Best coolers in 2021: Cabela, Igloo, Yeti, Coleman and more – CNET [CNET]
As we continue to work through the ongoing pandemic, camping trips and socially distanced backyard get-togethers have never sounded more appealing. That’s why a decent, dependable cooler makes for a worthy splurge. But with countless options available online and in stores, which one should you get?
Chief among your options are a growing number of heavy-duty, “rotomolded” coolers that deliver superior thick insulation to traditional coolers, but they tend to cost a lot more than you might be used to paying for a cooler — even hundreds of dollars more.
Are the best coolers actually worth their asking prices? And can any of the cheaper ones keep up?
That’s what I wanted to know, so I zeroed in on large, hard-sided coolers and turned to the usual suspects — Rubbermaid, Igloo, Coleman — and lugged their most popular models into the CNET Appliances test lab. There we pitted them against the insulated power of rotomolded coolers from Orca, Rovr, Yeti, Pelican, RTIC, Cabela’s and more. Our mission? Find the best coolers of the bunch — you know, the ones that pack a lot of stuff, are easy to carry and are virtually indestructible — and figure out if the insulation offered by rotomolded, hard-sided coolers is worth the cold, hard cash needed to bring them home.
After several weeks of hands-on testing and countless ambient temperature readings, we were ready to separate the winners from the also-rans. 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. I’ll update this periodically.
Best rotomolded cooler | Cabela’s Polar Cap Equalizer Cooler | $350 at Cabela’s |
Best value pick | Igloo MaxCold Cooler | $60 on Amazon |
Best rotomolded value pick | RTIC 65 Cooler | $330 on Amazon |
Best performance | Yeti Tundra 45 | $300 at Yeti |
Best design | Lifetime High Performance Cooler | $97 at Walmart |
Best mobility | Rovr Rollr 60 Cooler | $400 at RovrProducts |
Best cooler for cheapskates | Igloo Recool Biodegradable Cooler | $10 at REI |
Rotomolding is short for rotational molding, a manufacturing technique that literally spins the mold as the plastic is poured in. The result: plastic that’s more durable, more uniform in density and, most importantly in the case of coolers, better at insulation.
Rotomolded coolers don’t come cheap, but they’re demonstrably better than the competition at keeping things cold. I mean, it’s not like we have a portable refrigerator on our hands here, but it keeps cans COLD. The best we’ve seen from a pure performance standpoint comes from Yeti — but the extra-thick walls of that heavy-duty cooler mean that you’re getting seriously shortchanged on inches and capacity (more on that in just a bit).
Out of the rest of the rotomolded field, our top durable performers for insulation were the Orca Classic Cooler and the Cabela’s Polar Cap Equalizer Cooler, which are fairly close in price. They essentially tied in my performance tests, so picking between them really comes down to taste. The Cabela’s cooler offers slightly more space inside (about 3 quarts’ worth), and it includes clever bottle openers built into the rubber latches. Meanwhile, the Orca cooler comes in better-looking colors, and it’s a bit more comfortable to carry since it doesn’t have rigid molded handles that jut out over top of the roped handles.
If you just want a dependable cooler that’s not too expensive, put the Igloo MaxCold at the top of your list. Prices vary based on where and when you buy, but I scored mine on sale last year for $45. That makes it the only cooler available for less than $60 that remains in the top five of my performance tests, a list that now includes two years’ worth of contenders. In fact, it finished in fourth. Only the Yeti, Cabela’s and Orca managed to outperform it — and again, each of those costs $300 or more.
The MaxCold’s plasticky build and dated design aren’t anything fancy to look at, but it covers the basics by including a drainage spout and a latch for the lid (not every cooler in this price range does). Plus, it’s sturdy enough to sit on, which could come in handy during your next camping trip. All of that adds up to a lot of value — enough so that the MaxCold earned an overall score of 8.2 here on CNET, higher than any other cooler I’ve reviewed.
Looking for a rotomolded value? Check out the RTIC 65. It’s a large cooler that’ll hold about twice as many cans as the Yeti. The 1-year warranty on the RTIC cooler is shorter than you’ll get with most other rotomolded options, but if you just want a rotomolded cooler with the most capacity for the cash, it fits the bill.