Buying a cooler is easy if you take these things into account

Buying an ice cooler can sometimes be a difficult decision because there are quite a few to choose from and you want to make the right choice. Here are some things to consider before you buy. You will want to consider which features are important to you. Grab a pen and paper and consider which ones are important to you…

* Does your ice cooler have to fit in a particular place in your vehicle or boat? If you have set dimensions to work with, then this is important to know.

* Do you need to serve a certain number of people? The more people, the more space and so you should consider whether two smaller ones are better for you than one larger fridge.

* Here is an important point about the size. You don’t want a cooler that’s bigger than your needs because you’ll have a hard time getting the ice-holding performance you need. For example, if you put a slab of beer and a bag of ice in a 120 qt cooler, you’ll end up with a lot of air inside that gets blown away by warm air every time someone opens the lid. So if most of the time you only need to carry one slab of beer, then get the right size for that, and if you occasionally need something bigger, consider two smaller ones, or buy one smaller and one larger.

* Do you need ice to keep for 1 day or 5 days and under what conditions? If you only need it for a tailgating party, then you need ice for a day. If you need it for a weekend camping trip, then you’ll want to be able to buy a batch of ice and have it ready for the weekend. Or maybe you’re camping in the backcountry and need ice that will last up to a week under controlled conditions.

* For food safety, you want a food grade liner that uses virgin food grade polyethylene resin. Don’t risk your family’s safety by accepting a cooler that doesn’t offer this as standard.

*Material: Rotomolded polyethylene shell is about as strong as you can get in a cooler. Fiberglass looks great, although it breaks and scratches easily. Cheap blow molded coolers are… very cheap to buy, but they won’t last as long.

* Insulation: Commercial grade polyurethane insulation works best.

* Hinge Design – Your cooler will only last as long as its hinges last and this is where most cheap products fall apart.

* Latches – You want a good latch that will provide good seal compression and will last for many years.

* Plug Design – You want a nice big plug that is easy to remove and lasts well

* Handles are important to carry when full

* Trays or baskets: they are important to some people, although many end up leaving them aside depending on the use that is given to the cooler.

* Tie down facilities – these are important to some people, for example if you leave your cooler permanently in the back of a van you want to be able to lock the cooler.

* The choice of color is important to some people. Some colors, such as blue, granite, and green, are great at hiding dirt and will often look great even years later, practically looking like new.

*Lighter colors will reflect heat better so you may get slightly improved performance with a white or light colour, so this could be great if you are going to have your cooler out in the sun for example.

* Other reasons may affect color choice. If you have a white boat, you might like a white cooler. If you want to use your cooler for marketing purposes, you probably want something that will stand out and look eye-catching.

So there you have a whole list of things to consider when buying or reviewing ice chest coolers. Be sure to do your research, there is a lot of information available online.

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