![]() ![]() (I already have a precise measurement of each cooler's total volume from the earlier described capacity test.) Less ice meant more of a challenge for the coolers, which would hopefully give us a more granular look at how well they perform relative to one another. Instead of a full load of ice in each cooler, I went with an amount of ice equivalent to 10% of each cooler's total volume. ![]() To do that, I started with a modified version of the ice retention test. I wanted to get a good sense of performance not just days in, but hours in, before any of the ice had even melted at all. Sure, some coolers would probably keep the ice frozen for a lot longer than others, but using the melting point as your metric seems to disregard everything that comes before. That's all well and good, but I worried that a standard ice retention test on its own wouldn't tell us the whole story. The new, expensive options all hang their hat on this test, with roto-molded coolers specifically designed to ace it (and in doing so, to justify their price tags). water, isn't as good at keeping drinks cold). The big differentiator that you'll hear a lot about as you shop for a cooler is ice retention - specifically, how long a cooler can keep a full load of ice frozen (melted ice, a.k.a. With Cabela's cooler, that number is approximately 67 cans, which is as strong a result as you'll see before going big with something like an ultra-king-size, 100-quart cooler. Same goes for our 2:1 ice-to-can capacity test, where we calculate how many cans the thing could hold if you packed them in with twice as much ice, by volume. Its actual, measured capacity came in at 76.2 quarts, which is higher than anything else we've tested. Just want the biggest cooler we've tested? You're in luck - that'd be our current top pick, the 80-quart Cabela's Polar Cap Equalizer Cooler. (Bonuses like a cup holder or a bottle opener are important, but the most critical thing a quality cooler does is keep your cold drinks cold.) Here's everything I learned, starting with the coolers I think you should rush out and buy before your next camping trip or big family gathering. With a mass of test data in hand showing us just how well these things perform, I've gone ahead and separated the winners from the also-rans. ![]() Soft-sided coolers, which don't have a specific capacity range, but tend to line up with the same offerings as small or personal-sized coolers.Large "party" ice chest coolers that boast volumes over 60 quarts (over 15 gallons or 56.78 liters).Midsize coolers, where most of your top options seem to land, ranging from 40 to 59 quarts (10 to 14.75 gallons or 37.85 to 55.83 liters).Small or personal-sized coolers that advertise internal volumes of less than 40 quarts (that's less than 10 gallons or 37.85 liters).I've broken them down into four main categories: Over the past several years, we've tested dozens of coolers, 40 of which are still commercially available as of this writing. ![]()
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