Cooler With Constructed-In Lunchbox: Ninja FrostVault Evaluation

When my fridge went out the day earlier than Easter, I used to be in a pickle. I don’t normally host vacation gatherings, however my companion assured me, “It’ll be enjoyable to have your dad and mom over!”

With lower than 24 hours till Greg and Cindy arrived with armloads of meticulously crafted Easter brunch dishes, I used to be surprisingly desperate to sort out this problem. Whereas I’ve no scarcity of coolers to assist relieve a downed fridge state of affairs, I noticed the Easter fiasco as an ideal probability to strive the most recent cooler innovation from Ninja.

Nicely-known for its tremendous blenders, Ninja dove into the cooler fray with a novel resolution to a purported drawback: A slide-out drawer to separate and shield some objects from the icy chaos in the principle chamber. Not fairly positive what to anticipate, I gave my mother the inexperienced gentle to whip up her patented deviled eggs, assured they’d assist affirm whether or not the “FrostVault” function actually had benefit.

In brief: The 30-quart Ninja FrostVault cooler is a superbly sized choice for picnics, tailgating, or days on the boat. The FrostVault tray provides dry storage for snacks that helps stop smushing and wetness from the principle compartment. People who’ve been pissed off by discovering objects in a sea of ice and cans may even see probably the most worth on this $200 cooler versus extra inexpensive options.

Purchasing for laborious coolers? Take a look at GearJunkie’s Greatest Coolers information to seek out the right match for you!

Ninja FrostVault Cooler Evaluation

Just like the cooler itself on Easter Sunday, I received’t spoil the shock. My mother’s deviled eggs nestled completely into the Dry Zone tray and stored for the two days that it took to complete them.

By itself, that’s a convincing win for Ninja and its design. I had some brut and orange juice wedged into the almost 20 kilos of ice in the principle compartment above, after which delicately positioned the eggs and few gentle snacks within the dry storage drawer. Some ice remained in the principle compartment after 48 hours as nicely.

After all, a 30-quart cooler can’t shoulder the burden of a fridge’s value of cooling. I additionally deployed a battery of different big-name, burly coolers to tackle different meals and liquids. For prolonged days or huge teams of individuals, a bigger choice can be obligatory (Ninja makes a 50-quart FrostVault as nicely).

Relative to the opposite coolers, the Ninja misplaced ice a bit of extra shortly. Nonetheless, it had a smaller quantity of ice, which performs closely into total ice retention, and we needed to entry the coolers all through the day. General, the Ninja’s ice retention is aggressive and on par with different high-end coolers.

That mentioned, the FrostVault is just not an hermetic cooler, and that’s by design. A tiny little bit of air leakage prevents the Ninja cooler from making a vacuum, which, as anybody who’s yanked on a caught lid can attest, may be irritating.

Measurement, Portability

I opted to check the 30-quart FrostVault as a substitute of the 50-quart, and I’m glad I did. This proved an ideal mix of capability and portability. Particularly as a part of the dry storage system, this measurement cooler is good for single-day exploits. It’s going to maintain a case of 12-ounce cans and loads of ice, which will likely be obligatory to chill the Dry Zone drawer.

At about 20 kilos empty, the 30-quart FrostVault is gentle and sufficiently small for one individual to maneuver round. It additionally suits in a small backseat and received’t take up an obscene quantity of cupboard space when not in use.

However as soon as packed, it’s simply heavy sufficient that you simply’d need two. I believe the dimensions and design would profit from a collapsible deal with and wheels, and in its FAQ section, Ninja hinted a future iteration may obtain that improve.

The FrostVault doesn’t make use of twin latches like most main coolers nowadays. As a substitute, it has a center-mounted, snap-shut latch. It’s a tossup whether or not you discover this easier or extra advanced. In testing, it proved dependably safe.

FrostVault Cooler With ‘Dry Zone’ Drawer

The DryZone drawer — the hallmark of the FrostVault cooler — has some upsides and a few potential drawbacks. Let’s begin with the professionals.

At about 10x11x3 inches, it’s simply sufficiently big to carry a wide range of objects. At one level, I managed to squeeze in a container of strawberries, some hummus, a roll of summer time sausage, and a wedge of cheese. It’s no mighty meal, nevertheless it’s nothing to sneeze at snack-wise.

What’s extra, the drawer can lock shut simply, to forestall any potential mishaps when in transit. And just like the cabinets in your fridge, the drawer will slide out all the way in which for cleansing (extra on this beneath). General, it’s a easy and well-executed design.

If there’s a draw back, it’s that the drawer works nearly too nicely. All that summer time sausage, cheese, and hummus I discussed — nicely, all of it spoiled after I forgot to take it out. When you use the Dry Zone drawer, DO NOT neglect to empty the Dry Zone drawer!

It’s a small however essential level to recollect with this novel function. Everybody is aware of to empty and drain the principle compartment, nevertheless it is likely to be straightforward to miss what’s hiding in that drawer. And in the event you do neglect objects there that spoil, you’ll want to tug out the drawer and utterly sanitize the compartment. Ninja makes this very accessible, nevertheless it’s another factor to handle.

Who It’s For, Sturdiness

Once you mix the options, specs, and value, the FrostVault seems to be concentrating on of us who like the concept of a extra premium cooler, however don’t want absolutely the grizzly-proof bombast of premium rotomolded choices.

I strapped this cooler onto a hitch-mounted cargo tray and drove throughout 4 states. It’s loads sturdy for the common camper’s wants. People who want a critically rough-and-tumble cooler for lengthy fishing expeditions, or who anticipate to tug, drop, and abuse the heck out of a cooler, might wish to take a look at spending extra for a purpose-built backcountry choice.

This can be a higher match for individuals who wish to pack their cooler into an SUV, plop it on the campsite, and possibly use it as a bench across the campfire.

Remaining Verdict

It’s cool to see some actual design innovation in a class that’s past saturated by look-alikes and rebadged options. The Ninjac FrostVault takes a swing at including actual utility to the cooler world.

As a debut into the class, Ninja comes out with a stable providing. The FrostVault cooler provides a function that some of us will definitely admire — specifically, those that wish to pack snacks or lunch together with some drinks for a day outdoors.

It’s competitively priced at $200, if not squarely within the funds class. So give it a glance if you need a bit of greater than the usual cooler and aren’t involved with the big-name choices.