Are you an outdoor enthusiast looking for a cooler for your food? Do you want to give a car cooler to a loved one who travels often for business reasons? This article is definitely the guide you need.
Coolers have gradually become indispensable in everyone's daily life. This is understandable, as we all need to preserve our food especially when we make long trips. However, the market offers a diversity of models that do not share the same specificities. Very quickly, the choice can be particularly difficult in the absence of clear indications.
To that end, if you're wondering which type of cooler to choose, the answer can be summed up in three models. These include the soft cooler, the hard cooler and the electric cooler.
Each of these has its own unique advantages, and that's just what you'll discover in the rest of this guide. And for each type of cooler, you'll get a custom model that you can adopt at home.
The soft cooler: the choice of portable refrigeration
The first type of cooler we suggest is the soft cooler bag. Simply put, these are containers that can be used anywhere. You can use them at the gym, on a hike, on a picnic, at the office, etc.
What are the advantages of the soft cooler?
Besides keeping your meals cool, it offers many other attractive advantages.
The soft cooler is easy to carry
It's obvious that you won't want a heavy cooler bag if you're going on an adventure or even to the beach. That's where the soft cooler comes in, as it offers you excellent portability. Obviously, it's lightweight and some models even come with a strap for grip. It's a great choice for workers who want to take their lunch and drinks to work without a hitch.
The soft cooler is easy to store
The other quality of this type of cooler is that it is not bulky. In fact, you can fold it up and keep it in a closet after use. It also fits well in the trunk of a car even if the car is full of equipment. Furthermore, this type of cooler owes this advantage to its design, as the soft cooler is usually small in size.
What is the best soft cooler?
Far from any advertising intention, our editorial team proposes here a model of ultra efficient soft cooler. It is signed Healthy Lunch and is the best on the market. Why is it so good?
Ergonomic dimensions
This model keeps all its promises in terms of portability thanks to its dimensions. Obviously, it has a height of 24 cm, a length of 30 cm and a width of 18 cm. Technically, it does not encumber you and follows you in all your movements. Even better, you can count on its shoulder strap and its handgrip that makes it easy to hold.
-- Discover Cooler Bag Blue 13L
Excellent thermal insulation
The other feature of this cooler is its insulation, which is of remarkable quality. In fact, the design material of its compartment features a triple layer. This includes a:
- Waterproof inner layer;
- Waterproof outer layer;
- Polyurethane foam.
Thanks to all this arsenal, the cooler can keep your food cold or warm for up to 6 hours. And if you have ice bars, it is possible to cool your drinks further.
The rigid cooler: to keep food and drinks at the right temperature
Some outdoor activities require coolers that can withstand rough handling for extended periods of time. We recommend hard-sided coolers for this purpose.
What are the advantages of a hard-sided cooler?
Here are three main advantages that they offer you:
Large capacity
Unlike a soft-sided cooler that is more portable, a hard-sided cooler has a large capacity. In other words, it has a larger storage capacity that allows it to keep a large number of foods. You can even store meat for those who fish or hunt.
A hard-sided cooler is measured in volume and you can choose from a variety of sizes depending on your personal needs.
Better food retention at the right temperature
Hard-sided coolers have earned a reputation for outstanding temperature retention. This is what makes them so popular with outdoor enthusiasts. They are able to keep your food supplies even when your adventure takes you to extreme climates.
Their revolutionary materials offer superior insulation that keeps the contents cold or warm over several days.
Better durability
Hard-sided coolers are made of a hard plastic that can withstand any impact without breaking. The manufacturing technique is such that some manufacturers are able to offer a 5 to 10 year warranty on their models. In a sentence, the cooler can withstand heavy use and is even strong enough to sit on. This could come in handy on your next fishing, hunting or camping trip.
What is the best hard-sided cooler?
To save you the hassle of shopping around, this section will take a look at the best rigid cooler. This includes the White High Performance Cooler from Healthy Lunch.
A versatile cooler
With its large 25-liter capacity, this beautiful rigid cooler is suitable for all activities. Specifically, you can use it for fishing, hunting, boat cruises, hiking or excursions. Better yet, it will also do the trick for a stay in a nature campground.
A resistance to all shocks
The Healthy Lunch cooler will convince you with its resistance. It owes this characteristic mainly to its isothermal materials of premium quality. The components include PU foam that is both waterproof and leakproof.
Long-term preservation
Regardless of the outside temperature, this rigid cooler can keep the temperature for 3 days. Technically, you can keep food hot or cold without altering their food quality.
-- Discover White High Performance Cooler
The electric cooler: the mobile refrigerator for food and drinks
Electric coolers come in three categories and each has its own advantages.
Thermoelectric cooler:
- Works on the principle of the Peltier effect;
- Can be connected to several power sources: 12v, 24v and 220v;
- Resistant to shocks;
- Can keep cool up to -20°C compared to room temperature.
Absorption cooler:
- Produces cold from a solution of water, hydrogen and ammonia ;
- Operates without a motor, i.e. it is completely silent;
- Compatible with AC and DC power;
- Capable of making ice cubes in just a few minutes.
Compression Cooler:
- Works like a refrigerator;
- Can be used in summer or in particularly hot environments;
- Can keep cool down to -10°C from room temperature in minutes;
- Compatible with cigarette lighter outlets and wall power supplies.
-- Discover Electric Cooler Car/Truck 32L - 12V -220V
What is the best electric cooler?
In the category of electric coolers, the following model is one of the best-sellers of the store. Let's find out together what makes it so special.
Multi-functionality
This electric cooler is designed for several uses. First of all, you can use it in your car by using the cigarette lighter plug of your 12 volts. Then, it is also suitable for trucks and campers especially for nomadic workers and adventurers. Finally, you can use it as a mini-fridge at home where it connects to 220 volts AC.
On the other hand, the large 32-liter cooler has an LED remote control for easy manual adjustment.
A unique cooling capacity
Working on compression technology, this cooler allows you to have a precise temperature control. Technically, you can keep food up to a temperature of -3°C. Your meals will therefore be kept cool for at least 20 hours when the device is not turned on. Moreover, it does not make any noise because of its decibels lower than 45.
You will have understood: there are three types of coolers that you can choose according to your needs. If the soft cooler is recommended for its portability, its rigid competitor is perfect for its resistance. On the other hand, frequent travelers can settle for an electric cooler whose cooling system is far superior to the others.