By Mike Szostech Last updated
The high-end cooler phenomenon was started by Yeti coolers, and today, there are many replicas. Since some of the top rated coolers aren’t available in Canada, we gathered up and compared the best coolers that you can buy from stores in Canada.
To make things fair, we only compare coolers that have similar features and claims. In this review, we only look at full size, hard sided coolers – typically called the best cooler for camping. Most of the coolers we review have a rubber lid-gasket to seal in the cold, and any liquids should your next adventure get a little wild!
For other cooler comparisons, you might want to check out these other popular cooler reviews:
- Looking for a cooler like Yeti?
- Best Soft Cooler
- Best Small Cooler
- Insulated Water Jug
How did we choose the best cooler?
We looked at coolers from over 20 different companies, and there are lots of cheap coolers you can buy, but as we’ve found before, you get what you pay for.
While you can get a standard large cooler for around $50, it won’t handle being dragged along a beach, sliding around the back of a truck, or being used as a camping seat for very long. If you plan to use your cooler rarely, or simply for keeping groceries cold on the way home from your big Costco run, then one of those cheap coolers could be the best cooler option for you.
Slightly up from the entry level cooler is the Coleman Xtreme series, which we actually rank as the best cooler for most people because it’s around the $100 mark, and other than not having a rubber seal on the lid, it performs nearly as well as the much-more expensive options.
If you’re heading out to bear country, or on a 5-day fishing trip and you just need to be sure your ice stays frozen, then you’ll be interested in the Lifetime cooler, or one of the rotomolded coolers, just be ready to pay up to $500 or more depending on the size you want.
Best Cooler in Canada Comparisons:
Hey Canada! This section helps you compare the features of these products to help you choose the best option for you! Click on the product name to jump down to that specific review.
Warranty
All of these coolers are virtually indestructible - if you take care of them, they will last a lifetime. And if you do accidentally drop your cooler off of a cliff, the warranty wouldn't cover that anyways. In our minds, a long-term warranty is simply a company willing to stand behind their product - putting their actions where their mouth is! On the other end of the extreme, you have the no-name brand coolers offered through Amazon and other online 3rd party retailers that carry virtually no warranty at all, or perhaps only a 30 or 60 day return guarantee. Admittedly, some are reputable companies (like Pelican, Engel etc) that are listed online with no warranty information but they should still carry the full manufacturer warranty if purchased new.
Capacity
The best cooler for you will be one large enough to hold everything you need for your biggest trips. If a cooler is too big, the ice retention can be affected because of all the air space that needs to be kept cool inside the cooler. If you do need a big cooler and you aren't filling it all the way, you can use a towel to fill up the airspace to help increase your ice retention in a partially full cooler. All capacities are in liters, since these are the Best Cooler in Canada, eh?!
Available Colours
Rated
If you like camping off the beaten path, you'll likely want a cooler that can protect your food and drinks against a bear attack. Many of these coolers are rated 'Bear Proof' by the International Grizzly Bear Committee, and those are denoted by 'bear proof'. Some coolers are self-rated as bear resistant, and some have not been tested against a grizzly bear. For a full list of 2021 coolers with this rating, check out this link
Made In
Perhaps unfair, but companies that don't list where their coolers are made, I assume it's overseas. Emei and WhiteRock both are clear to say they are Canadian companies and their coolers are designed in Canada, but they don't claim their coolers are made in Canada.
Extras
In order to keep things fair, we only compared large coolers in the 45-75 quart capacity. We understand that’s a large range in itself, but some companies only carry a 45 quart, or a 70 quart, so we had to include a range.
We also provide recommendations for the best cooler at the upper and lower of those sizes – in case you’re set on a specific size that needs to tuck into that spot in your vehicle’s trunk or travel trailer.
Top Choice - Lifetime High Performance Cooler
It's a non-roto-molded cooler, built out of the same material that Lifetime uses in their folding tables. That makes it rugged, and also about 1/3 the price of the roto-molded coolers. It does, however, have a high quality freezer style seal that keeps liquids in and heat out. We also like that this cooler has latches, rather than those rubber T-handles that some people have trouble stretching to latch and un-latch the cooler.
