At the core, your cooler selection should reflect your specific needs. While identifying what capacity is necessary is fairly straightforward, it is also essential to think through how and where it will be used.

Orca from Tennessee may not be as widely recognized, but they still enjoy an enthusiastic following among outdoorspeople. Their 40-quart model competes well against premium rotomolded models on this list.

Keeps Food Fresh

Thermal coolers feature thick insulation walls to block out heat, keeping ice from melting and your food cold. However, you can enhance its effectiveness further by adding hot items, such as boiling water in bottles or rice sock heated in the microwave – such as breakfast, lunch and dinner boil-overs – then refill these insulated bottles or replace the rice sock to guarantee fresh food for camping trips.

If your campsite will feature beverages of various kinds, consider bringing a separate cooler just for them. This allows you to easily grab drinks without taking other food out of the cooler first and minimizes how often you open your primary food cooler, thus helping preserve ice.

Pack your cooler carefully when packing meat or poultry raw with juices; place other food below so as to prevent drips onto them. Freezing clean empty milk cartons filled with water into blocks of ice, or keeping frozen gel-packs frozen can provide even greater cooling power for your cooler.

Easy to Carry

No matter your camping or van life needs, we recommend choosing a cooler with wide opening hinges and easy rubber latches – like those provided by Dometic – in order to accommodate all your provisions easily and conveniently.

It pays attention to every detail, from its functional divider with built-in ice packs and fun features (compass and bottle opener) to tie-down slots that let you secure it to your truck or camping chair. Plus its rectangular shape makes lifting it much simpler; though not rugged enough for bear attacks yet it should last quite some time.

Keeps Beverages Cold

Insulation that protects ice from melting also works to maintain an ideal cooling temperature for beverages stored inside, giving you access to refreshing beverages even on warm days. This keeps drinks cold and allows you to enjoy them at their optimal levels for ultimate refreshment.

Precise packing helps optimize the performance of a cooler by eliminating air gaps and strategically arranging items. Avoid frequently opening it, as doing so allows warm air into it and compromises its interior temperature.

A wet towel draped over your cooler is another simple way to increase its insulating capabilities and prevent sun-induced melting of the ice, thus making the cooler work harder to preserve food and beverages. When travelling outdoors, bring one equipped with removable baskets or bins – they provide extra storage space and can act as footrests or seats when relaxing outdoors!

Keeps Food Warm

Thermal coolers differ from typical picnic and beach trip coolers by their thicker walls that keep food and beverages cool for an extended period. As such, these thermal coolers make camping trips even easier by keeping everything cold and fresh for days or even weeks at a time!

To maximize your cooler’s effectiveness, consider packing it in a cool and shaded location to reduce direct sunlight. Also try not opening and closing it too frequently since opening and closing will increase temperature rapidly.

Finally, try packing less perishables near the bottom of your cooler and using extra ice packs. Frozen water bottles may help to further lower temperature by filling up spaces that would otherwise become filled with heat. In addition, bring along an additional cooler specifically dedicated for beverages in case your main one runs dry of ice – having two coolers will prevent people from accessing all your uncooked meats and foods at once and possibly contaminating them!