Best cool boxes, bags and baskets for 2024

Hydro Flask Carry Out Soft Cooler

Best for comfortable carrying

Pros

• Comfortable, padded carry strap
• Inner pockets for smaller items
• BPA-free lining

Cons

• Larger items had to be stacked rather than storing side by side

Star rating: 4.5/5

One of the most stylish cooler bags we looked at, the structured walls of this lightweight carry bag meant that more delicate items weren’t bashed on the way to our park lunch.

We also liked the shape, as it was taller than some other cool bags we tried, meaning our own lengthier water bottles could stay upright on the way to the park. It will also take 20 330ml-sized cans of drink (without ice packs) if you’re catering for thirsty kids.

In a range of pale pastel colours, the water resistance on this cool bag’s outer fabric was easy to keep clean with a damp cloth after use and the wide, zipped lid made every area inside the bag easy to access and keep free of sandwich crumbs. We also liked the longer, removable cross-body strap which had great padding, making it comfortable to wear for the designated picnic pack horse!

A small outside pouch was useful for stashing things like condiments and salt and pepper. With 24-hour cooling, we could keep a range of picnic foods out overnight with a couple of ice packs at either side and everything was ready to go in the morning. By lunchtime, wine was still perfectly chilled and our food items were at the perfect temperature, although our ice packs were almost completely thawed out by then.

Guarantee: Manufacturer limited five-year warranty

Petromax 25l Cool Box

Best for long-lasting chill

Pros

• Superb insulation
• Keeps ice frozen for days
• Spacious

Cons

• Expensive
• Large capacity means it can be heavy to shift when full

Star rating: 4.5/5

Now this is one seriously cool piece of kit, and if you’re the sort of person who spends sunny days on the patio with the barbie going full blast, it could almost be seen as a mini chiller that will free up space in your kitchen fridge. There’s also a 50 litre version, that could handle an entire family’s worth of food for the week.

We kept bags of ice and freezer blocks in this unit and they were still practically intact six days later when we went to add our picnic ingredients, with just the tiniest bit of water collecting on the bottom of the unit. The manufacturers claim the box will still keep ice frozen for up to 12 days without electricity – ideal if there’s no power source for a mini fridge in a summer house or home office, for example.

With integrated handles on either side, it may well be a two man job to move this cooler from car to picnic blanket once loaded up, so it’s more of a choice for those who like to have barbecue food – and plenty of ice-cold beers – close at hand in the garden, caravan or camper van.

The double-walled insulation on the Petromax cool box was superb, but that does come at a price. But if, for example, you’re loading for a weekend in the open air, you can rely on this quality box to keep everything in tip-top condition till it’s time to head home days later.

Guarantee: Two year manufacturer’s warranty

Von Haus 22l Electric Cool Box

Best for road trips

Pros

• Great price
• Easy to carry
• Tall enough for larger bottles

Cons

• Cigarette-lighter style charger may not be suitable for all cars

Star rating: 3.5/5 stars

This box is a great choice for families on the move, as by simply tapping into a power supply from a car’s cigarette lighter, it will keep items chilled for well over the length time you’d expect from a trad cool box. Don’t feed and water the troops at expensive service stations – take drinks and snacks with you and they’ll keep in perfect condition for even the longest summer journey. Once plugged, our ice packs were still frozen after an eight hour drive from London to Glasgow, with plenty of stop offs.

The slim, tall shape was great because it could store wine and 1.5l bottles of water, with the single compartment giving plenty of room for us to stack quiches, pork pies and sandwiches for the trip.

As the sides and handle are in rigid plastic, this bag may not be first choice if you want to walk for a long distance to get to your perfect picnic spot. But this did make it impossible to squish the strawberries and cream we’d packed – even when a small child decided to use it as an impromptu bench on a tiring country walk!

Guarantee: two years

Coleman Convoy 65 QT Wheeled Cool Box

Pros:

• Easy to move
• Can be used as a seat
• Anti-bacterial lining helps avoid odours

Cons:

• Expensive
• One large space, so pack carefully

Star rating: 5/5

You can imagine the coolest crew at the festival rocking up with this amazing box on wheels – and with its whopping 66-litre capacity, there will be more than enough chilled drinks to go round.

