20 Best Cooler For Construction Workers (2023 Updated)

I bought this soon after it came out. Working in a hot factory it the ceiling I needed ice cold water more than anything. I didn’t have much faith in it but I had to try. I mean it is a Klein after all.

I was shocked! 12 hour shifts and it kept my sandwich cold and the partially frozen water bottles for ice packs and water as it melts but to my amazement I had to set the bottles out early to get them to thaw.

This in a factory where the floor temperatures reach the high nineties and the ceilings in the hundred plus. I’m a believer.

Very well built but it’s a rather large lunch box for everyday use. The strap makes it hard to carry and I wish it had an optional handle along with the strap to carry either way. Like I said I wish it was a little smaller and had a handle.

It stays cool all day and is well insulated. It works great on really hot days when you want the extra space for more water but for carrying lunch everyday it is rather large.

This is a great small cooler that has thick, foam insulated walls. It’s tough enough to sit on and because it’s insulated with foam just like the expensive Yeti and Pelican coolers, it keeps your food cold and ice from melting.

The only drawback would be that it’s not sealed with a rubber gasket, and is kept closed by pressure only. So any melted ice will drip out if it’s tipped over on it’s side. Other than that, this is the best mini cooler I’ve ever had.

I previously used a Coleman 8 qt cooler that was basically worthless; ice would be melted within 2 hrs. I only need to keep my ice from melting for 8 hours while at work. This cooler does that and more.

Highly recommended, and if this gets lost or stolen, I will definitely buy again.

So I purchased this as an update to my regularly used toolbag. which was actually the bag that my Milwaukee Circular Saw came with. I really needed something bigger as I typically lug around a bunch of small hand tools, together with an impact and hammer drill, hammer, and a couple of bit/drill sets.

Whilst I can now easily fit everything into the bag (it’s a heavy lift though!) the biggest issue I have is the complete lack of any form of internal organizational features which is needed for a container of this size.

Apart from one side with a few spaces for my most used drivers, everything else has to just lay ‘flat’ in the bottom of the bag. necessitating the heavier items to be placed on the bottom. This is a real problem at jobsites as just pulling out a small screwdriver for a quick fix usually requires me to empty out a significant portion of tools just to access anything that may have worked it’s way down the bag; and forget trying to find something small like a spare screw or wall anchor.

I also carry a wallboard saw with me, which I can’t place in the bag as there’s no reinforced place to put such an item where it wouldn’t either eventually damage the bag or be a cut hazard when fumbling around for other tools.

It’s a real shame they didn’t seem to do much field testing or speak to professionals about the needs before designing this. seems like a lost opportunity here. A big empty cavernous space of a bag is useless without some form of organizational system to compartmentalize items for more effective storage.

I’m sure Milwaukee could fix this by selling some sort of insert that would allow tools to be strapped to it and better use the vertical space. but likely they will try and sell each for $20 and so you end up with a VERY expensive solution compared to similar products out there made by other brands that seem more contractor minded.

It’s a shame – most of my tools are Milwaukee brand and I like the consistency of having most items by the same company. It’s also great free advertising to Milwaukee having contractors and installers out there turning up to job sites with Milwaukee branded bags and using Milwaukee Tools.

Unfortunately, my customers probably won’t notice now as I’ll be switching out to a different brand bag as this one just can’t do the job it’s designed for.

Absolutely dwarfs the little sandwich cooler bags that I’d been using for years previously and holds around 20L. Fantastic build and quality. I usually put a couple of cans or Coca Cola, Irn-Bru and bottles of water in – all straight from the fridge at around 6am each morning and they’re still fridge cold 9 hours later! Mighty impressive, plus there’s pockets and zipper sections to hold chocolate, salad boxes, crisps, biscuits, fruit, etc and even cutlery.

If you don’t mind the extra attention and everyone mistakenly thinking you’ve entered the lunch canteen to fix the Air-conditioning, this is definitely for you. Highly recommended!.

Havent used it in the field yet but is going into a new drift boat. Bought it based on: height will fit under my hard top cover, length is not so long and should fit ok into the boat but would be a little short for a large salmon, although heavier than my old fish box it will allow me to reduce the large amount of ice I carry on overnight trips and overall weight should be the same or slightly less than the old fish box I had.

