In some cases, that extra cash does bring excellent insulation performance, greater utility, and convenience. In other cases, you can spend far less without a substantial drop in overall performance. It’s also helpful to consider how often you find yourself needing the cooling and insulating services these ice chests provide and coleman screen tent how burly and rugged you need your gear to be. All coolers have relatively strong handles and the 40 and 50-quart coolers come with optional wheels to help cart it around. While the plastic is relatively light, expect to have to get at least two people to assist in moving around the 100 or 150-quart models when they are full.
But open-cell foam’s ability to insulate greatly diminishes when it’s wet because water permeates all of the open space and acts as a conductor of heat. In open-cell foam, most bubbles (more than 50%) share walls with one another. These foams, which weigh around 0.5 pound per cubic foot, are light and easy to compress. Different types of insulation work in their own ways to minimize heat transfer into a cooler.
That being said, a high-end build like RTIC’s 52 Ultra-Light stacks up favorably to top rotomolded coolers in overall toughness. Many injection-molded designs also allow for various mounting locations for accessories like tables, cup holders, and cutting boards—something you don’t typically get with rotomolding. Boasting a lightweight frame but keeping a 50-quart capacity, the RTIC Ultralight has found the perfect balance between size and weight. Its rope straps extend far above the cooler, making it possible to carry it without slamming your hands against the frame. These were particularly useful for loading onto the counter or into the car. The market for ice chests continues to grow over the years, resulting in some extremely close competition and hard-fought rivalries.
And all of the colors come in a solid tone with little in the way of patterns outside of the vertical lines that adorn the body. They perform fine for an afternoon excursion or morning trip to the beach but if you are expecting a single batch of ice to coleman sundome stay frozen for 4 or more days then you will be disappointed. It does still contain the patented Thermozone insulation which helps prolong ice life some, however. And frankly, for a reasonable price, you can’t expect miracles in regard to ice life.
It also has a pair of indented handles hiding underneath both sides of the top for two-handed carry. The Pelican 20 isn’t very enjoyable to carry, with a hard plastic top handle and a tall, gangly shape with too many rigid edges that smacked our legs and ankles as we walked. Knowing your investment will last through years and years of adventures is important for any piece of gear you own, and these products are no exception. Though we didn’t have ten years to spend testing each model, we spent months subjecting them to prolonged use and a fair amount of abuse to see how they stood up to the pressure. We overextended hinges, jumped on lids, yanked on latches and handles, and dropped full chests from a carrying height.
Below, we discuss our test results and which models stand out in each area. We’ve tested Polar Bear coolers for seven years now, buying them or receiving test units from Polar Bear. Recently, however, we’ve been let down by the lifespan of its soft coolers (though not this backpack in particular).
Yet, because it’s so small (relatively speaking), we hardly miss those extra features. The Roadie is not airtight or leakproof — there is a sizeable gap where the ends of the rubber seals meet that’s only covered by a piece of fabric tape. It’s the only model we tested that has actual pneumatic tires instead of cylindrical plastic chunks labeled as wheels.