The best cooler for tailgating depends on how far you walk and how many you're feeding: a hard cooler like the Taiga 55 qt for ice that lasts all day at the car, a wheeled cooler like the Cordova 50 qt Outpost for the long walk from a far lot, a party cooler like the REVO Dubler when you're hosting, and a backpack cooler like the Tailgate Trekker when you walk in with your hands full. Most crews end up with two: a big one that stays at the car, and a small one that travels. The Trekker is ours, and it's on our back every Saturday; the rest we haven't run through a season yet, so their numbers are the makers'.
Which kind of cooler do you need?
| Your crew | Your walk | Get | Start with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just you, or 2 or 3 people | Long: you park in a garage, a neighborhood or downtown | A backpack cooler | Tailgate Trekker (18 cans, $149) or Cordova Backcountry (24 cans, $169.99) |
| 2 to 4 people | Short: you tailgate at the car | A small hard cooler | Taiga 27 qt (about 24 cans with ice, $199) |
| The whole crew | Short: you tailgate at the car | A big hard cooler | Taiga 55 qt (about 60 cans with ice, $299) or Cordova 65 qt Basecamp (65 cans, $349.99) |
| The whole crew | Long: the spot is far from where you park | A wheeled hard cooler | Cordova 50 qt Outpost Wheeled (63 cans, $379.49) |
| You're hosting 10 or more | Any: it stays on the table | A party cooler | REVO Dubler (24 cans plus food, $169.89) |
Hard coolers: ice for the whole day
Taiga 55 qt: the big cooler that stays at the truck
- Best for: you want one big cooler for the crew that holds ice all day at the car.
- Skip it if: it has to roll from a far lot. Loaded, it's a two-person carry. Add the Taiga Cooler Wheel Kit ($99), or get the Cordova 50 qt Outpost below.
- The numbers: about 60 cans with ice, 55 qt. 34.25 x 19 x 17 inches outside, 35 lbs empty. Two inches of foam, a one-piece lid gasket, three divider slots and two drain plugs.
- Why it made our list: it carries a crew's worth of cans with ice for under $300. Taiga says it holds ice up to 7 days in ideal conditions and 5 or more in real summer heat. Taiga says it injection-molds it in the USA and backs it with what it calls a limited lifetime warranty.
- Ships from: Taiga, at the same price as buying direct.
Cordova Basecamp 45 qt or 65 qt: rotomolded, sized to the crew
See the Cordova 65 qt Basecamp ($349.99) · See the Cordova 45 qt Basecamp ($274.99)
- Best for: a rotomolded hard cooler that straps down in a truck bed. The 65 qt is for the home games when the whole section shows up; the 45 qt is for a mid-size crew.
- Skip it if: it has to roll from a far lot. Neither has wheels. Get the Cordova 50 qt Outpost.
- The numbers: 65 qt: 65 cans, 27.9 x 19.2 x 17.3 inches outside, 35.3 lbs empty. 45 qt: 56 cans, 24.7 x 17.3 x 16.7 inches outside, 25.1 lbs empty.
- Why it made our list: both have a 1.75-inch tie-down channel across the lid for strapping to a truck bed or a rack. Cordova says the 65 qt has a freezer-grade seal, and the 45 qt carries on aluminum handles.
- Ships from: Cordova.
Taiga 27 qt: your own cooler, in the trunk
- Best for: you want your own cooler for the day, one that rides in a trunk or a truck bed.
- Skip it if: you're icing drinks for the whole crew. Get the Taiga 55 qt.
- The numbers: about 24 cans with ice, 27 qt. 23 x 15.5 x 15 inches outside, 17.5 lbs empty.
- Why it made our list: it's built the same way as Taiga's big coolers, with a one-piece lid gasket, rubber latches and a drain plug, at half the weight of the 55. Taiga backs it with a limited lifetime warranty.
- Ships from: Taiga.
Wheeled coolers: the far lot
Cordova 50 qt Outpost Wheeled: pull the whole day's ice in one trip
See the Cordova 50 qt Outpost ($379.49)
- Best for: you park far from your spot and you're icing drinks for the crew all day.
- Skip it if: it has to lift into a small trunk. It's 35.5 lbs empty and almost 21 inches tall.
- The numbers: 63 cans. 19.5 x 18 x 20.9 inches outside, 35.5 lbs empty. A rotomolded body, wheels and a telescoping handle.
- Why it made our list: a whole crew's cans ride in one trip, and one person pulls it instead of two people carrying it.
- The other way to do it: put the Taiga Cooler Wheel Kit ($99) on a Taiga 55 qt. Taiga says it goes on without tools and rolls on pavement, gravel, grass and sand.
- Ships from: Cordova.
Party coolers: when you're hosting
A party cooler sits on the table like a bar, so nobody digs through ice for a drink. Our party cooler guide goes deeper, including which stadiums ban kegs.
Backpack coolers: the walk in
A backpack cooler carries the drinks on your back, so both hands stay free for the chairs and the canopy. Our backpack cooler guide has more on when one beats a big cooler.
Tailgate Trekker: the one we carry
See the Tailgate Trekker ($149)
- Best for: you park far and walk in. You want both hands for the chairs and the food.
- Skip it if: you're feeding the whole crew from one spot. Get the Dubler.
- The numbers: 20 liters, 18 cans with ice. 14.8 x 8.7 x 16.1 inches outside, about 4.5 lbs empty. In normal weather it holds ice about 12 hours.
- Why it made our list: it's our own design, so it's the one cooler here we can actually vouch for. The waterproof TPU shell has RF-welded seams, so melted ice stays in the cooler and off your back. A zippered side pocket holds your phone and keys.
- On us: every Trekker ships with a Tailgater Supply bottle opener and a koozie.
- Ships from: us.
Check your stadium
Cooler and glass rules are set stadium by stadium. A few from our guides:
- Pack cans. Glass is banned in the lots at dozens of stadiums, including Highmark Stadium (cans and plastic cups only) and Arrowhead.
- Some lots limit the cooler itself. Penn State doesn't allow motorized coolers, and Cal's Oski's Village doesn't allow hard coolers (see the Cal guide).
- It stays outside the gates. The Superdome and Lumen Field both list coolers as not allowed.
Compare the rules at every stadium we cover.
How big a cooler do you need for a tailgate?
Count drinks, then add room for ice. Plan on two or three drinks per person for a typical 4-hour tailgate, plus water. A 27 qt hard cooler like the Taiga 27 holds about 24 cans with ice, enough for a few people. A 55 qt like the Taiga 55 holds about 60, enough for most crews.
Do you need a wheeled cooler for tailgating?
If you park far from your spot and feed a crew, yes. A full hard cooler is a two-person carry: the Cordova 50 qt Outpost weighs 35.5 lbs empty, and it rolls on wheels with a telescoping handle. If you tailgate at the car, you don't need wheels. If you walk in with a small crew, a backpack cooler is lighter.
