Coleman PowerChill Cooler
Lewis Creek Shooting School 07.17.12
If there’s one name that’s synonymous with camping it’s Coleman. I know Coleman didn’t invent camping but they certainly made it attractive to families and those looking for some recreation without giving up all their comfort. A couple of years ago, my wife Cherie and I decided we wanted to see America; not the way we’d been seeing it but to really experience it.
Both of us have traveled extensively but it’s been mostly by air. We struck off across the country by car and before we got all the way out, we were talking about taking it a step further to camping across the country. When we returned, we bought a van and a pop up camping trailer. It’s comfortable enough without us feeling we simply live in a mobile home we tow around. It’s also the cheapest way to go in a time of high fuel costs.
A big part of camping for most is the innovation and the gadgets. I’m not a gadget guy but I instantly recognized the value of the Coleman PowerChill Cooler. We purchased the 40 quart version first. It can stand up like a fridge or sit on its back like a cooler. It has a shelf/divider that can be moved just like the shelves in refrigerators. At $149, it’s more expensive than most coolers but the great thing is that you don’t need ice.
Ice is a wonderful thing but it requires a lot of effort to keep ice on food while traveling, making sure the water doesn’t spoil something or drain out in the car, or that you’ve forgotten to buy ice and your food is spoiling. The PowerChill runs off the lighter socket in a vehicle. When the socket is energized, the cooler is cooling and it really cools. It will freeze food under certain conditions.
Since we had a high miles-per-day schedule, we always spent enough time in the car to keep everything cool. For extended stays, you have two options: you can use the adapter and plug in to AC electricity or you can hook up to 12 volt power. We do some of both. Remember though, that running the PowerChill for extended periods will drain your battery. It’s made for keeping something cold, not cooling it. It runs continually when plugged in and once the battery is gone, there’s no cooling. We ran ours off the camper battery just in case.
Coleman also makes a smaller version for short trips and daily car use. The 16 quart PowerChill is a small cooler that holds about 24 cans of soda, great for regular trips or tailgating. MSRP on the 16 quart is $85.
Dick Jones is an award winning outdoor writer and a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association Board of Directors. He writes for four North Carolina Newspapers as well as regional and national magazines. He’s hunted and fished most of his life but shooting has been his passion. He’s a former High Master, Distinguished Rifleman, and AAA class pistol shooter. He holds four Dogs of War Medals for Team Marksmanship as shooter, captain and coach. He ran the North Carolina High Power Rifle Team for six years and the junior team two years after that. Within the last year, he’s competed in shotgun, rifle and pistol events including the National Defense Match and the Bianchi Cup. He’ll be shooting the Bianchi, the NDM, the National High Power Rifle Championship, The Rock Castle AR15.com Three Gun Championship and an undetermined sniper match this shooting season.
He lives in High Point, North Carolina with his wife Cherie who’s also an outdoor writer and the 2006 and 2011 Northeast Side by Side Women’s Shotgun Champion. Both Dick and Cherie are NRA pistol, rifle, and shotgun instructors and own Lewis Creek Shooting School.
