Milwaukee has come out with a new Packout XL cooler, 48-22-8462, that’s considerably larger than their previous half-width model.
Would you buy it? I asked something similar when Dewalt launched their ToughSystem cooler a couple of years ago, and it seemed like a good idea to ask the same about this Milwaukee Packout XL cooler.
As the name implies, the new cooler is XL-sized, meaning it’s as deep as Milwaukee’s largest Packout tool box, and it has a full-width footprint. It has a 40-quart capacity.
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Interior Dimensions: 16″ length, 10.5″ width, 12.5″ depth.
The Milwaukee Packout XL cooler can be stacked with the brand’s other Packout system components.
Milwaukee says that the cooler can hold ice for up to 5 days, and is built for ultimate jobsite durability.
It has an impact-resistant body, IP65 waterproof rating, and built-in drain plug.
The cooler also features a bottle opener, interior storage tray, and a built-in food-grade cutting board that doubles as a divider.
Price: $249
ETA: Summer 2022
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Jared
Heck yeah I would, in theory at least. I have two of the Dewalt Toughsystem coolers and I think they’re great. No reason to think this Milwaukee cooler would be any less awesome.
I’m jealous of the drain.
Matt the Hoople
Since it has a bottle opener, yes.
Adam
For all those glass bottles of pop on the job site, right 🙄
Lawson
Pop! I love this! It is and shall always be known as “pop”. Soda is something you add to gin or vodka.
fred
Holding ice for 5 days seems good if true – and the drain is a feature that many others should have. We were given a Yeti Roadie 24 which, I think is about the same size and price. I think that they price for both is outrageous – not so much because I could build one cheaper (I sure I could not) – but based on its utility. The Roadie is fine for car trips – but ice in it certainly doesn’t last 5 days in the use we’ve put it to. The yeti also leaks a wee bit when tipped over – so I’d be interested in the Packout if the seals are really good.
Bill S4
not at that price just like not at the price of the existing packout cooler
ShawnP
In everything but our RZR1000, I’ve moved from ice coolers and gone to powered coolers. I’ve got both an ICECO JP50 and a GO20. The GO20 was less than $100 more than the Milwaukee cooler. Both use a SECOP compressor and can run for a couple of days on my portable battery (Dometic PLB40 . . . which I regretfully bought before all the Jackery-type boxes exploded onto the market.), or non-stop in the back of our Jeeps. I don’t miss dealing with ice and the sloshing while 4-wheeling . . . and the GO20 has a freezer side. I still use a soft-sided cooler in our RZR though.
ShawnP
Meant to add, I wish I’d have bought their newer cooler with a compressor in it. It gives you a Yeti-style cooler, with a compressor option. (No, I don’t work for them, I just think they’re the best dollar for dollar due to the Secop compressors they use. I will say, the GO20 sounds like an ’80s freezer that everyone had out in the garage. The JP50 is basically silent.
https://icecofreezer.com/products/44-3qt-3in1-icooler-iceco-white
Chaz
If this is rotomolded like Yeti coolers, this might be an outstanding value. If this is something like RTIC where it’s foam insulated, it’s still a so-so to okay price, especially considering it’s Packout compatible.
DSal
I can see the convenience of the Packout integration, but I don’t know if it is worth nearly 5 times the price price of an 36qt Igloo Marine Cooler which I can buy at $55 that also claims to hold ice for 5 days. I’m sure it is probably worth it for some. The Milwaukee looks much sturdier (and heavier) but I don’t think it will outlast 5 Igloos for my usage.
Those interior dimensions are closer to 36 quarts than they are to 40 quarts by my calculations.
Put me in the “Would not buy” column
TomD
If I needed a cooler I’d probably go for it – but I don’t right now.
Would have liked to see it be a giant “drawer” so you could open it without unstacking it.
Stacey Jones
No
Gordon
I’ve been seeing more packout stuff used in “overlanding builds”. Seems like Milwaukee has noticed this market too.
Tojen1981
Nice cooler, but I’d like it better if it was designed similar to the rolling toolbox with more robust wheels so one person could pull it over rough terrain while carrying other things. Also, while we’re at it, put a radio in it.
Bob
That’s the point of PackOut, just stick it and the radio on the rolling toolbox and you have your wish.
