The best coolers in 2024

If you’ve ever found yourself stretched out on a seaside dune in the blistering August sun, pining for the cool rejuvenation of a fresh mint tea, you’ve understood the allure of a cooler. Whether your taste is sparkling waters or brewskies, sweltering deserts or music festivals, any prolonged occasion in the out-of-doors benefits from the power of a cold beverage, and with the best coolers, you’ll be sure to keep things ice-cold no matter where the adventure may take you. Available in different sizes and shapes, coolers are ready for extended camping trips, multiple-day fishing trips, and anywhere else you need easy portability. Hard-bodied coolers—like our best overall pick, the YETI Tundra 35—are usually made out of roto- or injection-molded plastics and feature thick, rigid sides containing layered insulation. Often latching and sometimes on wheels, some can retain ice for over a week. Soft-bodied coolers are designed to be lighter, usually using various polymer-constructed fabrics and often strapping to a user’s back or slinging over a shoulder. With these and other factors in mind, we’ve put together our suggestions for the best coolers for any and every occasion.

How we chose the best coolers

For this article I examined a wide range of coolers, looking for the best coolers from multiple manufacturers. I stacked the specs against one another and accumulated as much info on each model as possible. I also used my experience from multiple cross-country US road trips and camping trips when I lived out of a cooler for weeks. A few factors emerged as the most important in this search.

Ice retention varies dramatically from cooler to cooler. Some coolers will retain ice for an afternoon, and some boast ice retention of over a week. Great ice retention…