Short answer: buy the Fieldbar Mini 4L if the cooler is for one person and a few hours out. Buy the Fieldbar Drinks Box 10L if you need bottles standing upright, you are sharing with two to four people, or you want drinks cold for a full day.
Fieldbar Mini vs Drinks Box at a glance
| Fieldbar Mini 4L | Fieldbar Drinks Box 10L | |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity | 4 litres | 10 litres |
| Fits | 6 x 330ml cans | 3 x 750ml bottles upright |
| Empty weight | About 1kg | About 1.8kg |
| External size | 190 x 250 x 160mm | 380 x 250 x 160mm |
| Cold retention (Fieldbar figure) | Up to 24 hours below 10°C | Up to 50 hours below 10°C |
| Price at Veldware Trading | R1,200 to R1,500 | R2,000 to R2,500 |
Same footprint, twice the height
Both boxes sit on the same 250mm x 160mm base. The Drinks Box is simply twice as tall: 380mm against the Mini’s 190mm. That extra height is the whole story. It is what lets the Drinks Box hold a 750ml bottle standing upright, and it is why the Drinks Box holds its temperature for so much longer. More ice and more insulated volume means a slower warm-up.
Capacity: 6 cans or 3 bottles
The Mini takes six 330ml cans, or four 330ml glass bottles, with room for ice. It will not take a standard 750ml bottle standing up. The Drinks Box takes three 750ml bottles upright, or a mix of cans and bottles. If you are packing for more than two people, the Mini runs out of space fast.
Cold retention: 24 hours vs 50 hours
Fieldbar states the Mini keeps drinks below 10°C for up to 24 hours, and the Drinks Box for up to 50 hours, in both cases packed full of ice and kept in the shade. On a hot South African day, with the lid opening often, expect less than that from either box. The gap between them stays the same though: the Drinks Box buys you a lot more time.
Weight and carrying
The Mini weighs about 1kg empty and goes where a handbag goes. The Drinks Box is about 1.8kg empty, still light, but noticeably heavier once it is full of ice and bottles. Both can take a Fieldbar Swing Sling for shoulder carry, sold separately.
Which one should you buy?
- Buy the Mini 4L for work lunches, a round of golf, a solo beach trip, or as a gift for someone who will carry it everywhere.
- Buy the Drinks Box 10L for picnics for two to four, a full day at the beach, bottles that need to stand upright, or long drives.
- Buy both if you want the Mini as an everyday cooler and the Drinks Box for weekends. A Fieldbar cooler box set can work out cheaper than buying separately.
If you regularly cater for a group, skip both and look at the Fieldbar Gin Trunk 24L.
Engraving and delivery
Veldware Trading can engrave either box with a name or short text for R200 extra. We deliver across South Africa in 2 to 5 business days after payment is confirmed (free over R2,500, R99 below). See the shipping policy.
Shop the Fieldbar Mini 4L cooler box, the Fieldbar Drinks Box 10L, or compare every size on our Fieldbar cooler boxes page.