Updated on Oct. 20, 2024
Whether you're looking for a floating cooler for a kayak trip or a way to keep your beer cold in the pool, we have options at every price point.
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Summertime fun includes spending time on the water. Whether you love lounging in a pool, shooting the rapids, or taking a lazy paddle down the river, we found six floating coolers to add to your summer fun and keep you hydrated.
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We love both the flexibility and durability of this floating cooler. The Mega Chill II has excellent buoyancy, rugged construction and is spacious enough (48 x 38-inch) to hold 72 cans and six cup holders. Place drinks and ice in the onboard cooler or use it as a base for an insulated hard-sided cooler on top of this floating raft. It’s a party-pleasing choice for river rafting, floating, kayaking, toting behind a pontoon or splashing in the lake.
“I bought this for doing river runs with friends,” writes Nate Vossekuil in his five-star review. “This thing bounced off about a dozen rocks and multiple sticks and trees. One stick was pointed upstream and stuck into the front of it; still full of air a week later!”
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The Intex Mega Chill keeps your drinks chilled on any budget. Over 6,000 Amazon customers enjoy more time in the water using this durable floating cooler with five built-in cup holders and two large pockets to hold your snacks, flip flops or wine bottles. Tow this behind your kayak, enjoy a cold one in the pool or tie up with some friends on floats. Pro tip: place a round insulated cooler inside for a longer-lasting chill.
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When you’re worried about rough waters or particularly wet conditions, GoSport’s Cuddy floating cooler comes to the rescue. Not only can the hard-shell design, which is made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE), hold up to 30 cans and 20 pounds of ice, but the dual-walled insulation retains ice for 12 to 48 hours, depending on use and conditions.
The two lids make it easy to access both sides of the floating cooler, and the four cup holders allow guests to set their drinks down. It comes with a 6-foot tow strap with two carabiners and has a hydrodynamic design, so you can haul it behind your kayak or tube with ease. Don’t need to bring snacks and drinks with you? This cooler doubles as a dry storage vessel, complete with four latches to create an airtight seal for your personal belongings. The toughest decision here is choosing between the orange, white, tan and navy colors.
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Get festive at your next pool party with this welcoming inflatable pool accessory. This inflatable drink holder can fill with ice and drinks or used as a floating serving tray. At just 31 inches it doesn’t take up much space in the pool and is easy to inflate. Plus, small dogs love it too!
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Chill out with this clever floating beer pong table that keeps you in the game and keeps beer cold with its built-in cooler. This inflatable pool pong table has 10 cups for beer pong plus eight cup holders for guests. The center cooler holds 18 beverages with a lid to keep them cool.
Furthermore, tether grommets anchor the party barge. When the game is over, use it as a floating lounge (with plenty of room for your drinks). Summer doesn’t get any better than this with a beer pong table, pool float and cooler in one useful water toy.
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BYOC—Bring your own cooler—and enjoy your day in the sun. The Solstice cooler raft is a strong vinyl inflatable raft that accommodates a full-sized cooler. River rats and party animals will love the convenience of packing their best cooler in advance of a river camping trip. This rugged 52-inch by 42-inch raft bounces off rocks and navigates wavy waters. The Solstice features four handles for easy portability plus four cup holders for convenience.
“I was kind of put off by the price at first but saw at least one review that had pictures of their Yeti 65 in this cooler raft. Once I received the cooler raft I could tell that it was very well put together,” writes verified purchaser Jaakan E. Kraushaar. “From the thick rubber to the sturdy handles—seemed like you got what you paid for. With as large as the cooler raft is, there was no worry of it ever tipping. I fastened it to the back of my kayak for a float trip and it worked great.”
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Want a hard-sided insulated floating cooler to keep things cold for 48 hours? CreekKooler is the choice for you. Take this 30-quart cooler on your overnight float trips or pack it the night before your day on the lake and you’re good to go. The CreekKooler has carrying handles and four cup holders plus a locking lid. This sleek cigar-shaped unit holds 30 cans plus 20 pounds of ice. It comes in five colors and has a flag holder.
“Very happy with the heavy-duty quality,” writes five-star reviewer Bonnie K. “This was well worth the money—will have for many years! Works great going down the river—lots of room and everything stayed dry. Buy it! You will not be disappointed!”
Aside from looking for durable, yet buoyant materials, other factors to consider are how you’ll use your floating cooler. When rafting, kayaking or canoeing, having an extra drag on the vessel makes it a bit harder to maneuver. Towing a floating cooler with a fishing boat or pontoon is easier but may be subjected to wakes and waves.
Look for factors that relate to ease of use—like pumps for inflatables—and easy draining or deflating. Consider whether you need handles for carrying and ropes for towing.
How long do you need things to stay cold? If you’re camping on the river an insulated cooler keeps drinks cold. We’ve included floating cooler rafts to use with insulated coolers. If you want to turn a Yeti cooler into a floating cooler, get a cooler raft.
A cooler raft is convenient if you can carry a full cooler to the water. These rafts are generally around four feet long with a substantial base for stability. Inflatable coolers won’t keep ice cold overnight, and depending on construction and weather, maybe less than a few hours. If you want an all-in-one insulated floating cooler, the CreekKooler claims to chill items for 48 hours.
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