I dragged the Bunker 66L Cool Box through Wales, and it was totally worth it

Cool boxes used to be relatively mundane things. Essentially a large plastic box that would keep some soggy sandwiches cool or ice a few beers for downing as the sun sets at the beach.

But then the best YETI coolers arrived in our lives and, all of a sudden, the cool box you carried spoke volumes about your personality, your willingness to venture off-grid and your penchant for fishing, hunting, and generally doing burly stuff.

The list of best camping coolers now contains a smattering of big outdoor names, including cooler stalwarts Coleman and Igloo, as well as some relative newcomers in Petromax and Stanley. The thread that runs through them all is good design, as they are now a lot cooler than they used to be.

Another name worth adding to that list is Bunker, the storage, workbench, and sturdy cabinet subsidiary of Draper Tools.

For a limited time, the company is offering its attempt at a suitably macho cool box, with the option of 18, 42 or mammoth 62-litre models, all of which are built to last, can keep items cool for an unfathomably long time and offer a few additional niceties that will keep campers happy

Bunker 66L Cool Box review

Price and availability

At the time of writing, the small range of Bunker cool boxes is limited in number, although the company won’t say if or when they will go off sale. The most compact 18-litre version costs £179.95 when bought directly from Bunker, while the mid-sized 42-litre option costs £269.95.

The largest 66-litre option costs £369.95, which is a lot of money but it is still cheaper than the £425 Yeti Tundra Haul, which is arguably its closest rival.

Design and build quality

As with Yeti’s high-performing coolers, Bunker opts for a Rotomolded construction, which sees the cool box fashioned from a very durable single-piece plastic moulding method.

You only need glance at the Bunker to realise that it means business, with two sturdy, tyre-covered wheels at the back, grab handles galore and tie-down points for lashing the beastly box to the back of a car or truck.

The heavy-duty interlocking latches close with a satisfying mechanical action, and the stainless steel locking points (you have to bring your own padlocks) also serve as neat shelves for quickly dispatching of beer bottle tops.

At the very bottom of the unit is a recessed plug for easy water drainage, and just inside the lid is a little compass because, you know, navigating via cool box is the gnarliest thing any outdoors enthusiast can do.

It’s all exceptionally well bolted together and feels like it can withstand a hell of a beating. The twin ribbon handles are plenty strong enough for hauling the weighty box around, and there are non-slip feet underneath so it doesn’t slide around in the back of your ride.

That said, it’s also very heavy. Tipping the scales at just over 18kg with nothing in it, the box can easily tickle the 30kg to 40kg mark once you start packing it with ice (you’ll need lots), food and booze.

The Yeti Tundra Haul, for example, weighs 16.8kg with nothing in it, but then the Bunker box is the roomier of the two models. Inside, there’s nothing in the way of dividers or clever baskets for keeping certain food away from ice. Instead, it’s just a cavernous pit in which to throw the essentials for a weekend in the wilderness.

Performance

Like most cool boxes of this ilk, the Bunker 66L performs best when it is pre-chilled, which essentially means filling it with ice for a few hours, bailing the melted stuff out and then refreshing with a new batch of frozen cubes.

As you can probably imagine, that’s a lot of ice to get through and, if, like me, you aren’t blessed with a commercial ice maker in the back garden, it means lots of bags from the supermarket and a rather hefty bill for frozen water.

It is possible to pre-chill the Bunker using ice packs that you keep in the freezer, but something of this size really does require a hefty amount of cooling before it operates at its best.

But once down to temperature, it keeps food and drink cool for an impressively long time. Bunker says five days and I wouldn’t argue with that number, as I managed to keep a selection of cans and snacks near-frozen for two days in the back of a very hot car.

Once back from a trip to the deepest, darkest depths of Wales, the Bunker still had plenty of ice at the bottom to keep going for another few days.

What’s more, the no-sweat exterior meant the outside of the beige box of tricks remained completely dry, so it was possible to use it as a seat – or alternatively, you could make use of the handy measurement markers on the lid and knock up a quick picnic bench while you wait.

Wheeling it around is easy enough, as the lengthy metal handle keeps the box away from your legs as it rolls. But lugging it in and out of a car ideally requires two people when it is fully loaded. The sheer width of the thing means man-handling it alone is a quick ticket to the chiropractor.

The small compass mounted to the inside of the lid is a nice touch, but largely pointless, as it would take some effort to transport this cool box far enough to get lost, seeing as it is so bulky and heavy.

Similarly, Bunker needs to make more of the built-in release valve, as it’s almost impossible to open the lid once the cooler is properly down to temperature or has been left closed for a long period of time.

The difference between the inside and outside temperatures creates a kind of mystical vacuum that seals the lid shut. Opening it without undoing this release valve requires sticking a flathead screwdriver between the lid and the chassis (like I did before I realised the valve existed), which isn’t advised.

But a sticky lid is a good sign that the big Bunker is doing its job properly, sealing its precious cargo away from the warm air and keeping those icy brewskies cold for days.

Verdict

As you would expect from a company that manufactures top-tier tools and macho man-cave storage systems, the Bunker cool box is a sturdy old goat that can keep items cold for almost a week when packed correctly.

It is built very tough, with a number of handy accessories and features to make camp life that little bit more enjoyable. Borrowing a few elements from the Yeti stable, Bunker’s limited edition cool boxes undercut its closest rival on price, but don’t scrimp on performance.

It is a shame that it is only available in the very drab brown colour, as Yeti goes full social media-friendly #lifestyle with the option of vibrant hues and limited-edition colour schemes.

But this cooler seems like it's for those more serious about adventure, or, at least, keeping the beers cold while working on the latest shed-based project.