OtterBox’s move into the cooler category began last summer with the release of the Venture series. It came as a surprise to those who recognize the brand from its domination of Best Buy’s phone case racks, but among the company’s first products were protective dry boxes, so the sidestep wasn’t entirely radical.
But does tech protection translate into making coolers? As it turns out, it does. OtterBox integrated rugged injection-molding and high-grade cooling technologies into its first cooler and brought the Venture straight to the front of the crowd. The Venture comes in 25-, 45- and 65-quart sizes and is rated to hold ice for up to two weeks. More minute details include anti-slip rubber feet and a bottom that’s slanted just slightly enough to make draining easier. And, as you’d expect from OtterBox, this thing has been dropped from every angle and on every side to ensure that it can’t be damaged, empty or full.
This year, the company introduced a line of soft coolers called the Trooper Series. Both of the coolers are IP-65-rated, which means they’ll keep out dust and the inadvertent splash of water. They also come with wide-mouth, one-handed-access openings made of plastic and exterior shells made of durable nylon that is resistant to water, UV damage, chemicals and punctures. The bases are laminated to be abrasion-resistant. Inside, the liners are food-grade. The bigger Trooper 30 also comes with backpack straps.
Both the Venture and Trooper coolers were among the best that we tested this year, and all sizes are currently 25 percent off at Huckberry.
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