Back in the Spring of 2022, we called this the Best Cooler in Canada because it was available at Costco for $169. Now it seems that with inflation the cost has gone up to over $300 on Amazon, and our local Costco isn't carrying them again.
The Lifetime 50 Liter is available at Walmart and is almost the same, but 10 liters smaller and grey instead of white. It's also cheaper as the going price is around $249.
This rugged built cooler was designed for the outdoors person who is going to be spending a lot of time in nature and needs a solution to preserve their food. With up to 8 days of ice retention and a strong durable build, its performance exceeds most premium priced coolers. The insulated lid and body provide protection and ice retention while remaining light enough for easy transportation.
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Top Choice - Lifetime High Performance Cooler review details:
Budget Choice for Best Cooler - Coleman Xtreme
The Coleman Xtreme line of coolers is proof that the best coolers don't have to cost hundreds of dollars (although buying them online can be more expensive than in store because they are a large item to ship).
While durability and ice-retention isn't quite as good as a Yeti cooler that costs 2 or 3 times as much, this is a budget priced option that will be the best cooler for most people.
From the EZ-clean lid, to the no crush handles and built in cup holders, the Coleman xtreme cooler builds on years of experience that Coleman has in hard coolers. The lid supports 250 lbs, and the drain port hooks up to a hose if you want to route water out the side of your boat, camper, truck, etc.
Coleman makes lots of coolers with similar looks and names, but according to Coleman they are all the same in their build materials which is what counts. Amazon has also started listing these different looking models as the 'newer model of this item'.
One thing to keep in mind is that the cheaper Coleman coolers don't have replaceable hinges. The Xtreme series does, and since that's one of the first parts of a cooler to wear out, having replacement parts is a cool benefit.
Get the best price Coleman Xtreme Cooler in Canada from:
Budget Choice for Best Cooler - Coleman Xtreme review details:
Coleman Xtreme Cooler Reviews
NY Times ranked it as the #1 on their list claiming it was the 'Best Hard Cooler' in their product review. [March 2023]
It's better insulated and less expensive than the competition, it keeps ice frozen for a week.
The Standard Everyone Compares To - Yeti Tundra Cooler
The $400 Yeti Tundra (at the 55 quart/60 liter size) is the best cooler that all other coolers are compared against. The best cooler reviews everywhere are full of things like "Not as good as my Yeti" or "Cheaper than my friend's Yeti" type of comments.
The YETI® helps keep your catches fresh in the field and your drinks and food cold for your backyard barbecue. There's plenty of room, even with the extra-thick FatWall design and Permafrost insulation - both trademarks of Yeti.
This cooler comes with a dry-goods basket and a 5 year warranty.
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The Standard Everyone Compares To - Yeti Tundra Cooler review details:
Rugged Cheap-ish Cooler - Igloo BMX
If you don't want or need a roto-molded cooler, the Igloo BMX cooler is a rugged design that holds ice great. It's much cheaper than the other coolers on this list, but it doesn't have a lid seal.
That means that ice-melt could slosh out, or rain might get into this cooler. And, without the seal, ice retention is affected.
If you aren't looking for a multi-day cooler, this is a popular rugged cooler option for dragging down a trail to the beach or taking to the kid's soccer game.
Heavy duty blow-molded construction with reinforced base for increased strength and protection with extremely durable yet lightweight proven 4-5 day ice retention. These UV inhibitors protect the cooler against sun damage for it's extended life as well as it;s rust-resistant, stainless steel hinge rods for extended performance.
Get the best price Igloo BMX Cooler in Canada from:
Rugged Cheap-ish Cooler - Igloo BMX review details:
Canadian Designed - EMEI Icebox Cooler
If you want to support a Canadian business, then this is one of the few options for the best cooler in Canada.
This cooler was designed on the West Coast, and it's built responsibly overseas.
