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Mini coolers give you an affordable, portable way to keep food and drinks fresh and cold. To help you select the mini cooler that’s right for you, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the best mini coolers on Amazon. Here are our top five recommendations.
Top 5 Mini Coolers
- Best Storage Options: TOURIT Cooler Backpack
- Best Zipperless Cooler: Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Cooler
- Best Capacity: Lifewit Soft Cooler Bag
- Best Attachments: SEEHONOR Insulated Cooler Backpack
- Best Collapsible Cooler: CleverMade Collapsible Cooler Bag
Best Storage Options
TOURIT Cooler Backpack
- $36.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
With its leakproof, insulated interior, this mini cooler can keep items cold or hot for up to 16 hours. It features a bottle opener on its strap and a lightweight, one-pound design for easy carrying. It also comes in multiple colors.
Best Zipperless Cooler
Arctic Zone Titan Deep Freeze Cooler
- $36.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
In addition to its insulated interior that can hold up to 16 cans, this cooler has two front pockets and two side mesh pockets for more storage space. It’s also available in multiple colors to match your style.
Best Capacity
Lifewit Soft Cooler Bag
- $28.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
This mini cooler includes two insulated sections to separate drinks and food. These sections can keep snacks and drinks cold for up to 12 hours. It also has built-in back webbing that slips over suitcase handles for easy transportation.
Best Attachments
SEEHONOR Insulated Cooler Backpack
- $29.99
Prices taken at time of publishing.
With its bottle opener for opening glass bottles and D-rings for hooking keys or other items, this cooler is multifunctional. It also has an anti-leak interior that keeps up to 25 cans chilled.
Best Collapsible Cooler
CleverMade Collapsible Cooler Bag
- $29.99
- $34.99
- 14% off
Prices taken at time of publishing.
With a leakproof insulation liner and strong polyester outer material, this cooler is durable. It also features a padded, adjustable shoulder strap and two carrying handles, giving you multiple ways to carry your 30 beverage cans.
Buyer’s Guide
Before buying a mini cooler, it’s important to consider how its design and specifications impact its user experience and performance. Here are four factors to think about before making a purchase.
Size
While all mini coolers are compact, they come in a variety of sizes to suit different occasions. Most models describe their size by the number of cans they can hold. The larger a mini cooler’s can capacity, the larger its dimensions and the heavier its weight.
Storage
Most mini coolers have multiple storage options to allow users to carry additional items alongside their favorite beverages. The most popular storage options are side mesh pockets for open drinks and front zipper pockets for snacks, phones, and other items that you don’t want to get wet.
Portability
To help users carry their contents, most mini coolers have shoulder straps or handles. However, other models may offer additional support with backpack straps. Backpack models are great for carrying a large quantity of beverages for long distances.
Additional Features
Most mini coolers come with additional features that increase durability or ease of use. For example, some coolers have a leakproof interior lining that’s removable for easy cleanup after a day out. Other models are made with puncture-resistant materials for long-lasting use.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does ice last in a mini cooler?
The time it takes for a cooler’s ice to melt varies from model to model. However, most mini coolers can keep items cold for over six hours.
Does adding salt to my cooler make the ice last longer?
While adding salt to your cooler causes the ice to melt faster, it lowers the ice’s freezing point, which decreases the overall temperature inside the cooler. This helps your cooler keep drinks cold for longer.
Can mini coolers keep items warm?
Yes. Most mini coolers have insulated interiors that can maintain the temperature of hot or cold items.
Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
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