Like any outdoor enthusiast, I’m always looking for new gear to make adventures easier. I already own more coolers than I care to admit, but none as good as this one. After taking the Anker EverFrost 2 battery-powered cooler on several trips, I’m ditching my old ice chest for this modern cooler.
Anker Solix EverFrost 2 Electric Cooler
$700 $900 Save
$200
The Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 battery-powered cooler (40L, 42QT) is packed with tech, not ice, gets cold fast and is perfect for outdoor adventures, tailgating, and more.
- Durable design with several improvements
- Fast and effective cooling
- Multiple ways to power and charge the battery
- Remote controls via the Anker app
- More expensive than typical electric coolers
- Naturally, it’s pretty heavy
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Price and Availability
The Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 electric cooler is now available in two configurations: the 40L model shown here for $899 or a larger 58L Dual-Zone variant for $1,099. You can get it directly from Anker with a $200 off coupon or on Amazon. Then, a smaller 28L model is coming in May. The company also offers a secondary removable battery for longer runtime at an additional $199.
A Rugged and Refined Design
Like the original Anker Everfrost cooler we reviewed and loved, the all-new EverFrost 2 features a modern gray aesthetic with black accents. The first thing you notice when you open it up—aside from how nice it feels—is the massive fan inside the lid. But more on that below. Unfortunately, it no longer comes in additional color options. I have the original EverFrost in green, and while I prefer that color, every other aspect of the EverFrost 2 is better.
This cooler has large 6-inch wheels and a vastly improved design throughout. It feels more rugged, durable, and premium. For example, the display is bigger, has a higher resolution, and is bright enough for outdoor use. The same goes for the button controls, which are clicky and easier to press. The lid feels well-made, something I can’t say about the original, and the soft-close feature is a welcomed addition. The lid also has two rulers, a metric (40cm) line on the back, and an imperial (16-inch) line on the front, making it easy to measure trout or bass during a fishing trip.
The internal light is big and bright for finding brews late at night around the fire, the bottle opener is still clutch, and it even comes with wheel covers in case you need them. The only aspect of this cooler that didn’t improve is the one area I felt needed to, and that’s the fold-out tray table that doubles as a carry handle as you’re wheeling it around the pool. It works fine, but it just feels fragile. I’m always afraid the hard plastic is about to break, but it handles everything fine, including rough terrain.
There’s even a new bumper on the front that doubles as an accessory rail. Anker sells utensils, a wood tray table for whipping up a PB&J, and more that click into the rail system. Finally, in terms of design, the EverFrost 2 features an IPX3 rating for ingress protection, meaning it’s resistant to splashes from the pool or if you get caught in the rain. It’s not fully waterproof, but it’s better than nothing.
Who Needs Ice, Anyway?
One of the best aspects of this cooler is that you don’t need any ice. You save space for snacks and drinks, won’t have to worry about messes, and ice water won’t find its way into your sandwich meat. Plus, ice won’t get cold enough to freeze food, but this cooler can drop to -4F if necessary. That said, if you ever need ice, there’s a drain plug at the bottom.
Several aspects of the EverFrost 2 make it better than your typical electric cooler. For starters, it’s battery-powered, meaning you can take it anywhere. The included battery promises over 50 hours of runtime, but if you’re using the fastest of the three (Max, Smart, or Eco) cooling modes, it’ll be closer to 35-40 hours, which is respectable. Then, you can recharge it with a wall plug, solar panels, USB-C, or a DC cigarette lighter in any vehicle.
Anker did drop the battery from 299Wh to 288Wh with this model, but that extra space (along with a refined design) gave them room for a secondary battery slot. If you buy the second battery, Anker claims it’ll get you over 100 hours of usage, enough to easily make it through an entire weekend.
More importantly, those battery packs are removable and can double as portable chargers for phones, drones, camp string lights, and more. You can top off a phone with USB-C or run other items over USB-A. The included carry handle is a nice touch, too.
Finally, the EverFrost 2 is air-cooled, which Anker claims is a first in this class of portable coolers and increases cooling speeds by 30 percent. The giant fan built into the lid helps speed up cooling but also evenly distributes all that cold air. As a result, it goes from typical ambient temps down to 32F in about 15 minutes. I used the middle Smart Cool mode, which took about 22 minutes to go from 75F to 34F.
You can hear the fan a bit, but it’s not as loud as the internal compressor. It might not be the quietest cooler around, but it wasn’t enough to be of any real concern and was quieter than the EcoFlow Glacier I tested a few years back. It’s a novel idea, and I think it makes a difference with distribution and speed, getting everything nice and cold.
Decent Battery Life and Control With the Anker App
Power usage is understandably important, and I’m happy to report that my findings were almost on par with Anker’s promise. The company claims 52 hours of runtime, and my first full charge and weekend use lasted 46 hours. It did get opened a lot, which caused the system to kick on more often. Still, I was impressed. That said, I wonder how it’ll handle the 100° summer days with high humidity here in Texas.
Having remote access via the Anker mobile app is wonderful. Once you pair the cooler to your phone (via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi 2.4), you can adjust the temperature and cooling speeds, see battery life and usage, turn up screen brightness, and more. And if you’re recharging it via solar panels, it’ll show the power input wattage, too.
I recently drove from Nevada to Texas and had medication that needed to be refrigerated. It was in my Anker cooler, along with some drinks and road trip snacks, in the truck’s bed. Being able to monitor the temperature and battery life from inside the truck was pretty great. Plus, I have an AC outlet back there, so if the battery did get low, I could easily start recharging it.
My only complaint about the companion app is there’s no way to turn the cooler off remotely. I’d love to be able to power things down on the way home from the lake or something and not worry about the battery draining to zero. Or, ya know, I could stop being lazy and walk over and do it manually.
Should You Buy the Anker EverFrost 2 Cooler?
So, is this something you might want to buy? I absolutely love the EverFrost 2 and can easily recommend it for outdoorsy folks. Anker makes some of our favorite chargers, portable power stations, and excellent portable solar panel chargers, along with this cooler that’s basically a fridge and freezer on wheels.
The Anker EverFrost 2 electric cooler might look like every other icebox on the lake, but it’s not your average Dometic or Yeti. Instead, it’s a 288Wh battery-powered cooler aimed at people who want to go camping, tailgating, travel in an RV, or have a backyard BBQ with ease. You won’t have to worry about packing enough ice, and it does a fantastic job of keeping perishables and drinks refreshingly chilled for over two days straight.
After you pack it full of food and drinks, it can get heavy, as most long-lasting coolers do, and the fancy new air-cooling system can be a little loud at times. That said, those cons don’t outweigh all the pros. If you want to take your outdoor adventures to the next level, you’ll want to get one.
Anker Solix EverFrost 2 Electric Cooler
$700 $900 Save
$200
The Anker SOLIX EverFrost 2 battery-powered cooler (40L, 42QT) is packed with tech, not ice, gets cold fast and is perfect for outdoor adventures, tailgating, and more.
