Best Esky Australia [Top 4 Picks 2023]

Aussies love spending time in the great outdoors fishing, camping, boating, and BBQing. Whether you’re heading to the beach or going camping for a week, having the best esky is essential. After all, there’s nothing more disappointing than opening the cooler to find melted ice, warm beers, and spoiled food by day two of a trip.

Whether you need a cooler box or esky on wheels, our guide will have you well on your way to finding just the right esky for your next adventure.

Best Esky – Buying Guide

You’ve got your tent, picnic rug, and umbrella, and now you just need the best esky in Australia to keep the food and beers chilled to perfection.

The right type of esky will depend on how you’re going to use it, how long you’ll be using it, and where you’ll use it. Whether it’s a lunchtime picnic or a week in the wilderness, there are particular features you should be looking out for in your next esky. Oh, and by the way, esky is actually a brand name, but you’ll find it’s commonly used to describe a cooler box or icebox in Australia.

Purpose

Chances are you may find that one esky isn’t suitable for every occasion, you don’t want to drag out the giant 50L esky for a picnic in the park, nor do you want to have a can cooler sized esky for a few nights in the bush. You may even find you need two different eskys depending on the occasion. It’s important to think about how and when the esky will be most used.

Capacity

Considering how and when the esky will be used will give you a good idea of the required capacity or size of the esky. If it’s a day trip, you might find a smaller cooler box appropriate. However, if you’re heading off into the wild blue yonder, then you might be looking for a much larger unit that will hold a week’s worth of food. You’ll find most eskys measure their capacity in litres.

Weight and Portability

You’ll want to consider the overall size and weight of your esky as this will determine whether it fits into your car and is easy enough to transport around, the last thing you want is an esky that’s impossible to move because it’s too heavy and the size is awkward. Many mid to large-sized eskys now come with wheels so you can easily manoeuvre them around a campsite.

Insulation and Ice Retention

Three parts of an esky contribute to the insulation performance; the bottom, the sides, and the lid, including the seal. A smaller esky may not have insulation on all three sides, whereas the best icebox in Australia will cover all bases and provide superior ice retention.

Eskys and iceboxes are generally made from a hard polypropylene outer shell and either polyurethane foam (PE) or expanded polystyrene (EPS) as the insulation layer inside [1]. You’ll generally find that EPS is lighter than PE and also cheaper.

Looking for a dometic esky in Australia? Check our guide to find the right one for your needs

Insulation is measured in R-Value and ranges from 1.5 to 7, and the higher the rating, the more effective the insulation will be [2]. Polyurethane has an R-Value of R7 – 8 per inch, while expanded polystyrene has a value of R 2-5 per inch [3].

Whichever insulation material you choose, just remember the thicker, the better.

Best Esky – Reviews

We’ve searched high and low for the best esky in Australia and have come up with the top four esky reviews. Now all you need to do is choose which one is right for you.

This 58.7 litre Coleman cooler has many exciting features that make it stand out from its competitors. This cooler employs Xtreme technology which means the lid is insulated, and there’s extra insulation in the walls to keep food and drinks cold for up to five days at ambient temps of up to 32° C.

The two-way handle allows you to easily manoeuvre the esky in and out of your car with little fuss, and it can also be used as a tow handle when you want to use the heavy-duty wheels to move the esky around. It tows over nearly any terrain with minimal effort.

The Have-A-Seat lid can support up to 113kg and ensures you always have a spot to sit, and if you aren’t sitting on top, it can fit four drinks in moulded cup holders.

Just to give you an idea of the capacity of this esky, it can hold up to 95 cans. That’s a lot of tinnies to get through. And once you’ve cleared the esky out, you can take advantage of the leak-resistant drain, allowing you to empty any remaining liquid without tipping it upside down.

Evakool has been providing Australians with recreational food and drinks storage solutions for over 25 years now, so it’s safe to say these guys know what they’re doing and this is definitely reflected in the quality of their products.

The Evakool E047 fibreglass construction is extremely durable and sturdy, offering high performance in Australia’s harsh outdoor conditions. The legendary insulation can keep ice for up to 15 days, this is an incredible feature if you’re going bush or road-tripping through the red centre.

It also features superior handles and fittings which also double as tie-down points, and furthermore, the esky will not dent, rust, or corrode. Some people claim to still be using their Evacool esky 20-years on.

The 47L capacity should be ample to fit a week’s worth of food, and the smooth, hygienic walls won’t absorb any food odours, so you can rest assured it is easily cleaned after use.

This Coleman cooler looks more like carry-on luggage than a traditional esky, but that doesn’t detract from the fact it works just as well as any of its competitors.

As the name suggests, it can hold up to 42 cans or 32L, this is more than enough space to pack a decent picnic lunch plus a few drinks to quench your thirst.

This cooler features a telescopic handle and durable wheels so you can easily take the picnic with you, and it has a removable antimicrobial liner that sits within the main zippered compartment so you can easily use ice to keep food chilled, and once you’ve finished you can remove the liner and dump the melted ice. Alternatively, you can use freezer bricks if you don’t want to use the liner.

This cooler is a little different from the others on the list as it’s constructed using polyester instead of polyurethane, but don’t worry because all the seams have been heat-welded to prevent any leaks or spills.

As the name suggests this cooler bag offers high performance and functionality thanks to the 600D polyester construction and superior polyurethane foam insulation. This bag will have your bevies chilled in no time.

While it might look like any other 42-can capacity cooler, it has a few nifty features that set it apart such as the unique detachable thermal booster to help keep food chilled on longer trips, and let’s not forget that it offers more than double the wall and lid thickness of other soft cooler bag competitors.

The lining is anti-bacterial and easily washed and cleaned after use, and the base of the bag features rubber feet to protect it from abrasive surfaces.

The verdict

Coleman is a tried and trusted brand by outdoor enthusiasts and continuously impress with their range of eskys, and the Coleman 62 Quart Xtreme 5 Wheeled Cooler is no different. It’s a great size to take camping for a few days to a week without worrying about replacing the ice. It’s easy to move and use and is super durable. Everything you could possibly need in an esky.

If you are looking for a budget option, the Coleman 42-Can Soft Cooler with Removable Liner and Wheels is fantastic. Again, it’s super easy to move around thanks to the telescopic handle and it lends itself to a BBQ lunch in the park or a day at the beach.