How Far Does the Cold Go?
Every cooler here answers the same question differently: how much has to stay cold, and how far are you carrying it. A lunch for one goes in something with a strap. Drinks for a weekend go in something with wheels. Work out the distance first and the size sorts itself out.
Three questions, in this order
People buy a cooler by litres and then find out the problem was never the litres. It was the walk from the car park, or the fact that opening the lid to get one drink let the cold out of everything else.
How far you carry it
Twin handles for a short walk, a shoulder strap for a long one, wheels when the answer is neither.
How much goes in it
From a lunch in a 29 cm bag to 35 L on a folding cart.
How often you open it
Every opened lid costs cold. A tap on the side means the lid stays shut all afternoon.
Everything in Coolers
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Often Outdoors
Cooler Trolley 35L Insulated Cart - Often Wheeled Esky Camping Cooler Bag Leakproof
Regular price $59.00Unit priceLow stock (5 units) -
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Up to 24% off
Often Outdoors
Folding Directors Chair with Cooler Bag - Often Foldable Camping Chair 10L Cooler Military Green
Sale price $59.99 Regular price $79.00Unit priceIn stock (16 units) -
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17% off
Often Outdoors
Often Heavy Duty Insulated Ice Cooler Box
Sale price $189.00 Regular price $229.00Unit priceVery low stock (1 unit) -
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Up to 11% off
Often Outdoors
Often Multifunctional Portable Cart Wing Cooler With Folding Table and Chairs
Sale price $159.00 Regular price $179.00Unit priceIn stock (8 units) -
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Up to 36% off
Often Outdoors
Insulated Lunch Bag Cooler - Often Leakproof Lunch Box Bag for Work Mens
Sale price $44.00 Regular price $69.00Unit priceIn stock (36 units) -
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26% off
Often Outdoors
Often Multifunctional Deluxe Pop-up Rattan Cooler Adjustable Bar Table
Sale price $169.00 Regular price $229.00Unit priceLow stock (3 units) -
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Sold outUp to 10% off
Often Outdoors
Wagon Cooler Cart 75L Offroad - Often Insulated Retro Wheeled Esky 4WD Camping Black
Sale price $379.00 Regular price $420.00Unit price -
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41% off
Often Outdoors
Large Multifunctional Outdoor Waterproof Insulated Picnic Storage Cooler Bag
Sale price $29.00 Regular price $49.00Unit priceIn stock (22 units) -
Which one, and how far are you carrying it?
Ordered by how far the cold travels. If you want one answer: the Picnic Bag. It is the size most days actually need, it has a strap for the walk from the car, and the divider lifts out when you would rather have one big space.
| Model |
Lunch Bag
$44.00
|
Picnic Bag
$29.00
|
Heavy Duty Ice Box
$189.00
| Trolley 35L $59.00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Size and capacity | 29 x 20 x 22 cm | 41.5 x 27.5 x 20.5 cm | 13.2 L, 36.7 x 35.3 x 39.3 cm | 35 L, 38 x 33 x 28 cm |
| Built from | 600D Oxford, pearl cotton and a foil lining | 600D waterproof Oxford over PE pearl cotton | LLDPE shell over PU foam | 600D Oxford with a PEVA lining |
| How it travels | Twin handles and a shoulder strap | Twin handles and an adjustable shoulder strap | A shoulder strap and a top handle | Two wheels and a pull-up handle |
| What sets it apart | Two separate lined compartments, drinks apart from food | A divider that lifts out, for one big space or two | A stainless tap, so you pour without opening the lid | The cart folds flat, and it holds cold 6 to 8 hours |
| Link | View product | View product | View product | View product |
Swipe the table sideways to see them all.
Why a tap changes the afternoon
A cooler loses most of its cold through the lid, and it loses it every single time somebody opens it. On a hot day with six people helping themselves, the lid is the whole problem.
The Heavy Duty Ice Box is built around that: 13.2 L of LLDPE over PU foam, with a stainless tap at the bottom and a bottle opener on the side. You fill it once in the morning and nobody opens it again. It is the smallest cooler here by volume and the one that behaves best when a group is using it, which is not a contradiction once you stop counting litres and start counting lid openings.
The ones that are also furniture
Three things in this collection keep drinks cold and do a second job, which is how you end up carrying one item instead of two.
The folding stool in the photo above is a seat that holds 100 kg with a 10 L insulated bag hanging under it, and the whole thing is 1.35 kg. The cart wing cooler is 28 L inside with two stools and a table folding out of it, on wheels, and its lid holds a person. The pop-up rattan cooler holds 13 L of ice and winds from 55 to 85 cm, so it is a coffee table, a side table and a bar in one column.
All three are compared against the rest of their own kind in Chairs and Tables, where the question is how well they sit and how well they hold a plate.
Frequently asked questions
Hard cooler or soft bag?
Soft if it travels on your body and gets packed away; hard if it sits in one place and gets opened by other people. A soft bag folds down to nothing between trips and carries on a strap. A hard shell holds its shape under a lid people sit on, and it is the only kind here that can take a tap. For most weekends the honest answer is one of each, and the soft one is the one you will use more.
Do I need the wheels?
Only if the walk is long or the load is 35 L. The Trolley carries the most of anything here and its cart folds flat when you are done, but a cart is another thing to stow. If you park beside where you sit, a strap is lighter and faster.
How long will these keep ice?
The only figure stated for this range is the Trolley, at 6 to 8 hours. We do not publish numbers for the others because we have not measured them ourselves, and ice retention is the claim manufacturers stretch the furthest. What holds cold longer in practice is simple: fill it full, chill the contents before they go in, keep it out of the sun, and open it as little as you can.
What is the warranty?
One year on Often Outdoors branded products, and six months with proof of purchase on other brands. That sits on top of the guarantees you have under Australian Consumer Law, which cannot be excluded and which entitle you to a repair, replacement or refund depending on how serious the fault is. The full terms are in our warranty policy.
Cold is a logistics problem.
The cooler that works is the one that is already where you are sitting, full, with the lid shut. Everything else is a specification.
Free shipping on orders over $150 AUD. One-year warranty on Often Outdoors products and six months on other brands, on top of your statutory rights under Australian Consumer Law.
