Cooler Sizes Guide – Our Picks in Every Size Possible

If you’re looking for the best 10 QT cooler that will give you the most value for its size, then we recommend the Rubbermaid 10QT Cooler, which can hold up to six cans plus ice, making it perfect for when you need something to hold your lunch at work or only need to bring a few drinks or snacks to a friend’s house.

The food and drinks inside will stay cold thanks to the ice chest’s thermal retention, and the liner is designed to be easy to clean. You’ll have two colors to choose from, blue and red, and the cooler has an easy time avoiding stains and odors.

This option is also made in the United States, which should satisfy anyone who wants to support more American-made products.

TIP: You'll find more coverage on Rubbermaid Coolers in our earlier post.

If you’d like to know what the editor believes is the best option, then that would be Igloo’s Playmate Cooler Family (with Industrial Diamond Plate Exterior Design in this case).

Avoiding spills won’t be a problem here thanks to its patented tent shaped locking lid, which swings to both sides to open so that you don’t have any problems reaching for something specific.

The grip is molded so that you can keep a good hold on the cooler in case it’s left in the rain during a soccer or football game for a while. A diamond plate covers the outside of the ice chest so that it stays scratch and dent-free.

TIP: Igloo offers more sizes and features across their Playmate product range – check out our very own Igloo Playmate review for more details.

Performance is obviously a major factor when deciding which ice chest will make the most of your time, and in this case, Stanley’s Adventure Cooler 16 is the primary subject.

Double wall foam insulation keeps your ice cold for days, ensuring that your drinks and food stay in prime consuming condition for the whole camping trip. It has enough room for 21 cans, which should keep everyone in your group satisfied, and you’ll have four color options to choose from in case you want your ice chest to stand out from the rest and not get confused with them: blue, red, polar white and the classic green.

TIP: For a detailed review of the Stanley Adventure Cooler, click here.

The Engel USA 19QT Cooler/DryBox takes the cake when it comes to what the editor prioritizes among others in this range. This ice chest operates more as a dry box that holds ice for certain occasions, so using it for drinks or food to bring to a party may not be the best idea.

You’ll be given several options when it comes to colors, which include white, tan, grassland, and some of them have four rod holders for extra containment. You’ll have a variety of occasions to choose from when it comes to using this option, which includes sports, fitness, hunting, fishing, camping and other physical activities.

TIP: In case you're interested in Engel, we have more posts focusing on this brand's products, here and here.

When it comes to which cooler does its job the best in this size range, we recommend getting your hands on the Outdoor Recreational Company of America’s 20 (ORCA) cooler with the lid and bottom.

This option is more fitting for outdoorsmen who have a hunting and fishing trip coming up and want to spend the night star gazing by the campfire.

You’ll be able to put up to 24 cans in this ice chest, which should satisfy everyone in your group for the whole trip if they bring some drinks as well, and you’ll have a long list of colors to choose from, including most popular like white, tan, green, pink and so on.

TIP: Don't forget to check out our Orca vs Yeti post for more information.

Igloo can't help but take up spots on this list due to its ability to provide great-performing coolers, this time with its Marine Ultra cooler (28qt).

This option comes in large sizes, as well, but its smaller offering has the best value here, and the features come in abundance, such as cup holders that can drain themselves, tie-down loops for extra security, and ally wheels with a handle to make moving the ice chest a piece of cake.

The ultraviolet inhibitors keep the sun from damaging the outside of the cooler, and the retention will keep your drinks and food cold for days.

TIP: For more information on Igloo Coolers, we recommend you read this post.

The option that comes in first place in the mid size range when it comes to performance is another ice chest that we previously discussed: the Orca 40 cooler.

With this premium choice, you’ll be able to enjoy accessories that make you feel like you’re cooking in your kitchen while in the outdoors, and other features include a lid gasket to keep cold air sealed and grip handles that make the carrying process comfortable. Your ice will stay cold for up to 10 days, making this cooler perfect for long outdoor vacations, and the cargo net attachment lets you add extra items inside.

The Orca 40 can be purchased in four main variations: Classic, Lifestyle, Camo and NFL. Each of these offers plenty of color options to choose from. Check them all here at Amazon.

When it comes to what the editor thinks will give you the best bang for your buck in this range, that honor goes to another popular ice brand: RTIC and its mid-size cooler RTIC 45.

In fact, we've just recently featured this cooler amongst the best medium cooler picks for this year. 

This company’s hard cooler will not only keep your food and drinks cold for longer than most alternatives, but it is also designed to withstand the worst that nature has to offer, whether it’s nature, rocks or animals, and keep dents and scratches away.

If you got a fishing or hunting trip coming up for small game, or if you plan to go tailgating with your friends and family for the next home football game, then get your hands on this option as soon as possible.

RTIC cooler is available in five color options: white, tan, blue, seafoam green and fabulous pink.

TIP: In case you're looking for more information, our very own and hugely popular RTIC cooler review will provide you with the further details on both the RTIC's brand and their main ice chest.

Coleman, another ice chest brand that has been making a name for itself, has made its way onto this list, particularly in the category of best value.

This Coleman 48 Quart cooler is able to keep your drinks and food as cold as possible when it’s as hot as 90 °F. The lid is hinged to make getting your items an easy experience, two-way handles are included to make the ice chest easy to carry, and the drain is leak-resistant so that you don’t have to hold the cooler upside down to get rid of excess water. You’ll be able to hold up to 63 cans in this option, and color options include white, blue, red and green.

