The Engel Drybox Cooler is both a dry box as well as a cooler. While some companies advertise gear as multi-use, the Engel Drybox Cooler is not just marketing fluff: Outdoor enthusiasts actually use it as both a dry box as well as a cooler.
So how well does it work for both situations?
To get us a closer look, Engel sent Man Makes Fire an Engel 19 Quart Drybox Cooler review unit to test out. Man Makes Fire gear reviewer Chris Maxcer took it fishing and hunting to test its real-world performance. To help you determine if the Engel Drybox Coolers are right for you, here is what he learned and here are his buying recommendations:
Pressed for time? Skip ahead to our recommendation:
Review: Engel Drybox Coolers
The Engel 19-Quart Drybox Cooler is easy to grab, easy to stow, easy to pack — and astoundingly convenient to use for all sorts of outdoor adventures.The Engel Drybox Coolers come in four size options: 7.5-, 13-, 19-, and 30-quart configurations. They are waterproof, airtight, dust-proof, lightly insulated, and they float.
The genius of the Engel Drybox Cooler design is that it’s light enough to use everyday and yet is just rugged enough to survive everyday use. The problem with smaller ultra-rugged rotomolded coolers is that they’re heavy and bulky for the storage volume they deliver. Traditional rugged coolers work great for food and drink but they’re annoyingly heavy and bulky for electronics, gear and food you just want to keep dry.
If you’re like me, you head out on all sorts of day and short multi-day trips where all you really need is a small, convenient cooler to keep some drinks and your lunch cold. Or you want a simple box that will keep your vehicle keys, phone, and miscellaneous gear dry. That dry box could end up in a boat, on a raft, or strapped to a paddleboard, kayak, or skiff. Or maybe tossed in the back of a UTV in the rain.
The Engel Drybox Cooler is as adept at keeping electronics dry as it is keeping drinks cold
For myself, at any given time I have a half-dozen soft-sided coolers in my garage, as well as various sizes of heavy-duty hard coolers to use and test. I take this gear out on various camping, boating, fishing and hunting trips to see how well they perform in the real world. For some situations, a particular size or form factor would clearly fit the conditions best, so that’s the cooler I take. Inevitably, there are situations where it doesn’t really matter what I take, and that’s when some interesting personal preferences and appreciations come to light.
What I found with the Engel 19 Quart Drybox Cooler is that I really like it as a day-trip lunch and drink cooler. Over the last couple of months during the testing and review process, I’ve found myself reaching for it when I didn’t have to. I find myself choosing the Engel Drybox Cooler out of personal interest — not gear-tester interest.
So why is that?
Ridiculously Convenient
There is something about the shape and design of the Engel Drybox Cooler that is particularly user friendly. For instance:
- I can open the Engel Drybox Cooler lid with one hand
(most zippered soft coolers are difficult or impossible to open with one hand) - The Engel Drybox carry handle is easy to grab
(most soft coolers and even some smaller rotomolded hard coolers have handles that fall to the sides or straps that you have to find or pull together) - The Engel Drybox Cooler is lightweight
(most competitive hard coolers that seal completely are much heavier and bulkier) - The Engel Drybox Cooler is insulated, which can help keep electronics or food cool on hot days in the sun
(most protective, rugged gear boxes are uninsulated)
Because the Engel Drybox Coolers are so convenient and versatile, we think they make great gift ideas for fishing enthusiasts as well as handy, multi-purpose gift options for hunters.
Cooler Performance
As a cooler, the relatively thin plastic walls absorb relatively little chill power from your ice, which, interestingly, seems to let your ice packs work primarily on the contents and not the walls of the cooler. To this point, I never once bothered to pre-chill or ‘season’ the Engel Drybox Cooler with ice before loading it with food and drink, as I sometimes do with heavier rotomolded coolers.My favorite use for the Engel Drybox Cooler is as a day-tripping cooler for cold drinks and food.
While there is maybe an inch of polystyrene foam thickness inside the walls of the Engel Drybox Cooler, it keeps drinks cold for multiple days without a ton of ice.
For one hunting day trip on a Sunday, I dropped a couple of medium-sized ice packs in with 8 already chilled cans and bottles, along with some yogurt, cheese, and jam. On that day, we opened it up, ate some food, drank some drinks, and the Engel Drybox Cooler ended up in my garage. I finally got back to it on Tuesday night.
When it opened it up to clean it out, the drinks were still surprisingly cold. Like, cold enough to crack a beer open and go watch a game on TV cold. Not bad!
I never once bothered to pre-chill or ‘season’ the Engel Drybox Cooler with ice before loading it with food and drink — and it still did its job well
I don’t believe that the Engel Drybox Cooler can compete over multiple days with a properly chilled thicker rotomolded cooler . . . and yet I’ve been very pleased with the easy thermal performance of the Engel Drybox Cooler.
I’m pretty sure that the Engel Drybox Cooler is able to perform well on day trips because the amount of injected copolymer material — basically the plastic that makes up its walls — is relatively thin. Compared to thicker rotomolded constructions, there is simply less material that needs to be chilled by the ice or ice packs before the cool temps reach the protection of the insulation itself.
