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Whether you need to keep your lunch chilled or are looking for a way to keep snacks and drinks cool and fresh on days spent outdoors, everyone could use a cooler or ice chest in their lives. But are these two items different from each other? The answer is, not really — the terms are pretty much interchangeable. However, there are many different kinds of coolers and chests. It’s just a matter of finding the best food storage solutions for your needs. A hard cooler that’s made of plastic will usually keep items colder than a soft cooler, which is typically the type you would use to carry your lunch and maybe even leave in the office fridge. However, soft coolers can also come in bigger sizes that are good for outdoor adventures, like the Maelstrom Backpack Cooler.
Hard coolers, such as the Yeti Tundra 45 Cooler, can be rotomolded, which means they are made from a single piece of plastic. This gives the cooler a uniformly durable and thick wall that helps keep items extra cold. Sometimes, extra large coolers are called ice chests. This may be the type of cooler you would use for a party or for packing food for the perfect picnic. There’s also the marine cooler, such as the Igloo White 100 Quart(s) Hard Insulated Marine cooler, which is meant to be used for fishing. A marine cooler may even have a stamped ruler on the inside to measure your catch.
What to keep in mind when buying a cooler
With all the types of coolers out there, it can be overwhelming to figure out what you actually need. Will you be using your cooler daily, like for lunches or on-the-go eating? Or do you want something that’s for the occasional outdoor gathering? If you need something bigger, you may want to look for a cooler that has wheels, which can be a life saver if you’ll be regularly lugging your cooler down to the beach or to the park. The Coleman Classic Series Insulated Portable Wheeled Cooler is one option. Some coolers have drain plugs, which makes it easier to empty out water from melted ice — especially useful if you’re buying something large. There are even coolers that have Bluetooth speakers, such as the Coleman Pro 45qt Ultra-Light Premium Hard Cooler, which is perfect for tailgating.
Another tip to keep in mind: Ice or ice packs can take up a fair amount of space in a cooler, and you may need to buy something bigger than you think you need. To keep the temperature down in your cooler for longer, you should think in terms of a 2-to-1 ratio of ice to food and drinks. You can also consider buying multiple smaller coolers if you don’t want to lug something large around. This may be an ideal option if you need something for lunches as well as for days out.