I placed 4 – 1 gallon jugs of ice in it, testing it three times a day and it kept the inside at an average temp. of 45 degrees for 5 days. On the 6 day the ice was melted and the inside temp. was 54 degrees.

This occurred with outside temps. of 70 to over 100 degrees.

This review is an out of the box review. Ice test was on par with other high end coolers. I have yet to field test this. I bought the 110 to rig out my new cataraft. Having raft guided for several years, and abused coolers, I was immediately impressed with its design! Compared to others (reference yeti’s site): -rubber latches -tie down points -molded hinge -interlock lid with gasket -two sets of handles – -straps with ergo grips, molded handles -wide mouthed drain -rubber feet Likes Latches: Drift Sun improved the industries design with their cam.

This cooler is easy to open and close without sacrificing its seal. The latches are longer as a result, so this may pose a problem if your frame bars are too tall. Handle Design: The ergo straps handles are strong and attach to the cooler without screws that fail (ah-hum, yeti).

Photo of attachment – see 3rd and 4th pic: https://www. driftsun. com/collections/ice-chest-accessories/products/ice-chest-cutting-board-divider Tie down design: The lid has grooves on the top edges for NRS straps as well as holes in the molded side handles to tether the cooler with.

Same pics as above – look between the strap attachment points for third hold. Bottle Opener: Built in (unlike yeti) and solid (unlike polar cap) and easily accessible at both front corners. Location, however, may cause you to loose bottle a cap in the bailing seam between your tube and floor This thing was well thought and designed for the river!!.

First let me begin by saying I followed all the instructions including pre-chilling the cooler and beverages and was able to have ice retention for 7 days yes it was October and mid 70s but I did open the cooler several times throughout the 4 day trip.

my only compliant is the pressure release valve. its similar to a drain plug where you twist to release. I’ve seen videos of a push button and have purchased one thru another supplier($10)which works great.

doesn’t make sense not to include it. anyways great cooler for the price. any outdoorsman would love it.

It is a 18 litre cooler drybox. Retro Americana design, with lockdown metal latches they are small so not sure on longevity if treated roughly. It does provide a good seal. I added some aluminium food liner and used two folded Youfodz ice packs.

Loaded all things needing to be kept chilled prior to picking up camper van. Had a problem with powering up the van fridge on first night. Next day resolved this issue and relocated food to camper fridge.

The ice packs were still frozen though not as much as when loaded. Overall this cooler works very well. It also has fold down handle which makes it very portable.

This is my second Engel Cooler/Dry box. Though I have a rotomolded Sportsman, I found it not only overkill for my needs, but also too bulky and heavy. If you need 4-5 day ice retention, the Engel cooler/dry box cooler is not for you.

Disregard the reviews that complain of it not holding ice for more than a day or so. That’s unfair. These coolers are designed to be portable. When I go surf fishing, it’s usually for a day or so and a lightweight cooler such as the 19 quart fits the bill.

Easy to lug along, large enough for a few nice pompano, whiting, etc. So why three stars? Because a $68 for a 19 quart cooler, I expected more. For example, once this thing has ice in it, it’s still going to be kind of heavy.

Why not a PADDED shoulder strap instead of the sharp-edged nylon [email protected]$$ed strap they include? No excuse on a premium cooler to include 98-cent cheap shoulder strap when spending a little extra would really make for nice transportation of the cooler.

The lid opens via. plastic hinges. I don’t have a problem, per say, with nicely designed plastic hinges. But why make the latching mechanism out of stainless, then use plastic hinges to introduce a weak / fail point.

Furthermore, and most importantly, there is no durable “stop” with the plastic hinges. If you open the cooler and someone leans over in a beach chair onto the open lid, I’m certain that will break the hinges.

Engel should have included a short length of stainless cable to prevent the plastic hinges from making the STOP point on the lid. They simply are too under designed for that. Again, I don’t mean to imply this is not a quality cooler.

It is, but because of just a couple of areas where obviously Engel was trying to save pennies, their decisions will jeopardize what could have been a premium cooler worth every penny. As it is, it’s hard to see how the Engel 19 quart cooler can command $68, when an Igloo with an extra $10 bucks in some user mods would be as good, or better, at 1/3 of the price.

Come on, Engel. You can do better.

