Coolers for truck drivers: 5 options for various budgets

We will recommend purchasing a product that comes with a long cord. This will help you while charging as the power outlet could be far from the ground. You do not want to be carrying an extension cord on trips, and hence this is necessary.

They have a small selection of thermoelectric coolers (2 of them actually!), and both models are based on a similar 40-quart structure. The Coleman Powerchill comes in both a cooling version as well as a cooling/heating version for a slight upcharge. But the Igloo iceless thermoelectric lgloo Cooler cooler will provide you with a safe space to store your food without any ice. Just plug it in, and your drinks will stay cool even at high temperatures. If you need a family sized refrigerator for a hot climate thermoelectric coolers aren’t for you.

That process sucks all the heat out of your fridge very efficiently. A compressor makes that gas liquid again for another pass through the coil, and as the process repeats indefinitely, it can move an amazing amount of heat. If you do want to keep food below 40 degrees in this cooler, there are a few essential tricks you’ll need to use.

Plus, you can always keep this product plugged in without needing to stop for purchasing ice. We were very happy with this factor as it saved us time while on the trip. In case there are a lot of snacks inside, the handle is long enough for 2 people to hold it at one time. This compact unit features sealed hinged lid with a thermal pane window and carrying handle. The 12 Volt SnackMaster plugs directly into your cigarette lighter socket and has a removable shelf which you can use as a wine cooler. If you want to plug the cooler into an AC outlet when you get home, or you are in a hotel room, Igloo sells an AC power converter separately for about $50.

Keep your drinks, meals and snacks cool with no ice in this 12-volt cooler bag. This soft-sided cooler plugs directly into a 12-volt outlet and can hold up to 24 cans. Never place your cooler near a heat source, in direct sunlight or in an area where the air intake or fans are blocked. Always dry dust igloo electric cooler or vacuum the lighter plug socket before use, and wipe the plug with a dry cloth. Open liquid containers such as cups or ice trays can result in spills that corrode metal cooler parts. Igloo Products Corporation doesn’t recommend using other brands of converters or power cords with your cooler.

igloo electric cooler

The fact that it also comes with tires and an extending carrying handle makes it much more mobile than most of the other electric coolers on the market. This makes them perfect for RVs, camping trips, or any other scenario where you don’t have a lot of space and limited power. Electric-only coolers are not as powerful, so they are better at keeping food that’s already cold at the desired temperature. They run on the DC power supplied by your vehicle’s 12-volt power outlet. Then there are the combo-power units that are used in camping and RV applications.

We set up our group of coolers on the patio for six days of 90-plus-degree weather. Each cooler was loaded with a pack of hot dogs, a pair of yogurt cups, and a water bottle. All items were refrigerated to about 40° F before we loaded up the coolers, but the coolers themselves had been sitting in 80° outdoor temperatures. This phase-change system still works well on an incredibly hot day, igloo cooler with wheels but all those moving parts make a 12-volt fridge more expensive than a thermoelectric cooler. With enough carrying capacity for two full 24-pack flats of beverage cans, this is a great cooler for tailgating. Note, however, that if you fill this cooler completely with warm beer or soda, it will probably never be able to cool them as well as it all off the way a refrigerator wcould.