Cool bags

Fresh produce and a hot sun don’t mix. The milk turns, the bacon sweats, your butter looks like suntan lotion and your beautifully rolled boiled food starts developing small white dots. To help you overcome these food poisoning-inducing issues, this month we’ve tested 11 cooler bags using a thermometer and 82kgs of ice (seriously: 82kgs!).

How we tested

To test the bags, we filled each one up with ice to its capacity, regardless of its size. This means each bag has the same amount of free air space if you like, making it as fair a test as possible. We judged the bags over a 36hr period, testing them at three intervals: 12, 24 and 36hrs. Along with taking the inner temperature, we also judged how much of the ice had melted at these three time points. Right, there’s the facts and science, now here’s how the bags fared…

01 Trakker NXG Chilla Bag

The NXG collection has already received high acclaim in the angling press for its hardwearing, well-constructed luggage range and the Chilla Bag follows suit. It features an inner wipe-clean PVC inner, along with twin-direction zip to the main compartment, netted side pockets and zipped front pocket.

Dimensions: 36(L) x 23(H) x 23(D)cm
Capacity: 10kgs
Outer material: Manufactured from Trakker’s hardwearing 600-denier polyester
Inner material: A ‘Stay Fresh’ reflective lining
Removable liner: Yes, it’s an easy-clean PVC inner
Handles: Neoprene covered carry straps and a removable padded carry strap

“GIMME”: £24.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 2%
24hrs - 25%
36hrs - 55%

02 JRC Extreme Barrow Cooler

This almost cube-shaped cooler bag features semi-rigid sides to prevent your carp food being crushed in transit, along with a toughened leather ball base to stop the damp coming through to the bait inside. It also comes with two mesh pockets at either end of the bag, along with a zipped front pocket and twin zips.

Dimensions: 29(L) x 31(H) x 28(D)cm
Capacity: Around 6kgs
Outer material: JRC’s tough wearing 1200D 100% polyester construction
Inner material: Insulated silver foiled inner
Removable liner: No
Handles: Twin carry handle

“GIMME”: £29.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 10%
24hrs - 40%
36hrs - 60%

03 Chub Pop-up & Bait Bag

The smallest bag on test and one which differs to most of the others thanks to its two-tier system. The separate upper section, which has full zip closure, comes supplied with six hookbait tubs, whilst below this is a completely insulated section with enough capacity to hold a couple of kilos of bait.

Dimensions: 29(L) x 20(H) x 22(D)cm
Capacity: Around 2kgs
Outer material: A tough, hardwearing green material with a waterproof EVA base
Inner material: Bottom section: fully insulated foil lining
Removable liner: No
Handles: Soft, neoprene handle

“GIMME”: £23.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 10%
24hrs - 80%
36hrs - 100%

04 ESP Cooler Bag Small

It’s been the choice of transporting boiled food by the likes of Hearn and Ellyatt for the past 13 years. A well-made bait bag that’s foiled lined throughout and features a zipped front pocket and elasticated inner straps for holding tubs of pop-ups etc. Along with a ‘Large’ version, new for 2015 is an XL version which will hold upward of 15kg.

Dimensions: 20(L) x 20 (D) x 22(H)cm
Capacity: 16 litres
Outer material The hardwearing Cordura
Inner material: Foil lined
Removable liner: No
Handles: Two carry handles and a shoulder strap

'GIMME:' £19.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 2%
24hrs - 15%
36hrs - 45%

05 Nash Tackle Polar Cool Bag

The winner of a previous Hardware Comparison Test from some six years ago is said to be even better than that champion! It now features a clever hood which covers the heavy-duty zips to help retain the inner temperature, along with new high performance 27mm foam/hollow fill insulation.

Dimensions: 28(L) x 36(W) x 23(D)cm
Capacity: Around 7kgs
Outer material: A hardwearing material with multiple reinforcement at stress points.
Inner material: Metallic cold retention lining
Removable liner: No
Handles: Clip on/off adjustable suede luxury padded shoulder strap

'GIMME': £43.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 0%
24hrs - 5%
36hrs - 10%

06 Fox Cooler Bag System

Both the biggest and most featured-packed cooler bags on the test, the Cooler Bag System features a top pocket which comes supplied with two bait boxes for maggots, Stick mixes and baiting tools, whilst in the main compartment, Fox have used a thermal zip baffle to prevent heat loss. There’s also two side pockets.

Dimensions: 30(L) x 57(W) x 41(D)cm
Capacity: 10kgs
Outer material: The tried and tested hardwearing Cordura fabric
Inner material: Wipe-clean thermally lined
Removable liner: No
Handles : A fully padded and adjustable shoulder strap and two side handles

'GIMME': £79.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 5%
24hrs - 20%
36hrs - 50%

07 Aqua Black Series Modular

As the name suggests, this bag can be used on its own (how we’ve tested it) or in conjunction with Aqua’s Standard and Session Coolbags. This allows you to separate bait and food whilst keeping everything packed and stored away neatly. This is also a refined, new version for 2015, now under Aqua’s Black Series arm.

