From sweaty strawberries to tepid sandwiches and – worst of all – warm wine, nothing ruins a camping trip or picnic in the park quite like spoiled food and drink. This is where a good cool bag or an ice box can help.
There are, however, a range of styles and sizes to choose from but we’re here to help. Perhaps you want a one-size-fits-all option, or you might decide you need two different cool bags or boxes for different things. Then there’s the choice between active or passive cool bags.
Passive designs insulate food and need to be filled out with ice packs or ice. The fuller your cool bag, the better it works, and freezing drinks often works well, too. Our tip? If you’re using ice, rigid designs with a drain valve are easiest to empty.
On the other hand, active cool bags are almost like mini fridges. Plugged into the mains or via a lighter port in your vehicle, they actively cool the air inside them. Needless to say, these are more expensive and bulky.
Whether you're after a compact bag for the kids’ packed lunches, a picture-perfect picnic basket, or a budget-friendly cool box for bringing drinks to the beach, we’ve found options that will stay cool for hours.
How we tested
We’ve been testing cool bags and boxes – passive and active – for years. We’ve been camping and enjoyed almost 100 picnics, beach trips, hikes and days out with various cool bags. Through thorough testing, first and foremost, we wanted to check that each one insulated our food. Warm drinks and soggy sandwiches have no place on a picnic. We also looked at ease of use, portability, price, ease of cleaning and how stylish the cool bags look (call us shallow). Here are the ones that made the cut.
Why you can trust us
Zoë Phillimore is a writer and editor with nearly five years of product testing and reviews for IndyBest under her belt. From mattresses to kitchen appliances, she uses everything as you would in the real world, while casting a discerning eye over any unique qualities and potential pitfalls. Ultimately, Zoë will only recommend what she thinks worth buying.
The best cool bags and ice boxes for 2025 are:
Outwell Fulmar deep freeze box
Sturdy and robust, this passive cool box feels like it’ll last you a lifetime. The clip fastenings ensured the cool air stayed in the box for ages, keeping all our chilled goods nice and cold. We found that, because the carry handles are on the side, you cannot do a one-handed carry, which could be a bit annoying if you have lots of picnic kit to lug from the car. However, the carry handles are comfy to hold and feel durable, even when you’re carrying a full box.
At 2.8kg it’s lightweight compared with some of the other large-capacity cool boxes in this round-up. The box has been designed to enable you to carry large bottles upright, making it perfect for parties. We liked that it was wide and reasonably shallow, meaning we could see what was lurking at the bottom much more easily. A drain valve means it’s great for filling with ice and keeping it topped up, too.
Buy now £86.00, Amazon.co.uk
Campos cool box
A budget-friendly option, this Campos cool box is ideal for picnics and days on the beach. With a capacity of 29l, it’ll fit up to 50 cans. It’s also tall enough to hold 2l bottles upright. The handle is easy to carry, thanks to a slightly wider grip in the middle that fits ergonomically into your hand. We also liked that the handle doubles as a fastening, meaning we could lock the lid shut while transporting, keeping cool air in more effectively. This doesn’t have the keep-cool might of some of the other options in this round-up, but it’s great for day trips.
Buy now £22.00, Argos.co.uk
Petromax 22l cooler bag
When we first opened this, we were surprised by how thick the walls are, as this bag feels fairly cool bag-like. However, it’s clearly built to be like a flexible cool box, and everything about it is robust. It kept our picnic cool and fresh throughout a leisurely meal – and it even survived a Greek salad spillage, which we were able to wipe up with no problem. We liked the water-repellent zips, with loop pulls that made it easier to open. There are also plenty of other features to make this more “adventure” and less prissy. There’s a heavy-duty shoulder strap with big carabiner clasps, four pockets on the outside and a bottle opener. It claims it keeps things cool for four to six days. Our picnics don’t last that long but it definitely feels carefully designed to ensure freshness is locked in for longer.
