Camping coolers

Keep things fresh with camping coolers

If you need to keep your drinks cool and your pre-made meals tasting fresh, you need a cooler to bring on your picnics, camping trips and beach days. Coolers are often quite large, so they aren’t recommended for trips that involve a long hike, but more so for packing away in your car to carry a short distance so your drinks and food stay fresh nearby. The most common type of camping coolers are either hard or soft, and MEC has a wide variety of both available at our stores. Stop by your local MEC to check out our selection of coolers from brands like Igloo, Hydro Flask, Yeti and more.

Hard-sided coolers

If you want a larger, more durable cooler and heavy insulation, a hard-sided cooler is the better choice. These coolers provide a longer lasting cold retention, sometimes even lasting up to a few days (provided you have a good amount of ice or cooling packs). They’re best for extended trips or if you’ve got several people in your party. Hard-sided coolers are often much heavier, so you may need a friend to help you carry them, while some come with wheels and an extendable handle. Some also come with latches that lock easily, making for a secure closure that holds the lid firmly in place.

Soft-sided coolers

Often a lot easier to carry around, soft-sided coolers are made from polyester and lighter materials as opposed to their heavy plastic counterparts. They’re also collapsable, which makes them easy to pack away in your backpack once you’ve eaten all the contents inside. Soft-sided coolers usually come with large handles or shoulder straps, making for an easy carry as you walk through the park or hike to a perfect picnic spot. They’re usually a lot smaller than hard-sided coolers however, so they’re best used for you a few items you need to keep cool like cans or sandwiches.

Extra features

A lot of the coolers available at MEC come with special tech in their design to keep your food and drinks fresh for as long as possible. Advanced tech like Yeti’s Permafrost insulation helps keep ice frozen for even longer. Thick walls, airtight seals and lock lids helps to ensure maximum temperature retention, so read up on your cooler’s special features to know what you’re getting. Another factor to consider is size; camping coolers come in a range of capacities, from small 10L options for personal use to large 100L coolers suitable for big groups.