Hunting has been a human instinct since the beginning of time, and though we don’t really need to hunt to sustain our lives nowadays but here you are; reading through this article because hunting has its own magic that only people like you would appreciate it.
As it is obvious, we’re here to help you find the best hunting cooler for your hunting trips, and to not make it any longer; here’s something to look at.
Best Hunting Coolers – Compared
| Image | Name | Available Sizes | Available Colors | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Grizzly Coolers | G15, G20, G40, G60, G75, G100, G165, G400 | Gray, Lime, OD, Orange, Red, Sandstone, Seafoam, Tan, Teal, White | Rotomolded |
 | ORCA Coolers | 20qt, 26qt, 40qt, 58qt, 75qt, 140qt | Olive Green, Tan, Green, Pink, White | Rotomolded |
 | ORION Coolers | 25qt, 35qt, 45qt, 55qt, 65qt, 85qt | Forest, Blaze, Bluefin, Dorado, Red-Black-White | Rotomolded |
 | Siberian Coolers | 22qt, 45qt, 65qt, 85qt | White | Rotomolded |
 | RTIC Coolers | 20qt, 45qt, 65qt, 110qt, 145qt | White, Blue, Tan | Rotomolded |
 | Cordova Coolers | 35qt, 50qt, 100qt, 125qt | White, Aqua, Gray, Orange, Sand | Rotomolded |
 | Polar Bear Coolers | 6-Pack, 12-Pack, 24-Pack, 48-Pack, Backpack | Black, Green, Navy, Red, Camo | Soft Sided |
 | AO Coolers | 12-Can, 24-Can, 36-Can, 48-Can | Black, Bluefin, Charcoal. Mossy Oak, Manta, Navy, Red, Royal Blue | Soft Sided |
 | Arctic Zone Realtree | 12-Can, 16-Can, 30-Can | RealTree | Soft Sided |
 | Igloo RealTree | 24-Can, 30-Can, 36-Can, 48-Can | RealTree | Soft Sided |
Things to Consider in a Hunting Cooler
Before we say anything at all, you’re looking specifically for a hunting cooler because hunting is not a “friendly” outdoors activity; it’s completely the opposite; it’s rough, intense and it requires quality materials that are durable and reliable.
Regardless of what we just said, getting yourself a good cooler shouldn’t be a hard task; there is a number of criteria that you need to take into consideration and you’ll simply end up with a great hunting cooler. First of all;
Ice Retention
A cooler in only good when it’s capable of maintaining a good ice retention rate and that should be at least 5-6 days because come on; it’s a hunting trip. The technology used on these coolers to keep ice from easily melting is simple yet remarkable; most cooler makers use insulation foam to fill the inside of the cooler’s walls which makes sure the coolness stays inside while it stops the heat waves from getting in. That being said, you need to pay attention to how thick is this insulation foam because it obviously differs from brand to bran.
Next, make sure the cooler you’re getting has a thick and rubbery gasket because that’s the only thing stopping your cooler’s temperature from going high and having all of your precious goods ruined.
Size and Weight
Now this depends on what you are hunting for, for how long, where, with whom and what vehicle you own. Other than that, you just need to think about it; would you rather get yourself a huge cooler where you can fit everything but going to need help every time you load/unload it? Or get couple medium coolers that you’ll be able to store anywhere and handle on your own?
Also, a big cooler demands a big car just like it demands strong men to carry it and transport it. However, you deserve to know that larger coolers actually have better ice retention ability given the amount of insulation foam injected into their walls.
So it’s up to you, are you going to be hunting rabbits and squirrels or bison and moose?
Mobility
We’re pretty sure you’ve heard of coolers on wheels. Yes; it’s a thing; some cooler brands offer a size or two of their coolers’ line with wheels on them for ease of mobility and transportation. Imagine carrying a loaded cooler after a long day of hiking; it’s not easy. This exact issue is sure to make you think about getting a small cooler, but if there’s a wheeled cooler that matches what you’re looking for in one, then that’s your guy.
Let’s get back to reality for a bit though; you can’t drag a wheeled cooler up a steep mountain; I mean you can if the terrain is not so difficult and harsh. A wheeled cooler should do a really great job surfaces that are not all tough. However, we’ve seen some really strong coolers with big wheels that are meant to be abused.
After all, you are guaranteed to find a cooler that’ll suit exactly your need because brands like the ones we’re about to introduce in our review are interested in making coolers for all different users with all their different orientations.
