Arctic Zone Titan Backpack Cooler: The Better Way to Picnic

There's a 95 percent chance Senior Editor Christine Sarkis is thinking about travel right now. Follow her on Instagram @postcartography and Twitter @ChristineSarkis.

Christine Sarkis is an SATW-award-winning journalist and executive editor at SmarterTravel. Her stories have also appeared on USA Today, Conde Nast Traveler, Huffington Post, and Business Insider. Her advice has been featured in dozens of print and online publications including The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and People magazine. She has also shared travel tips on television and radio shows including Good Morning America, Marketplace, and Here & Now. Her work has been published in the anthologies Spain from a Backpack and The Best Women's Travel Writing 2008. She is currently working on a travel memoir.

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Email Christine Sarkis at editor@smartertravel.com.

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Price and Where to Buy: The 24-Can Titan Deep Freeze Backpack Cooler is $42 on Amazon.

picture of the blue arctic zone titan backpack cooler — Arctic Zone

How the Arctic Zone Titan Backpack Cooler Rates:

Usefulness: 10/10. The Titan Backpack Cooler is marketed as a way to carry up to 24 cans plus ice. But for travelers, it has another, better use. It’s low-profile enough that it can pass as a backpack, but it keeps things cool for an impressively long time (it can keep ice cold for up to two days). So for trips that include a lot of picnics, beach time, or snacks on the go, this cooler could just be your go-to daypack. It has two zippered exterior pockets, two water bottle pockets, and webbing for tucking in extras, plus a padded back and backpack straps. It’s also waterproof and antimicrobial. It is comfortable to wear and pretty much just looks like a backpack from the outside (once you zip it open, you can see the insulated lining).
Value: 9/10 The price is competitive with other coolers, and it offers the additional benefit of not really looking like a cooler, so it could be used as a backpack as well.
Durability: 9/10. The backpack is leakproof and easy to clean. It has antimicrobial technology that inhibits the growth of bacteria in the lining of the cooler. And it’s PVC free.
Cool Factor: 9/10. This cooler looks good, is comfortable to carry, and keeps items nice and cool—just what you want in a summer travel buddy.

Final Verdict: If you’re willing to think out of the box and use a cooler as your travel day pack, you’ll keep picnic items, drinks, and snacks at the perfect temperature for long periods and can turn any stop into a picnic.

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Editor’s Note: Reviews are based on usefulness, portability, durability, value, and “cool factor.” Some review products are sent to us to test free of charge and with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions, positive and negative, and will never accept compensation to review a product. If you have any questions or comments concerning our reviews or would like to suggest a product for review, please email us at editor@smartertravel.com.

We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.