Richard Arconti
Camping is an activity that holds many benefits for you, your friends and your family. Camping connects you with nature, provides fresh air, enables you to gain some valuable exercise, and it also naturally exposes you to vitamin D from the sun. Before you begin your next venture into nature you’ll want to consider how you’ll keep your food and beverages fresh without refrigeration. Choosing the right cooler to ensure your food and drink can be kept cool and safe during your camping trip is vital. We’ve researched and discovered seven top-rated camping coolers ,plus 2 you may want to avoid.
Reviews of the 7 Best Cooler for Camping, Plus 2 to Avoid
1. YETI Tundra 50 Cooler Review
The YETI Tunda 50 Cooler is probably the best cooler for camping of 2022. This is a high-quality option for ensuring your beverages, food and other items are kept cool during the entire camping trip, avoiding disappointment. Additionally, the cooler will ensure your ice stays frozen for a couple of days to ensure you can continue serving up ice cold beverages and beer while enjoying some time out with some friends. You can store up to 32 cans of beer or other beverages in this cooler, providing adequate storage for drinks and other items that ensures you have enough supplies for everyone at the camp. The cooler also comes with a special Rotomolded construction, giving it a durable, heavy-duty structure that will withstand hazardous outside conditions in the forest or wherever you have your camp.
To watch the YETI Tundra 50 Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
2. Pelican Elite 70 Quart Cooler Review
Another excellent option when looking for the perfect camping cooler to make your camp great and filled with refreshing drinks that are cold is the Pelican Elite 70 Quart Cooler. This cooler comes in a variety of colors, including White/Gray, Seafoam, Grey/Green, Tan/Orange, Brown/Tan, and more. The Pelican Elite, 70 Quart Cooler, features special insulation that ensures your ice is kept in a frozen condition for as long as ten days, ensuring your camping trip can continue without having to worry about refrigeration. Additional convenient features offered by the cooler include self-draining cup holders, rubber feet, a drain plug that offers a leakproof feature, as well as a built-in measuring board. The cooler is made locally within the United States to ensure optimal quality and a heavy-duty device and is backed by the manufacturer’s lifetime guarantee.
To watch the Pelican Elite 70 Quart Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
3. Rubbermaid Extreme 5-Day Wheeled Ice Chest Review
This is most likely the best camping ice chest on the market at the moment, offering the performance you need to keep everything at the camp going well. The Rubbermaid Extreme 5-Day Wheeled Ice Chest comes with built-in wheels, as well as an extendable handle, that ensures the cooler can easily be pulled and pushed around without having to carry any heavy objects by hand. The cooler can keep everything on the inside cold for up to five days and also ensures your ice is kept icy during your trip. The cooler has an incredibly large internal space, providing storage for as much as 130 cans of your favorite beverage – you can, of course, add your meat and other products that need to be kept cool. The Rubbermaid Extreme 5-Day Wheeled Ice Chest also comes with cup holders that ensure you have a space to keep cups and cans.
To watch the Rubbermaid Extreme 5-Day Wheeled Ice Chest Review on YouTube, click here.
4. Coleman Xtreme Series Wheeled Cooler Review
The Coleman Xtreme Series Wheeled Cooler is another excellent option if you are planning a few days out with some friends and family members. This is the best camp cooler for transporting your beer, sodas, and even your cold food products, toward your camping location, and for keeping these items cold while you are on the camping trip. The wheels and handle allow for easy movement of the cooler, and the fact that the handle is extendable means you do not even have to bend over to push or pull this cooler. The Coleman Xtreme Series Wheeled Cooler can hold as much as 84 cans and provides a special type of insulation on both the lid and the walls to ensure ice can be kept at a frozen state, and all internal items can be kept cool for as long as five days. The cooler can withstand heated conditions of up to 90 degrees (Fahrenheit).
To watch the Coleman Xtreme Series Wheeled Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
5. Grizzly 15 Quart Cooler Review
If you are looking for the best bear-proof cooler, then consider opting for the Grizzly 15 Quart Cooler. This is a compact device that is perfect for just a couple of days in the forest or a weekend away fishing by the lake. The cooler features an overall heavy-duty design that gives it the ability to withstand almost any condition it will be exposed to while you are camping out – including hazards caused by wildlife. The Grizzly 15 Quart Cooler comes in different color options, including Seafoam, White, Teal, Red, Sandstone, and Lime. The cooler can hold up to 20 cans and provide a rubber gasket in the lid to offer better insulation and improved performance in regards to keeping your internal items cool and the ice frozen.
To watch the Grizzly 15 Quart Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
6. ORCA 58 Quart Cooler Review
The ORCA 58 Quart Cooler is considered the best camping cooler for keeping ice frozen and everything you put inside of the cooler at a cold temperature. The cooler features a lid gasket, which provides an improved seal to ensure the internal content can be kept cool, and the internal air cannot escape from the cooler. The cooler comes with an included Cargo Net attachment, which can be used to extend the storage capacity of the cooler when needed. It should be noted that the manufacturer of this cooler, ORCA Coolers, provides a lifetime warranty on the purchase of this cooler; thus providing better value for your money. Ice can be kept frozen in this device for as long as ten days.
