UPDATED :: A buying guide to the best coolers

Is this a cooler or a fridge? It’s hard to tell. Really it’s a hybrid between the two. If you do some serious camping or 4WDing into surf spots and love to have a cold-tin at the end of the day, then these bad boys are amazing.

They plug into the cigarette lighter in your car (most good cards have them in the trunk too, which is where you’d keep it). If you’re camping, there’s also an adapter to plug one into a regular power outlet. Even when they’re not running, things are extra insulated to keep that cold streak icy.

Yeti has been charging lately, really making headway into surfer’s cars, boats or bbq setups. While their big, hard Tundra is a ripper, we’re really into their soft Hoppers. This is one our picks for best coolers because it’s easy to cart around and go, this one is epic.

It doubles as a backpack with comfy straps. The special insulation and zippers mean things stay cool for days on end and they’re perfect for chucking in the back of your car, then carting down to the beach. Insane if you’re a fisherman hunt cheeky patches, or a surfer who’s taking a cut lunch when hunting banks on foot away from the crowd.

The official cooler of the Wozzle? Hydroflask has done to the cooler/bottle/cup market what Sunbum has done to the suncream market. Put their product absolutely anywhere and everywhere. Hard to walk into an outdoors/beach store and not find Hydroflask these days, they’ve done a good job at getting it out there.

This, their 24L Cooler Tote for those wanting a more traditional ‘hopper’ shape with multiple carry options. They’re also popping out the colours, like this wild Arctic, in case you’re worried about losing sight of your patch of sand on a busy beach. If you’re in the USA there’s also a red and standard grey too.

This one is for ice addicts. Not the tweaker kind, but the kind who likes water in its solid form for longer. This top of the wozza option from Esky fits 70L of stuff, has compartments to separate our your snags from your stubbies and can keep ice frozen for up to 7 days. That’s a whole week in case you aren’t a maths whiz. It comes with a built in bottle opener, airtight silicone gasket seal, heavy duty rubber latches and tie down points if you want to keep it in one spot. Take that, beer thieves.

Corkcicle is another brand that’s been making inroads in the surf market, and are making a pretty great product. Their Ivanhoe Duffle, remains the best cooler x duffle combo we’ve seen with this slightly slimmer version still fitting a cheeky box of beers (without the box).

Perfect for tailgating, boating, beach days and more. Plus, it comes with a removable, padded strap that’s adjustable to keep you comfortable along the way. Hello, bootleggers wanting to illegally sell beers on the beach this summer. You didn’t get that idea for us though…

If you’re not into spending big bucks on your keeping your tins cold, then a Coleman could be your go to. It’s a more value option that’s still sturdy, has wheels and a telescopic handle to let you drag it around and has a couple of drink holders on top to use as a makeshift workbench if you need.

There are special variations of this in BCF and Anaconda, but you can go direct and get the original and it’s just as good. Traditional periwinkle blue is just bloody great too.