What Size Cooler for 1 person for 2 days?
YETI Roadie 32 Wheeled Cooler
Under $500Sized for 1 person over 2 days: 32 quarts against the 16 quarts this trip needs.
Check price on AmazonSpecsHow big a cooler do 1 person need for 2 days?
Food for 1 person over 2 days takes about 3 quarts at 1.25 quarts per person per day. At three canned drinks each per day, drinks add 3 quarts (6 cans). Then ice goes in at 1.5:1 to the contents, because a weekend needs the ice to outlast two or three warm days. That totals about 13 quarts.
For this trip length, a basic hard cooler is enough.
| Cans per person per day | One cooler | Food + drinks coolers | Ice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 16 qt cooler | 16 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 5 lb |
| 2 | 16 qt cooler | 16 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 8 lb |
| 3 | 16 qt cooler | 16 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 9 lb |
| 5 | 20 qt cooler | 16 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 13 lb |
Coolers that fit 1 person for 2 days
Listings whose stated capacity covers this trip, spread across the price range.
Coleman Chiller 30-Quart Portable CoolerUnder $50Check priceSpec sheet- YETI Roadie 32 Wheeled CoolerUnder $500Check priceSpec sheet
YETI Roadie 32 Wheeled CoolerUnder $500Check price
YETI Roadie Wheel CoolerUnder $500Check priceSpec sheet
YETI Roadie 48 Wheeled Cooler with Retractable Periscope HandleUnder $500Check price
Coleman Xtreme Rolling Cooler with WheelsUnder $100Check priceSpec sheet
How do you keep ice for 2 days?
Pre-chill the cooler the night before with a sacrificial bag of ice, pack cold food straight from the fridge, fill air gaps with more ice, and keep it in shade. In a basic cooler at an 85F high in shade, the ice calculator estimates about 1.8 days of ice for a 16 quart cooler. That is short of 2 days, so plan a top-up or a cooler with thicker walls.
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Frequently asked questions
How much ice for 1 person over 2 days?
At the 1.5:1 ice to contents ratio that suits 2 days, plan about 9 lb of cubed ice across your coolers, roughly 1 ten-pound bags. Block ice or frozen water jugs on the bottom last longer than cubes. On a hot trip, a mid-trip top-up is cheaper than buying a much bigger cooler.
Should 1 person use one cooler or two for 2 days?
One cooler of about 16 quarts handles this trip. If your group drinks a lot of canned drinks, a small separate drinks cooler still helps, because every opening of the food cooler lets cold air out.
Will a 16 quart cooler keep ice for 2 days?
Kept in shade at an 85F high and packed at the right ratio, the ice calculator estimates about 1.8 days for this type of cooler, so plan an ice run partway through, or step up to a better-insulated cooler. Real results depend heavily on sun, how warm the contents go in, and how often the lid opens.
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