GEAR | Polarbox Retro 20 Litre Cool Box Review

July 30, 2024 Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Fab Funky FInds, Homepage Feature, Outdoor Gear Reviews, Reviews

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Seductively cute retro looks and gorgeous colours, make this little cool box an irresistible choice, but how well does it actually work? Read on to find out how long it kept food and drinks cold for in our latest field test.

What is it?

Polarbox Retro Cool Box 20 Litre RRP: £39.99

Overall Rating (4 / 5)

Features

Adjustable leather strap
Lid that flips over to create a tray or tabletop
Keep food and drinks cool for up to 24 hours
Lightweight and portable cooler that fits up to 20L
Retro stylish design that wipes clean

When it comes to cool boxes, I know my stuff and I’m a demanding customer. From Coleman to Igloo, Outwell to Vango, I’ve owned plenty of cool boxes over my camping lifetime.

I always take fresh ingredients camping with me which includes plenty of fish, veggies and salad, and of course, loads of drinks and bottles of Prosecco which I refuse to drink if they aren’t ice cold!

I used to regularly attend camping-based events that meant I needed a full 5 days of ice retention from my cool box and found without fail, Coleman coolboxes consistently delivered (when packed and prepped carefully), with my Igloo coming in a close second (despite their generally higher price point) and Vango and Outwell performing neck and neck after that.

I have enjoyed many years of use from various cool boxes, which generally need retiring after 6-8 years of heavy use, and I currently have a large Igloo Maxcold 58L wheeled cool box, and a smaller Vango Pinnacle 30L wheeled cool box.

For overnight trips however, or short solo camping breaks, a larger cooler is overkill, not least because to remain effective, as much internal space as possible should be used, so using a larger cool box that’s only half full, automatically means a reduction in effectiveness.

Ideally then, I needed a smaller cool box of around 15-20 Litres, suitable for a couple of bottles of wine, bottled water and a couple of meals worth of food.

Having seen the retro cool boxes from Polarbox, it was a done deal that this would be my choice regardless of cooling power – this was definitely a purchase decision based primarily on form!

When mine arrived, I was initially alarmed (but not surprised) at just how light these are, leading me to conclude there are no obvious signs of intelligent insulation materials being used between the plastic walls.

Remember those rectangular cool boxes that were cheap as chips that our parents would take along on family days out to the beach in the 80s? The feel of it reminded me of those – and having started my camping life using that style, I know they are barely capable of keeping the contents cold for 12 hours, let alone the couple of days life I was hoping to get from this.

Needless to say, I didn’t hold out much hope. I took it along with me to a weekend retreat at the end of July, in warm and muggy weather rather than blazing heat. I packed it as full as possible, using ice blocks, frozen bottles of water and food to cook that I’d frozen in advance too.

Performance

Firstly, I’m well aware that the official blurb says it will keep food cool for up to 24 hours, so I wasn’t expecting much, and yet packing this for a solo weekend camping trip, I was still hopeful.

The picture below shows you how I packed my Polarbox at 9am on a Friday morning before setting off on a 2-hour drive to my home for the weekend.

I kept the Polarbox inside my tent out of direct sunlight (honestly, there wasn’t very much of it anyway) and all the ice was melted by on Saturday.

Everything I placed inside the box was either chilled or frozen to begin with, including 3 small bottles of frozen water. On Sunday morning at 9:00am, I was delighted to find that my final remaining bottle of water still had a tiny chunk of ice inside it!

I was surprised as I had wholly expected to be drinking warm water by Sunday, but it really did give me a solid 48 hours of performance, which was far better than expected.

I should add, that I was careful not to keep opening and closing the lid and I also moved it to the coolest possible place during the day so it avoided any direct sunlight.

Verdict

This cute little cool box holds merit for overnight camping trips and 2 night trips at a stretch. Expect a very solid 24 hours of cold from this which can be extended to another 24 hours with careful packing and freezing before you fill the cool box.

It’s super easy to clean and looks adorable, though It’s important to point out that due to the inclusion of a leather strap, this is not a vegan-friendly product.

Investing just a little more will provide you with prolonged performance so if you need a solid 48 hours plus, you might want to consider the Igloo Tag Along Too Cooler. Those with more cash to splash might want to look at the Yeti Roadie 24 Cool Box as the best compact alternative.

The Polarbox Retro 20L Cooler is a great choice for day trips, and it’s also perfect if you’re taking food and drinks to someone else’s house for a summer barbecue, garden party or if you’re off on a 1-2 night camping trip.

Our overall rating of (4 / 5) is pretty decent though, particularly if you can find this on offer for below RRP.

DISCLOSURE | The featured product was privately purchased and is not supported by any brand(s).

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Shell Robshaw-Bryan

Editor & Owner at Camping with Style

Shell loves all things travel and outdoors and is a nature-loving, comfy-camping kinda girl. Shell started the Camping with Style blog after a serious snowboarding accident which left her with a broken back. Despite this she used the outdoors and healing power of nature to aid her recovery and she continues to spend time outdoors whenever she can.

From open water swimming, snowboarding and kayaking to hill walks and meditation, Shell shares her travels and microadventures here on the blog and in various publications she's written for, Shell has a particular interest in promoting wellbeing and the many benefits of nature therapy.

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