Of course, you can expect to pay more for those that keep your ice for longer but this extra is certainly worth it if you’re planning extended trips. Seeing as this is the primary purpose of a cooler, this is something you’ll want to learn about any particular model you’re considering buying beforehand. Some will be able to keep your beers cold for a good day or two while some of the better performing coolers will be able to keep you in a good supply of cold beer for longer than a week in hot weather. These things will be lgloo Cooler able to store your food, be used to be able to carry other items via being pulled along on wheels, and most importantly, keep your precious beers sitting at just the right temperature for days on end. All of that is well and good, but what really sets the Igloo MaxCold apart is its outstanding level of performance. In my tests, I filled each cooler with 3 pounds of ice, then tracked their internal ambient temperatures on a minute-by-minute basis over 48 hours in a climate-controlled room set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now that we have talked about some of its big features, we thought we would tell you about the one that you’re likely to find even more important. This is the fact that you will be able to store a whopping 100 cans of beer in this cooler – more than enough for a solid contribution to any outdoor party that you attend. It is 80-quart so will give you ample storage space for your food and beer, mainly beer of course, as you can just pick berries or something if you get a bit peckish.
It will actually retain the ice that you put inside for as long as five days in hot conditions which means some ice cold beer for almost a week. A cooler’s latch or closure system is one of the defining characteristics of a premium model and plays a significant role in overall cooling performance. Among high-end hard-sided coolers, you’ll commonly find two rubber T-handles along the front that keep the lid locked securely in place. These handles are fairly user-friendly, extremely strong, and minimize any openings for cold air to escape. At the other end of the spectrum, budget-oriented models like the Coleman Xtreme and Igloo ECOCOOL forgo latches completely and rely on a good fit between the lid and cooler body.
If you’re going on a day trip with one other person, a 20-can capacity cooler would provide plenty of room. For long camping trips and large gatherings, we recommend going bigger than you might think. It’s always a good idea to pack extra water and food, so one with a 40- to 100-can capacity is a smart choice. Just keep in mind that although coolers with wheels can be easier to maneuver while walking, they are still difficult to lift into vehicles or up flights of stairs when filled to maximum capacity. Two inches of polyurethane insulation and a freezer-grade gasket give this 80-quart Pelican cooler extreme ice retention worth a splurge. The lid includes four self-draining cup holders and an integrated measuring board ideal for fishing, while non-skid rubber feet keep your cooler secure on the ground.
However, crushed ice is also the fastest to melt and you’ll likely need to replace it fairly frequently. However, blocks are bulky and take up a lot of space in the cooler since they don’t conform around your food and cans. If we have enough space, our preferred method is to use both block and crushed ice together, and YETI has more great tips here.