Buy now £156.95, Amazon.co.uk
The Colourful Garden Company grey round cooler basket
This has wedding gift written all over it – you can even get it personalised with the initials of the happy couple. The basket is incredibly well made from willow with an antique-wash finish that makes it look timeless and smart. It’s beautiful to display year-round in your home, too. There is a zipper chiller compartment in which you could put food but we opted for a more liquid-lunch affair when testing this basket. The capacity is pretty decent, and you can stand up a good amount of bottles inside along with some ice. When carrying the basket, you can zip on the removable lid, to keep everything cool. We were thrilled with this stylish option.
Buy now £89.02, Thecolourfulgardencompany.co.uk
Quechua isothermal backpack
This is a very comprehensive yet lightweight 20l cool bag. The isothermal feature should keep food cool for seven hours without the need for an ice pack. You’ll need to chill your food first but this is handy, as it means you don’t have to lug heavy ice packs around with you. We loved the mesh pockets inside, which meant our drinks bottles stayed upright and leak-free. There are two zipped pockets too, one of which is in the main compartment. This meant we could keep meat and non-meat items separate. Comfy padded straps, a chest strap and loops for your thumbs make this a very comfy wear, even when fully loaded. A great one for those who like an off-the-beaten-track picnic.
Buy now £24.99, Decathlon.co.uk
ProCook insulated picnic backpack
This cool bag has everything you need to get a classy picnic started. The front pocket includes four sets of cutlery, a bottle opener, wine glasses, four plates and a chopping board. We know what you’re thinking but it’s still pretty lightweight. The main pocket has enough room to keep a chilled picnic for four, and it did keep things pretty cold, despite not having the foil-style lining. The navy and striped design means it looks very smart, while padded straps make it fairly comfortable to carry.
Buy now £49.00, Procook.co.uk
Fortnum & Mason eau de nil
In the hallmark duck-egg blue of F&M comes this very handy holdall. There’s a really good capacity in this cool bag – plenty of space for strawberries, salads, sandwiches and other picnic essentials, such as Pimms. We loved that the lining of this bag has a Fortnum & Mason print – it’s such a nice touch. On a more practical level, the two internal pockets were useful for keeping food separate, and there’s an elastic strap for holding a bottle upright. There’s also one external pocket, which isn’t insulated but comes in handy for corkscrews and that kind of thing.
Buy now £44.95, Fortnumandmason.com
Yeti roadie 24 cool box
We were keen to see if Yeti’s cool box lived up to the hype. These durable boxes are pricey, and we wanted to get a feel for whether they were worth the money or whether it’s just clever branding.
Folks, Yeti has put its money where its mouth is. It is the smallest of the brand’s cool boxes that kept our drinks chilled for 48 hours. It’s tall enough for a bottle of wine to stand inside, and you can buy a dry-goods shelf for it, which will keep your sandwiches and salads out of the icy depths if you choose to fill the box with ice.
It isn’t light before it’s full but we found that the carry strap made lugging it a bit easier. It is designed to be slim enough to fit in the footwell of the backseat of a car, and it has non-slip feet, so it won’t slide about in the boot or your boat. We liked that the fastenings were easy to open one-handed, and kept the freshness locked inside. It comes in an array of colours, too.
Buy now £225.00, Yeti.com
Stanley adventure hard cooler
This is a bit of a beast for a passive box, but provided lots of cooler space for a full weekend of camping. Indeed, it can hold up to 40 cans at once, and claims to keep things cool for four days. Certainly, after a summer weekend of hot days, our drinks were still cold, if not icy.
We liked the fastenings, which locked in cold air – although, they’re tricky to get shut again. We also liked the drainage plug for getting rid of any melted ice. The carry handles are practical and durable, if not the most comfortable to use. Certainly the Stanley adventure felt built to last, and it comes with a lifetime guarantee. You’ll want to camp with your strongest friends, though, as this cool box is heavy.
