The 11 Best Beach Coolers of 2024

It doesn't get much colder, tougher, or stylistically cooler than a YETI, that's why you'll see quite a few down the list. This thick-walled Tundra 45 is as good as a hard-shell cooler can be, holding ice plus 20 cans. It's not exactly mobility-friendly—you kinda have to transport it via a vehicle most of the time—but one person can carry it as long as they haven't forsaken arm day.

If you're lugging a YETI solo, or have a particularly unhelpful crew, grab a wheeled Tundra. Everything great about the regular version—incredible ice retention, bear-proof opening, great internal space—with the addition of a sturdy handle and some big ass wheels.

Another plus: YETI dropped this new Canopy Green color for 2023, and we are really into it.

This is the proto-cooler, practically. Every cookout and or backyard barbecue has featured at least one of these things, and with good reason. They're cheap, reliable, and you can buy one in just about every town in America. The everyman's cooler.

There's probably old family pics of your dad sitting on one of these. Buying this isn't as cool as having that one, but it's a close second. The upside being this has a few decades on the old version, so the tech has gone through a bit of an update.

Prefer the ease of a tote bag? Carhartt does one in that classic brown duck canvas. It's sturdy, keeps ice as well as any soft cooler, and it's even got backpack straps if you get tired of the tote bag style. For $70? The perfect option.

RTIC's design is meant to be transported, with a lunch-box handle and straps along the lid to hold down the stuff that might otherwise hog up your other hand—a water bottle, a beach towel, the like. It'll make the process feel less like lugging and more like teleporting. Coupled that with a capacity to hold up to 40 cans, it's a real clutch.

Like all of Pelican's stuff, this heavier-duty, duffle-style cooler was made with real adventurers in mind, like fishermen who might like to bring along a day's worth of drinks. And we'd say fishing for tarpon in Florida does technically count as a beach day.

Rugged and sleek, with plenty of pockets. It leverages an airtight build, with roll-top and inflatable insulation, to keep the inside cool for hours. But, what's cooler? That insulated layer is actually removable, making cleaning a realbreeze.

Cans and bottles will carry easier on your back, and IceMule makes one of the best backpack coolers, keeping nine cans plus ice cold for up to 48 hours. It'll free up your hands to carry all the other beach day crap. And the colors? They scream summer.

If you drive a Rivian, one of those new electric F-150s, or are waiting on a Tesla Cybertruck, you're probably the type to want an equally futuristic cooler. Dometic has you covered with an electric cooler. Power it with AC, DC, or Solar power.

This one is actually two things: a strapping waterproof cooler bag and a stainless steel bottle opener. Because what good is a cooler fool of beverages if you're not ready to crack a few open?