The 5 Best Coolers for Van Life Reviewed

If you’re heading out on a short van life trip, a good cooler can make or break your experience.

While we generally recommend a 12V fridge for longer trips or full-time van life, coolers are a solid option for weekend adventures, road trips, or anyone not ready to invest in a full power setup yet. Coolers are way cheaper than full refrigerators, but they have their drawbacks, like the need to constantly replenish ice.

We’ve browsed van life forums and read tons of reviews to come up with these 5 best coolers for van life. Based on insulation performance, durability, and real-world van-life usability, our top three picks are RTIC Hard Coolers for best value, the Pelican Elite for rugged lifetime durability, and the YETI Tundra 45 as the premium benchmark for ice retention and build quality.

The Best Coolers for Van Life – A Breakdown

RTIC coolers came up again and again when van lifers discussed the best cooler for van life. boasts up to 3″ of insulated walls to keep ice cold for days. It’s impact-resistant, durable and can double-duty as a bench, step-stool or tabletop.

RTIC’s website says: “We use up to three inches of pressure-injected commercial-grade polyurethane foam in the walls and lid with an R-Value of 7 per inch of thickness, which is among the best insulation properties in the industry.”

While most reviews are good, some people claim this cooler for van life doesn’t work as expected with ice melted within a day. However, others claim it kep food cold for eight days, even in a hot climate.

The RTIC has heavy-duty latches that keep the lid shut, plus molded handles and tie-downs.

The is one of the best coolers for van life thanks to its rugged design, 2-inches of polyurethane insulation and lifetime guarantee.

Yep, if you break it, Pelican will replace it – forever! That’s a pretty darn good deal considering the abuse coolers get when living in a campervan.

You’ll love the molded carry handles, 3-inch locking latches and the added stainless steel bottle opener.

The cooler also offers four self-draining cup holders.

Pelican gets excellent reviews on Amazon, with hardly a negative review we could find.

Tips for Keeping Ice Cold During Van Life

One thing that’s a pain in the butt when using a traditional cooler for van life is dealing with ice. Ice melts, get in your food, fills your cooler with water, and can be annoying to deal with.

Here are some tips we’ve found that will help keep the ice in your cooler cold.

Add cold food and drinks only

Try to buy drinks out of the refrigerated section when you grocery shop, then add them straight to your cooler. You can also do this with food – even though we use an ARB-fridge in our Chevy Astro, we love putting frozen food and storing it for a couple days, which works to keep everything else cold.

Keep your van life cooler full

A cooler packed with ice, food and drinks stays way colder than one that’s half-full or quarter full. Try to keep your cooler filled up to the brim as much as you can!

Use blankets and shade wisely

When you’re using a cooler for van life, it’s important to keep that cooler as cold as possible. Cover it with a warm blanket during the day to help insulate your van life cooler. Or, you can set it beneath the shade of a tree. Just try not to leave it inside your van on a hot day unless you want rapidly melting ice!

Use a separate cooler for drinks

One cool tip I read was to use a second, small cooler for drinks. Usually, you open your cooler every time you reach for a cold beverage. Imagine a night of beer drinking – you might open the cooler 5 times! Keeping drinks in a smaller cooler reduces the number of times you have to open your van life cooler, which helps keep its contents cold.

Choose the right type of ice for your van life cooler

Crushed ice melts way faster than other types of ice. Many van lifers say they prefer block ice or even dry ice to keep food cold longer.

A couple cheap alternatives to traditional coolers for van life

Are you choosing one of the best coolers for van life because you don’t want to fork out a ton of money paying for a 12-volt compressor fridge?

There are really affordable portable refrigerators the van life community recommends.

If you don’t want to install a solar system in your van, you can run one of these fridges off a Jackery Explorer 500 portable power station.

I just wanted to give you more options in case price was holding you back from buying a fridge.

Image	Product	Features	Price
	Alpicool Portable Refrigerator	-4°F(-20°C) deep chilling down performance, can be a fridge and freezer. Tits 20 cans of Cola Car battery protection	Check Price On Amazon
	COSTWAY Refrigerator	Holds 84 bottles beer LCD display and digital buttons Dual zone areas for fridge and freezer	Check Price On Amazon
	ICECO Portable Refrigerator	Adjustable Temperature From -7℉～50℉ 5 year warranty Holds 58 bottles of beer	Check Price On Amazon

Conclusion on the Best Coolers for Van Life

A cooler can either make or break your van life trip. Imagine needing to replace ice every two days, or deal with melting ice getting into your food.

For a campervan, you’ll need a cooler that’s rugged, durable and well-insulated to keep ice cold for days.

The best coolers for van life can also double as a seat, a step-stool or a small table.

We hope you find the best cooler for your van life adventures!