King duck
Agreed I would be more inclined to buy it but right now I have some decent rolling coolers and see no reason to upgrade
Adam
Of course I want one, but when they are priced like they think they are for Red Cross organ transplants, I’m going to have to pass.
Original half cooler was $89, then $99, now $109. Figure you double, but then a little savings because of volume kind of thing. So I was thinking it would have landed at $199. It is now in premium cooler territory at $249, not jobsite coolers.
MFC
Ha, we just used gas station styrofoam coolers for organ transports on the bus. A little chilled saline and some ice packs, and you’re good to roll.
Adam
I’ll wait for a sale on Makita’s $649 powered cooler before thinking about the Milwaukee.
Koko The Talking Ape
Just on a performance per dollar basis, the RTIC can keep ice frozen for TEN days (according to this review site, which I trust), holds 65 quarts (more than 60% larger than the Milwaukee’s 40 quarts) and costs about the same.
https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-hard-cooler/
Or you can get a Coleman that keeps ice frozen for six days (still outperforming the Milwaukee) and holds 70 quarts for $90.
Of course, neither of those are Packout-compatible. So the question is whether it’s worth getting the substantially smaller and poorer performing (and perhaps quite a bit more expensive) Milwaukee in order to be able to attach your Packout boxes to it.
Am I missing anything? The Milwaukee is durable, but so are the RTIC (said to be indestructible, actually) and the Coleman. Any other considerations? Maybe you want just a 40 quart cooler, and if that’s the case, I would just get a smaller RTIC or Coleman.
Champs
Makes more sense as a dolly, and yeah it’s (too) expensive, but don’t you want to flex on your buddies at the party/campsite? Add the first aid kit and light at a minimum and write it off…
Munklepunk
I have the smaller version. If this is built the same way, just bigger, you will be better off with a much cheaper Coleman. It might hold ice for five days if it’s cool outside and is full of ice and all the contents were already frozen.
Thom
If I was to upgrade my Tstak /Versastack setup to Packout then yes but right now what I have suffices.
Munklepunk
I’m selling all my packout and going to tstak.
Frank D
Who in the world buys a $50 cooler from a tool company at $250 because it has feet and notches on top …
I look at the economy, gas prices, heating oil prices, car prices, …
The retirement fund shrinking like never before.
Ain’t no time to buy an overprices MW cooler, sorry.
notinuse
Yeah, the price is nuts, just like Yeti coolers. Not for me.
IronWood
I’ll keep my $20 Igloo Playmate with a Yeti sticker on one side (to make it hip). Served me well for years. I can’t see any reason the packout is worth $250, and I’d never take a lunchbox to work that cost that much.
Wayne R.
I can’t wrap my too-tiny head around the costs of things like this. Seems nuts to me, especially since they’re passive. If I needed something in this price range, I’d much rather spend on something that actively cools – if five days stays cold and half the volume is just ice, I’d want the extra room and extra time of an actively cooled box.
MM
I don’t use Packout so the answer is an easy “no”. But even if I did use packout it would still be “no”. Systems like packout make a lot of sense for people who have to want to transport their tools or supplies to the job. I get that, and if my work required that kind of thing I’d certainly be using packout or a similar system. I wish it existed many years ago when I was a lab manager. But I wouldn’t want the cooler in my packout stack: First off, that cooler filled with ice is going to be heavy and there’s no point in dragging that around if I don’t need it….and second the cooler is only useful when it comes lunch or breaktime but otherwise it’s just wasting space on the packout cart. I’d much rather keep my packout stack (or toughsystem or whatever) just for tools and parts, and I’d have a separate cooler in the truck that I can go to when it’s time to eat. As others have already made clear one can get a much better cooler for the same money or a perfectly adequate cooler for a lot less.
Joe H
If it’s constructed like a Yeti cooler and with shipping costs what they are being passed more onto customers and compared with what’s else is on the market plus the pack out compatibility then the price is not outrageous. Probably a hard sell for a guy who thinks an igloo and Yeti are the same thing.
