Otterbox Venture 65 45 25 Coolers Reviewed

Otterbox has entered the game of premium coolers that was once dominated by the name Yeti. It seems now that there are a large amount of options for premium coolers that claim to keep ice for weeks.  If your going to spend hundreds of dollars on a cooler, you should be expecting the best.  A name notorious for phone protection has stepped up to the plate and hit a home run with their Otterbox Venture coolers.  They are a beautiful looking cooler, with the Otterbox feeling to them.  The construction is extremely rugged and solid.  In addition to the cooler looks it also offers a modular design for adding on cutting boards, drink holders, bottle openers and dry storage.

Otterbox has the Venture series coolers as well as the Trooper a soft-sided cooler option. You can view their coolers here

Otterbox Venture Design and Features

The Venture cooler series from Otterbox has to be one of our favorite premium coolers to look at. It’s design features clean rugged look with eye catching details like the mountains on the underside of the lid, and molded handles.  The color choice of white and blue are optimal for cooling and look great, but offered in a variety of colors and prints. The cooler seals tight thanks to the giant rubber ring around the lid that seals water and ice in the chest.

The inside of the Venture coolers are slightly tapered, and angled for draining water from the large drain plug.  The cooler features two inches of refrigerated grade insulation foam through the cooler. There are literally hundreds of videos on youtube comparing these coolers and true ice retention, so we won’t bore you with another. If you want to spend the next 24 hours watching them you can see them all here.

One of our favorite design features is the latches on the Otterbox Venture coolers.  If you have used other coolers, you know how awkward it can be to latch coolers when they are on the ground.  Because the latches on the Venture coolers latch up, its much easier to open and close the cooler.  They are easy enough for kids to use them, and provide a solid feel to them when closed.

There is also a small hole that continues through the latch. This provides a location to install a long lock to secure the cooler, and enhance its bear resistance.

The latch lay flat when not used to keep the cooler closed.  They remain out of the way unless you have the bottle opener or another accessory installed under them. In that case the latch will rest on the accessory installed below.

It has durable rubber feet that keep it from sliding around in a boat or back of a truck.  If that is not enough, Otterbox sales a retention strap (basically a tie-down) to further secure the cooler for transportation.

The handles on the Venture cooler are burly, but can get in the way when packing. Because the handles are molded into the cooler they don’t lay flat and it makes packing the cooler tight next to other objects a bit harder.  Some coolers handles store away flat to the side of the cooler. If you are planning to pack the cooler tight in the back of a truck keep this in mind.

The Venture coolers are big and bulky.  They usually take two people to move them.  The fixed handles do make it easier and more secure when swinging the cooler in or out of a boat.

Otterbox Venture Cooler Sizes and Capacity

The Venture cooler comes in three sizes, the 25, 45 and 65 quart.  These are true measurements, unlike some of the claims made by competitors.  We recently saw a price drop of about $50 on the Otterbox coolers. Additionally, they have been seen on sale on GearChase.com from retailers like REI.com and CampSaver.com

• The Otterbox Venture 25 will fit 14 12 oz. cans with a 2:1 ice-to-beverage ratio ($230)
• The Otterbox Venture 45 will fit 25 12 oz. cans with a 2:1 ice-to-beverage ratio ($300)
• The Otterbox Venture 65 will fit 36 12 oz. cans with a 2:1 ice-to-beverage ratio ($350)

Otterbox Venture Bear Resistant

A growing concern in the backcountry is bear, they smell food and come looking for it.  Otterbox like other cooler brands claim the bear resistent. Having put their coolers through the test they earned the IGBC Certification No. 5155 in June 2017.  You can read more about the bear testing done here.

Otterbox Cooler Accessories

Otterbox has a variety of accessories, that can be added to the cooler for modularizing the use of it.  Although the accessories can be expensive, it offers a lot more variety a side from other coolers.

Side table and drink holder ($70)

Double cup drink holder ($30)

Dry Storage Tray ($20)

Cutting Board ($30) or included with the Side table for ($70), Cooler Separator ($25)

Bottle opener ($20)

Here you can see the accessories all working together on the Otterbox cooler.  The cutting board can be used inside the cooler or stored on the side table. The table and drink holder simply drops into the handle. It’s not super sturdy and I could see a little kid pulling on it and breaking off the mounting brackets.

Here is a list of all the accessories Otterbox offers for their coolers

• All-Terrain Wheels ($249)
• Side Table ($70)
• Venture Cooler Separator ($25)
• Otterbox Ice Pack 5 lb ($30)
• Otterbox Ice Pack 2.5 lb ($20)
• Venture Dry Storage Tray ($20)
• Venture Double Cup Holder ($30)
• Venture Cutting Board ($30)
• Venture Cooler Lock ($30)
• Venture Otterbox Drybox Clip ($5)
• Otterbox Bottle Opener ($20)
• Venture Tie-Down Kit ($40)

Otterbox vs Yeti Coolers

It’s hard not to compare the Otterbox Venture coolers to the Yeti Tundra Coolers. They both claim keeping ice for 14 days, have great build quality, and keep stuff cold for a really long time.  Both the Otterbox and Yeti coolers are bear resistant and they cost about the same.  I think the Otterbox edges the Yeti out with the closure system, and overall look and design of the cooler.  Honestly, they are both really great coolers, and you would be happy to have either cooler on a long trek to keep your food cold.

Otterbox Warranty and Manufacturing

Limited Lifetime Warranty

Covers defects in manufacturing, material and/or workmanship under normal use and service for the lifetime of the product.

Manufacturing

Otterbox Coolers are manufactures in the USA. Designed in Fort Collins, CO. Made in Detroit, MI. You know this is one tough cooler.

Otterbox Venture Cooler Conclusion

The new Venture series coolers offered by Otterbox are just what we were looking for in a cooler.  Not everyone needs a $300 cooler, but if you spend long over a week away from the ice box in the direct heat of the sun, it can be easy to justify the cost.  We love heading to Lake Powell in Utah where we spend many days away from ice. The Otterbox Venture is exactly what we need to keep food and liquids cold for over a week while we are camping or on a house boat.  The build quality is top notch, and with all the accessories the Venture is out goto cooler for longer treks.  There are a few down sides to the the Otterbox a side from the price point worth noting.  The Venture 45 and Venture 65 coolers are almost always a two man job to move.  The Venture 65 weighs almost 30 lb with nothing in it, add ice, drinks, and food, and it’s easily over 100 lb.  Also worth noting, if you order your cooler from Otterbox.com, you can get free shipping.

You can always check GearChase.com for deals on Otterbox Coolers and Accessories here.