Coleman Classic Cooler review

Coleman is one of the iconic American outdoor brands that seems to be as steadfast as the great outdoors itself. But is the Coleman Classic Cooler really as good as it appears? Well, it depends. Yes, it can keep things cool for days — but not the ‘5 days’ Coleman claims, unless you stuff it to the brim and keep restocking.

Could the Coleman Classic Cooler be enough to be crowned one of the best coolers around? I want to say yes so badly. But unfortunately, it just missed out. The hardy exterior and portability are major plusses, but as I mentioned above, it couldn’t quite maintain chill for 5 whole days.

Yes, the Coleman Classic Cooler kept my cans and food cold for 2 days, but Coleman said 5, not 2. That’s not to say it’s a bad cooler — it’s even made in the U.S.! I’ll go into everything in detail in this Coleman Classic Cooler review.

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Cheat sheet

• Who is it for? People who want a basic cooler for relatively little cash
• What does it do well? It’s easy to carry (with a friend) and can keep cool for 2 days
• What does it cost? $84 / £139
• What are its weaknesses? Coleman’s ‘5 days cool’ claim is a little generous

Coleman Classic Cooler Dripper: Specs

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Price & availability

The Coleman Classic Cooler Chest is $84 from Amazon U.S. and £139 from Amazon U.K.. In the U.K., the Classic is called Xtreme — but don’t worry, they’re the same product.

For a 70-quart cooler, this is a decent price. Coleman has a whole range of coolers on its roster, in a massive variety of sizes. Its priciest option is the $299 Coleman Pro 55-quart Wheeled Cooler and the cheapest is the Chiller 9-quart Cooler, just $19.

I’ve also tested the 19-quart Engel Cooler, which is $89. I think buck-for-quart is great on the Coleman cooler, however there might be a reason for this relatively low cost.

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Design & portability

One of the biggest downsides of the Coleman is its lid. For some reason, there’s no latch or clips to secure the lid. You have to rip it open like a stubborn bag of chips. I’m not sure why this design was chosen, as it isn’t secure enough to act as a dry box, and is difficult to open with fingers. However, in the long run this could be a better design choice than Igloo’s Marine Ultra 54, which has a very finicky latch.

Anyway, once I had mastered the lid-opening, I liked everything about the Coleman Classic Cooler’s design. The exterior is hard and sturdy, and I don’t doubt that it would be able to withstand a lot of knocking around in the back of a pickup or similar. It’s pretty large at 31 inches long, so will be big enough to hold a whole bunch of consumables.

The Coleman Classic can also double up as a seat, able to hold weights of up to 250 pounds. I was able to sit on the cooler and bounce around without the cooler toppling over or concaving under my weight.

Another design feature I like is the ruler embossed on the top lid for instant fish-measuring. There are also four cup holders on the lid, meaning this cooler can double up as a table, seat, and a measurement tool.

In terms of portability, the 100-quart version comes with wheels so moving it around won’t be an issue at all. The 70-quart version I tested has handles so you can carry it with another person easily. The cooler box itself is very light, so will only be as heavy as the items inside.

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Performance

Now, Coleman claims that the Classic Cooler stays cold for up to 5 days. I think if you’re constantly restocking the cooler with fresh ice and cans, well, this is more achievable, as you’re putting new cooling items in. However, if you stock up at home and then expect the cooler to remain at around 40°F for five days while removing cans from the cooler, 5 days is not going to happen.

After 4 days, the Classic Cooler was not ‘chilled’ at all. All the ice had melted and the cans inside were merely a few degrees cooler than room temperature. The frozen fruit I’d put inside had completely melted into mush, too.

However, after 2 days, the Classic Cooler was still cold. Therefore I’d recommend this for weekend trips or short fishing trips, but anything longer and I think the Classic Cooler might struggle.

Despite being disappointed by the cooling time, I was super relieved when draining and cleaning the Coleman Classic was easy as pie. The cooler itself is incredibly lightweight so it was straightforward to prop it on its side and let all the melted ice flow out using the drain tap. Ease of draining is one of the cooler’s most impressive features.

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Additional features

As I mentioned briefly above, the Coleman Classic Cooler has a range of additional features. It’s complete with a ruler for measuring fresh catches, cup holders, and doubles up as an extra seat.

The fish ruler has both inches and centimeters so it can be used regardless of where you are in the world. The ruler is easy to access, right on top of the lid so you don’t need to get anything dirty while measuring.

The cup holders have drain grooves so will be easy to clean out, too. The holders fit standard cans and coffee cups, but didn’t fit my 36-ounce Owala water bottle.

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Maintenance

As I mentioned in the ‘Performance’ section, cleaning out the Coleman Classic Cooler is very straightforward. After removing everything from the inside of the cooler, I simply opened the drain hole (very easy) and propped up the cooler on its side to empty. The water flowed out quickly.

Afterwards, I was able to clean the inside of the cooler with just a cloth and a paper towel. As it’s all plastic, it cleans up really easily.

Coleman offers a 1-year standard warranty for its hard coolers, or a whopping 10 years for the Coleman Pro Cooler range ($299 for 55 quarts). This is the same as Igloo, but 4 years less than Engel’s impressive 5-year standard warranty.

Coleman Classic Cooler review: Verdict

For weekend camping trips or short fishing adventures, I would recommend the Coleman Classic Cooler. I think it would excel on 1-2 day trips rather than longer stays. Coleman’s ‘5 days cool’ claim is a little generous; I found it was practically room temperature after 4 days.

However, that’s not to say it’s a bad cooler, not at all. It is very easy to clean and, thanks to the drain hole, draining is a breeze. This is a very low-maintenance product.

So if you don’t want to spend $$$ on something like an Engel, then I’d recommend the Coleman Classic or the Igloo Marine Ultra coolers for shorter trips.