HomeBuying Guide8 Best Coolers WIRED Tested For Every Budget, Any Situation

8 Best Coolers WIRED Tested For Every Budget, Any Situation

May 23, 2023

8 Best Coolers WIRED Tested For Every Budget, Any Situation

  • Photograph: Bote

    Best On the Water

    Bote Kula 5

    These bucket shaped coolers are made to fit on the front of Bote paddleboards like the Aero Breeze (7/10, WIRED Recommends). That said, it doesn't have to be on a paddleboard at all. Its circular shape helps it fit in all sorts of places other coolers can't. It's rugged and the handle makes it easier to carry. The tiedown points mean you can attach it to anything. I've had it on paddleboards and in canoes, but I've seen on strapped the back of a jetski and it was doing fine.

    ★ Alternative: Depending on your watercraft, the Yeti Hopper Flip 12 ($250) might be a better fit. I like this Yeti for the wide mouth and heavy zipper that never sticks. It's free-standing, and at 14.25 inches wide, it's the perfect size for bungeeing to the top of a paddleboard or bike rack. It has both a grab handle on top and a shoulder strap, which provide plenty of points to carabiner a small dry bag or pair of flip-flops.

    $200 at Amazon
    $200 at Bote

  • Photograph: Airskirts

    Best Inflatable Cooler

    Airskirts Inflatable Cooler

    The AirSkirts inflatable cooler is ideal for those of us who live in small spaces, or for anyone who just doesn't want to store a massive cooler they only use twice a year. The Airskirts packs down into a small carrying bag for storage and easily inflates in just a few minutes. Once inflated, it's rigid and strong enough for me (a 165-pound male) to sit on. It's made of a PVC fabric, and the air trapped inside the walls when you inflate it provides pretty good insulation. I was able to keep a bag of cube ice for a full day, even leaving the cooler in the direct Florida sun (which would be silly, don't do that). It's not cheap, but portability always comes with a price tag.

    $399 at Airskirts

  • Photograph: Oyster

    Best With Low Ice

    Oyster Tempo Cooler

    Double-walled vacuum insulation is how your iced coffee stays cold in a travel mug, but it's normally only structurally stable in a cylindrical shape. The Norwegian company Oyster figured out how to transfer this technology to a rectangular cooler. The Tempo’s aluminum body is so efficient at temperature retention that it can keep food and drinks just as cold as a plastic or foam cooler while using less than half as much ice. The design also gives the Tempo very thin walls; the sides are only about an inch thick, which is about half as thick as the walls of most plastic coolers. This makes the Tempo more compact, and gives it an interior that’s much larger than you think it’s going to be when you open it. The lid clamps down with two brackets. You can undo them both to lift the lid entirely off, or (in a clever design touch) undo just one bracket so the other can serve as a hinge. The handle snaps on and can be removed entirely or replaced with a strap.

    The 5-gallon capacity is enough for a half gallon of milk, a couple quart containers of pasta salad, a six pack of cans, some loose produce, and a couple of cold packs. If you stay on a liquid diet while vacationing, it holds 36 cans of whatever you’re drinking. It costs $500, which is a few hundred dollars more than most anyone wants to spend on a cooler. But if you want something compact and powerful and don’t mind paying through the nose to get it, just know that the Tempo performs well enough to earn its price tag. After a Tempo packed tightly with perishables and two freezer packs spent five hours in the backseat of a car and three hours on the floor of a cabin, a can of Spindrift soda still felt and tasted as cold as if it had spent that whole time in the fridge. —Michael Calore, Senior Editor

    $605 at Oyster

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