Coolers

Reviewed by KiwiKlimber

The Orca Walker 20 soft-sided cooler is an easy-to-carry cooler that is built to withstand the wear-and-tear of summer trips and actually keeps contents cold for a whole day.

Conditions: For two-and-a-half months in the spring and summer, I’ve used the Orca Walker 20 Cooler for a variety of occasions, including car camping, road tripping, fishing trips, beer runs, and even buying groceries. It's been rained on, sat in the sun, tossed in the sand, and rode many miles in the back of the car.  An ideal picnic-sized cooler   Ease of Use:  A cooler is a pretty straight-forward piece of gear...open to access food/drink, close to keep things cold...that’s about it.

Read more: Orca Walker 20 Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by Tommy G

Well insulated for a collapsible cooler, packs down flat for transportation. Setting up / packing down isn't too difficult. Good handles, nice having cup holders on the top.

This is a great cooler if you want something that packs down and only need to keep food cool for a day or two. If you need to keep things cool beyond that, you're better off with a better insulated hard-sided cooler.  The zippers are good quality, and the cloth handles on the side make carrying easy. Can't use it as a seat when camping like a hard-side cooler, but it does have cupholder indentations on the top so at least you can use it for that.  Unpacking it involves folding out the inner liner and velcro-ing it to the top of the sides.

Read more: Kelty Folding Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by Mary Beth Skylis

The Dometic CFX3 25L Electric Cooler is a versatile cooler that can be taken on road trips or used at home for extra storage—no ice necessary.

I've spent a lot of time on the road wondering when my ice will melt and all of my food will go bad. When you love remote places like Utah's canyons and Colorado steep mountains, it can be tough to get a gas station. So, when I had the chance to test out the Dometic CFX3 25L Electric Cooler, I jumped at the opportunity. This was the cooler that all my van life friends stashed under their bed.  Dometic's Massive Temperature Range Temperature Settings One of the first things I noticed about this cooler was its massive temperature range.

Read more: Dometic CFX3 25 Electric Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by Bob Withrow

It does what it says it will do, but...

Filled with 8.5 lbs. of ice, the Pack-Away 12 will keep 12 cans below 40°F for up to 32 hrs. This is the first line in the product description at REI. It is accurate but it does include the hours the cold water keeps things cool. Once the ice melts, you're keeping stuff in a bucket of water but if you've anything in the cooler besides drinks, it can get messy unless those containers are 100% water tight. Ziplocs won't do it, as we found out. We bought this for a 3-week trip in New Zealand.

Read more: REI Pack-Away 12 Soft Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by MrsMustard

A high end cooler as good as much more expensive brands for the right price. Available in a variety of colors and sizes to fit your needs.

I received this cooler as a gift from my husband. He knew I was tired of having to use his smelly fishing coolers and wanted one of my own for camping. To ensure they would never get mixed up, he got me a pink one! They're available in many more colors not made by other companies. He also purchased the additional padded seat top.  These coolers are similar to some much more expensive high-end brands, but are not an unreasonably priced. They have two drainage plugs on either side which seem like they would be easy to lose since they aren't attached to the cooler in any way.

Read more: Icey-Tek 40 Quart Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by John Stimson

Great cooler for the $$$$$

A description from the seller's eBay info: This cooler is a high performance cooler with a nice, portable and strong structured design, it is very good for camping, hunting, fishing, boating, picnic or daily work. Color: White  Capacity: 20L (21QT) Can capacity: 30 cans+ Material: Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) ice box and cover, PU insulation, 304 stainless steel handle Net/ Gross Weight: 7.5kg/ 8.3 kg (or 16.5lb/18.3lb) Product Outer Size: L51 x W35.7 x H38cm (20” x 14” x 15”) Product Inner Size: 37 x 24 x 27 cm (141/2” x 91/2” x 105/8”) Carton Size: 53 x 38 x 41 cm Features: Sturdy construction The roto-molded technique, LLDPE interior and exterior make it a very sturdy construction, it can stand up to the rigors...

Read more: LITN 20QT Ice Chest Box RotoMolded Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by Twig

This is a good quality semi-soft cooler that is large enough to fit enough food and drinks for a weekend kayak or canoe trip. The molded bottom is rigid enough to give the cooler form and prevent leakage into and out of the bottom of the cooler but also flexible so that the cooler can be crammed into a kayak hatch.

The Fishpond Drifter Boat Cooler is a good quality semi-soft cooler that is large enough to fit enough food and drinks for a weekend. I purchased it because it was short and rectangular in size, so that it just fits inside the back hatch of my kayak. It also easily slides into an open canoe. Because it has a semi-rigid bottom (which prevents seepage into and out of the cooler), I do have to contort it slightly to fit into the hatch. With a hard-sided cooler, this would be impossible, so I find it is a good blend between this and completely soft cooler that tends to leak.

Read more: Fishpond Drifter Boat Cooler review (1)

Reviewed by John Stimson

Sturdy build

From the LiTN eBay store: LITN 26QT (25L) COOLER This is a high performance roto-molded Cooler with a nice, portable and strong structured design is very good for camping, hunting, fishing, boating, picnic or daily work. Features: Sturdy construction Use the roto-molded technique, food graded LLDPE materials Thick PU insulation With 1.5-inch thick PU insulation layer, putting a capacity with recommended 2:1 ice-to-contents ratio can hold ice for 3-5 days in around 90℉ (or 32o­­C) use environment.

Read more: LITN 26QT/25L Ice Chest Box RotoMolded Cooler review (1)