MM
Yeti coolers and their knockoffs are obviously a lot more durable than an Igloo. But I am very curious just exactly what people are doing with their coolers that makes that sort of durability required? My rather basic igloo has lasted close to 30 years of grocery shopping, camping a few times a year, a few years worth of bringing gatorades to swim meets, pee wee soccer, and little league games, and the only issues that it has had over those years is one broken handle and one broken lid latch, both of which were fixed for less than $5 with a quick call to Igloo for parts. It’s obvious the Yeti is a much stronger cooler, I just wonder what that strength is needed for? Is there some “roll a loaded cooler down a hill” competitive sport that I’m unaware of?
Jared
I think that’s a fair observation. I don’t know that I’ve ever broken a cooler. I have a couple of the Dewalt Toughsystem coolers but I could easily “get by” with Igloo, Coleman, Woods or some other “regular” camping brand.
In my opinion, the Dewalt is a very nice cooler – whether it really merits it’s premium…. 🤷‍♂️
Price aside, it is well insulated, durable, and convenient – in the sense that I like being able to stack them on top of the large Toughsystem box rolling base, packed with cooking gear, when I go camping.
I wouldn’t have purchased them at regular retail. I spotted a deal (it may even have been on Toolguyd – I don’t remember exactly) and I haven’t regretted the purchase.
This new Milwaukee cooler looks like a mild upgrade (but I’m not about to rush out and replace the Dewalts). Most notably the drain is a big advantage IMO. Dewalt’s version is plenty strong however – this is one product where I don’t think Packout could have a meaningful strength advantage.
Rick James
Bear country.
dc
No.
Rick James
Already pre-ordered.
Farmerguy
Yes. For the sole reason being “because I can”
Spent more money on worse choices so not going to think other than “do I want it?” I don’t buy a lot so I don’t have to fret over these purchases.
Bob
I will be upgrading my two existing coolers with this one. During summer, they stay stocked with water and Gatorade. The new one will allow me to carry more with me and not take up any more room.
OlegK
No, if buy one for a few dollars at Walmart, probably in black and red, then spend the money I saved on a yearly supply of water.
Robert
Not at that price. Maybe at $150.
Gregg
I wish Milwaukee would get it through their thick skulls to make these black and red. The white gets to damn dirty. Price is a bit steep as well.
MM
I liked their idea of having a white lid on the cooler. It makes the cooler stand out from the rest of the equipment in the stack, sort of like how the packout first aid kit has green symbols on the corners. It would also help keep the contents inside cool if the cooler were left alone somewhere; the white lid will absorb less heat from the sun than another color would.
You do raise a good point about appearance though, that bright white color would show dirt or grime easily.
Stuart
A white top is better for a cooler that might be left out in the sun. A black top, in addition to not differentiating against the regular Packout tool boxes, will (in theory) absorb more light and heat up faster.
The red is about consistent branding. Packout has a different color scheme in Europe out of necessity due to competing trade dress.
fred
My Yeti Roadie is all white. I think white is a sensible color for coolers – based on heat absorption. As far as showing dirt – Ia assume that coolers are meant to transport comestibles – so you may actually want to see the dirt to remind you to clean it.
Thinking about Joe H’s comments – I suggest that most everyone has a sweet spot where cost and utility are balanced. Some wristwatch wearers (like me) regularly wear ones made in China and toss them out when the battery dies or the strap breaks. Others prefer fine Swiss-made gold watches (mine are in the safe for special occasion wear) that are no more accurate – but are more fine jewelry.
G Greene
Features “…a built-in food-grade cutting board…”? Oh, man, I can’t count the times I’ve been on the job site, thinking, “Gosh, some sushi would go good right now, or maybe a nice charcuterie selection – but, alas, no food-grade cutting board! Oh, well, it’s back to hanging drywall.” No.
No, I would not buy this. And I’m a heavy Milwaukee user, both 12 and 18v lines. But no, IMHO, this is an extravagantly priced accessory and there are much less expensive alternatives available.
Rob L.
I probably won’t, but as my personal camping setup and one of our Scout troops uses Packout chuck box arrangements, it’s tempting!
Bill
No, not going through the Home Depot new check out layout.
Bob
I can’t find one.there all on backorder
Stuart
Not out yet.
Bob
It was suppose to be released Jun 17 but now mileaukee says they don’t have a date. Which is ridiculous
Stuart
It was supposed to be released “Summer 2022.”
Retailers are now suing September, but it’s unclear if this is their first shipment ETA or where they’re at with respect to order fulfillment.
Unfortunately, new products rarely launch when expected these days.