What Size Cooler for 8 people for 1 day?
Coleman Classic Insulated Portable Cooler
Under $100Sized for 8 people over 1 day: 70 quarts against the 45 quarts this trip needs.
Check price on AmazonSpecsHow big a cooler do 8 people need for 1 day?
Food for 8 people over 1 day takes about 10 quarts at 1.25 quarts per person per day. At three canned drinks each per day, drinks add 11 quarts (24 cans). Then ice goes in at 1:1 to the contents, because an overnight trip only needs the food kept cold for a day. That totals about 42 quarts.
For this trip length, a basic hard cooler is enough.
| Cans per person per day | One cooler | Food + drinks coolers | Ice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 20 qt cooler | 20 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 12 lb |
| 2 | 35 qt cooler | 20 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 21 lb |
| 3 | 45 qt cooler | 20 qt food + 25 qt drinks | 25 lb |
| 5 | 60 qt cooler | 20 qt food + 40 qt drinks | 34 lb |
Coolers that fit 8 people for 1 day
Listings whose stated capacity covers this trip, spread across the price range.
Igloo 54 Qt Marine Ultra CoolerUnder $100Check price- Coleman Classic Insulated Portable CoolerUnder $100Check priceSpec sheet
Coleman Classic Series Insulated Rolling CoolerUnder $100Check price
Flex 'N Go 62-Quart Wheeled CoolerUnder $250Check priceSpec sheet
Coleman Reunion Steel Belted Portable CoolerUnder $250Check price
YETI Roadie Wheel CoolerUnder $500Check priceSpec sheet
How do you keep ice for 1 day?
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 45 quart cooler. That covers the trip with some margin.
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Frequently asked questions
How much ice for 8 people over 1 day?
At the 1:1 ice to contents ratio that suits 1 day, plan about 25 lb of cubed ice across your coolers, roughly 3 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 8 people use one cooler or two for 1 day?
One cooler of about 45 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 45 quart cooler keep ice for 1 day?
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 yes, with margin if you pre-chill it. Real results depend heavily on sun, how warm the contents go in, and how often the lid opens.
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