What Size Cooler for 8 people for 5 days?
How big a cooler do 8 people need for 5 days?
Food for 8 people over 5 days takes about 50 quarts at 1.25 quarts per person per day. At three canned drinks each per day, drinks add 54 quarts (120 cans). Then ice goes in at 2:1 to the contents, because four days or more is where most coolers run out, and 2:1 is what rotomolded brands recommend. That totals about 312 quarts.
For this trip length, a rotomolded cooler (or a 12V fridge, or a planned ice run) is worth it.
| Cans per person per day | One cooler | Food + drinks coolers | Ice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 150 qt cooler | 150 qt food + 16 qt drinks | 120 lb |
| 2 | 260 qt cooler | 150 qt food + 110 qt drinks | 206 lb |
| 3 | 320 qt cooler | 150 qt food + 170 qt drinks | 250 lb |
| 5 | 420 qt cooler | 150 qt food + 270 qt drinks | 336 lb |
How do you keep ice for 5 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 rotomolded cooler at an 85F high in shade, the ice calculator estimates about 6 days of ice for a 320 quart cooler. That covers the trip with some margin.
Keep planning
Frequently asked questions
How much ice for 8 people over 5 days?
At the 2:1 ice to contents ratio that suits 5 days, plan about 250 lb of cubed ice across your coolers, roughly 25 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 5 days?
Two. The calculator splits this trip into 150 qt food + 170 qt drinks. The drinks cooler is opened constantly and loses ice quickly; keeping food separate means it stays cold because it is only opened at meals.
Will a 320 quart cooler keep ice for 5 days?
Kept in shade at an 85F high and packed at the right ratio, the ice calculator estimates about 6 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.
Get the car camping checklist
One printable page: the full packing checklist plus our three complete setups with budget ranges.
After the list, a few short emails, then a couple a month at most. Unsubscribe anytime. You can also read every setup free on this site.Researched guidance, not professional advice. Figures are published specifications or clearly labelled conventions; check your own gear's manual and your campground's rules.
