I love getting questions from friends about outdoor gear.  Sometimes I have an answer ready to go and sometimes I need to think for a few minutes. There are so many great options out there, but which cooler is the best for families? Keep reading!

There are so many things to consider, so I am gearing this answer to the best coolers for adventurous families with young kids.

Vintage coolers

Confession:  I have a collection of coolers.  2 OLD ones that were my Grandparents and I absolutely love them.  I often use them for drink coolers when I host home parties because of their vintage vibes.  I kinda wonder if my friends just think that I like super worn-out coolers because nowhere else in my life do I use vintage items.

However, I currently have one of them sitting in my living room waiting to be unpacked.  It’s our favorite one for DRY GOODS when we are camping.  It has a metal clasp, so it’s raccoon proof at a campsite (similar new one).

Anyway, no one is here to research the aesthetics of a vintage cooler, it’s just something that I wanted to throw out there 🙂  Just in case you’re now regretting not hanging onto your Grandma’s cooler, Igloo does have a retro cooler that’s pretty adorable!

Best cooler for a hike

If you are packing a cooler for a one meal adventure, there are a few points to consider:

• Weight
• Handles
• Capacity

One of our wedding gifts was a cooler backpack.  In all honesty, Jake’s tried to give this pack away a few times because he finds it impractical.  However, I LOVE it!  I’ve used it for romantic dinner hikes (it even holds a bottle of wine) and many lunch/snack hikes with the kids.  It is comfortable to carry long distances when I don’t need to keep items super cold.  This is a very similar picnic backpack.

Here is an upgraded backpack cooler that would be perfect for a day hike with the family.  I could also see the usefulness of these soft sided coolers for day trips on a kayak/ boat/ bike.  Times when you have to carry a cooler for a short distance and it’s important to keep your items really cold.

Best cooler for the beach

At the beach, there are a few NECESSITIES!  Towels, a beach umbrella, cold drinks WITH SCREW TOPS and lots of snacks.  (notice: swimsuit is optional!  HA!  You do you.)

You also need a cooler that has the best ice retention AND is easy to carry.  

You need the sasquatch of coolers… does it really exist?

I will say that my Yeti Roadie 24 Cooler does fit the bill.  OOO… a Sasquatch challenge was just answered by Yeti.  My subconscious is a scary place.

The Yeti Roadie is easy to carry by one person, even fully loaded (take it from one exhausted mom to another, this cooler is totally manageable!).  I recently packed it TO THE BRIM (yes, a bottle of wine fits upright in this tall cooler) and then shook an entire bag of ice over everything.  The cooler was opened approximately every 28 seconds by my kids and my cousins’ kids (for the Gatorade and juice boxes, not the wine).  It also sat in direct sunlight for a large part of the day.  The original bag of ice lasted 3 full days.

The Yeti is also raccoon proof and bear resistant.  This size doesn’t have the capability to lock the cooler, so it is not bear proof and should always be stored inside a locked vehicle when camping in bear country.

All that being said, I actually WON my Yeti!  I would not have paid that price tag.  Now that I’ve used it, I agree that it really is the best cooler for families with young kids.  If you want to buy one cooler for the rest of your days, GO FOR IT!  

Best cooler for car travel

If you have space in your trunk… opt for TWO coolers!  One for dry goods and one for cold goods.  I drive a minivan, so I always have room!  Coolers double as extra seating, keep the food protected from weather and insects, and are easier to organize than carrying bags of your dry goods!  This cooler has great latches that will keep your food safe from most varmints.

I love the practicality of this soft-sided full-size Kelty cooler.  It wouldn’t keep your food chilled for multiple days, but it’s perfect for a day trip.  The cooler itself doesn’t add extra weight and then you can collapse it to a storage-friendly size.

If you’re really ready to invest in a cooler, I love this wheeled cooler.  It even has an optional dry goods container on the top.  So you can wheel all of your delicacies from your car to your picnic blanket.  

Yeti makes a fantastic, classic-sized, wheeled cooler that will last you a lifetime.  If you want a good quality cooler that isn’t an “investment” piece, this Coleman Rolling Cooler has great reviews and is the one I’d purchase for our car camping/ picnic/ festival going needs.  Truly, if you are looking for the best camping cooler, you want one that will hold ice for a full weekend and fits the amount of food that you typically take.  If you have a partner, you can opt for a cooler with great handles;  If you plan to take your kids as the only adult, opt for a wheeled cooler.

What are your most important features of a cooler?  Weight, latches, capacity, ice retention, wheels, color (raising my hand)…