Review: Canyon Prospector 85 Cooler

Whatever your specific needs might be, you expect one thing when you go into your cooler, and that's for things to be, well, cool. Whether it's a case of beer or a whitetail deer, whichever brand does that one basic task the best is going to earn my loyalty when I'm choosing the right cooler for the job.

Okay, well, I guess it's really not that simple.

I also want something fairly light, not too bulky, with a few features geared toward river trips. It needs to be sturdy enough to take a beating, while keeping my beers cold as long as, or longer than, the next cooler. I admit, that's a pretty tall order, but it's nothing Canyon Coolers wasn't up for. Their Prospector 85 Quart Cooler ($420) was designed to be one of their most versatile sizes. It's big enough to fit a field-dressed deer, yet still sleek enough to fit perfectly into a medium-sized raft. Mine happens to be a 13.5-footer, for reference.

I keep a cooler at the ready pretty much all year long, from winter tailgates in the ski area parking lot to spring and summer river trips, fall hunting seasons, and plenty of car-camping adventures in between. I need a one-size-fits-all option for all that, and whatever else I can dream up. So far, the Prospector 85 has been great for everything I've thrown at it. On a four-day river trip, it had plenty of space for a few of us, kept ice all weekend, and, most importantly, kept the beers cold. Otherwise, it fits easily in my rig for those 'loaded to the brim' car camping trips where no luxury is spared. 

I'm still waiting to find a different brand that's up for the task, or a trip this cooler can't handle. At this point, though, I'm not holding my breath.