Renogy 53 Quart Review

The Renogy 53 Quart features good temperature control, cools relatively quickly, and has user-friendly design elements that make it easy to use. It won't drain your battery excessively, and while it's quite large, it has features that make it relatively portable compared to other high-volume electric coolers.

Temperature Control

The Renogy allows you to control the temperature in each of its two independent zones. While it isn't the most reliable at maintaining the internal temperature at the set level, having two zones that can be adjusted to different temperatures is a standout feature.

During temperature control testing, the Renogy performed very well. It performed above average in our minimum temperature test, where we set the cooler to the lowest possible setting and measured the internal temperature. Its minimum achieved temperature was 2.3°F. The set temperature was -4°F. While this isn't the most accurate, it was much more precise when set to 35°F, where the internal temperature was 34.7°F.

However, we did find some flaws in terms of temperature accuracy. We found that both compartments fluctuate in temperature more than average during testing. For instance, if we set both zones to 35°F, leave, and then return, one zone might be as low as 31°F, while the other might be 34°F, much closer to the set temperature. The internal temperature gauges do work, but this cooler has more to balance with controlling two separate temperatures.

Time to Cool

The Renogy lets you quickly cool food and drinks from room temperature. The robust compressor cooler design pumps cold air into the separate zones at a high rate, so you can bring a room-temperature case of drinks to a refreshingly cold state in less time than it takes to cook dinner.

This is a good option if you want to hit cold temperatures as fast as possible. We filled the Renogy with room-temperature cans, and it only took 30 minutes to reach the target temperature of 35°F.

Energy Consumption

The Renogy required more energy than some models, but it isn't the most power-hungry, either.

It has two modes: “Eco” and “Max.” Eco mode prioritizes energy consumption, while Max mode uses more power for even faster cooling times. It also has three levels of battery protection: Low, Medium, and High. These battery protection levels ensure you don't drain your car battery or power station while keeping your food and drinks cold overnight.

The Renogy draws an average of 8.8 watts per hour, which is neither the lowest nor the highest power draw. For a weekend trip, you'll need less than 500 watt-hours of power, which means this cooler is best when used with a 750-watt-hour or larger power station. If you pair that power station with a 100-watt solar panel, you're unlikely to run out of power in sunny locations.

Portability

The Renogy is not the smallest electric cooler by a long shot, but it does have great portability features that make it possible to move this beast on your own. We were impressed by how easily we could move this, given its massive 53-quart capacity.

It weighs 40.6 pounds when empty, which isn't terribly heavy. It features wheels and a convenient handle for easy transport to your backcountry kitchen location. The tow handle is retractable and easily slides out when you want to roll it to a new location.

Lifting it in and out of your trunk or pickup bed isn't easy, especially when full. However, given its large dimensions, it's easier to load or unload than we'd expect. It features a handle on the opposite end of the retractable tow handle, allowing for a secure grip when lifting.

Ease of Use

The Renogy is a very easy-to-use cooler. It has a solid build, a functional app, and thoughtful features to maximize your time spent relaxing.

Renogy's entirely plastic construction didn't initially impress us. However, it won us over after it stood up to our rugged testing and constant use better than most. During all the unloading, loading, and lugging it from the test lab to backcountry sites, we didn't cause any damage to the plastic exterior.

It features an internal light, allowing you to see what's inside in the dark. The lid can also be adjusted to open from either direction. A cutting board is stored inside the lid. We appreciated this feature because we can never seem to find the other cutting board we intended to pack.

This cooler features an LED display with a touchscreen for settings, although we found the touchscreen to be finicky. The physical buttons, however, are highly responsive—almost too much so—which we prefer over a lack of responsiveness.

The touchscreen has a reflective sheen that attracts fingerprints easily. This isn't a major issue, but we did notice that it made the screen harder to read in direct sunlight.

Noise

The Renogy doesn't make any noises that stood out to us as impossible to get used to. It's not the quietest electric cooler, but it isn't the loudest either.

When sleeping in a silent room with the Renogy, we noted it makes two distinct noises. The main noise it makes is a quiet whirring fan noise that is easy to get used to. We easily forgot about the noise after we were in a room with this cooler for a few minutes. It occasionally makes a louder gurgling sound, which is harder to block out because it's less frequent. However, it was less frequent and wasn't loud enough to wake us up.

Should You Buy the Renogy 53 Quart?

The Renogy 53 Quart is unique in its dual-zone design with separate temperature controls. It's also huge, which makes it an excellent choice for someone who wants a fridge-freezer combination cooler for long-term use. This isn't the most portable model, so if you plan to load and unload it frequently from the trunk of your car, there may be a better choice. But this would be an excellent choice for full-time travelers, van dwellers, and large groups. It's also significantly less expensive than some higher-end coolers.

What Other Powered Coolers Should You Consider?

If you're looking for a cooler with more precise temperature control and slightly more portability, we recommend the Dometic CFX5 45. If you're looking for a smaller cooler that's easier to carry and comes at a great price, check out the BougeRV 23 Quart. If you need a lot of storage capacity but don't want to pay a high price, check out the Euhomy 59 Quart.