Ninja FrostVault review | Tom’s Guide
When I think of Ninja, my mind immediately jumps to their infamous air fryers. But it turns out they make some of the best coolers, too.
The Ninja FrostVault Cooler has blown me away, keeping my drinks freezing cold for eight whole days and still having ice in the box after five. The FrostVault also cools incredibly quickly, and is easy to maintain after any camping trip or day out.
This coolbox is on the expensive side, but the performance speaks for itself. You will need to get someone to give you a hand when the box is full, as it gets pretty heavy, but it’s a good way to get a quick workout in.
You can find out more about my experience in this full Ninja FrostVault Cooler review.
Ninja FrostVault review: Specs
Ninja FrostVault Cooler review: Price & availability
The Ninja FrostVault Cooler is available for purchase from Amazon U.S. for $299 with six colors to choose from: Beige, White, Blue, Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Merlot. From Amazon U.K., the cooler is priced at £279 with color choices of Grey, Olive, and White.
The FrostVault is available in three different capacities. I tested the 45QT model but there is a smaller 30QT box and a larger 65QT cooler. The cooler also comes with a 5 year guarantee from Ninja.
There are cheaper options, like the Coleman Steel-Belted Cooler which is 54QT and $100 cheaper at $199, but the Ninja is the most impressive coolbox I’ve come across, so it’s worth the spend.
Ninja FrostVault review: Design & portability
The Ninja FrostVault Cooler is pretty big, making it adequately spacious. The insulated walls of the box are 3 inches thick, so the box does look bulky, butit works incredibly well. I was able to fit four bags of ice and 10 Coca-Cola cans and still had loads of room left in the top section of the box.
I found the box to be pretty heavy when it had the ice and canned drinks inside, but that’s not to say it was hard to maneuver. I needed a hand to carry the box down a few steps, but everywhere else I was able to use the handle and wheels to move the cooler on my own.
The box has two “all-terrain” wheels. They protrude slightly and are pretty garish, but their functionality makes up for their looks, and make the box stable when moving, although the sort of off-roading Ninja does with this box in the advertising seems a little far fetched — it is still a heavy box with wheels. Ninja says the wheels are “puncture proof” — they’re made of hard plastic so there’s nothing to puncture.
The handles to wheel the box have grips on them, which I found useful since, like I said, the box gets pretty heavy. The arm of the handle also folds neatly into the side of the cooler box, so it saves space when transporting in the car, or for storage.
At the bottom of the main box is the dry storage drawer. This still gets super cold but isn’t in direct contact with any of the ice, so is great for storing anything that can’t get wet.
There is a latch on the front of the box that secures the lid down. There is also a locking mechanism that keeps the dry drawer closed when moving the box. There is a drain at the bottom of the box to easily empty the water once everything has melted.
Ninja FrostVault review: Performance
The Ninja FrostVault’s cooling performance is nothing short of astounding. To test out the box, I filled it with cans of Coca-Cola and added four bags of ice. The ice took up a lot of space but there was still plenty of room for cans.
I checked after 3 hours and the insulated walls of the cooler were freezing cold. Also, the dry tray at the bottom of the cooler was just as cold as the main box, so the insulation works well to transfer the cold between the two sections.
Having the two sections in the box was very useful as I was able to keep drinks at the top and food in the bottom drawer. Ninja advertises the two sections as a way to reduce cross-contamination, which is extremely useful if you’re storing raw meat alongside other foods/drinks for a barbecue.
The drinks in the box were still icy cold and at perfect drinking temperature after 8 days of testing. I checked the ice in the box periodically before this, and on day 5 there were still chunks of ice in the cooler. These had melted by day 6, but ice still being present after 5 days is impressive.
Obviously if you are opening the box more often and are in a hotter climate the cooler won’t perform as well, but you can be assured that if you are going camping for two or three days, your food and drink is in good hands.
Although Ninja makes no specific claims on how long the cooler stays cold for, it definitely blows other coolers Tom’s Guide has tested out of the water. The Coleman Classic Cooler claims to stay cool for up to 5 days, but while it was still chilled at day 2, by day 4, everything was melted the cold drinks were just a few degrees below room temperature. The Ninja is far more reliable.
Ninja FrostVault review: Maintenance
Keeping the Ninja FrostVault Cooler in the best condition is super simple. After use, I drained the water out of the cooler by unscrewing the cap on the side.
Once it is emptied, the inside can be washed with a cloth and warm, soapy water. It then needs to be rinsed and left to air dry completely before closing it. The dry drawer also comes out of the cooler box to be cleaned independently.
I would describe the cooler as rugged. It wouldn’t look out of place in the woodland somewhere and the hard plastic means that if it was thrown around in the back of your truck, it would hold up just fine. The wheels won’t require anything more than a wipe down easier as they are hard plastic so won’t puncture.
Ninja FrostVault review: Verdict
If you need a reliable, freezing cold cooler, then look no further. Its 45QT capacity means it can fit enough food and drink to keep you going for a whole weekend. The dry drawer is also ideal for keeping items separate and ensuring food hygiene.
It is easy to clean and maintain, and while it can be difficult to move up and down steps when full, its wheels make it easy to cart around flatter ground.
Sure, the price tag is high, but the performance really does speak for itself. Keeping ice solid for 5 days is no mean feat, and canned drinks staying chilly for 8 whole days will make festival season even better.