Color
Yes, color. It might seem irrelevant to others but a hunter would know. You don’t want a cooler with a hell of a bright color to have you exposed. Thus, some really considerate brands made it their duty to produce some cool camouflaged coolers to blend in with whatever environment you decide to conquer.
Best Hunting Coolers – Our Top 6 Recommendations:
The coolers market is definitely not a small one; plenty of names are clashing to prove theirs coolers worthy of your total trust. However though, when it comes to hunting coolers, we’re talking about the best of the best; coolers that are built to take serious beating and still make it through a life time of hunting trips. Without further ado, these are the brands we think you should consider for hunting.
Grizzly Coolers
The name kind of says it all. This is a brand that makes warrior coolers that are bear proof and that are meant to stand strong against all different nature and weather circumstances which makes them super versatile and flexible.
Grizzly offers a wide range of different colors, designs and sizes that begin with small 15 qt coolers all the way to 400 qt and that’s honestly crazy; you may fit a bear in there which is perfect for hunting. However, what matters here is ice retention; the bigger the better because again, you’ll be getting more insulation effect.
You’ll also be getting a life time warranty along with the high material quality; Grizzly is known for their super strong rotomolded coolers which don’t need more praise other than what they get from loyal customers who never seemed to have an issue with one of their coolers.
ORCA Coolers
This name is related to greatness, no joke. This is one of the brands that are able to stand head to head with Yeti; the number one pioneer of this industry, without ever looking small or less of an equal rival.
Orca, just like Grizzly, offers a life time warranty over their hard rotomolded coolers and they promise their customers a quality performance by each and every cooler they make.
The ice retention ability of ORCA’s coolers is quite outstanding; users actually stated that it’s even better than Yeti’s. Not only that, ORCA coolers are tough, versatile, and they come in different size and colors.
We don’t want to sound like we love Orca coolers more than we should but it’s one of the brands that deserve complete respect for the quality and dedication they put in their products and if that says anything it’d be how great their coolers will do for hunting.
ORION Coolers
Orion is another proud American cooler brand that makes authentic and durable coolers that are worth your consideration. They offer 6 different cooler sizes starting with 25 qt all the way to 85 qt.
Now for hunting, 85 qt doesn’t seem enough compared to Grizzly’s 400 qt monstrous cooler. However, it all depends on what’s your game going to be; maybe an 85 qt cooler is more than enough in your case. These Orion coolers have a neat and simple design with eye catching colors including the colors Forest and Desert for some clean camouflage effect.
Not only that, Orion promises you that a cooler of theirs will only make your hunting experience easier and better because their coolers are made to withstand harsh and extreme environments for a life time if required.
Siberian Coolers
The name alone is majestic. Siberian Coolers like the rest of the brands mentioned earlier make both hard and soft coolers that are highly praised among the outdoors enthusiasts’ community for their rigidity, durability and good ice retention ability.
The Siberian has 2 cooler lines; the Outback and the Alpha and this latter comes in 4 sizes only; 22 qt, 45 qt, 65 qt and 85 qt while the first has a huge cooler with a storage ability up to 125 qt. However, the Alpha cooler line is super strong and durable with a life time promise to maintain their top notch performance; thus, it would be a better option for hunting.
The colors of the Alpha coolers line match their surroundings effortlessly while still looking good and sharp as hell. Also, these coolers are well equipped with plenty of features to enrich your hunting experience and make handling the cooler an easy/fast task.
RTIC Coolers
The Over Built coolers, not the Over Priced. It’s a really nice motto for such a great cooler brand. RTIC is one of America’s strongest brands that are up to compete with the greatest of pioneers and market owners.
RTIC offers 5 different and versatile sizes and the biggest of them all is 145 qt which is great for big hunting games. Here’s the thing about RTIC coolers is that they look so much like Yeti with a smart, simple and timeless design. As far as color is concerned; RTIC coolers come in 3 colors, white, blue and tan and this latter could be the best color choice for a hunter.
RTIC coolers are bear resistant, they come with freezer style lid gasket and they’ve got some really thick insulation resulting is great ice retention durability; you honestly can’t go wrong with a RTIC cooler.
Cordova Coolers
Cordova’s biggest cooler is 128 qt and it’s quite an option for hunting. This brand offers another 3 smaller coolers that are colorful, sharp and worth a shot. Cordova might not be as huge as Yeti or Grizzly but it did a great job making their coolers 100% American made with high standards and quality materials with a clean cut for every detail.
