For nearly 20 years, one brand and one brand alone has been considered the clear frontrunner in rugged, high-performing camping coolers, and that's Yeti. Now, a famous camping brand we all know for its rather more budget-friendly gear has thrown its hat in the high-quality coolbox ring.
The new Coleman Pro line of hard and soft-sided coolers is the first from the legacy brand that appears to be a truly tough coolbox that will keep your food and drinks cold for days, not hours. Constructed using the same rotomolding process that Yeti uses to make coolers like its perennially popular Tundra 45 Hard Cooler, the Coleman Pro 45-Quart Hard Cooler is a seamless coolbox that's built through the heating and rotating of a plastic resin.
The result is a hefty cooler that the brand says can hold up to 74 cans (compared to the Tundra's 54), and if you leave out a few of those cans so you can add ice, it claims to keep your drinks cold for up to four days.
Like its Yeti rival, it boasts heavy-duty latches (made of steel), non-slip feet for when it's riding around in the back of the truck or on deck, and an easy drain system. It even comes in an attractive Blue Sky colorway that we can't help noticing looks nearly identical to Yeti's Big Sky Blue.
At 19lbs (8.6kg), it's not light, but it's 5lbs lighter than the Tundra. The other main difference we can see is the price. While the Coleman Pro certainly isn't as cheap as your standard Coleman Classic Series cooler, at $199.99 it's much more affordable than the premium-priced Tundra to the tune of $125.
If you're looking for something even bigger for long weekends in the backcountry, the Coleman Pro 55 claims it keeps ice in check for up to five days. Also in the Pro lineup is a 25qt hard cooler with carry strap that the brand says keeps ice up to three days and holds 36 cans that looks like a more affordable – and spacious – answer to the Yeti Roadie 15.
If you're seeking something more toteable like Yeti's Hopper Flip 12, which comes with an eye-watering $250 price tag, there's the Coleman Pro 16-Can Premium Soft Cooler Lunchbox that's just $59.99.
Whether the new line is a worthy opponent to Yeti's bulletproof boxes, we won't know until we get our hands on one, but it's clear the Chicago brand is wading in on premium cooler territory, and you're about to have even more options for keeping food and drinks properly cold at camp.
