The excitement surrounding Ninja’s brand-new line of coolers is hard to ignore. Ninja has made a name for itself in the kitchen gadget world, but this is its first line of coolers. Brands like Yeti and Igloo have dominated the cooler scene for years; does the Ninja FrostVault even stand a chance? I had the pleasure of taking the Ninja FrostVault 30qt Hard Cooler with Dry Zone for a test run, and I think you’ll want to keep reading to see how it went.
Review: The Ninja FrostVault Cooler with Dry Zone
This might be the coolest cooler I have ever used. You may be wondering, what can be so exciting about a cooler? It just holds ice, right? Theoretically, yes, however, the Ninja FrostVault comes equipped with a hassle-free drawer that keeps certain foods completely separate from the main storage compartment without sacrificing food-safe temperatures. This drawer keeps sandwiches from getting soggy, the catch of the day stays separate from your lunch, or you can keep raw meat away from other foods to avoid cross-contamination on your week-long camping trip. It’s genius if you ask me.
Let’s glance at the features one can expect from this new line of Ninja FrostVault coolers and then keep reading to see how my hands-on experience faired with each feature.
- FROSTVAULT TECHNOLOGY: Cold temperatures easily transfer into the FrostVault Dry Zone, keeping food cold, dry, and separate. Food can remain in the drawer at food-safe temperatures (under 40 degrees F) for days.
- EASIER ACCESS: You can grab your sandwich, fruit, or grilling meat without having to dig through the ice or open the lid.
- PREMIUM ICE RETENTION: ice can last for days without melting completely.
- HIGH CAPACITY: The 30-quart cooler fits up to 48 cans without ice or 26 cans with ice. The 50-quart cooler fits up to 80 cans without ice or 45 cans with ice.
- HEAVY DUTY: Durable construction with up to 3 inches of insulation.
- EASY-CARRY HANDLES: durable molded handles make it easy to carry your cooler to and from boats, trailers, trucks, RVs, and more.
- EASY LATCH: The premium latch allows you to easily open and close the cooler one-handed.
- SECURE: secure your cooler with the lockable lid and drawer latch for effortless travel.
- DRAIN: A drain plug on the side easily empties water from the cooler without the need to tip it over.
Straight out of the box, the durability is clearly evident. It’s not a light cooler by any means, and once it is full, it’s pretty heavy for one person to lift. However, I didn’t see this as a problem because the heavy-duty construction has its perks in both durability and ice retention. There are videos on the Ninjakitchen site of this cooler being dragged behind a vehicle at high speeds on a gravel road, and it barely affected the cooler. Now, I didn’t find it necessary to test that theory myself, but I can tell this cooler can take a beating and should last a really long time. As a family who loves to go camping, spend long hours at the beach, and host large gatherings in our backyard – this cooler will be able to handle it all.
In my opinion, the FrostVault Dry Zone and premium ice retention are the best features of this cooler. When I began my testing, I filled the top compartment with as much ice and drinks as I could fit and placed a couple of applesauce pouches into the Dry Zone drawer. After only one hour, the applesauce pouches became as cold as they would have if placed in a standard refrigerator. Then I placed sandwiches, fruit, and cheese into the drawer as well. I was easily able to fit a picnic lunch for my family of four into the drawer of the 30-quart model, and it stayed cold for days. Not only that, but the ice didn’t completely melt until about 5 days after I poured it into the cooler, and the Dry Zone drawer remained cool that entire time. This test was outside in the mild spring weather, so the intense summer heat may shorten that time by a day or two, but it’s still an impressive amount of time. Perfect for camping trips, beach weekends, fishing trips, and long days at your kid’s soccer game.
When it comes to choosing which size FrostVault cooler is best, my experience with the 30-quart size feels perfect for up to four people. Maybe five. Between the top and bottom compartments, I could easily fit a few days’ worth of food and drink for my family of four. However, for only $50 more, the 50-quart size can fit nearly double the amount of food and drink, which is pretty awesome. One perk to the 30-quart cooler is that you can haul it by yourself if you need to; the 50-quart would be incredibly heavy once filled. So, really, it boils down to what you plan to use your cooler for and how much storage space you have available when it’s time to pack up the vehicle or when it’s not in use.
The handles are soft and comfortable to hold. No matter how full you fill the cooler, the grip is nice and easy on the hands. The premium latch and secure close on the drawer made my food and drinks feel secure while transporting. The top latch is easy for kids to maneuver as well, which is ideal for families with small children. A drain plug on the side makes emptying the cooler a breeze. Also, because everything about this cooler is incredibly durable – it easily doubles as a seat. These little details, plus the innovative Dry Zone drawer, made me fall in love with the Ninja FrostVault Cooler immediately.
Pricing and availability
The Ninja FrostVault coolers come in two sizes, 30-quart ($199) and 50-quart ($249), and are available for purchase on Ninja’s website. The model I tested for this review is the 30-quart size in the white colorway. Each size has a few colorways – blue, grey, and white. Nothing changes between the two sizes except for the capacity in both compartments, so the choice is yours on what size feels best. These coolers have been a hot item as summer approaches and have gone out of stock on the Ninja website multiple times, so make sure you snag one when they are in stock!
There are also a few accessories for these coolers that I didn’t get to try myself, but I’ve added them to my wishlist since this is now our go-to cooler for the summer. The FrostVault Divider Insert & Cutting Board can easily split the contents of your cooler into sections while doubling as a cutting board, and the FrostVault 4lb. Ice Pack is perfect for when you don’t want to mess with ice.
9to5Toys’ take
My time with the Ninja FrostVault cooler has been surprisingly impressive. I’m not going to lie; I was skeptical at first and unsure if it would blow me away, but once I started using the Dry Zone drawer and opened the lid day after day to find that the ice was still there – this cooler has exceeded my expectations, in the best way possible. It’s innovative and does its job well – everything I want out of a cooler.
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