All Reviews

Every guide we've published, newest first.

Which Cooler Keeps Ice Longest? Zipperless Hardbody and Budget Picks

2026-10-04

A working guide to zipperless hardbody coolers, budget hard coolers, soft cooler bags, and the replacement parts that keep an old box sealing, with picks for fishing, camping, tailgates, and picnics.

Best Coolers for Fishing and Camping Trips: Rolling, Soft-Sided, and Collapsible

2026-10-04

A practical guide to picking a rolling cooler with wheels, a soft-sided bag, or a collapsible cooler, plus how to read ice-retention claims and match capacity to the trip.

Best Coolers for Camping and Tailgating: 6 Options Compared

2026-10-04

A practical look at the best coolers for camping, tailgating, and boat days, covering a 52-quart hard cooler, a roto molded 55-quart chest, a thermoelectric cooler and warmer, a small picnic cooler, and a butyl sealant tape for resealing jobs.

Best Coolers for Camping and Fishing: 6 Picks That Hold Ice

2026-10-04

A practical guide to the best coolers for camping, from a rotomolded hard cooler to soft insulated bags, and what actually matters before you buy.

Best Coolers for Camping and Fishing: 6 Picks Worth Comparing

2026-10-04

A practical look at coolers for camping and fishing, from a rotomolded chest rated for 5-7 days of ice retention to rolling hard coolers, a classic wheeled option, and reusable freezer packs that stretch a short trip.

Best Coolers and Ice Packs for Fishing Trips and Tailgates

2026-10-04

A practical guide to coolers and ice packs for day trips and overnights, covering a hard-sided carry cooler, a soft bag, a cooler backpack, reusable ice packs, and the small seals that decide whether a drain stays shut.

Best Camping Coolers for Ice Retention: Hard, Soft, and Replacement Parts

2026-10-04

Cooler ice retention comes down to the shell, the seal, and how you pack it. A 45-quart rotomolded chest, a budget hard cooler, a soft bag, and the latches and hinges that keep a lid honest.

Best Camping and Fishing Coolers: Hard, Rolling, and Backpack Picks

2026-10-04

A practical look at camping and fishing coolers, including hard-sided ice chests, a wheeled model, and an insulated cooler backpack, with the features worth checking before you buy.

Cooler Backpack vs Portable Air Cooler: What a Fishing Guide Packs

2026-09-24

A camping cooler backpack, a portable evaporative air cooler, and two cheap pieces of gear decide whether a hot-weather trip stays comfortable. A Lake Superior fishing guide sorts all four before the ice goes in.

Coleman vs INSMEER vs MIYCOO: Coolers, Bags, and the Drain Plug Fix

2026-09-24

The best coolers for camping trips, compared by a Lake Superior fishing guide: a hard-sided Coleman, a rolling INSMEER, a MIYCOO cooler bag, and the drain plug kit that saves the cooler you already own.

Coleman vs EchoSmile: Which Cooler Holds Ice on a 3-Day Trip

2026-09-24

A Coleman vs EchoSmile cooler comparison built for anglers and campers: hard cooler ice retention, gasket quality, latch durability, and which box earns permanent space in your truck.

Coleman Rolling Cooler vs Pelican 14 Quart: Ice Retention and Dry Storage Compared

2026-09-24

A working fishing guide's cooler ice retention and dry storage comparison: the Coleman rolling cooler, the Pelican 14 Quart, and the cooler net that keeps gear out of the melt.

Cooler Buying Guide For Fishing Trips

2026-09-04

Cooler buying guide for fishing trips, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Buying Guide Coolers For Tailgating

2026-09-01

Buying guide coolers for tailgating, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

The 8 Best Coolers of 2026, After the 3-Day Ice Test

2026-08-29

I've spent 15 years guiding on Lake Superior, and I've watched cheap coolers turn ~$80 of walleye into a warm, sad smell by noon. That's not a bad day;...

Best Coolers for the Beach: Sand, Sun, and Salt

2026-08-28

The beach is the worst place for a cooler. Sand gets in the hinges, salt corrodes the latches, and the sun beats down with zero mercy. I've hauled coolers...

Best Cooler for Boating: The Deck Test

2026-08-27

Well, the marketing copy calls the Igloo Marine the "ultimate fishing companion" and the Coleman Marine "built for the toughest conditions." But I've...

Best Cooler for Camping: Ice That Survives the Weekend

2026-08-26

The Coleman Classic Series Rolling Cooler is advertised as the cooler that'll keep your food cold for days. But is it really? I've spent 15...

