My Favorite Coolers for Road Trips and Picnics
We are in the peak of the Road Trip and summer picnic season and nothing can ruin a trip like not having the right cooler. I have collected several coolers over the last couple of years and wanted to let you know about my favorites and the ones that I use the most. I take 4 or 5 road trips a year and always have a cooler of some sort with me and don’t know how I would get by without these. Here is my list of my favorite coolers for Road Trips and Picnics for the summer.
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RTIC Everyday 8 Can Cooler
The RTIC Everyday 8 Can Cooler is a great piece for any road trip or small picnic. It is also perfect for packing a lunch at work. As the name suggests, this cooler is designed for 8 cans which gives it plenty of space for your favorite beverage on the road or a healthy lunch to take to the job site. What makes this different is that the cooler is actually collapsible.
While in full carry mode the cooler measures 10 inches wide and 8.5 inches tall. However when collapsed, the Everyday 8 Can Cooler is only 4 inches tall. That makes storage when you aren’t using it a breeze. I also like that the top of the cooler isn’t flimsy at all. It keeps its shape while both collapsed or extended to give some extra integrity to the shape of the cooler.
The Everyday also comes with a built in bottle opener, a front zippered pocket and is insulated. Designed to use with an ice pack (not ice), this keeps my drinks cold even on the longest of car rides.
How I use it
I use the RTIC Everyday 8 Can Cooler as kind of the ultimate road trip cooler. It rides in the front seat and stores my snacks and drinks for the drive. Recently, it was the cooler I took on an 8 hour trip over to Salt Lake City and it worked perfect. I also had it with me in Moab in June when it was about 100 degrees. I would leave a sports drink in the cooler in my car with ice packs so when I got done with my hike I would have a nice cold drink to rehydrate myself. This is becoming one of my favorite coolers.
Yeti Daytrip
Yeti has a full line of Daytrip Coolers with different styles. This one is a bit older but similar to the current 6 L lunch bag. Yeti uses a really cool magnet locking system that seals up the top of the bag and keeps the cold air in. I really like this system because it means you get the same seal if you have the bag full of food or just a little bit. The Yeti Daytrip line comes in 9 different sizes, from full stand up coolers to lunch bags and boxes.
How I use it
For me, the Yeti Daybreak is my go to lunch bag when I head into the office. It isn’t too big that it is hard to deal with but still big enough to get everything I need for lunch with a couple of drinks to get me through the day. I walk to work so the handle and the ability to clip it to my backpack is key.
REI Pack Away Soft Cooler
The Pack Away Cooler has been replaced with the Campwell Soft Sided Cooler but they are very similar. The cooler is adjustable using two clips on either side depending on how much space you need. That makes it a lot easier to store when not in use and to carry and pack when it is only half full. The 18 liter version of the cooler can keep 12 cans around 40 degrees for 37 hours when paired with 10 pounds of ice. The over the top zipper function allows for a large opening so it is easy to load and retrieve what is in the cooler.
One of the really nice parts of this cooler is the leakproof liner. It makes for really easy cleaning. I had a jar of jelly in here on a roadtrip that had jelly on the outside. That rolled around a bit and got a large swath sticky. I was able to wipe it out with a wet paper towel and it was as good as new! This bag also comes with a padded shoulder strap that can be removed if you prefer to use the handles.
How I use it
The REI Pack Away Soft Cooler is my OG road trip cooler and I still use it on longer trips now. I love the fact that I can adjust the size depending on how much I have in the cooler. When I start the trip it is as full as it can get, but by the end of the trip, I have this folded up and packed away. It is really nice that it is fully soft so storage between trips is super easy. I love this one on the week long trips that I want to have more than just drinks but more food as well that I want to be ready for the quick lunch stops.
REI Trailgate 20 L Weekend Cooler
If you are looking for something a bit bigger for a bigger crowd, look no further than the Trailgate 20 L Weekend Cooler from REI. According to REI, the Trailgate can keep 18 cans as cold as 40 degrees for 72 hours when filled with 9.6 pounds of ice. The fact that the cooler can hold 18 cans and nearly 10 pounds of ice, tells you a lot about it’s capacity. I also like the sleek look. There is a zippered pocket in the front and a padded shoulder strap as well as handles.
How I use it
The Trailgate is the big one for me. This is the one I bring if I am meeting with some friends and we are going to spend the day outdoors. It would also be great for families to take as a roadtripping cooler but for me, it is a little big for that as a single person. I do love how much room this cooler has and how it is a bit stiffer so I can fill it up and throw it in the back of my car and not worry about it. It is also great for an all day on the water day.
GSI Glacier Insulated Travel Stack
If you love organization you will love the GSI Glacier Insulated Travel Stack. This is really cool. There are multiple pieces to this stack. The Insulated Sleeve will keep food and drinks hot or cold. Then there are various sized containers that fit inside the sleeve. So if you want to have soup in one container and crackers in the other, you will be able to keep them separated until you are ready to combine them. The Insulated Stack is also perfect for keeping liquids and powders, like electrolytes, separated until you want to mix them. Perfect for work, travel, or even a hiking trail, there are so many options with this one.
How I use it
I love using the Glacier Insulated Travel Stack to keep my snacks separate on hikes when I am on a road trip. As I get older, I can only go a few hours in the car before I need to get out a stretch out my legs with a hike. I usually have bags of beef jerky, nuts, seeds or other snacks in the car but if I want to take them with me on the hike, I found this works great. Usually, I will fill up one of the containers with jerky, one with nuts, maybe some water in the third and then I can keep them all together in my water bottle holder. I don’t have kids but I also have to think this would be a great way to keep the kids snacks separate in the back during a road trip.
Fatman First Take Video Review
Here is a bit of a video I have put together explaining my thoughts on my favorite road trip and picnic coolers. If you enjoy this video, please consider subscribing to my YouTube page. It is free to subscribe, and you will get updates on my latest outdoor content.
Wrapping up my Favorite Coolers for Road Trips and Picnics
I do love my road trips and these coolers have all made it easier in one way or another. The GSI Insulated Stack is perfect to keep my snacks separate. Plus, I can grab the stack and take it on quick hikes to stretch my legs. The RTIC Everyday can fit a ton of drinks or a road trip and its solid design makes it easy to get in and out of. And the Yeti is perfect for the shorter trips, and work lunches and works as a daily bag.
For the longer trips, the REI Trailgate is my new go to. It is built well, stands up but still has a slim profile and can fit a ton of food and drink that will stay cold for the longest time. Finally, the workhorse, the REI soft sided cooler. With the adjustable sides and lay flat options, it is perfect on those trips where I might have different adventures on each day.
No matter your trip or picnic, there is a cooler for you and they can really help to make those trips so much better. You can also possibly save some money by brining all of the snacks with you instead of having to pay gas station prices just to get a cold drink.
More from the Fatman
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