Search
Close this search box.

20 Top Quality American Made Cooler Brands

By Matt Mullins   Last updated: May 31, 2021

The following coolers are proudly made in the USA. Those among the top hold ice far longer than your usual cooler, many up to 7-10 days in typical warm 90F weather. They also hold up to grizzly bears and the rigors of daily outdoor punishment unlike cheap coolers’ flimsy latches and thin handles. 

If you’re wondering which coolers hold ice the longest; according to Field & Stream’s testing, the top 5 include Cabela’s Polar Cap in 1st, Pelican 2nd, ORCA 3rd, Orion 4th, and Igloo’s Sportsman 5th. The top 3 held ice for around 10 days in 90F temps. When many people think of premium coolers they think of YETI (now primarily made overseas), interestingly YETI didn’t rank in the top five for ice retention. Note however, not all of the cooler brands shown below were included in their testing (no Coleman, Icehole, Kenai, Kong, Lifetime, Otterbox, nor RovR). Otterbox claims to hold ice the longest at 14 days; I wish Field & Stream had included it.


If you’re looking for a true high performance cooler that doesn’t break the bank and retains ice for 7 days, I suggest taking a look at the Lifetime 55 Quart Cooler priced just over $100. Check out this video review of the Lifetime 55 Qt Cooler; it looks like a steal at less than half the price of most other high quality coolers. Note, it does leak when tipped unlike many rotomolded coolers.

Cooler Brands Made in the USA:
A Comprehensive Directory

Cabela's Polar Cap Equalizer Coolers​

FRIO Coolers

FRIO offers soft sided coolers made in Texas, USA that come with a built in bluetooth speaker. They also make hard sided coolers.

Otterbox Venture Coolers

​Pelican ​Elite Coolers​

Taiga Coolers
(Also makes CAT Coolers)

You can follow American Gear Guide on InstagramFacebook, or Pinterest.

Popular Pages:

My search for the best American-made phone cases and screen protectors has ended in success. Here are the results.

Only our favorite gear, the top American made equipment that earns our Editor’s Choice and Best Buy Awards.

Find the highest quality survival preparation equipment to take on any emergency.

Here you’ll find a lineup of the best headlamps made in the USA for camping, backpacking, running, hiking, biking, fishing, and all things in the dark. ​

Whether you’re looking for adventure sandals, flip flops for the beach or fashionable sandals for a hot summer night on the town, you’ll find awesome and affordable American made men’s and women’s sandals.

​Want the best hiking, backpacking, or work boots made in the USA for Men and Women? Here they are!

Your guide to the best water bottles, reservoirs, and hydration systems you can find.

Looking for the lightest, highest-quality, weatherproof tents available? You should look here.

My personal recommendations for the top ten EDC folding knives made in the USA. If you’re looking for men’s gift ideas, this isn’t a bad place to start.

Discover the best sleeping bags in the world, which happen to be made in Seattle, WA and San Jose, CA, USA.

The top performing water filters for backpacking and international travel.

Nothing but the lightest, the comfiest, and the most durable camping mattresses available.

Recommendations to find the best American made axes.

Find the most reliable, best engineered flashlights available.

Leatherman makes the world’s best multi-tools. I’m familiar with Gerber, Sog, and Victorinox multi-tools but none compare to Leatherman tools…
My recommendations for the best American made backpacking stoves.

Looking for the top sunglasses made in the USA? You’ve come to the right place.

My picks for the top ultralight backpacking gear. 

You can follow American Gear Guide on InstagramFacebook, or Pinterest.

PLEASE! I NEED HELP TO KEEP RUNNING THIS WEBSITE, AND IT’S EASY AND FREE FOR YOU TO HELP OUT! 
Sharing the best locally made gear is a passion project close to my heart and if I’ve helped you find some cool US made gear then please consider helping my site going and growing. Running this site costs me a lot of cash to use secure and speedy web servers, purchase new gear, and to contribute my personal time and effort. Thus, I need your help to cover my costs and continue providing quality free information on the latest American-made gear.
It’s easy and free to help out.

If you ever want to purchase ANYTHING from AmazonREI.com, Cabela’s, or Sportsman’s Warehouse… even for dog food or toothpaste, then you can help me without costing you a single penny. If you use my links to make a purchase within 24 hrs then I will receive a tiny credit that will help my site pay its dues and continue running. So all I ask is that if you find the free info here useful and you need to make a purchase at Amazon, REI, etc. then please use the links on this site. This costs you nothing extra but will help provide myself and this website a dollar or two to help keep on trucking.

You can bookmark the following sites and each time you purchase something it will help American Gear Guide in a small but significant way. Bookmarkable links: AmazonREI.com, Cabela’s, or Sportsman’s Warehouse.

 
Another way you can help is by donating any amount you choose, even $1. If you would like to donate to this site, you can use the paypal donate button below or you can do so by following the DonorBox link here (includes options for PayPal and Google Pay) and enter the donation amount of your choice. I provide this website’s information for free without annoying ads or membership fees so any donation is incredibly helpful. Thank you!