To watch the ORCA 58 Quart Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
7. Coleman Coastal Xtreme Series Marine Portable Cooler Review
The last entry in our list of best-camping coolers of 2022 is the Coleman Coastal Xtreme Series Marine Portable Cooler. This portable cooler has a number of useful features that will ensure your campers will not go without cold beverages during the camp and will ensure meat and other food items does not become warm and go off while you are enjoying your camp. This is a truly massive cooler, as it can hold as much as 204 cans in total. The internal isolation also ensures the internal content can be kept cool for a maximum of six days. Added UVGuard features ensure the sun cannot penetrate through the device or cause it to become an unusable cooler. The tow handle allows for easy pulling of the device, while two side handles on both sides of the cooler allows the device to be easily carried toward the campsite.
To watch the Coleman Coastal Xtreme Series Marine Portable Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
Avoid – Coleman 48 Quart Performance Cooler Review
The worst camping cooler of 2022, at least in our opinion, is the Coleman 48 Quart Performance Cooler. While this cooler has its benefits that should be considered, it is essential to understand that the cooler does not provide adequate features to withstand more hazardous factors that the cooler may be exposed to while you are on your camping trip. Additionally, this cooler can also only provide ice-retention for a maximum of three days. If you are planning to go to your camp for the entire week, then you will most likely be sitting with a cooler full of melted ice and warm drinks by the end of the trip. This cooler is more suitable for a day out to the lake with some friends.
To watch the Coleman 48 Quart Performance Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
Avoid – GigaTent Orange Insulated Collapsible Cooler Review
Another cooler for camping to avoid is the GigaTent Orange Insulated Collapsible Cooler. While this cooler is often promoted as a traveling and camping option, it does not provide adequate features for a camp that will last more than a single day. The cooler can only hold a maximum of 16 cans, which will not provide enough beer and beverages, as well as additional space for food, to ensure you do not run out of supplies while you are camping. The GigaTent Orange Insulated Collapsible Cooler also does not provide for an impressive ice-retention rate. This means that your ice will not be frozen for a long time; thus the drinks and other items inside of the cooler will not be able to stay cold for long enough to last during your entire camping trip.
To watch the GigaTent Orange Insulated Collapsible Cooler Review on YouTube, click here.
2022 Buyers Guide to the Best Cooler For Camping:
Buying the right cooler for your camping trip is important – you will rely on the cooler to keep your food and drinks cold and to ensure your ice is kept frozen to serve up cold beverages during the camp, while also keeping unwanted critters and animals out of your stash. While browsing for the best cooler for camping, it is important to take some factors into consideration.
3 Main Points To Consider:
- Heavy-Duty Features: One of the most important factors you need to consider when buying a camping cooler for your trip is the heavy-duties featured by the cooler. You need to buy an ice chest that will provide you with durable performance and a sturdy design to ensure it can withstand the conditions it will be exposed to in nature. A cooler that does not feature heavy-duty performance may be damaged easily on your trip, which can cause the trip to be ruined by a cooler that stops functioning – who wants to have a warm beer when the weather outside feels like a sunbed? Try to opt for a cooler that lists its heavy-duty design and its durability as primary benefits offered by the particular cooler. This will ensure the device provides you with the expected features.
- Ice Performance: You will most likely not only be camping out for a few hours but rather spend time with your family and friends in the woods for a couple of days. For this reason, it is essential that you avoid opting for a camping cooler that will only keep your ice frozen and your items cold for a few hours. This will mean that, by day two, the ice will be melted and you will no longer have access to cold beverages and food. Your meat may become rotten, and you could end up having to end the camping trip. Higher quality coolers on the market will provide details on how long ice can be kept frozen and how long the cooler can provide a cooling effect for the items inside the cooler. Try to opt for a cooler that offers a cooling feature for a number of days, such as three or five days.
- Price: Another factor that should be considered is the price of the camping cooler you want to buy. Work out a budget and stick to that budget. It might seem more appropriate to opt for a cooler that costs $700 when the brand claims it provides the best performance on the market, but, chances are, if you do a little more research, you will find a product with similar features at a much lower price. Thus, always ensure you do adequate research to make sure you buy the right product that provides you with the perfect balance between price, durability, performance and overall value. At the same time, it is essential to avoid opting for a cooler that seems to be too cheap, as this might cause you to buy a cooler that is not worth your money.
Why is a bear proof cooler so important when camping?
If you are planning to camp out in the woods or near the woods, then there is always a chance you might run into some wild animals. In certain parts of the world, bears are considered the primary threat to campers. Safe-proofing all of the devices, gadgets, and accessories you bring with you on the camp against this wildlife is important – while you are at the camp and while the camp is unattended, such as while you go out fishing or on a hiking trip up the mountain. Your camping cooler should also obviously be bear-proof and safe against other types of hazards it may be exposed to in the wild. Opting for a cooler with a tough design will ensure these creatures will not be able to gain access to beverages, meat and other items that you are keeping in your cooler; thus giving you a better peace-of-mind while out exploring.
Best Cooler for Camping (2022 Buyers Guide):
Final Thoughts on Finding the Best Cooler For Camping
Planning a camping trip up the mountain or down at the lake with some friends or perhaps your family? Then the same way you would prep food and drinks in a beach cooler, you should definitely consider opting for the top cooler for camping to ensure your food and drinks can be kept cool, and ice ready to serve at all times during the entire camp.
