The Cooler Quest Begins
So last week I got this annoying idea in my head – which cheap cooler actually keeps ice frozen longest? My old Igloo leaked all over the truck bed last fishing trip, total mess. I drove straight to Walmart after work. Grabbed three mid-size boxes everyone talks about:
- The basic white Igloo
- That blue Coleman everyone has
- The fancy Ozark Trail one with thicker walls
Paid at self-checkout. Clueless guy behind me scanned cat food twice. Whatever.
Prepping the Ice Battle
Thursday night. Garage was hotter than my laptop power supply. Did this right after dinner while wife yelled about towels on the floor. Here’s what went down:
- Filled each cooler with exactly ten pounds of ice cubes. Measured twice on that dusty bathroom scale.
- Shoved them shut real hard. Coleman lid squeaked like a stepped-on mouse.
- Set ’em side-by-side near the water heater. Hot spot on purpose.
Started timer at 8:37 PM. Cat walked across the Ozark lid immediately. Typical.
The Waiting Game (Mostly Boredom)
Checked at 24 hours first. Opened Igloo – water already covering the ice chunks. Wrist deep in cold puddle. Coleman had less water, Ozark barely any melt at all. Thicker walls doing work.
48 hours in? Disaster. Igloo was basically a lukewarm swimming pool for stray Legos. Tilted it and water poured out. Coleman ice nearly gone, floating like sad little islands. But Ozark? Actual solid ice blocks still stacked inside. Could knock on ’em. Mind blown.
Final Meltdown & The Winner
Stretched it to 72 hours cause why not? Garage smelled like wet plastic.
- Igloo: Pool party. Zero ice. Pathetic.
- Coleman: Three sad ice cubes in warm soup.
- Ozark Trail: Quarter of the ice SOLID. Still freezing my fingers touching it.
No contest. Ozark Trail crushed the others. It’s heavier and uglier than Coleman, sure. But who cares when your beer stays cold? Returned Igloo and Coleman next morning. Clerk didn’t even ask why. Probably used to people bringing back melted coolers.
