Americana Outdoors E-Magazine - October 2020

HARD-SIDED COOLERS On the other side of the spectrum are hard-sided coolers. These are for adventurers on long trips or visiting rugged environments.

Here’s how they are suitable for such trips:

BETTER ICE RETENTION The primary purpose of a cooler is to keep your refreshments cool and good for use for longer. Ice retention refers to the amount of time a cooler can retain ice before it melts. Whereas a soft-sided cooler can retain ice from anywhere between 2-4 days, a hard-sided cooler can last over a week. CAPACITY Hard-sided coolers are significantly larger than their softer counterparts. As such, they can carry more drinks and can also be used to pack food. With a hard cooler, you can pack enough food and drinks to last you a few days. DURABILITY The rotomolded plastic used to make hard-sided coolers, which makes them rigid, also makes the coolers more durable than soft side coolers. Therefore, if you go camping frequently and love to test yourself in the depths of nature, a hard- sided cooler is a suitable option. IN CONCLUSION When it comes to choosing a suitable cooler for your trip, it’s more about what you want to do than the coolers themselves. This requires you to plan your camping trip and all the activities you will do. Realistically, you will probably need both a hard- sided cooler to keep your food and drinks cold and fresh at the campsite and soft side coolers for when you explore the area around you.

Engel High Performance Hard Cooler and Ice Box comes in sizes 25 - 85. (25 pictured above)

Engel High Performance Three Latched Hard Cooler and Ice Box comes in sizes 123 - 320. (320 pictured above)