
- The point of gear is to give you a good experience because you've already spent money to be on vacation from work! Don't let quality issues affect your relaxation
For gear specifically, the quality issues center around performance & durability.
For coolers, performance & durability are linked (a punctured cooler doesn't insulate!). Therefore given the above, we definitely do not recommend single-use coolers.
However, all the other types of coolers fundamentally have to insulate, which means reaching a pretty good minimum level of durability. In fact, for most use cases, a standard cooler is probably sufficient (technical coolers are favored by hunters who need to keep game cool for long periods of time).
Methodology notes on prices shown on this page
In addition to losing money by buying lower end products that just aren't worth it, you can also lose money by buying higher end products that also aren't worth it. Once you reach a certain tier of quality, any additional price differences are based on branding or design (check out this Louis Vuitton chalk bag [other chalk bags cost $20-50]).
For the reason above, the price data on this page for outdoor-specific gear (i.e., not household items) generally excludes
low end & high end prices. This way, you get a more accurate sense of price comparison & trends across categories (i.e., if there's a $20 version of everything, then it's hard to get a sense of trends if the ranges all start at $20).
Low end products are defined those that:
- Most professional reviewers don't mention
- Tend to be sold at mass retail (i.e., non-specialty stores)
High end products are defined those that:
- Are mainly branding driven (like the LV chalk bag; the brand isn't specialized in gear)
- Are so technical even most backcountry, off-track explorers won't really need it (we looked at a lot of consumer forums & our own expert staff for input on this)
Rule-of-thumb: when looking for decent quality, most bigger gear items (e.g., tents, sleeping bags, backpack) & key clothing (e.g., outer layers like jackets, pants, gloves & insulating mid-layers) should be at least $100; most smaller gear items (e.g., headlamps, small stoves, water filters) & clothing base layers or accessories (e.g., buffs, socks) should be at least $20
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?