Best coolers for tailgaiting in 2024
Whether you're tailgating at the big game, grilling with friends or heading to an outdoor concert, a reliable cooler is essential to keep your drinks and snacks chilled.
To help you choose the perfect cooler for your 2024 tailgate season, we've compiled a list of the best coolers available this year. Our top picks come in a range of sizes, colors and designs, suitable for any budget. Plus, each cooler boasts a customer rating of four stars or higher.
The best coolers in 2024
- Best overall cooler: Igloo Overland ice chest cooler
- Runner up: Ninja FrostVault hard cooler
- Best portable cooler: Herschel Pop Quiz cooler
- Best large cooler: Coleman retro cooler
- Best small cooler: Corkcicle Eola bucket cooler bag
- Best splurge cooler: Yeti Tundra 45 hard cooler
- Most affordable cooler: Coleman 316 Series hard ice chest cooler
- Most stylish cooler: Business & Pleasure Co. premium cooler
Best overall cooler: Igloo Overland ice chest cooler
This cooler from Igloo offers impressive value for the price. First, you get a lot of room. The 50-quart capacity yields enough space for 81 cans. Second, the walls that surround these cans are thick and insulated with 1.5 inches of foam to ensure your drinks are kept cool. The rubber latches help keep cold air in as well, in addition to preventing leakage while in transit. Furthermore, there's a built-in locking plate that allows you to secure your drinks and snacks, perfect for keeping wildlife away from your food while camping.
We are also really digging the cooler's built-in bottle opener and the drainage plug that'll make getting rid of your melted ice easy. The cooler has been finished with UV inhibitors, which can help prevent sun damage, and an anti-microbial lining that can help keep the exterior clean through all the adventures the cooler will inevitably see.
Runner Up: Ninja FrostVault 50qt Hard Cooler
The Ninja FrostVault Hard Cooler features a dry storage drawer that can stay cool (under 40°F) for days, making it ideal for extended adventures. With a 50-quart capacity, this option can fit up to 80 cans without ice or 45 cans with ice. (A 30-quart Ninja FrostVault cooler is also available.)
The cooler's design allows for smarter packing, eliminating the need for secondary containers to keep food and drinks separate. It also features durable handles, a lockable lid and an easy-to-use latch for convenient access and transport.
The Ninja FrostVault hard cooler is rated 4.5 stars at Amazon.
Best portable cooler: Herschel Pop Quiz cooler 30 pack
For those who are willing to sacrifice insulation in the name of portability, get the Herschel Pop Quiz cooler. The brand is known for making comfortable, long-lasting backpacks (we should know, as one of our CBS Essentials shopping experts has had one for six years), so we expect the same quality and reliability with this cooler.
The Herschel cooler has reinforced handles and a padded shoulder strap for easy transport. It also comes with a front pocket, perfect for fitting personal items like your keys and wallet, and a convenient key clip bottle opener. Inside, you'll find foam-padded insulation and a leakproof lining that'll come in handy, should there be any spills.
The Herschel Pop Quiz cooler can hold 30 cans and comes in four colors.
Best large cooler: Coleman retro cooler
Tailgate in style with this super cool retro-style cooler from Coleman. Unlike other products that are often vintage-inspired, this is the real deal. The brand had this design back in 1954, and brought it to the modern age with much-needed updates. These include insulation that the brand says can keep ice for up to four days, even in 90-degree heat.
The Coleman retro cooler can hold up to 85 cans, has a stain-resistant interior and a drainage hole that doesn't require the tilting of the cooler to work. It also comes with rust-resistant stainless steel hardware and a lid that is safe to sit on (so long as you are 250 or less). You can get this in four colors on Amazon, including red and green (pictured).
Best small cooler: Corkcicle Eola bucket cooler bag
This cooler from Corkcicle is the perfect picnic companion. It can hold 12 cans, five wine bottles, or eight cans and two wine bottles together. And according to the brand, it can keep ice all day.
Compared to traditional coolers, the Eola bucket cooler bag's insulation isn't as robust. But what the cooler lacks in insulation it more than makes up for in portability. When it comes to transporting you and your friends' drinks to a dinner party or bonfire, it just won't get easier than with the Corkcile Eola bucket bag.
You can get this in six colors, with some bags being made of vegan leather and others neoprene. Buy now and get $48 off your purchase while the product is still on sale.
Best splurge cooler: Yeti Tundra 45 hard cooler
In the tumbler world, Yeti, like Stanley, is a brand that reigns supreme. The brand's insulating properties across their products are supposed to be so good that once people go Yeti, they don't go back. Customer loyalty is so strong that the brand can get easily away with charging $300 for a cooler. Whether you are that Yeti fan, or just someone who wants to invest in a cooler that'll last a lifetime, consider the Yeti Tundra 45 hard cooler.
This cooler does stand out in that it has three inches of insulation, which, according to the brand, is enough to keep camp provisions overnight for four people, or drinks for a day. The amount of drinks it can hold is 54 cans. It's also roomy enough to accommodate 37 pounds of ice (if you're just transporting ice).
The Tundra 45 is especially great for camping, as it has been approved by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee for being bear-proof (when paired with an extra-long shank Master Lock padlock).
You can get this in 11 colors, including five year-round colors and six seasonal colors.
Most affordable cooler: Coleman 316 Series hard ice chest cooler
Just because this cooler is inexpensive doesn't mean you aren't getting a quality product. Coleman promises that its 316 Series hard ice chest cooler can keep ice for up to three days, even in a temperature of 90 degrees. It can fit up to 40 cans with 26 pounds of ice and has a drain plug for easy cleanup.
The cooler also has four built-in cup holders on its lid that are wide enough to accommodate 30-ounce tumblers. The lid can also double as a seat that can support 250 pounds.
Customers are pretty pleased with this product, as it boasts a 4.6-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer wrote, "Got this cooler for camping. Used ice packs from home to keep food cold, drove three hours to camp. Super hot first few days, this cooler kept those ice packs frozen for three days before we needed to add ice."
Most stylish cooler: Business & Pleasure Co. premium cooler
Leave it to Revolve to sell the cutest cooler we've ever seen. In fact, at first glance, you probably wouldn't know it's a cooler at all. The Business & Pleasure Co. premium cooler features a 70s-inspired design that's quite pretty to look at. It's made of a poly-cotton-canvas material that's treated with mold, water and UV coatings. It also features genuine leather trim and exterior slip pockets, allowing the cooler to double as a purse.
The insulating properties are minimal compared to traditional coolers, but if you're more concerned about fashion over function, this cooler will more than do.
The Business & Pleasure Co. premium cooler has a 4.9-star rating on the brand's website. One reviewer wrote, "Great quality. Perfect size. I love all the extra pockets. Super cute pattern inside. Kept everything cool at the beach for a long time."