Buy now £250.00, Stanley1913.com
Stanley adventure series 15.1l hard cooler
This cute little cool box is perfect for two, whether you’re going on romantic picnic dates, or spending the day on the beach. It has an easy-to-carry handle, which locks into place, meaning you can hook it over your arm and it won’t swing about. The Stanley 15l can hold 21 cans of beer – cocktails and soft drinks are also valid.
We found, when we filled it to the brim, it kept our drinks noticeably cool (you will have to pre-chill everything first). Another thing we liked was the bungee fastenings on top – these held our picnic wine glasses in place nicely. There’s also space to stand drinks on the lid.
Buy now £110.00, Stanley1913.com
Coleman 28QT xtreme cooler box
Despite this cool box from Coleman being lightweight, it’s surprisingly robust. We made good use of the lid, which can double as a table, with four slots to stow drinks, and it’s been made to use as a seat, too. The hinged lid makes it easy to flip it open one-handed but it doesn’t have any fastenings, so, be sure to store it securely, to prevent spillages. The slim profile meant we could tuck it in the footwell of the back seat of our car – handy in our over-packed vehicle.
It claims to keep drinks cool for three days. While it didn’t have quite as good insulation as the Yeti (£225, Yeti.com), say, it is a relatively purse-friendly option. The Coleman xtreme feels well made, with a handle that has a grip on the underside, to make lugging it slightly easier, and that can cope with weighty items in the box.
Buy now £63.92, Diy.com
Halfords electric cool box
If you’re going away for a long period of time, whether you’re camping or driving a long distance, this cool box is going to work well for you. It’s large but it can plug into the mains or the lighter of a car (it comes with both cables), to actively cool its contents. There’s also an in-built fan to keep circulating air within the box, and a climate-control dial, so you can decide how cool you want the box to be.
Inside, there’s enough space for 56 cans, and it’s been designed so you can stand three 2l bottles up inside it. We liked that there were two removable dividers in the box, which meant we had flexible space and could keep food and drink separate. Although we wouldn’t want to make a habit of lugging this box around, it does have wheels and a pull-out handle.
Buy now £92.00, Halfords.com
Icey-tek cube cool box, 18l
This compact box is one we found easy to carry, despite the almost 6kg weight. The solid carry handle stopped it whacking our shins or swinging about as we lugged it with us for a picnic. The lid doubles up as a table, with four slots to pop drinks into – handy if you’re on slightly uneven ground. You can also slot in a compartment divider, which we found useful for people with dietary requirements and for keeping drinks and food separate. There’s also the option to add dry-food shelves at the top, which prevented us from having to dive down to the bottom of the box to find our lunch – and kept our soft food from getting squished. We also liked the rubber latches, which were easy and flexible to use, and seemed to keep the food cool for a decent amount of time (all day). If you’re pondering keeping drinks cool rather than food, this box will hold up to four bottles of wine upright at once. Cheers to that.
Buy now £92.02, Coolboxesuk.com
Liewood Toby thermal bag
This little lunchbox is cute as a button and got our mini testers keen to take a packed lunch into school. It’s a fairly simple design, with a handle on the zip-up lid, but we liked that it comes with a shoulder strap, too, which makes it easier for kids to tote to the lunch hall and back (such tasks are arduous when you’re five, apparently). It has two elasticated compartments inside, which is handy for tucking in a mini ice pack and stowing away delicate snacks. There’s plenty of depth in there to accommodate a hearty lunch and a juice box – our old kids’ cool bag couldn’t stretch to this. While the blue colourway that we tried isn’t in stock, you can opt for this beige smiley face design instead.
Buy now £34.99, Mabelandfox.com
The verdict: Cool bags and ice boxes
We highly rated the Outwell cool box. It’s well proportioned with lots of space for a large picnic, yet it is lightweight. The box feels completely life-proof in its durability, and we think it offers great value for money. If you’re off on a longer trip or want beefier cooling facilities, the Halfords cooler is brilliant. For one-handed carry, the Coleman gets our two thumbs-up approval.
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