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Best Patio Coolers

A standing cooler for the patio could be the equipment your yard is missing, plus it will cut back on the trips you need to take into the house for refills

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We tested three patio coolers and two of them kept drinks cold for 26 hours.
Photo: Consumer Reports

I love barbecues. Sitting out in someone’s yard eating grilled veggies, hot dogs, and burgers is my ideal summer-weekend plan. What’s not ideal is having to take trip after trip into the kitchen to grab drinks every time someone needs a refill. You could keep a small, portable cooler out in the yard, but if you host often, a standing patio cooler might be a better option.

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Patio coolers are larger-capacity coolers on wheels that can be kept outside throughout the summer season. CR already reviewed small coolers and wine fridges and regularly tests full-sized refrigerators, so we decided to evaluate outdoor cooler carts, too.

After setting them up in our lab to record the temperature inside each cooler for 26 hours, spending several hours assembling and rolling each one down our lab halls, and noting any additional features, we found a favorite.

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