REASONS TO BUY
Light and easy to lift
Affordable
Easily transportable
REASONS TO AVOID
Poor insulation performance
Not watertight
Hard to open
Flimsy handle
Coleman Portable Rolling 50 Review
This lightweight wheeled cooler gets the job done on a tight budget and offers adequate insulation performance that keeps items cool for just a few days
Credit: Matt Lighthart
By Genaveve Bradshaw ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ November 1, 2024
Contributions From: Kolby Anderson
RELATED: The Best Coolers of 2025
Our Verdict
The Coleman Portable Rolling 50 is a lightweight wheeled cooler that checks a lot of boxes for those on a tight budget who want a cooler for a short weekend getaway. Its wheeled design is surprisingly capable and makes it effortlessly portable. The Coleman 50 lacks some beneficial features we appreciate in a good cooler, like a gasket or seal for the lid and drainage channels molded into the cooler's body to facilitate easy, efficient drainage. But those hiccups won't stop you from having cold drinks at the lake or campsite as long as your adventure fits within the window of the Coleman's insulation performance. To see how it ranks alongside the competition, check out our complete cooler review.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The budget-friendly Coleman Portable 50 packs a lot of cooler into an affordable package. It features four molded-in cup holders incorporated into the lid and wheels that we found quite capable in our testing. Its lightweight construction makes it quite portable even when fully loaded.
For being a budget cooler, we were surprised with how well the wheels performed on the Coleman 50.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Insulation
The Coleman Portable 50 is a cheap cooler compared to many we tested, so our expectations were not set high when we evaluated its insulation performance. But, we were pleasantly surprised that temperatures inside were kept at or below 40 degrees for just over four days and exceeded 50 degrees after only an additional 12 hours. This is a fair performance for what you pay for but leaves much to be desired compared to many of the other coolers we've tested. After ten days of testing had passed, our tester submerged their hands in the water and noted that the water felt “nearly warm.”
Here is our tester, Gena Bradshaw, dumping ice into each cooler for our 10-day-long insulation testing.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Durability
Durability testing of the Coleman shed light on what it excels at but also delivered some disappointing results. When it comes to rolling, our tester stated that the Coleman “Navigates smoothly across easily accessible surfaces like concrete and asphalt, but this cooler doesn't feel like it was created to tackle sand, snow, etc.”
Splash! The Coleman Rolling 50 has no seal between the lid and the cooler's body, and water surged in all directions during our testing.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
The cooler's light weight allows it to be transported relatively easily but does not inspire confidence when sitting or standing on it. The rounded top of the lid makes this not very comfortable as a seat, and you wouldn't want to stand on it because it feels rather insecure and unstable. This cooler does not feature any sort of gasket or seal where the lid meets the body of the cooler so all of our testing during the water slosh test resulted in tidal waves of water in all directions. We also didn't love that the location of the drain plug places it dangerously close to the ground and anything that you might wheel over when moving it.
In our testing, we found the wheels of the Coleman Portable to be surprisingly capable.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Ease of Use
The Coleman Portable has a telescoping handle for use when wheeling the cooler around and molded-in handles for carrying. We felt that all of the handles were fine but didn't feel super comfortable in your hand. It's somewhat inconvenient that the lid can't be opened all the way and stay open unless the telescoping handle is put all the way down.
Coleman claims that the Portable 50 can fit up to 84 cans, and we were able to fit 90.
Credit: Genaveve Bradshaw
The lid incorporates four cup holders, which is nice to have, but it doesn't have any latches. The lid takes a decent amount of effort to open and close and isn't as easily accessed as some of the other coolers we've liked with almost effortless access. The plastic drain plug included with the Coleman is very simple and is tethered to the cooler, which helps prevent users from losing it and having to purchase another.
Although the telescoping handle is not adjustable, it rises to a comfortable height that should suit most users.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Portability
We found the Coleman to be very portable in this test, with some minor quirks.
With the Coleman Portable not having a gasket or seal between the lid and the cooler's body, it's prone to leaking no matter how you move it. The telescoping handle extends to a comfortable height, but it would be nice if it were adjustable. The Coleman is lightweight, weighing only 12.5 pounds, so even when fully loaded, most people would be able to lift it. The wheels are a positive point when it comes to its portability. Our tester stated that “rolling this cooler around went surprisingly well for me. Even though the wheels don't seem that burly, they were able to handle most of the terrain I tried.”
For a budget cooler, the Coleman 50 performs surprisingly well across a range of surfaces.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Additional Features
The Coleman Portable 50 is no-frills when considering additional features. There are no accessories included or available online. Additionally, the cooler doesn't feature any slots to assist in securing it, and the manufacturer doesn't have replacement parts readily available in case any part of your cooler fails. Coleman does provide a limited one-year warranty, but compared to many others, it falls short. At the end of the day, none of these facts surprised us much, as this cooler is a great example of getting what you pay for.
The lid hinges and handles of the Coleman are adequate but aren't confidence-inspiring like some of the sturdier and more comfortable coolers we've reviewed.
There are four convenient cup holders molded into the lid of the Coleman.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Should You Buy the Coleman Portable Rolling 50?
Ultimately, one of the biggest considerations when purchasing a cooler is your budget. If your wallet is feeling light and you don't need your cooler to make food last more than four days, we highly suggest the Coleman Portable Rolling 50qt. For what you're spending, you're getting a capable wheeled cooler with decent insulation performance and molded-in handles for an additional carry method. For the low cost of the Coleman, it's hard to beat. If you're looking for a cooler with cutting-edge features, high-performance insulation, or heavy-duty construction, the Coleman 50 isn't a good fit for you.
The Coleman's telescoping handle sits flush with the lid when retracted to stay out of the way and to allow the lid to open fully.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
What Other Coolers Should You Consider?
Still unsure of which cooler deserves to accompany you on your next adventure? Check out our full review of the best coolers on the market, where you're sure to find a great fit for you. If you're in the market for a wheeled cooler but the Coleman isn't for you, go check out the Xspec 45 Towable. It's similar to the Coleman 50 in size but features larger, more capable wheels, higher performance insulation, and overall better build quality and durability. If your budget allows, the Xspec 45 will keep your food fresh (under 40 degrees Fahrenheit) for about six days and is also towable. If money is not a limiting factor, the Yeti Roadie 48 and Yeti Roadie 60 are excellent wheeled coolers that look great, are built tough, and performed well in all of our testing. The Yeti Roadie 48 will keep your food under 40 degrees for about seven days, and the Roadie 60 will keep food fresh for 6.3 days.
In all our years of testing, we've reviewed dozens of different coolers, and the list continues to grow each day.
Credit: Matt Lighthart
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare Coleman Portable Rolling 50 versus top competing products:
—Genaveve Bradshaw and Kolby Anderson
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