The Arctic Zone 30 Can Self Inflating Air Cooler really surprised me. I wasn‘t sure how well this cooler would perform but I‘m really impressed after a little real-world testing. This cooler held ice longer than I expected even in the sun-baked trunk of my car. Its unique design is especially great if have limited space to store a cooler when it is not in use.
Design
If the Arctic Zone 30 Can Self-Inflating Air Cooler makes you think of those self-inflating sleeping mattresses, you are spot on. The material that makes up the body of the cooler is a lot heavier than those air mattresses and it is more rubbery, but the expanding foam inside must be pretty similar. Opening the twist valve on the side of the cooler lets air in and you just need to hang out a minute for the cooler to inflate itself. Arctic Zone says the cooler inflates in 15 seconds. I didn‘t time it but the cooler does inflate very quickly. Once inflated just shut the valve to hold the air in and the cooler is good to go.
Plastic snap buckles on the side of the cooler are used to form it into a couple of shapes. Leave the buckles undone and carry the cooler like a bit satchel. You can either clip the bottom buckles into the side ones to form a flat bottom cooler with a taller more open top, or connect the top to the bottom to make the regular cube shape. The insulating foam has fold lines formed into the body so folding the cooler into shape is no problem and it pretty much happens automatically. Transforming the cooler from one shape to another is super easy.
Two zipper pulls on the top zipper seal up the cooler. This zipper works well but I‘ve found that unfastening the top buckles makes it easiest to get into the cooler. The cooler has carry handles and a shoulder strap for transport. A thin zippered side pocket makes a place to hold a wallet, car keys, maybe some plasticware or other small items.
Performance
The Arctic Zone 30 Can Self Inflating Air Cooler is advertised to keep ice for 2 ½ days. On the website you see this depends on several factors. I have no doubt that you could get that performance, but I focused on real-world, everyday type use. Packing the cooler about half full of ice and leaving it in my hot un-insulated garage, I saw ice after a day and a half. I think that is extremely good considering how light and portable this cooler is. On the second test, we packed the cooler with ice and drinks and left it inside the trunk of a car while we went to a theme park. Temperatures in the trunk soared because the car sat in full sun all day but the cooler still had a little ice left after more than 12 hours.
Final Thoughts
I think the Arctic Zone 30 Can Self Inflating Air Cooler is fantastic. Construction seems to be tough and solid. The cooler insulates well and never leaked. Being able to change the shape of the cooler and carry it a few different ways is convenient. I almost forgot to mention that you get an internal waterproof bag that velcros into the inside of the cooler. If you have anything that needs to absolutely stay dry, you are covered.
The Arctic Zone 30 Can Self Inflating Air Cooler has an MSRP of $60. I enjoyed using the test cooler and highly recommend it. If you don‘t need to keep one batch for ice for days on end and don‘t have lots of closet space, this cooler should be on your short list. With Father‘s Day coming up, remember good old dad. I bet he‘d like one. Check out The Arctic Zone website by clicking HERE.
Thanks to Arctic Zone for sending out this cooler for testing and review.