Large bottles can be stored upright, and there’s plenty of space to pack picnic goodies for everyone, so it’s a great choice for larger families or for those who are entertaining al fresco. Obviously, if you’re travelling light, things could shift to the end of the box when on the move, so if not packed to capacity, we’d recommend adding some tea towels or extra protection to the bottom to avoid things getting squashed to one side.

The foldable handle and chunky wheels make this large box easy to manoeuvre even over grass or on the beach, and it feels top quality, with substantial rubber fastenings, side rope handles and stainless steel hinges. It’s so sturdy, the Have-A-Seat box lid can also be used as a handy perch for your guests.

With five days’ ice retention, that camping weekend will certainly be chilled and American company Coleman – who have been making camping gear for 120 years – have even thought of putting a handy bottle opener in the lid. Cheers!

Guarantee: Limited Lifetime Guarantee against any manufacturing defects in materials or workmanship.

Outwell Ecocool slate grey cool box

Depending on where you’re planning to use your cooler will affect your choice. They are often made from heavy-duty plastic and insulated with polyurethane foam, which tends to keep food colder for longer. In most cases, you’ll need to add ice packs to keep the temperature down.

Cool bags are generally lighter than cool boxes and once emptied, you can pack them down for easier storage. You may forfeit capacity for portability as the largest bags will be the heaviest to carry when loaded – which is when wheeled options come into play.

In all cases, think about size. Do you want to be able to stand a litre bottle upright inside, or perhaps you have a casserole dish that needs to sit comfortably in the base?

Electric cool bags and boxes with a cigarette-lighter charging cable are ideal if you’re heading on a long car journey. They increase the duration of cooling, but will add more weight. Once you’ve decided the type of activity you require a cool box for, we recommend considering the following in order to buy one that fulfils every need:

• Weight: a cool box for keeping drinks cold in the garden can be weighty, but if you’re travelling with it over a short distance, a lighter option with wheels will be better
• Capacity: how many people will you be catering for? The size of cool bags are often described in litres rather than people, but as a rule of thumb, 18 litres will carry between 25-28 cans, 30 litres will fit around 50, and anything above this will be large enough for a variety of food and drink vessels
• Bag or box: if portability is the goal, cool bags are a much more flexible for transporting, often featuring straps for carrying it over the shoulder or as a rucksack
• Durability: you want to be confident that a fully packed cool bag or box will be able to support the weight, and also won’t be let down by its handles, straps or wheels when you attempt to move it
• Easy-clean inner: cool boxes should be wipe-clean and rinsable
• Waterproof capabilities: particularly important for cooler bags if you’re taking them out and about, but also that the lining is leakproof

At the end of a long day in the sun, it can be easy to forget to wipe down your cool box but always at least try to collect crumbs and wipe out any spills immediately.

A combination of bacteria from food stains and hot weather can make things a bit whiffy when you next go to use your box, so use anti-bacterial wipes to tackle this job as you get home as this will help avoid nasty odours or mould appearing if the weather turns and the box goes back into storage.

Deep cleaning? Strongly-perfumed sprays and wipes can taint the food you’re next going to pack, so use gentler solutions where possible when it comes to maintaining the interior of your cool box after it’s been packed away.

Use bleach and hot water on the interior of hard-walled boxes, but never apply it neat as this could damage the materials used. Or check the labels – some bags can be machine washed on a delicates setting. If not, then try making a paste of bicarbonate of soda and washing up liquid, then rub with a soft cloth.

When it comes to drying off the bag before use (which is important to avoid mould), get it out into the fresh air to dry naturally – sunlight can help sort out any staining too.

Sturdiness: coolers are often heavy when they’re packed as the weight of cans, ice blocks and food all adds up. We wanted handles that made it easy to hold.

Portability: unless you’re only planning to use your cool box in the garden or for fridge overflow, portability is important. Extra points were given where coolers were especially easy to transport.

Keep-cool capability: this was key to our choices, being the primary function of a cool bag or box. A good seal and effective insulation were a must.

Additional features: in-car electric chargers, wheels, drinks holders and easy-carry options were well rated among the sea of products on the market.

Easy to use and clean: anything that carries food needs to be easily cleaned before and after use, so we looked for interiors that could be easily wiped clean.

How we tested: we filled each of the coolers with bags of ice, ice packs, drinks and typical picnic foods. We then checked the contents at intervals using a thermometer and timed how long it took for the ice cubes to melt.

More reviews and guides