The Humble Cooler Has Had a Glow Up! My First Look at the Dometic Recon Hardside Cooler

Tim’s been playing with the new Recon Hardside Cooler from Dometic and its stacks of nifty features that make car-to-camp a breeze.

I reckon it’s pretty safe to say that the cooler concept needed some love. Sure, we’ve done tough and high-performance, but Dometic clearly wiped the slate clean when they set about designing the Recon Hardside Cooler family.

They even took ‘glow up’ literally and the 16L model they sent me arrived in a burnt yellow colour called: glow. Here’s what I like about it.

Glow is a seriously nice colour

1. Dual Opening Removable Lid

I actually have a quite old Dometic cooler and it features the classic, rubberised straps that hook over a lump of plastic. They work fine, until you’re on the wrong angle, or something’s in your hand.

The Recon handle/hinge situation is miles ahead. You can unlatch it and pull it straight open – no catch to release with a jiggle or second hand. It’s actually bliss. Then you can close it, and open it from the other end (like from the back seat of the car) and that handle becomes the hinge. It’s honestly sick.

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You can also remove the lid completely, which is handy if you need to clean the seal, invert it for drying, or catch a quick wave.

2. It Doubles as a ‘Water’ Cooler

Sure, you can fill it with drinks, or you can just pour in water, ice, any desired flavours, and make up to 16L of the good stuff. Space efficient and more sustainable if everyone remembers a cup!

Chilled water (or beverage of your choice) on tap!

The Recon comes with a tap that you can screw in to replace the bung and it has a simple push button operation – unlike those dreaded water jerries with the taps that always loosen themselves.

Hot Tip: The bung can also store magnetically above where it unscrews so you don’t lose it. 

Are you incredibly fancy? Dometic also makes a rechargeable tap with a pump that’s compatible with the Recon series. It even has a light!

Post trail run drinks just got way crispier

3. Ergonomic Handles

I’d go as far as saying that waddling across a beach while a cooler’s handles dig into your palms is a core Australian experience.

Sadly, the Recon series solved that too with soft handles that can snap together for an easy one-handed carry. It feels like holding a mountain bike grip. The slim design of the 16L helps stop the cooler bashing into your shins too, all while carrying up to 18 ice cold cans, it’s pretty neat.

Genius handles work apart or together

The medium 41L and large 69L models have more traditional handles, but they’re still soft-touch with enough space to not crush your wrist.

Even when full this is a pretty easy carry

4. 30% Lighter Than Similar Coolers

The Recon series is injection-moulded with welded seams, a premium approach that saves weight without sacrificing quality insulation. It’s noticeably lighter and compared to similar coolers, up to 30% lighter! Love it.

5cm of efficient performance foam keeps things frosty

5. Designed for Vehicles & Stackable

I’d say this is a pretty underrated feature. All three sizes of the Recon were designed to hit the road and their shapes reflect this. The 16L I’ve got even fits in the footwell, which is pretty dang convenient in a small, completely-full car (we have a Jimny).

The Recon coolers are also stackable, with a non-slip rubber top and feet that can nest within each other, and one medium and one small fit perfectly onto the lid of the large one. Super space efficient stuff.

Tie down points in the lid and cooler, depending on your needs

They all feature tie down holes for both the main cooler and the lid too. Just don’t forget to say ‘that’s not going anywhere’ after you strap it up and you’ll be golden.

Hot Tip: The medium and large models come with an organising basket and a divider that doubles as a cutting board. I said it was nifty.

6. Bottle Openers in the Handles

Best till last? Each handle metal latch doubles as a bottle opener, and every Recon Cooler is tall enough to store wine bottles standing up. Priorities!

Dometic’s Recon Hardside Coolers are now available in all three sizes, in either a dark grey colourway or the glow yellow pictured here. The 16L is $325, while the 41L is $499 and the big boi 69L comes in at $599. Cheers!