Those who value the editor’s opinion above everything else when it comes to big coolers will want to stick with Yeti’s Tundra 65 for their next backyard party or party by the lake.

This cooler has a rotomolded construction to keep everything inside safe and secure while the outside stays free of dents and scratches.

The drinks and food that you keep inside will stay cold for at least a week, a capability that has received plenty of praise from users, and you’ll be able to choose from white, desert tan and ice blue so that your ice chest doesn’t get confused with any others that are brought to the party.

TIP: Here's more information on Yeti coolers, with reviews, facts and purchasing options.

Just when you thought you weren’t going to see Coleman on this list anymore, it pops up again, this time in the large-size cooler category.

This is thanks to its Xtreme Cooler 70QT, which can hold up to 100 cans, making it perfect for a tailgating party outside a football stadium and friends and family, or even parties at other spots, including a friend’s house or a campsite.

Its Have-A-Seat lid can support anyone weighing up to 250 pounds in case all of the seats and benches around are occupied, and the Xtreme 5 Technology keeps your drinks cold for up to five days in temperatures as hot as 90 °F. It comes in in two color options: Black/Gray and Light Blue/White.

TIP: Here's our very own Coleman Xtreme cooler review for your reading pleasure.

Pelican has the honor of taking the spot for best performance in this upsize cooler category with its Elite 70QT ice chest.

Rotomolded polyurethane insulation keeps whatever you have inside cold for up to 10 days, which can come in handy for a long vacation with friends and family in any location. Molded handles make this ice chest easy to carry, and the tie-down slots allow you to use straps to ensure extra security.

The list of colors that you’ll have to choose from is a long one, including white/gray, brown/tan, green/tan, grey/green, grey/white, tan/orange and seafoam.

This option is made in the United States, in case you want to support more American-made products.

TIP: Pelican coolers are one of the best coolers on the market, find out why in this post.

Once again, Coleman has taken a spot on this list, this time in the extra large ice chest area with its 100QT Xtreme 5 Wheeled cooler, marked as the best value for the money.

This one comes with wheels to make it easy moving this ice chest due to its size, and the two-way handles help out with the weight. Four cup holders are on top of the lid so you have somewhere to put your drinks when you sit down, and the ThermOZONE Insulation is void of any chemicals harmful to the ozone.

Your drinks will stay cold for up to five days, even when its 90 °F, and no one at your party will go thirsty, as this ice chest can hold up to 160 cans.

When it comes to best performance for very big ice chests, Cordova has it in the bag with its 125 (120 cans) rotomolded ice chest. Owners of this cooler get to enjoy five days of cold drinks and food thanks to its superior insulation, and it manages to be extremely light for a cooler of its size.

The lid locking system ensures that people only get into this cooler when you want them to, and the aluminum molded handles ensure that you have a strong grip and easy time carrying it. The feet on the cooler also keep it from sliding when it’s been raining, which also keeps people from having their feet knocked out from under them.

TIP: Here's our Cordova Cooler review, in case you need more first-hand information.

Here comes the Igloo, again. This brand scored took multiple spots on our list and this time it's with their Super Tough STX cooler.

Four cup holders are on the lid so that you have somewhere to put your drinks when the tables and counters are occupied. Your drinks and food will be able to stay cold for up to a week in temperatures as hot as 90 °F, and the stainless steel lid straps keep everything inside safe and sound.

The grip handles on the side are designed to give you a good grip while carrying the ice chest, and it doesn’t weigh too much for a member of the extra large cooler category.

Coleman can’t help but take up spots on this list, this time with its 200 qt H20 Marine cooler for the giant ice chests. This option is best for people looking to do some camping, and it is made of materials that keep it tough enough to handle whatever nature can throw at it.

The handles on the sides make it easy to carry, whether on your own with a light load or with a friend when you’re carrying a large number of drinks for a party. The drinks will stay cold enough to keep everyone satisfied for a weekend vacation, and the straps will keep the lid secure so that no person, or animal, can get in.

Looking at its huge size, capacity and price, we can surely say this cooler is really the best value for the money in this size category.

Yeti, which stands above the rest in terms of name recognition, takes another spot on this list thanks to the editor’s opinion, this time with its Tundra 250 ice chest.

This option comes in handy when you want to hunt some deer, elk, moose and other big game, and whatever you catch will stay cold for the whole vacation thanks to the freezer-style gasket, something that users have praised online.

The outside is designed to keep bears and other large animals from trying to get inside and leave dents and scratches to see when they leave, as well as any rain, hail and debris that nature will throw your way.

TIP: Guess what? Tundra 250 isn't the largest Yeti ou there! If you still need a bigger one, there's the Tundra 350 option which you may want to check out.

When it comes to performance in the giant ice chest category, Grizzly is able to fill the plate with its 400 QT cooler.

This option beats all others on this list in terms of what it can carry, as it can hold up to 500 cans, so you don’t have to worry about running out of drinks at a huge party. Like several other coolers on this list, this one will satisfy supporters of American-made products by being made completely in the United States.

It can keep any bear from getting in and stealing your drinks and food while camping or hunting, and whatever you keep inside will stay cold for the whole trip.

TIP: We've had much to say about these coolers. Check out our Grizzly cooler review right here.