Best Cooler for Fishing: The Guide's Pick

2026-08-25

Well, the Igloo Marine is advertised as the go-to for anglers, but is it really? I've been guiding on Lake Superior for 15 years and testing coolers for...

Best Cooler for Tailgating: Big, Rugged, and Rolling

2026-08-24

Well, I’ve been hauling coolers to boat ramps, golf carts, and craft fair booths for the better part of 15 years, and I’ve got a confession to make. I’m...

Best Cooler for Truck: Bed, Cab, and the Rough Road Test

2026-08-23

I've spent 15 years guiding on Lake Superior, and I've hauled a lot of coolers in and out of truck beds. I've seen cheap rotomolded boxes crack in the sun...

Best Cooler Under $100: The Budget Ice Reality

2026-08-22

The marketing department wants you to believe you need to drop four bills on a rotomolded box to keep a sandwich cold. I've spent 15 years guiding on Lake...

Best Cooler Under $200: Where Rotomolded Gets Real

2026-08-21

Well, the ~$300 cooler crowd is going to hate this. My CORE (more expensive) kept things colder, sure. But after 15 years guiding on Lake Superior and...

Best Large Coolers: The 100-Quart Commitment

2026-08-20

I've spent 15 years guiding on Lake Superior, and I've learned that a cooler is only as good as the day it saves. I've watched cheap coolers turn ~$80 of...

Best Small Coolers: The Day-Trip Reality

2026-08-19

I've hauled coolers to craft fairs, boat ramps, and golf courses for fifteen years, and I've watched a ~$400 rotomolded monster fail to justify its price...

Best Soft-Sided Coolers: The Carry-On Cold

2026-08-18

The best soft-sided cooler isn't the one with the loudest marketing campaign; it’s the one that survives the back of my Jeep, a week of shore lunches, and...

Best Wheeled Coolers: Rolling the 100-Quart Problem

2026-08-17

The 100-quart cooler is the point where the wheels stop being a luxury and start being the whole point of the cooler. Once you cross that size, you’re not...

Cooler Accessories: Baskets, Dividers, and Dry Storage

2026-08-16

Well, the cooler accessory market is a weird place. You'll see a ~$40 basket sitting next to a ~$12 bag of ice cubes and somehow the basket is the one that...

Cooler Drain Plug Leak Fix

2026-08-15

The drain plug is the most annoying failure on any cooler, and it's the one nobody talks about until they're standing in their driveway with water leaking.

Cooler Ice Retention Mistakes

2026-08-14

Cooler-ice-retention-mistakes, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Cooler Latch Replacement Guide

2026-08-13

Cooler-latch-replacement-guide, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Dry Ice In A Cooler Safety Tips

2026-08-12

Dry-ice-in-a-cooler-safety-tips, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How Long Does Ice Stay in a Cooler? The Real Numbers

2026-08-11

Well, here's a question I get asked more than any other on the lake: how long does ice actually stay in a cooler? Not what the box says, not what the...

How To Clean A Cooler Mold

2026-08-10

How-to-clean-a-cooler-mold, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Drain A Cooler Properly

2026-08-09

How-to-drain-a-cooler-properly, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Fix A Cooler Hinge

2026-08-08

How-to-fix-a-cooler-hinge, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How to Pack a Cooler: Ice Layers, Drainage, and Order

2026-08-07

I’ve spent 15 summers guiding on Lake Superior, and I’ve seen more than one ~$80 walleye catch turn into a warm, sad smell by noon because someone threw...

How To Remove Cooler Odor

2026-08-06

How-to-remove-cooler-odor, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Season A Cooler

2026-08-05

How-to-season-a-cooler, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

How To Store A Cooler For Winter

2026-08-04

How-to-store-a-cooler-for-winter, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Rotomolded vs Plastic Coolers: Is the Premium Real?

2026-08-03

I've spent 15 years guiding on Lake Superior, and in that time I've watched a ~$400 rotomolded monster keep ice for six days while a ~$60 Coleman held its...

Soft Cooler Vs Hard Cooler

2026-08-02

Soft-cooler-vs-hard-cooler, explained by a reviewer who actually lives with the gear. No fluff, no marketing language, just what works and what doesn't.

Yeti vs Pelican: The Premium Cooler Showdown

2026-08-01

I've hauled coolers for 15 years on Lake Superior, and I've seen the premium category go from "just buy a Yeti" to a real fight. Pelican has been nipping...

Yeti vs RTIC: The Rotomolded Price War

2026-07-31

Well, Yeti has spent a decade convincing the world you need to drop ~$400 on a cooler to keep a six-pack cold. I’ve been testing coolers on Lake Superior...