All in on the shoulder strap! Though, could use padding on the strap, for the price. Good size. Bottles stand upright. Is sturdy enough to use as seat! I work Underground, so to get off my feet on lunch on to a dry sturdy seat is a plus.

Stays secure with the two buckles. I did the research, and this is the best lunch box on the market for the price. I’ll pass on the $200. 00 plus products. ENGEL stands up to its reputation! Highly recommend!.

So let me start by saying I love the coolers they are great but the customer service could definitely be better. I bought a cooler and about my third tie using it the plastic where the side straps go through broke I believe it may have been cracked from shipping.

I filled the cooler with ice and picked it up and was walking with it and the plastic broke off where the strap was I contacted grizzly coolers to let them know and they emailed back and forth with me 2 times and ask for my order number so they could help me with a warranty claim and then over a month later and have not heard from them and iv sent them 3 more emails and nothing.

Not even a we cannot warranty just all together decided to stop responding to my email. The person I was emailing was Jamie McCarthy. Not happy at all with the customer service.

I took this jewl to Gatlinburg TN with me. Put a little ice in it, some drinks and snacks. It fit perfectly in my Ram behind and between the driver and passenger seats. Did the same going home. I left the ice in it this time just to see how long the ice would last.

It’s been over 30 hours and it still has a lot of ice in it. It is a very strong and lightweight cooler. Very easy to clean, very easy to open and lock. It stays sealed keeping the cold in and the hot air out.

I also love the little tray that came with it, it is handy and can be used for lot’s of purposes. I even used it to catch ice out of the ice machine in the lodge lobby to fill the cooler up. This is an excellent cooler.

The hinges and locks are super tough and sturdy. They do not stick out so something can catch on them.

I came from a Pelican which I crushed with the boom on my forklift. The guys all had an Engle so I got one too. Its much lighter weight and has a removable strap that pretty well stays in place once laced through the holders under the bottom.

The strap washes nirmal in a machine to clean it up. I hang it to dry. No special directions for it. Both inside and outside clean up easily with soap and water. The box does an above average job at keeping drinks cold all day.

I pack 8 total 16oz (typical size) water bottles standing up, 4 refrigerated, 4 frozen, 1 carton of coconut water, 2 bottles laying down and put my baggie filled lunch on top of the bottles laid down.

The box could easily carry at least 4 more bottle standing up for a total of 12, 16oz water bottles. My lunchbox is stored in the direct sun for at least 8 hrs a day and the frozen water bottles are still frozen with a little detailing.

At the end of 12 hrs, the frozen bottles are about 1/2 frozen. I haven’t experienced any warping of the top but some of the guys who’ve had their boxes longer have. One guy has a crack in the lid but says he doesn’t think it effects the inside contents.

The box comes with a warranty and a dry tray or dish. Its large enough for a bottle of Advil, protein bars and other miscellaneous items. One could use it to store a sandwich if they chose to put ice inside the lunchbox as the tray would keep the sandwich from getting wet.

Overall, I like the box. The colors were fun to choose from. I wish they were different. I like that the box is lighter and less bulky than my Pelican but the reduction in weight is due to a reduction in insulation.

Not a ton different but to me coming from the industry standard for insulation, I can tell there is a difference. This far surpasses an Igloo. The hinges are surprisingly durable and even the guys who have had their boxes for years say there is no damage/wear to them and we open/close our boxes numerous times daily.

They seem durable and functional. Its pretty lightweight and seems to do its job. I’d like to find something in between a Pelican weight/insulation and the Engle. Ill stick with the Engle until I have to get something new.

I saw a similar cooler online at a popular boutique that sells them in pink or cheetah print. However, I wasn’t going to spend over $200 on a cooler. I’m so happy I found this one at Target! The cooler arrived exactly as pictured online.

It’s lightweight and kept ice for two days. The pink color is fun and the size fits perfectly in between the seats of my SUV. Now all of my friends and family want one! Thank you Target for partnering with companies that provide excellent products at a reasonable cost.

I plan on purchasing more for gifts.

I used this model cooler during 7 weeks of storm restoration in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida. Carried drinks and food to the worksite and for meal prep in the evenings. Once cooled off, the cooler retained ice for the 3 to 5 days at a time depending on sun exposure.

Worked great for the situation. Compatibility with the rest of the tough system products allowed for easy portability and storage. Only flaw is the lack of a drain. I simply tipped it to the side and let the water run out the lid of the cooler before adding new ice.

