Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - March 2021

If you’re thinking about going camping, chances are high that you don’t just want to head out to the great outdoors and kick back. You want to actually go fishing, hiking, and maybe even hunting. Most people who go camping do; in fact, half of all campers indicated that their love of the outdoors sparked their interest in camping. But if you’ve never gone camping before, you may not realize that you need to think very carefully about the type of equipment you bring along with you -- even if you want to “rough it”. Perhaps one of the least thought about yet most important pieces of camping gear that you should consider is the type of cooler you’re using. Yes, there are different types of coolers to choose between. The main types of coolers are soft side coolers and hard coolers. If you’re familiar with soft side coolers, you may not initially want to branch out to hard coolers. After all, aren’t they bulkier and more difficult to carry? In reality, hard coolers offer a lot of unique benefits to campers. Let’s explore some of them below 4 BENEFITS OF USING HARD SIDED COOLERS

before your next camping trip.

1. SIZE RANGE Typically, most soft sided coolers are going to be small or medium. There aren’t a lot of large soft sided coolers, simply because these coolers are meant to be carried and are meant to be flexible. Hard coolers, on the other hand, come in a vast range of sizes. This is perfect for campers who are bringing a lot of drinks, or for that matter a big cut of meat that they planned on grilling in the great outdoors. Hard coolers typically range from 20 liters to the gargantuan 350 liters in size. Usually, those who are looking to spend a weekend camping will settle on a cooler between 50 and 70 liters. But if you do need a massive cooler, have no fear; many hard coolers come equipped with wheels. 2. LASTING POWER Hard coolers have the advantage against soft coolers in terms of lasting power. This means that they tend to keep items colder for a longer period