The padded thick shoulder straps and the thick waist strap help disperse the weight so you won’t feel weighed down by the heavy load. Capable of fitting up to 42 cans and even an upright wine bottle, the backpack excels at maintaining its chilly temperatures for an extended period. It stuck below the 40 degrees Fahrenheit FDA-recommended food-safe temperature for over two days. This model has multiple users in mind, with its watertight zipper, floatable body, and rugged build. Yes, a 12-volt DC power outlet can power most electric coolers—but be sure to check what the product offers. To determine the baseline behavior, we measured cooling and insulation while empty.
If you are in the market for a powerful freestanding stove, the Camp Chef Pro 60X does it all for a fairly reasonable price, and it includes side tables to help keep you organized. Between performance and cost, only you can decide which aspects to prioritize. Wheeled coolers may appear astoundingly portable, but we found that their actual usefulness in this metric is wildly dependent on their wheel design and clearance. The RovR is the only one with actual rubber tires filled with air (aka pneumatic tires), the same as a vehicle or bicycle. While competitors may point to this as a downside (more maintenance, the potential for flats, etc.), it makes for a vastly better pulling system. The juddering of pulling hard-wheeled models over smooth surfaces, like city sidewalks, can quickly leave blisters on your hands from the vibration of the plastic wheels (this really happened to a tester).
If you’ve had one too many experiences of reaching into what you thought was a well-packed cooler only to find it full of melted ice, it’s time to upgrade to an electric cooler. With built-in cooling mechanisms, electric coolers are similar to mini-refrigerators but more portable. Their cooling power can range from deep freezing to just cold enough to keep drinks chilled, and some thermoelectric options can even keep food hot. An electric cooler gives you a guaranteed cold space for long car camping trips, road trips, or hunting trips. While they’re a bit heavier than backpack coolers or soft coolers, electric coolers ensure safe perishable food storage for longer durations.
We test the insulation performance, durability, ease of use, portability, and features of every single model. As some performance aspects are more important than others, we weigh each metric accordingly. Below, we discuss our test results and which models stand out in each area. The most crucial aspect of any wheeled model is how easily it gets you there, which the RovR does spectacularly. We think the latches are a bit stiff to manipulate but can be easy to learn with practice. After using it for years now, this rolling icebox is like nothing we’ve ever experienced before and is the only one that our friends request to cart around.
The cooler is also insulated enough to remain well-chilled for about five hours after the power is no longer connected. It should be noted that this cooler does not, however, have a cooling system powerful enough to freeze, and it works best when fully packed with pre-chilled food and drinks. We gauged the ease of grabbing the handles without looking and noted whether they required extra steps to slide them out into place or push them back down out of the way.
In terms of functionality, there was very little to complain about with the Mountaineer. Beyond being the most expensive stove in our review, the Mountaineer is also among the heftier and least compact of the tabletop models. Additionally, it may coleman electric cooler be a drawback that this stove won’t work with small 1-pound propane canisters. If you are looking for a well-designed camping stove that will keep up with your car camping or river adventures for years to come, we highly recommend this stove.