When you’re spending a day on the water, keeping your drinks cold and your snacks fresh can make or break the trip. Having the right cooler means everything from enjoying ice-cold beverages to ensuring your fresh catch stays in perfect condition. Whether you’re looking for top-of-the-line performance, durability, or a budget-friendly option, we’ve rounded up our picks for the best coolers for boat days. From hard coolers to soft packs, here’s what you should consider for your next adventure.

Best Overall

Yeti Hopper M30 Tote
The Yeti Hopper M30 Tote is one of the best all-around coolers for boaters who need portability and durability. Its magnetic closure makes it easy to use, while the leakproof design ensures that it keeps water out and ice in. Its soft body means it’s easy to carry around the deck or stow away when space is tight. Plus, the Yeti reputation for rugged construction holds true here—it’s built to last, but it won’t take up too much space.

Pelican 30QT Elite
The Pelican 30QT Elite strikes a great balance between size and performance. It has a tough, rugged exterior that can handle the bumps and scrapes of a day out on the boat. The 30-quart size is perfect for a day trip, offering enough capacity for drinks and snacks, without being too cumbersome to move around. While it’s more compact than some others, it still offers excellent ice retention, keeping contents cold for extended periods.

Best Hard Coolers

Yeti Tundra 65 Hard Cooler
The Yeti Tundra 65 is a popular choice for good reason. It’s built like a tank, offering outstanding durability with rotomolded construction and thick insulation. It can hold up to 39 cans with ice, making it a solid choice for longer trips or bigger groups. The Tundra 65 is also bear-resistant, which is more useful for camping than boating, but it speaks to the overall toughness of the cooler. It’s certainly on the heavier side, but the performance makes up for the weight.

Pelican 70QT Elite
The Pelican 70QT Elite is all about maximizing performance. Its insulation is thick and durable, giving it a reputation for keeping ice solid for days—sometimes up to a full week, depending on conditions. The sturdy construction makes it perfect for boats that see a lot of action, whether that’s rough waves or fishing trips. Its freezer-grade gasket and heavy-duty latches help ensure no cold air escapes, which means everything inside stays colder, longer.

Engel 65 High Performance Hard Cooler and Ice Box
The Engel 65 is designed for boaters who need serious ice retention and durability. This cooler is known for its tough construction and practical design, with a focus on keeping contents cold for long periods. It has the performance to match its rugged look, and it’s ideal for those looking to store drinks, food, or even fish. While not as flashy as some other models, it’s all about function, and that makes it a great choice for boaters who need reliability on the water.

Best Soft Coolers

Yeti Hopper Tote
The Yeti Hopper Tote combines portability with durability, making it one of the best soft coolers out there. It’s easy to carry, even when loaded, and the soft exterior means it can fit in tight spaces on the boat. While soft coolers aren’t known for holding ice as long as hard coolers, the Hopper still performs well for a day trip, keeping drinks cold and food fresh for hours on end. Plus, the durable fabric resists punctures and abrasions, so you don’t have to worry about wear and tear.

RTIC Soft Pack Cooler
For those looking for a budget-friendly but reliable soft cooler, the RTIC Soft Pack Cooler is a great option. It offers solid ice retention for a soft cooler and is designed to be leakproof and resistant to punctures. It’s lightweight, making it easy to carry around the boat, and it’s perfect for short trips or for use as a secondary cooler. While it won’t keep ice for days like a hard cooler, it’s great for an afternoon on the water.

Best Coolers for Your Catch

Yeti Tundra 160 Hard Cooler
If you’re planning a big fishing trip, the Yeti Tundra 160 is built to handle your catch. With its huge capacity and robust insulation, it’s designed to keep fish fresh for extended periods. The size and durability make it ideal for offshore trips or long days on the water, where you need a cooler that can handle both volume and the elements. It’s heavy, but if you need a cooler that can do it all, this one is tough to beat.

RTIC 145 Quart Ultra Tough Cooler
The RTIC 145 is another excellent choice for anglers. It offers a large capacity, making it easy to store a day’s catch, and the rugged construction means it’s built to withstand tough conditions. The cooler’s ice retention is top-notch, so whether you’re storing fish or just keeping drinks cold, it’ll perform well throughout your trip.

Engel 165 High Performance Hard Cooler and Ice Box
With its 165-quart capacity, the Engel 165 is perfect for serious anglers or boaters who need extra space. Known for its durability and high performance, it can keep ice solid for days and is large enough to store big catches. Its rugged build ensures it can stand up to whatever conditions you throw at it, and it’s also a good option for those longer boat trips where you need reliable performance.

Best Budget-Friendly Coolers

Coleman Classic Series 70-Quart Hard Cooler
The Coleman Classic Series 70-Quart is one of the best budget-friendly coolers on the market. It’s large enough for family outings and fishing trips, and while it doesn’t have the ice retention of high-end coolers, it still keeps things cold for up to five days. For boaters looking for a no-frills option that gets the job done without breaking the bank, this is a solid pick.

Igloo Marine Ultra 70 Qt Cooler
The Igloo Marine Ultra 70 Qt Cooler is designed specifically for boating. It’s equipped with UV inhibitors to protect against sun damage, and the rust-resistant hardware makes it perfect for use in marine environments. While it’s not as high-performance as some of the pricier models, it offers decent ice retention and durability at an affordable price point.

Conclusion

No matter what kind of boating trip you’re planning, having the right cooler is essential. Whether you’re looking for the premium durability of a Yeti, the practicality of a Pelican, or a budget-friendly option like a Coleman or Igloo, these coolers offer something for every boater. From keeping your drinks cold to storing your fresh catch, these coolers are built to enhance your experience on the water.