High-tech, high-end coolers change tenor of tailgating

Summer might be winding down, but with Labor Day cookouts and football tailgating, cooler season is still in high gear.

And with coolers that look more like suitcases or end tables than galvanized ice chests, you have plenty of options on the market. You can even find coolers with built-in sound systems or grills.

This month’s Savvy Shopper focuses on what’s new with coolers — since it’s never a bad time for a cold drink.

— Megan Sexton

WHAT’S IT FOR?

Before you head to the store, think about how you will use your cooler:

• Do you need a cooler to keep stuff cold for days?

• Will you mostly use it for backyard cookouts?

• How much space do you need?

ON THE GO

Say you’re outside the football stadium and your tailgating friends park two lots away. There is a whole new line of coolers on wheels — a far cry from early models that forced you to walk bent over and dragging your cooler with one small handle and two wobbly wheels. New rolling coolers are made to work like wheeled luggage, with pull-up telescopic handles. And large versions can hold plenty of drinks.

LOOKING GOOD

You can find coolers that double as furniture or stand out as a conversation piece.

The wood cabinet cooler by Igloo looks like a piece of outdoor or porch furniture — but there’s a cooler tucked inside. The 46-quart cooler can hold 56 cans or accommodate upright 2-liter bottles. It’s $439.99 at Target.

Igloo also makes a terra cotta cooler in its courtyard collection. Made of lightweight, weather-resistant polyurethane foam, it has a translucent lid that blocks the sun and locks in the cold. The hard plastic base can be placed on the ground or on the metal stand, which raises it to 36 inches. It’s $149.99 from www.igloo-store.com.

PRICE CHECK

• Igloo all-terrain 100-quart cooler; $116.99 at www.igloo-store.com

• Rolling music cooler, holds 54 cans, a radio and input line for CD or MP3 player; $72.50 at www.keepyourcooler.com

• The Party Cooler from Coleman is a free-standing kettle-shaped cooler for the backyard that holds 28 cans. It’s $169 for the stainless steel exterior, $149 for the copper vein exterior and $69 for the plastic exteriors; www.coleman.com.

• Collapsible cooler with detachable all-terrain cart holds 50 cans and comes with a cart that can carry items up to 80 pounds; $68.88 at www.keepyourcooler.com.

HOLD THE COLD

“For some things a cooler is a cooler, and for short trips that’s the case,” said Dawn Harmon with Coleman, which makes all sorts of coolers — for everything from lunch totes to boats.

But you also can find coolers to keep stuff cold way longer. For example, Coleman makes Ultimate X-treme coolers, which will keep ice for as long as six days in temperatures up to 90 degrees. The coolers use 2 inches of insulation for maximum cold retention.

Harmon said these coolers recently were used for an event in the California desert. After five-plus 100 degree days, ice cream bars were still frozen solid.

“If it’s a four-hour trip, you don’t need the Ultimate Xtreme, but it wouldn’t hurt,” she said.

PACK IT RIGHT

No matter what kind of cooler you buy, there are ways to make the cool last longer:

• Use packs instead of loose ice. Loose ice melts faster and makes the cooler heavy.

• Pre-chill food and drinks. Two six-packs or one gallon of liquid will use about two pounds of ice to cool from room temperature.

• Put the ice in last. Cold air travels down, so load cans and bottles first, then cover with ice.

• In warm weather, do not put the cooler in the trunk; carry it inside the air-conditioned car.

• Keep coolers out of the sun. Ice lasts up to twice as long when the cooler is in the shade.

• Use crushed ice to quickly cool food and drink and block ice to keep it cold longer.

• Don’t drain cold water. Recently melted ice keeps food and drinks cold. Melted ice water preserves ice better than empty air space.

SOURCES: Igloo, Coleman, Clemson Extension Service, keepyourcooler.com

SAVVY SHOPPER

Each month The State’s Home&Garden section offers a consumer’s guide to buying an item for your house or garden — from gas grills to garden clogs. Have a suggestion? Send it to Megan Sexton, msexton@thestate.com