Category: Hunting accessories

Picture this: you’re out in the woods camping during the summer, and you’ve been in the sun all day. You go to reach for a drink of water… but taste nothing but lukewarm liquid. Ugh! Meanwhile, the ice packs you brought to keep your other drinks cold melted hours ago. If only you had something with you to keep your water or other beverages cool.

Fortunately, you don’t need to suffer through drinking warm water or being unable to keep your drinks cold when you go camping. All you really need to do is find the right cooler. Coolers come in a variety of styles and sizes, so you can be sure that you have the right supplies in the outdoors.

Which cooler sizes and styles will you need for your next camping trip? Use this quick and handy guide to find the cooler that’s right for your needs.

Gauging Cooler Sizes

Cooler sizes are usually measured in terms of the cooler’s capacity. The number you see next to the cooler is usually in quarts; however, some might measure gallons. Smaller coolers may only give you an estimate of the number of cans or bottles that it can hold. When you pick out a cooler, think about the duration of your trip and how many people will join you, then estimate how many drinks each person will need for each day. Once you’ve calculated these figures, you should be able to choose the correct size cooler.

Choosing Different Types of Coolers

Coolers may seem like a one size fits all kind of deal, but they’re actually just as diverse as the reasons people need them. Some coolers are made for camping, hunting, and fishing trips and are designed for being outdoors and in the wilderness for long periods of time and are ideal for the 38 million Americans who hunt and fish. These differ from other cooler types, like marine coolers to store fish or bait when angling. Boat coolers, meanwhile, are often designed to be installed on watercraft; on some ships, they may even be installed as full-on refrigerators and freezers. Sports fans, however, may be familiar with more portable tailgating coolers to hold some of their favorite drinks. Determine how you’ll use your cooler and then make the right choice with regard to style and capacity from there.

Determining How Your Cooler Is Used

Additionally, the type of cooler you choose doesn’t just need to be the right size or have the right amount of portability, even though those factors are important. Think about where the cooler will be used and when. Is it going to be installed permanently on something, like a truck or a boat? Or will it be kept just outside the tent when you go camping? Think about portability, too. A large cooler might sound great, but not if you can’t lift it. Most hikers walk at about two or three miles per hour, so consider backpack coolers if you will be walking a lot.

Which coolers do you think will work best for your needs? Tell us in the comments!

The great outdoors! Part of the American identity is built on a close relationship with nature, being out in the woods, on the rivers and lakes, and in the beauty of the landscape. Even though plenty of kids these days spend more time glued to their smartphones, and plenty obese Americans spend their weekends glued to television sets. There are still plenty of Americans enjoying the great American outdoors.

Hunting and fishing are activities enjoyed by more than 38 million Americans. 38 million Americans also enjoyed camping during the year 2012. That’s a lot of equipment that must be purchased for all of that camping, and a lot cooler brands that sell plenty of coolers to keep food at the campground cool.

The cooler, a simple, typically square box with some kind of insulation to keep the contents frigid, is perhaps the single most useful piece of outdoor equipment that you’re sure to find in plenty of American garages, closets and sheds. Think about all of the possible uses for coolers, and all of the outdoor activities where a cooler is brought along.

Cooler brands create coolers for all kinds of outings. Think fishing coolers, backpack coolers, marine coolers, coolers for tail-gating, coolers for backyard barbeques, coolers for corporate picnics. There are plenty of uses for coolers that are sure to keep cooler brands busy.

Boaters, for instance, have various needs for coolers, and boating, like camping is another outdoor activity that is very popular. Cooler brands are sure to market their products toward the users of some 16,800,000 boats in use across the US.

But of all the activities where a cooler is needed, camping may be king.

A significant amount of the demand for coolers is made up of young adult campers. In fact a quarter or more of all campers between the ages of 18 and 44 purchased coolers in the last year, over 24% of campers aged 18-34, and more than 27% of campers aged 35-44. If they aren’t already, cooler brands would do well to take notice of this trend amongst young outdoor campers, and account for these types of customers in their marketing strategies.