I'll be putting my Ninja cooler to the test this world picnic day — here's how I get the most out of it

Tom's Guide

17-06-2025

Wednesday June 18th is International picnic day. So legally, you are obligated to get out in the sun and enjoy a sandwich and a few cold drinks with your friends and family.
To do that you'll need one of the best coolers to make sure your food and drinks stay crisp and fresh. Lucky for you I have tested the best one: the Ninja FrostVault.
The Ninja FrostVault cooler keeps cans perfectly cold for up to eight days. It is also incredibly easy to transport despite having a capacity of 45QT, with wheels that make it easy to maneuver.
This thing is so impressive, and looks so sleek that when I was testing it outside, someone came up to me and asked to take pictures of it for reference.
During my testing process, it kept ice frozen for five whole days, and actually kept everything cool for eight days. Honestly, it could have done nine days but we had finished all of the drinks stored there by then.
The first thing I did was pack the cooler full to the brim with ice. I just used bags of ice cubes from the grocery store but you could use reusable ice packs if you have them. But one of the perks of using bags from the grocery store is that you'll already have ice for your drinks.
By adding ice around the edges of the box, the insulated walls will cool faster and keep everything cooler for longer.
Like I said, this cooler is capable of keeping your cans cool for up to eight days, but you can prolong this even further. You have two options here, chilling the cooler itself or the food you're putting in… but I recommend doing both for the best results.
Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.
You can pack the cooler with ice first until the insulated walls are cold to the touch. With the Ninja FrostVault cooler this will also chill the drawer at the bottom which you don't need to put ice in. This drawer stays dry but still conducts the cold through the insulated walls.
I also recommend pre-chilling whatever you're putting in the cooler if you have time, but if you don't it's still not that big of an issue since the cooler works so fast anyway. I put the cans I was adding to the cooler in the fridge until they were cool, which meant that they didn't add any heat to the cooler and the air that was in there stayed cool as it circulated.
This probably seems obvious, but opening the lid will let the cool air out and the warm air in. This one takes a little team work with whoever you're with. Just ask them if they need anything out of the cooler to save everyone opening it multiple times.
Also, putting things back in the cooler as long as they are still pretty cold after using them to keep it full will keep the temperature down.
You'll be glad to hear that the best way to keep your food and drink cool is by taking as much of it as possible. Yep that's right, by cramming the cooler to the brim with food or cans of soda you eliminate any air which circulates and slowly, but inevitably, warms up the contents.
So in short, take as much food as possible, cool it before popping in into the cooler, and most importantly enjoy the picnic!