Which cooler should you buy this summer? We tested 18 of them

This incredible cooler refrigerates or freezes on-the-go. The LionCooler X40 comes prepacked with a strong compressor that can cool or freeze to temperatures as low as -20C/-4F. With capacity for any adventure, this cooler can hold 42 qt/10.5 Gal- Equivalent to 53 canned drinks, 28 bottles of water, or 15 bottles of red wine. The Igloo polar 120 cooler lets you camp or fish even longer, with Ultratherm insulation in the body and lid to hold ice up to 5 days in temperatures up to 90 degrees.

Beach, lake, backyard or tailgate—bring the party in comfort with our Southern Comfort coleman instant tent. Unlike the feature-filled frivolity of a few of the other elaborate coolers we tested, the Coleman Xtreme doesn’t offer too much beyond the necessary. It does have several beverage holders molded into the lid, as well as measurements running across the top so you can easily check to see if your catch is a keeper. Importantly, this cooler also comes with a leash attachment for the drain plug – it’s one of the few in this review that does. Beware, the narrow plastic handles tend to dig uncomfortably into the bent fingers of whoever takes this cooler for a stroll.

coleman cooler

The drain plug also lacks a rubber seal, and while we had no issues with our unit during testing, many user complaints suggest that this plastic-on-plastic seal has an eventual expiration date. Additionally, the handles attach via short plastic pegs in small plastic holes, which translates into a sketchy connection under a heavy load on handles that already bow alarmingly with this amount of effort. The Bison Gen 2 Cooler is another heavy-duty, rotomolded option with lots of room for your beer. It’s also one of the sturdiest and most well-built coolers that we tested. If you care about the way your cooler “feels,” well, this one felt the most premium to me.

This midsize cooler makes a perfect multi-purpose cooler. The RTIC 45 can do double duty as a bench, non-slip step stool, tabletop and extra cutting board while keeping ice, perishables and vital supplies cold. We may have wished for such niceties as a dry bin or the ability to handle dry ice, like many of the other coolers in this review, but such is not in the cards for the Coleman. This cooler is all about keeping it simple and functional.

Consider an electric cooler for weekend car camping trips. This kind of cooler runs on a portable inverter generator to refrigerate coleman instant tent drinks, food and more. This cooler is all about extremes – from impact resistance and durability to long lasting ice retention.

Klein Tools’ Lunch Box is a serious cooler that keeps cool for up to 30 hours. Not only does the Tradesman Pro™ Tough Box Cooler carry lunch, it doubles as a handy place to sit. The lid on this large capacity Klein Tools lunch box is recessed, allowing space for 1-liter bottles to stand upright. A convenient compartment housed inside the lid for smaller items such as medicine, napkins, utensils, keys, etc.

It’s the only cooler we tested that has an actual weight limit listed for it lb. To put that to the test, we had our 225 lb tester jump on every cooler, and the Coleman was no exception. Though it doesn’t have the same rock-solid feel that many of the rotomolded coolers have, the Coleman seemed to have no problem being an impromptu trampoline. If you treat the Coleman Xtreme nicely, you may be able to get a bit more life out of it, but if you’re rough on your gear, this cooler probably isn’t the right choice for you.

At $399, the Rovr Rollr 60 was the most expensive cooler that we tested, but when you consider the build, the price makes a little more sense. Not only is it rotomolded, but it also comes with a rugged set of 9-inch inflatable rubber wheels, plus an aluminum axle and handlebar. It’s basically a tank that’s made to go anywhere you want to take it (you can even hitch it behind your bike).