What does this mean? The cooler walls won’t rob very much of the ice’s chill power, which lets the ice more efficiently chill the interior contents. At least, for short-term use, this design is efficient.
Meanwhile, you can’t discount the quality airtight seal. Cheap cooler alternatives that don’t have good seals simply won’t be able to compete at all.
Choose your favorite Drybox Cooler color and size option at Engel here!
Dry Box Performance
The Engel Drybox Cooler is, as you would expect from any good dry box, waterproof. It can handle rain, river wave splashing, and even a full dunking with ease.The Engel Drybox Cooler is equally adept at keeping electronics dry as it is keeping drinks cold.
As a lightweight dry box, the Engel Drybox Cooler is waterproof and dustproof. The waterproof feature makes it great for use on a boat, raft, or kayak while the dustproof feature makes it great for stowing in the back of a UTV or pickup truck.
Engel uses an airtight EVA recessed gasket seal in the lid to make the box completely waterproof. The stainless steel front latches provide some downward pressure, while a small raised ridge is built into the top perimeter of the injection-molded walls to push into the gasket.
To test how well it works, I put two gallons of water inside the Engel Drybox Cooler then tipped it upside down and shook it all about. No leaks.
Choose your favorite Drybox Cooler color and size option at Engel here!
Engel 19 Quart Drybox Cooler Specs:
Exterior Dimensions: 16 3/4″ x 11″ x 12 3/4″
Interior Dimensions: 10″ x 13 1/2″ x 8″
Weight: 5.5 lbs
Volume: 19 quarts
Number of Cans: 30 (with ice)
Shoulder Strap and Tray
Here is a closer look at the self-stopping hinge, the EVA foam seal, and the built-in ridge at the top of sidewalls.The Engel Drybox Coolers come with a shoulder carry strap, which you feed through slots in the sides and bottoms. The design lets you fill the cooler with heavy drinks and support its weight by running the strap underneath.
The interior includes a small removable, slidable tray. You can use it to keep gear or food above ice. If you use the Drybox Cooler as a dry box for gear — or even as a ditch bag — the tray will be handy for small items you want readily available.
Engel Drybox Cooler Build Quality
The stainless steel latches are secure and easy to use.The Engel Drybox Cooler is well-made but not ultra-rugged. If you drop it 30 feet down a rocky embankment, it’s probably going to crack somewhere (I have not tried this). On the other hand, it’s rugged enough to toss in the back of a pickup and not worry about other gear shifting around on it (I have tried this).
The front stainless steel latches feel solid. The rear hinges are a reasonably thick polycarbonate with what I believe is a stainless steel pin. If anything were to fail on this cooler over time and plenty of use, I would look at the hinges. However, Engel sells replacement plastic hinges as well as replacement stainless steel hinges — which Engel says are better for frigid environments.
Check out the full selection of Drybox Cooler replacement parts and accessories here!
Most companies don’t bother to sell replacement parts for normal wear and tear or even customer-caused damage. The fact that Engel does says something about its product line and customer care. The Engel Drybox Cooler has been on the market for years — and it’s not likely to change anytime soon.
As for fit and finish, it’s very good. Ultimately, the price-to-value ratio in the Engel Drybox Cooler is outstanding.
The Bottom Line
The Engel Drybox Cooler is a remarkably versatile lunch box and day-tripping cooler available in four size options. At the same time, it’s an equally versatile dry box for stowing electronics, first-aid kits, and even pricey electronic vehicle keys on a boat, raft or kayak. The form factor is convenient, and the Drybox Cooler dances the fine line between being pleasantly lightweight with a build quality that promises to survive day-to-day use. The insulation and airtight seal work surprisingly well for keeping food and drink cold. Overall, the outstanding price-to-value ratio has made the Engel Drybox Cooler a customer favorite for years — and now it’s appreciated at Man Makes Fire, too. Very highly recommended.
Get the Gear:
- Engel Drybox Coolers — all sizes here
- Engel Drybox Cooler Accessories
- Engel Live Bait Drybox Cooler — includes an aerator for live bait fishing use
Check buying options, pricing & availability:
Our Gear Review and Tester’s Specific Related Experience:
Chris Maxcer is an outdoor gear expert who has tested and reviewed dozens of coolers for Man Makes Fire. He’s personally used many different sizes and designs of hard coolers, soft coolers, backpack coolers, and wheeled coolers while camping, hunting, whitewater rafting, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, and day-tripping in the wilds of the Northwest. He believes that while thermal efficiency in coolers is important, the most important factor in the buying decision process for each person is understanding the usability factors for what they want to do most outside. Of course, Maxcer has also written hundreds of in-depth outdoor gear reviews, including independent, first-hand reviews of fly fishing gear, camping gear, hunting gear, backpacking gear, and beach and water play gear. He believes the best way to understand a product is to use it in the real world for the kind of activity it was designed for.
Man Makes Fire publishes independent gear reviews, unencumbered by any requirements from any gear brand or manufacturer.
