Heavy-Duty Camping Coolers
Coolers are one of the most useful camping items you can bring along, from beach trips and tailgating events to camping excursions and beach camping trips. Coolers keep beer cold, food fresh, double as extra seating or tabletop space and often come equipped with features like cup holders or integrated lights – not forgetting certification that it withstood attempted entry by grizzly bears!
Size
Size matters when selecting a camping cooler as you must ensure it can accommodate enough food and drinks for an entire camping trip or beach outing. Furthermore, an effective cooler should be portable yet able to keep its ice frozen for several days in hot outdoor temperatures.
Compare coolers by considering their capacity (quart or can), family size and features that make transporting it easier – wheels, comfortable carrying handles and durable latches and gaskets among them. When making a decision based on capacity alone, be mindful that larger coolers might weigh down your car more when camping than their smaller counterparts do.
U.S. News & World Report reviewer Steven John recognizes the value of having a sturdy camping cooler to prevent food spoilage on long journeys. She prefers rugged rotomolded hard coolers with high-density polyethylene construction that will keep ice cool for multiple days while boasting strong hinges and latches built to withstand repeated use.
Insulation
An essential piece of camping gear, coolers are essential pieces for enjoying nature. No matter if it is for weekend getaway, fishing trips or simply beach days – activities will determine which size and insulation level cooler should best meet your needs.
Insulation plays a key role in keeping perishables cold for as long as possible, making it one of the primary considerations when selecting the ideal cooler. Hard-sided coolers typically employ sandwiched layers of plastic containing insulation foam. Rotomolded models like Yeti use one fused piece of plastic that further enhances its insulating power.
Heavy-duty coolers should not only offer excellent ice retention and durability, but they should also be easy to keep clean. This is particularly important when camping; your cooler could come into contact with everything from soda pop and melted ice to the sticky residue left from hastily packed rack of ribs. Therefore it’s essential that you choose one with an easily removable drain plug and few hard-to-scrub crevices.
Durability
When hauling food and gear on an extended outdoor excursion, a durable cooler is essential. An effective durable cooler shouldn’t require extreme upper body strength to move from place to place and should feature handles that fit comfortably on your hands and latches that are easy to operate – this way your trip won’t become an effort in futility!
If you plan on camping in bear-prone regions, look for a cooler that has been certified bear-resistant and features a secure lock. An option to secure it to tent or vehicle would also be ideal.
Steven John has been testing and writing about products professionally for 13 years – most recently camping gear – as a U.S. News & World Report contributor. His expertise lies in understanding what makes an excellent product that will stand the test of time.
Wheels
RTIC’s 52 QT Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler stands out as being easy to transport without compromising its ice retention capabilities, so we highly recommend it. Although on the more expensive end, this cooler still boasts features like its silicone cargo net for stashing fruit and deli meat under its lid, molded grab handles for carrying it easily, bungee cord slots that accommodate up to two umbrellas or camping chairs and threaded drain plug compatible with garden hoses – not to mention threaded drain plug threaded drain plug which works with garden hose threaded drain plug allowing it drain plug!
Large hard-sided coolers designed for camping, tailgating or music festivals can be difficult to transport. Heavy lifting may strain your back, arm and legs when hoisting them off your car onto benches or picnic tables; for this reason it is imperative that these trolleys feature reliable trolley handles with wheels capable of rolling smoothly over pavement as well as rough terrain such as dirt or sand.