7 Best Fishing Coolers in 2023 [Tested and Reviewed]

This cooler got high marks during our chilling capacity test, given that it preserved an outstanding 67 percent of the ice we put inside after three days. Thanks to its thick insulation, you can bring this cooler on long fishing trips without losing the freshness of your catch.

Our testers liked the handle's nonslip grip that was easy to hold onto. Moreover, the cooler hardly sways even if the contents move around since the handle is solidly built, making it feel stable. Although it's a little large, you shouldn't find it difficult to carry.

All you have to do to open the cooler is pull down on the silicone latch. The top has a fish ruler that measures 20 inches or 52 centimeters. This is a feature that will be useful for making a comparison to previous records. However, the bottom only has a cover instead of anti-slip pads, so it might slide around a little on a slippery boat deck.

Draining water went smoothly because of the recessed drain hole. The drain plug is attached to the cooler with a metal wire, so there's no chance you'll lose it after cleaning. This cooler is highly recommended for people who want something easy to carry that's well-insulated and will keep your catch fresh for as long as possible.

The Haul is a wheeled cooler from Yeti's popular Tundra series. You can pull this cooler along with you to your favorite fishing spot.

49 percent of the ice remained intact after three days in our cold retention test. It's not only a rotomolded cooler but also includes thick insulation, which our testers believe is what was able to keep the internal temperature low.

On the one hand, this cooler can be comfortably moved around thanks to the wheels and handle, but because it weighs 37 pounds, our testers struggled to lift it. Loading this cooler into your car will require some strength.

It's easy to open just by pulling down on the silicone latch. The bottom of the cooler has rubber anti-skid pads that'll prevent the wheels from moving around. Aside from that, there aren't any features specialized for fishing.

It drains pretty quickly with the recessed drain hole. But, because it's heavy, it might be quite a task when you want to wash the entire thing. This cooler with very effective insulation is best for those who won't mind pulling a wheeled cooler with them, even if it's pretty heavy.

The TUNDRA 35 Hard Cooler by Yeti is a rotomolded cooler with high chilling capacity and is durable enough to keep a nosy bear from getting inside.

After three days, 29 percent of ice remained intact, likely because this cooler is rotomolded. Your catch should have no trouble maintaining its freshness on a weekend fishing trip.

At only 35 quarts, it's easy to hold with both hands using the rubber handle grips. However, since this cooler is made with a rope-type handle, it's a little unstable, and our testers felt that the rope twisted when the cooler's contents shifted.

Thanks to the silicone latches, the cooler is easy to open. The bottom comes equipped with rubber non-slip pads, so it should be able to grip the slippery surface of a boat deck. It also comes with a metal mesh tray that you can use to separate your drinks from your catch or bait.

It's on the heavier side at 19 pounds, 11 ounces, making it difficult to handle, but because of the recessed drain hole, you won't have any issue getting every drop of water out. But the drain plug is not attached to the cooler, so don't lose it. Since this cooler is easy to carry onto a boat and comes with anti-skid pads, it's an excellent choice for anyone who enjoys boat fishing.

One key feature of this ice chest from imysea is a pressure relief valve. This is useful if an internal pressure change makes it so your cooler lid won't open. Chilling capability tests found that, after three days, this rotomolded cooler was able to retain 24 percent of the ice initially put in it for a passable chilling capability. You should be able to keep your catch chilled for about three days if you take this cooler with you to a fishing spot that's typically around 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

As for ease of carrying, although the curved handles are made of nylon and felt easy to grip, because they're rope, the cooler feels like it lacks stability. We thought it was rather difficult to carry this cooler due to the large weight and handles design. However, it was given high ratings for ease of use. You'll be able to open the lid easily by simply pulling down on the silicon latch. It'll also resist sliding around a slippery boat deck, thanks to the non-slip rubber pads on the bottom of this cooler.

The fish ruler has measurements in both inches and centimeters, so as long as it's under 20 inches, you can use it to measure your catch. Ease of care testing found that water was able to drain from this cooler quickly, since it features a recessed drain hole. The plug is connected to the cooler body by a chain, so you won't lose it easily. This cooler is heavy and hard to flip over and empty out, but we still believe it's one that's easy to drain.

This hard cooler by RTIC is made using rotational molding and three-inch thick insulation, giving it its high chilling capacity. Many sizes are available in the lineup for this model, but the one most fit for fishing is the easy-to-carry 45-quart model.

As advertised, this cooler demonstrated excellent insulation in our chilling capacity test. About 40 percent of the ice remained after three days. If you are going on a fishing trip that lasts about that long, you should have no problems keeping your fish nice and chilled.

But at the same time, our testers struggled to lift it, given it weighs 26 pounds, three ounces. Kids or those with physical limitations might struggle with it. Also, because the handles on this cooler are made from rope, it could be wobbly and prone to swaying. Overall, it may lack stability.

In terms of usability, the silicone latch that lets you open the cooler just by pulling down on it was convenient. The bottom has anti-skid rubber pads, making it less likely to slip around in a car or on a boat. It doesn't come with other unique features and has an overall simple design.

But it does come with two drain holes: one large and one small. The large drain hole can quickly drain water in one go, while the smaller drain hole is recessed to help it drain every last drop of water. However, the heaviness of this cooler might become a disadvantage when cleaning.

This rotomolded cooler by EchoSmile is a popular choice on Amazon.

However, when our testers evaluated its chilling capacity, the ice remaining inside it after three days was only 16 percent of what we started with, which is the lowest amount of ice remaining among the rotomolded coolers our testers looked at.

The curved handle made it easy to fit correctly in your hand. But because it's made of rope, it affected the balance, and it seemed like the cooler would wobble if the contents shifted.

Our testers were left with a good impression of the silicone latch that lets you open this cooler simply by pulling down on it. The bottom has nonslip rubber pads, which should make it easy to set it down even on slick surfaces. The top has a fishing ruler that measures 14 inches or 35 centimeters, so you can swiftly measure the length of your catch. It even comes with two drink holders.

While it weighs 18 pounds, 9.6 ounces, making it a little unwieldy, this cooler could drain smoothly during our test for ease of cleaning, thanks to the recessed drain hole.

As the name suggests, Engel's Live Bait Cooler is designed to hold your live bait by attaching an air pump to the side.

Our test for chilling capacity showed that this cooler had no ice remaining after three days. Because this product has weak insulation, be sure to top it up with ice throughout the day to maintain the freshness of your catch.

This cooler only has a single handle, but because it's decently tiny and lightweight, our testers could carry it easily. Since the handle is attached to the top, it was easy to lift.

We had a hard time opening it because of the metal locking mechanism. However, it does come with a net for you to put your bait in and an air pump. This cooler offers many functions you'll most definitely want for live bait fishing.

It's lightweight at only 7 pounds and 6.4 ounces, so we could carry it with only one hand. Because it doesn't have a drain hole, you'll have to flip it over to dump the water inside, meaning it's not the easiest one to clean out.