Phil Sampson has been out and about for Motor Boat & Yachting testing a range of boat coolers. Here he takes a close look at the Coleman Xtreme 47l
With its extendable telescopic handle and twin heavy duty wheels, the Coleman Xtreme is effectively a king-size rollalong. Designed to take the grunt out of shifting heavy loads considerable distances, including over uneven ground, this ruggedly-constructed unit would make an ideal cooler for beach parties and the like.
While its petrel blue outer shell gives the Coleman Xtreme a somewhat retro appearance (in my humble opinion) it is nonetheless up there in terms of the technology it employs.
Both the inner and outer shells are comprised of the same HDPE plastic (High Density Poly Ethylene) as used in a raft of tried and tested household products such as food containers, bleach bottles and piping. So it’s super sturdy and durable, no question.
In between the walls lies an injected layer of insulating PU (polyurethane). This allows a slimmer wall construction than, say, the Yeti Tundra (40mm versus 70mm approx) but with similar insulating properties – we detected just 0.1°C difference between their interior temperatures compared to ambient after a full 24-hours on test.
The 47l capacity of the Coleman Xtreme equates to just short of 8 UK gallons. And while that translates to a mighty amount of entertaining fluids, don’t get too carried away because the interior shape isn’t overly conducive to orderly stacking.
That’s because the moulding cuts in at the base to allow for the wheels and axle, and the sidewalls are not quite vertical but taper in towards the base. That said, it’s still a generous cavity, far taller than a wine bottle even with a decent layer of ice at the bottom.
Coleman have thoughtfully added three features to the Xtreme cooler which add to its appeal, especially when taken off-grid: Firstly, there’s two recessed handles which come in handy when crossing a sandy beach. Then there’s the ‘Have-A-Seat’ lid – strong enough to support weights of up to 113 kilogrammes. Lastly – and again really useful if you’re on uneven ground – are the four cup holders built into the lid.
If you’re looking for a large wheeled passive cooler, you could do far worse than check out the Coleman Xtreme 47l.
Read our full reviews of all the Best coolers for boaters.
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Pros
- strong enough to sit on, telescoping handle, it has good wheels! decent molded in handles, great value for money
Cons
- the lid doesn’t lock closed which some may find opens a little easily in a bouncing rib.