If you just take a look at one of Cordova’s coolers anodized aluminum handles and integrated bottle openers you’ll be able to tell the amount of minuteness and hard work put into making that cooler come to its final form.
What we really like about this brand is the number of different coolers, shapes, designs and the versatility of it all allowing you an endless list of options into the outdoors’ life.
Best Soft Coolers Bags for Hunting
It’s not always that a hard cooler saves the day. Sometimes, all you need is a good soft cooler to do the job, and since we’re all about hunting in this review, here’s a list of what we think are the best soft coolers for that.
Polar Bear Coolers
It’s not their soft coolers only; Arctic Zone might not be so big on the market but it’s totally big on quality that offer quality products that are trusted and praised by almost everyone. Now as for a hunting soft cooler, this guy here has to be super tough, flexible and functional and that’s actually the case here.
Polar Bear Soft coolers will at least keep the ice action going for a day which is the best you can ever expect from a soft cooler because soft coolers obviously don’t have the amount of insulation required for more than a day.
A nice add here for hunters in that Polar Bear has a camouflage soft cooler for a better blending skills.
AO Cooler Traveler Soft Cooler
This is a brand that put these two words right under their logo; soft-sided coolers. Arctic Zone might not be so big on the market but it’s totally big on quality with plenty of new ideas and designs to make every outdoor activity a unique one that’s worth remembering and repeating.
AO soft coolers come in great camouflage colors to suit the hunters’ need for hiding and blending in. Actually, they have a whole soft coolers’ series called the Mossy Oak Series; they’re tough and full of needed features with easy access to every part of it and pocket. You’ll find extra rigid straps and durable zippers that’ll stand strong against abusive and repetitive use which is exactly what a hunter needs.
Arctic Zone Realtree
So this brand has 2 hard coolers only, 2 soft backpack coolers, couple lunch bags and collapsible soft coolers and then they have the Arctic Zone Realtree Soft cooler in 3 versions that are known for being “Zipperless” which is something we don’t see every day.
This brand is really affordable and their coolers look as good as any brand you’d like to compare them to. The Realtree coolers are featured with MICROBAN® ANTIMICROBIAL PROTECTION to prevent bacterial activities while there is also a durable HardBody® liner with SmartShelf ™ that allows you to keep hard stuff like drinks separate from soft stuff, so sandwiches and other soft foods don’t get crushed.
Arctic Zone might not be so big on the market but it’s totally big on quality and performance and anyone be it a hunter, camper or paddler will enjoy using one of their soft cooler.
Igloo RealTree
Last but not least; Igloo, our biggest and oldest buddy in the coolers’ industry; this is a honorary brand to all of America and it’s a very serious one too.
Igloo has never stopped creating and making new and innovative cooler since the 40’s – 50’s and it’s going as strong as Yeti or any other brand. They do have some cheap coolers that are not not up for hunting but their latest series of both hard and soft coolers are impressive and worth your while.
The Igloo Realtree soft cooler comes in 16 different versions with different sizes and purpose. What they all have in common is that they all look cool, feel tough and they all deliver the ice retention performance expected from them.
Going for an Igloo cooler means you got yourself a giant to bring along on your hunting trips; just pick the size you think is right for you and you’re ready to rock it.
What About YETI Coolers? Are They good For Hunting
The answer was very obvious from the very beginning. Yeti is kind of the god father of this remarkable industry, and getting yourself a Yeti is not just getting a cooler; it’s more like owning a legacy and pride because Yeti simply sits the standards for this industry whether we like it or not.
Yeti coolers are considered to the toughest of all time; they’re extremely durable, bear resistant and super sharp in terms of design and end production. However, not a single cooler of theirs says that it’s made specifically for hunters and all of their coolers are white; no camo option whatsoever.
Other than that; Yeti is ranked on top of a list that’s full of outstanding brands when it comes to certain aspects and there should be nothing wrong with taking a Yeti on hunting trip because they’re made to be used in all different outdoors’ activities.
Best Cooler for Hunting – The Bottom Line
The listed brands and coolers here are merely what we think is good and suitable for hunting. There are plenty of other brands that you might know and think are worth going for.
What made us choose these brands is that they have great reputations along with their undeniable great performance.
Now, getting the best hunting cooler is all up to you as you only need to figure the right size, color, and features you want to go for in that cooler and you’ll be ready to chase your prey down anywhere and anytime you like.
