Found a $3 bucket that replaced my $40 camping cooler

Last month at a hardware store in Phoenix, I grabbed a 5-gallon bucket with a lid for $3. I put ice packs and sandwiches in it for a day hike and everything stayed cold for 6 hours. Anyone else use random buckets for their trips?

2 comments

2 Comments

riverp379d ago

Hardware store buckets work fine for a few hours but calling it a replacement for a proper cooler is a stretch. A 5-gallon bucket with a lid just isn't insulated like a real cooler, so you're losing cold way faster. For day hikes in mild weather it's fine, but try that in July during a weekend trip and your sandwiches will be soggy and warm by lunchtime. The other thing is those buckets leak air around the lid unless you tape it shut, and they don't hold up to rough use on trails. Better to spend the $40 on a decent cooler that'll last years and keep your food safe.

valwest9d ago

@riverp37 nailed it. That bucket won't survive a real trail bash.