I bought the 27qt Tough System cooler a couple of years ago but never used it until now due to covid. We took it camping and 2 bags of ice cubes mostly melted in approximately 24 hours. It was kept in the shade the whole time and the outside temperature was 25C.

Needless to say the 5 day ice retention on the label is quite a bit of a stretch.

These things are not cheap to be sure, but I wanted something that would hold up for several days at a time without replenishing the ice. This cooler from Pelican definitely handles that request. The skinny: 1) held ice and keep things frosty in 90F+ temps for 4+ days.

Temperature in the cooler never rose above 36. We opened it about 4x a day on average but never for very long. We topped off with 1 more 1/2 bag of ice late on day 4 but it could have gone even longer.

2) holds a lot with still room for your ice; we had: 8 small tetra-pak smoothies, 2lbs of carrots, 12 bottles of Mexican coke, 14 cans of beer, some medication, 6 cups of yogurt (individual), qt. sized zip-lock of sliced turkey, 8 pudding cups, & 3 cycling water bottles and two pints of hummus.

3) the wheels are a big help as this cooler is heavy (+/- 40 lbs) even before you load it up. Plan on two people to lift in and out of the vehicle when full. 4) sturdy as can be. Stand on it, sit on it, cut on it, drop it, etc.

It will handle it all with only minor nicks 5) the latch system works well and is easy on everyone’s fingers The “bad”, tho not really bad: 1) weight, see above. The wheels make this manageable though and they roll over grass, gravel and even sand with ease, but plan on two people to lift it once you fill it up.

2) the drain valve on ours leaked at first (not sweating but an actual leak. ) However, with some rubber-handled channel locks you can use the handle of your pliers to slot into the notches on the drain plug and give it some extra torque without damaging the plastic cap.

This worked fine and never had a leak after that. 3) the pull handle is, to my taste, a little short for long-legged strider, like me; it occasionally clips your leg when pulling it. However, the wheels roll well enough and the handle is sturdy enough, that you can push it instead which I found easier.

4) bulky–this is not small cooler, plan on it taking up a lot of space in your car or back of your SUV–think medium sized pet kennel I recommend this cooler whole heartedly if you take the above factors into account!.

We bought this through MEC just before the pandemic, based on owning a number of Pelican cases and their generally solid reputation. We never got to take it on a trip but noticed the exterior was delaminating right in the box.

Despite sending Pelican pictures, proof of purchase and stock numbers from the box, they ignored their own warranty and claimed the item was serviceable. This item was clearly a factory second, at best.

Will never purchase another one of their products again and have switched to Nanuk, a Canadian company with great customer service so far.

Charcoal 80 wheeled Delivered very fast. Cooler itself looks great upon initial viewing. A nice thank you pack with some decals and coozies was included. Closer inspection showed lots of scuffs and nicks.

Also some very rough flash removal around the fixed pull handle. Inside, I was a bit surprised by the gap in the gasket. It was 1/2 in wide I suppose. I’m used to seeing some, but this to me looked excessive.

Way more than my other coolers. The left latch on the 80 is EXTREMELY hard to move. Like it is binding. The metal rod on that side looks like a beaver chewed the end off. Force applied to move the left latch up or down, would be registered in pounds.

I am counting on this to loosen up. Counting meaning better. Spray lube had no effect. The inside of the cooler feels “lumpy” or “bulgy’ on the sides. This is very noticeable to your hand. Will it effect anything? who knows.

Its an observation at this point. I own a 35 and 65 and a wheeled 45. Those latches are all fine. Their insides are all flat and smooth. The 80 wheeled passed the flashlight test. I am clearly a fan of Pelican.

My charcoal 80 was purchased directly from Pelican with the holiday discount. Honestly, without the discount, I would have been a bit put off by the quality. No ice retention tests at the moment.

I sure would recommend this cooler just with a strong warning due the faqt that i was blown away that this cooler does not have a drain. Kind of awkward when the ice melts and you still have alot of drink still in there and you have to pour the water out you have to barely crack the lid so your drinks dont spill out all over the dirt then on top of that your fighting the weight of a cooler still loaded with drinks its either that or you have to take all your drinks out which makes it kind of a pain when you leaving real early to work and stopped at a fuel station to fill up on ice and you have to be fighting the cooler.