Dimensions: 42(L) x 30(D) x 27(H)cm
Capacity: Around 10kgs
Outer material: Aqua’s hardwearing Cordura
Inner material: Bronze foil lining with a close cell foam
Removable liner: No
Handles: Fully padded and adjustable shoulder strap and dual carry handles

'GIMME': £44.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 5%
24hrs - 20%
36hrs - 40%

08 Cotswold Aquarius 2 Pocket Deluxe

It ticks all the boxes: English made, available in olive or DPM camo, and it has a couple of neat features, such as a top flap pocket to house an ice pack and two padded and lined side pockets. It’s also damn hardwearing (read: it’ll last a lifetime), thanks to being made from Cotswold’s tried and tested 1000 Denier material.

Dimensions: 37(L) x 27 (H) x 26(D)cm
Capacity: 10kgs
Outer material: Available in their 1000 Denier Camo or Olive material
Inner material: A wipe-clean lining
Removable liner: No
Handles: Both padded carrying handles and shoulder strap

'GIMME': £54.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 2%
24hrs - 10%
36hrs - 25%

09 Taska Medium Chilla Bag

Part of the exceptional AVL luggage collection, the Chilla Bags have been build to an exact spec of excellence. Along with a waterproof PVA base, heavy-duty (and bloody reliable) zips, front Velcro fastening pocket, the Chilla Bag comes with a fistful of insulation to keep whatever the contents as fresh as possible, for as long as possible.

Dimensions: 31(W) x 22(L) x 20(H)
Capacity: 4.5kgs (16mm)
Outer material: Taska’s super hardwearing dark green fabric
Inner material: Unique insulation lining
Removable liner: No
Handles: Ergonomic neoprene handles

'GIMME': £29.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 0%
24hrs - 10%
36hrs - 40%

10 Prologic Commander

A great affordable label that delivers on quality along with a ton of features for a cooler bag. Inside you’ll find a removable mesh bag; up top there’s a removable hard top for more storage, along with elasticated needle and scissor holders. It’s pretty big too, housing up to 8kgs of boilies or a frightening amount of bacon.

Dimensions: 44(L) x 24(d) x 32(H)cm
Capacity: Up to 8kgs
Outer material: 600D fabric which is combined with top spec stitching
Inner material: Aluminium internal padding
Removable liner: No, but there is an internal rubber mesh bag
Handles: Shoulder strap and dual carry handles

'GIMME': £54.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 0%
24hrs - 10%
36hrs - 60%

11 Sonik SKS Cool Bag

The guys behind the SK3, SK4 and now the Gravity X rods have launched a 25-strong line of luggage and living products for 2015 and included in that is this cooler bag. Along with a bronze coloured internal insulation compartment, it features a waterproof base plus stylish SONIK zip pulls and webbing.

Dimensions: 28(L) x 28(H) x 22(D)cm
Capacity: Around 7.5kgs
Outer material: Hardwearing 600D denier polyester material
Inner material: Stay fresh reflective lining
Removable liner: No
Handles: Padded Velcro-fasten carry handles

'GIMME': £16.99

Loss of ice
12hrs - 5%
24hrs - 15%
36hrs - 50%

And in summary...

Just like the 2010 Cooler Bag Comparison Test, there’s one clear winner in terms of outright performance and that is the Nash Tackle Polar Cool Bag. From the first temperature reading and the amount of ice which had melted (12hrs), it was well ahead of the competition, and after a full 36hrs less than 10% of the ice had melted. And what’s even more impressive is, after the test had been completed, we decided to leave the ice in the bag to see how long it would last. 72hrs later and less than 40% had melted!

As with all the tests we run, you have to look at all the information provided to come to a conclusion. For example, the ESP Cooler Bag retails for just £19.99, whereas the Nash Polar Cool Bag and second place Cotswold 2 Pocket Deluxe cost upward of £50.00, so you can’t expect it to match those two in terms of performance. However, for short sessions or pre-baiting missions, the ESP Cooler Bag is spot-on.

If you’re planning on staying out on the bank for 48, 72hrs or longer, then a more robust, harder working cooler bag is recommended and that’s where the two we’ve just mentioned, along with Taska’s Chilla Bag come into their own.
What is also so pleasing about the overall winner, the Nash Polar Cool Bag, is they’ve actually made it even better since we last tested it five years ago. The new snug-fitting hood clearly helps and the 27mm high performance foam/hollow fill insulation will ensure your bait/food is kept in tiptop condition regards of how hot it goes this summer.