As a long-time camper, I’ve tested out a lot of different coolers. For most, the goal is to keep food and drinks cold while making ice last as long as possible. However, we are now at the stage where battery technology has made battery-powered coolers a thing. And that’s changed the equation in a big way, with access to ice or power no longer a concern–at least for a few days at a time. Anker sent me its SOLIX EverFrost 2 40L battery-powered to answer the question of whether the investment in one of these high tech takes on the old school camping and tailgating mainstay is worth the investment.
First Impressions
The SOLIX EverFrost 2 is heavy, even when empty. That makes sense–a typical cooler is plastic with a lot of insulation. It’s big, but light. The SOLIX has a hard plastic shell, the mechanicals to act as a compact refrigerator or freezer (with adjustable temperature), Wi-Fi and it has a removable LFP battery–with space for an optional second battery.
This cooler also holds more than you would think. I’m accustomed to judging capacity based on the cooler needing to be half-filled with ice. This one needs no ice, so the entire interior volume is available. In the case of my 40L capacity sample unit, this means room for up to 63 canned drinks.
Charging the battery fully takes about three or four hours using the external power supply, and it can also be charged using a vehicle’s 12V port (the cable is included), or even by an optional solar panel. Reaching cold temperatures is much faster than charging. At room temperature, it cooled to 40°F in about 15 minutes with minimal fan noise. A side-mounted bar holds optional accessories.
Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 Key Specs
- Adjustable temperature from -4°F to 68°F
- Eco, Smart and Max cooling modes
- Touchscreen display
- Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity with mobile app control
- Fold out tray table, built-in bottle opener
- Interior LED lighting
- Integrated handles and wheels
- Power/charging via included power adapter, 12V (car), USB-C or solar panels
- 288 Wh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery included, slot for an optional second battery
- Capacity: 40L/42qt (as tested) and 58L/61qt
- IPX3 water resistance
- Weighs 56.2 lbs (40L) and 69.23 lbs (58L)
- 3-year limited warranty
- MSRP $899 (40L) and $1099 (58L)
Camping?
Let’s get this out of the way first. A battery-powered cooler like the Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 would be a huge win for camping and it’s really the first application most people would think of. I haven’t been for several years, but prior to our current pause I had clocked around 40 years of annual summer camping trips. Every single one required multiple trips to the store to load up on ices for the coolers. Even during the decade that we had a trailer, with a built-in fridge/freezer, an auxiliary cooler for drinks was a must-have. And that meant frequent ice runs were still a thing. Even with our best coolers, in the summer heat we’d have to replace the ice every three days or so (or about four ice runs during a two week camping trip).
And don’t get me started on the mess of having to use ice in a cooler to store food. It’s fine the first day, but once the melt begins, things get ugly inside that cooler.
The Anker SOLIX would solve the ice issues completely: no melting mess, no having to fish through ice water in search of items, no guessing at whether it is cold enough to safely store food and no more having to continually run to the store for more ice. But… this is a battery-powered appliance, and a rather expensive one at that. It has an IPX3 water resistance rating, which according to Anker, means the cooler can withstand “very light rain or minor splashes.”
As much as I would love to take this thing camping with me, given that modest water resistance rating I probably wouldn’t do so unless I was very certain that I could keep it sheltered from rain. And the waterlogged campsites that are too often the aftermath of a good thunderstorm. Under a decent shelter, sure, but not an open campsite. Anker does say it will be selling a rain cover separately, but you’ll need to weigh the risk of water damage and decide whether it’s worth it.
Never On My Radar, A Battery-Powered Cooler Proved Extremely Useful
Camping was out, but during my time trying out the Anker SOLIX cooler, it proved surprisingly useful.
We bought a new freezer and had to clean the old one out a few days before pickup and delivery. There was still food in it–more than the freezer in our fridge could accommodate. No worries, I set the portable cooler to the recommended temperature for storing frozen food and loaded it up. My sample was not the largest version, but it holds more than you might think, thanks to that ice-free operation. It kept the food frozen solid for over two days before I plugged it in to recharge and ran it for a few more days as essentially a mini chest freezer.
That scenario could play out if you lost power as well–using the SOLIX cooler to keep food cold or frozen for a few days if needed.
One weekend, we drove to a friend’s lake house. Everyone brings food for a meal during these events and we packed all ours in the EverFrost 2, heaved it in the back of the SUV and set out for the long drive to cottage country–without worrying about food spoilage. As an added bonus, I was able to leave food and then drinks in the cooler (running on battery) after we arrived, freeing up valuable refrigerator space in the cottage while also avoiding any trips into town for ice.
Finally, the SOLIX cooler has proven to be very useful during the summer pool season. I just wheel it out onto the deck and fill it with drinks. It keeps everything ice cold for the day and evening, with no power cord required. It is easily wheeled around if people move from one seating area to another. The only precaution I take is to keep it away from the pool splash zone.
You may not be thinking about a battery-powered cooler but there’s a good chance that one like the Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 will end up being much more useful than you might think. It’s too expensive to be an impulse purchase, but if you can justify the cost it’s a pretty nice appliance to have handy.
Disclosure: Anker provided a SOLIX EverFrost 2 cooler for evaluation purposes but had no input into this article.