When all this can be mitigated with as easy as walking up to the cooler and pulling the drain plug.

This thing is absolutely amazing. Can easily stack other TSTAK work boxes on top of it. It is even better off the jobsite too. I used it for both cooling and keeping things warm. I put all the dishes I made for Thanksgiving inside it and was able to wheel it right into my aunts and all the food stayed hot! Overall, this product stands up to and even outperforms most of the standard competitors.

I highly recommend it to any tradesman or individual who just wants a touch cooler on wheels!.

Cool that it integrated with tstak system, but this really falls short in every other way. No drain plug, and I couldn’t ever get ice to hold more than one day. In fact, I took water bottles out of the fridge, poured a bag of ice over them, and the next morning there woud barely be any of ice.

OK, so the IGLOO Legend 24-can Personal Cooler, the best thing about is is the nice square shape. especially for modular minded people like me. The rectangular design is not very common these days, which allows more efficient use of space, both inside and out.

Mind you the amount of insulation used for more igloo band coolers is not as effective as the most popular name brand (coleman) however it does have nice features, such as the handle which is fold down flush with the top and sides.

The cooler arrived with a large dent on one of the lower corners, granted the damage was done by UPS and their poor handling, the damage revealed the extremely thin outer plastic shell, which is my biggest gripe.

If the cooler when protected in a thick cardboard box could not withstand an impact, then it surely is not going to last very long. The other cons are the thin walls with very little insulation, this cooler is surely not meant for much more than day use.

I have owned many of these over the last 30 years or so, and, as I use them all the time, beat the heck out of them, and eventually they get downgraded to fishing bait coolers, and I get a new one for beverages.

Perfect size for packing cans. Fits perfectly on the floor between the front seats of the van, and fits perfectly in the trailer I pull behind my bike when I go to the beach. Perfect height to serve as an end table to my beach chair, and to serve as a stool while fishing.

Folding handle gets out of the way when you don’t need it. Used to come in a variety of colors, but have only seen red ones during the last 10 years or so. Hope they are still available by the time this one needs to be replaced in 5 years or so.

compact design, easy to tote with the folding handle. At the bottom there is a spot for a bottle of wine but they didn’t include the divider that holds the wine in place & separate from other items in the cooler.

Kinda of a bummer? what’s up wit that. Saving 20 cents on a piece of plastic? at over $50 for the cooler it should be included in my opinion.

I really like my lunchbox so far. I read reviews saying that it is “too small”, but I think it’s the perfect size. I can fit my sandwich, a big apple, chobani yogurt cup, some snacks, and a microwaveable ramen in the main compartment alone.

I keep napkins and silverware in the front pocket and drinks/icepacks in the top compartment. The construction is nice. It’s a “soft shell” but it holds it’s shape well. My only complaint is that the carry strap is not adjustable or removable.

Overall, I’m very happy with my purchase.

Bought this lunch bag for my 10 year old son to take to school. It is very large for his little body–but he will grow into it! It worked perfectly for him last year. Due to Covid there were no water fountains available.

We were able to put a few water bottles and juice pouches in with his lunch. It has held up great. It has rolled around the car and has been smooshed into his locker. The fabric and zipper are very durable.

I am going to be buying another one for my other son to take to job sites with him.

It’s a ideal little lunch pail for my use. However, we have had it out in our back yard airing it out for three weeks now and the manufacturing oder is still there, just now starting to lessen. It’s the outside of the item that is retaining the odor.

Could this be that there is a water repellent chemical added to the outside? Thank you for your inquiry.

Imagine to my surprise when I open and close the cooler countless times, for 3 days straight, and it still had ice in it when we got back from the floating trip. Great feel, durability, and ice retention.

AND AMERICAN MADE, unlike the one with the Sasquatch. Even better we caught it at 20%off, thanks to Moosejaw. Good vibes!.

This a great day cooler it holds ice and can take a beating. The strap makes for a great carry handle. I just feel it should be priced less due to its size, you can get a 23qrt for almost the same price point.

Other than that I have no complaints.

This is a really great cooler which drop it comes with is really comfortable very awesome design on it you can either carry on a handle or strap it over your shoulder really easy to adjust I got this cool because I live in Arizona where it’s really hot and this is very comparable to all the other brands of coolers that are just like this and I’m really happy with it it is working great.