Plus, if you're looking for the best cooler with wheels, this is the only cooler we saw that had small roller-blade style wheels. Sure, they won't work well across rough terrain, but they are smooth and quiet and don't cut into your cooler's volume as much as those big hard plastic wheels.
- Seamless food-grade CFC free construction with thick polyurethane insulation
- Anti-slide rubber feet, Internal wire basket for small item storage, Metal bottle opener corners
- Leak-proof screw drain plug, cup holders and fish measurements on lid
- Designed in Canada backed by our Lifetime Warranty
Get the best price EMEI Icebox Cooler in Canada from:
Canadian Designed - EMEI Icebox Cooler review details:
Where can I buy the best cooler?
Depending on the cooler, of course, you’re buying options will be different. For a specific in-house brand (like Cabela’s Polar Cap cooler) you’ll only have one option and that’s to buy it from Cabela’s (or, perhaps from Amazon from a third-party seller at a higher price). Same goes for the Woods cooler from Canadian Tire.
For a widely-popular cooler like a Yeti, you can buy them at all sorts of stores – Cabela’s, Amazon, Atmosphere, and even Best Buy’s online store. And if you live near a local outfitters store, chances are that they’ll carry some Coleman or Yeti options for the best coolers too. And, they might even have stock of a cooler from one of our Canadian companies!
Are there any Canadian Coolers?
Short answer, no. While there are many Canadian companies that sell coolers, there aren’t any Canadian coolers. These Canadian companies are clear to state that the coolers are ‘Designed in Canada’ rather than ‘Made in Canada.’ If you’re looking for something that isn’t made overseas, then you do have a few options.
Coleman and Lifetime are American companies that still make all (or at least most in the case of Coleman) of their coolers in the USA. Yeti makes some of their products in Iowa, Wisconsin, and then some in the Philippines.
That’s about as close as you can get to a Canadian cooler – for now at least!
Competition – other options when choosing the best cooler for camping
If you want a cooler like Yeti, the Cabela’s Polar Cap Equalizer cooler is a decent option. However, some people complain that the latches degrade in a year or two, and since they are only about 10 percent cheaper than the Yeti coolers, we couldn’t recommend them as the best cooler.
Rtic coolers have always dubbed themselves as a Yeti-like cooler at half the price. But, for some reason, Rtic doesn’t ship or supply to Canada – it could be a legal agreement as part of the lawsuit Yeti filed against them. Finally, in 2022, the RTIC soft cooler bags started being sold online in Canada. Either way, Rtic doesn’t make this list of hard coolers because you can’t get them in Canada. If you ship to the USA and have someone forward it, or go and get it, it can be a good option.
If you’re a fan of Canadian Tire, or if you have one of their points cards, it might be worth looking at their Woods ARCTIC roto-molded coolers. The Woods Coolers are comparable to the Yeti coolers and have some cool features too!
Woods ARCTIC Roto-moulded Cooler
CanadianTire.caThe ARCTIC cooler price is comparable to the top name brands, and you have the benefit of dealing with Canadian Tire directly if you have problems. Combine with your Triangle Mastercard and earn points too.
Is a bear proof rated option the best cooler for me?
If you travel off the beaten path, or if you tent camp in national parks with bear warnings, yes – a bear-proof cooler is the best cooler option for you. While it won’t necessarily keep a bear from smelling food, it will keep the bear from getting to your food!
Do I need an expensive cooler?
This, again, depends on your planned usage. If you only typically go for day trips or one-night-trips, then you won’t need one of the expensive coolers. They really shine after a longer time period.
Take a look at this graph below. It’s from CNET, and they tested some budget coolers vs some Yeti coolers (think $40 vs $400).
Throughout a 48 hour test period, the $40 Coleman Stacker lost it’s cool the quickest, and the Yeti’s held their temperature over twice as long. Also notice that the cheaper coolers cooled down faster once 3 lbs of ice were placed in them (probably because the heat was able to get out of the way). Visit CNET for the full test info.
I love this post! I’m from Canada and I have to say that the best cooler in Canada is the Yeti Rambler. It’s really durable and keeps your food cold for a really long time.