Consumer Reports' Best Cooler Pick Keeps Food Cold For Up To 5 Days (But It Isn't For Everyone)

There are a multitude of things you need to know before buying a cooler, like deciding on the size, material, and durability that best meet your needs. But if you're in the market for a new, heavy-duty option, the only cooler you need for a long camping or road trip, according to Consumer Reports, is the RTIC Outdoors 52-Quart Ultra Light Cooler. The RTIC cooler beat out legacy brands like Igloo and Coleman, and the cult-following brand YETI. To test the various coolers, the Consumer Reports team used a temperature-controlled chamber to monitor each option over a 72-hour period, recording more than 500,000 temperature readings per cooler. In addition to more scientific methods, they tested the user-friendliness of each cooler, noting ease of opening, draining, and carrying or moving. 

Consumer Reports found that during testing, the RTIC Outdoors cooler kept cans of soda cool at under 40 degrees Fahrenheit for five days and three hours, at which point the ice had melted but the soda was still cold. When the temperature of the testing chamber went up to 116 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature inside the cooler crept up to 51 degrees Fahrenheit, but when the testing chamber was brought down to 91 degrees Fahrenheit, the cooler's temperature also went back down, but only to 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Given these extreme testing situations, it's clear that the RTIC cooler can withstand hot summer camping weather or long car trips underneath the blazing sun. 

While the RTIC rotomolded cooler may be overkill for the average person, it's ideal for transporting things that need to be kept extremely cold despite harsh conditions, like bringing back fresh catches from a far away fishing trip in the middle of summer. With a 52-quart capacity that holds either 76 cans or a whopping 51 pounds of ice, the heavy-duty cooler is likely to be the only cooler you'll need while camping or taking a long road trip. Consumer Reports also found that this model was easy to remove items out of, and appreciated its lid-locking mechanism — features that were also praised by customers online. It even drains well from not one but two holes, and the drain caps are attached so they don't get lost.

While the RTIC Outdoors 52-Quart Ultra Light Cooler is great to use over extended periods, it's not necessarily the best choice for a day at the beach or a picnic in the park. The cooler does not have wheels on it, making it necessary to carry it (preferably with another person) or drag it along the ground, which is not ideal for a short-term activity or one where you'll need to transport it farther than a short distance once it's full. Although the RTIC cooler's rubber feet prevent it from slipping around on a surface, they also make maneuvering it more difficult. For a more distance-friendly alternative, opt for one of these best-reviewed wheeled coolers.