Coolee CL-50R — Portable Air Cooler, Ice Chest and Sound System in One

The line in the CL-50R's spec list that tells you what kind of product this really is: water resistant potted and encapsulated electronics.

Potting means the circuit boards are set in resin rather than left open in a plastic box. It is what you do to electronics that are going to live in a marine environment, on a boat deck, in a machine that vibrates — and it is emphatically not what is done to the average novelty cooler with a fan bolted to the lid. Combined with a shielded water-cooled heat exchange radiator and a cover that protects the pump, it says the CL-50R was engineered on the assumption it would be dragged through sand, splashed, rained on and thrown in the back of a truck. Most coolers with electronics in them are engineered on the assumption they will not.

That is the difference worth paying for, and it is the reason this unit is a piece of equipment rather than a gadget.

Three machines in one box

The CL-50R does three genuinely separate jobs, and it is worth taking them one at a time.

It is a cooler. A 50-quart insulated ice chest with a rigid polyethylene thermal-insulated bin, a fully insulated lid, a dry storage compartment for the things that must not get wet, a removable cutting board, and a nylon web strap to keep the lid shut when it is being moved. Cup holders and a bottle opener are built into the lid.

It is an air cooler. Dual multi-directional air flow nozzles push cooled air where you point them, and quick-mount velocity nozzles concentrate that flow when you want a stronger, tighter stream at one person rather than a general breeze. A recirculating water pump and dual high-airflow brushless cooling fans do the work — brushless because brushed motors wear out their brushes and, more to the point, are noisier. Dual climate control lets the two outlets be set independently, which matters when two people want different things from the same machine.

It is a power system. Two rechargeable 10,000 mAh lithium-ion batteries run it, and the built-in power bank charges phones and devices from the same store. A solar panel on the top and a second, foldaway panel at the back top the batteries up while you are using it — that second panel is the detail most competing units skip, and it is what turns "solar charging" from a marketing word into something that actually keeps up with a day's use in the sun.

Built to be dragged somewhere

The chassis is designed around the awkward part of using a cooler, which is not the cooling — it is moving a heavy, wet box across ground vehicles cannot go.

All-terrain oversized wheels and a telescoping handle do most of that, and the back of the cooler is deliberately angled so the unit pulls through soft sand instead of ploughing it. Anyone who has hauled a loaded cooler up a beach will recognise exactly which problem that shape solves.

Controls and sound

A simple touch panel handles fan speed, the climate zones and battery monitoring, and a remote control does the same from wherever you are sitting. Premium Bluetooth stereo speakers stream from a phone or tablet, which — combined with the power bank keeping that phone alive — is the reason this ends up being the centre of a tailgate rather than a box in the corner of one.

Perfect for

• Tailgating and race paddocks, where cold drinks, moving air, light entertainment and a way to charge phones are all the same problem.
• Beach and camping trips away from any power supply — the solar panels and dual batteries are the point here.
• Job sites and outdoor work that need a break area rather than a building.
• Boats, docks and anywhere wet, which is what the potted electronics and the pump cover are for.

What is in the box

From this listing's own feature list: the cooler with its insulated bin and lid, the dry storage compartment, the removable cutting board, the pump cover, the nylon web strap, the multi-directional and quick-mount velocity nozzles, the dual batteries, both solar panels, the touch panel and the remote control. Loose extras beyond that are not itemised on the listing, so we are not claiming any — ask us and we will check the packing list before you order.

What we cannot tell you from our own data

We would rather be short than invent detail. Our record for this unit carries no published figures for battery run time, airflow, cooling capacity, ice retention, weight or dimensions — the manufacturer's copy describes what it does rather than quantifying it, and we are not going to fill those gaps with plausible numbers.

So if run time on a charge, or how cold the air actually gets, or whether it fits your boat locker is the thing that decides your purchase, ask us and we will get the figure from the manufacturer in writing before you buy. There is a brochure and a manual linked in the downloads section of this page, which is the fastest way to check a dimension yourself.

Shipping and delivery

This item ships free within the lower 48 states, so there is nothing to add at checkout. Pick-up locations for this brand are listed further down the page if collection suits you better. Delivery to a residential address carries a residential fee.

Whatever the carrier, check the box before you sign for it. Note any damage on the delivery paperwork with the driver still present, and photograph the packaging before you open it — that record is the difference between a straightforward replacement and a long argument. On a unit with batteries and a water pump inside, a crushed corner is worth taking seriously even if the outside looks survivable.

Warranty

A warranty document is published in the downloads section of this page, and warranty claims are handled through us rather than through a manufacturer portal — so if something goes wrong, you talk to a person here.

We have deliberately not printed a warranty duration, because our record for this unit does not state one and a made-up term in a warranty section is worse than no term at all. Ask us to confirm the current terms in writing before you buy and we will supply them.

Two practical notes that apply to every claim on a product like this. Do not open the unit or disconnect the batteries before a claim is raised — the failed part normally has to be inspected as it failed, and a dismantled machine is the most common reason a valid claim is declined. And drain the water circuit before long storage; standing water in a pump and radiator is how a working machine becomes a smelly one that needs a service nobody's warranty covers.