# Size of carry-on Cooler?



## Mhaecker

I saw you could take a cooler as a personal item that is 12x12x12, but can you take a bigger cooler as a carry-on if it fits the dimensions of the carry-on criteria?


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## cpotisch

It doesn't really make a difference. The unspoken baggage rule on Amtrak is if you can carry it on without assistance, it's allowed care. So if it's any normal size, I highly doubt you'll have any problem. That said, how big a cooler do you think you'd be bringing?


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## Maglev

I asked "Julie," and she was specific about the 12 x 12 x 12 for coolers. I recently took a cooler into a Bedroom that was 12 x 8 x 13.

While the rules on carry-on-baggage sizes may not be strictly enforced, the rules on alcohol consumption definitely are enforced. Passengers are only allowed to consume private stock of alcoholic beverages in sleeping car accommodations for which one has a valid ticket.


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## Devil's Advocate

How big of a cooler do you think you can reasonably carry up stairs by yourself without struggling or slowing everyone down behind you?


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## zephyr17

I take a small, foldable, soft, portable cooler that I fold into my backpack to carry upstairs. It is very roughly about 12x6x8. It holds a full bucket of ice and in the cooler it pretty much lasts all day. It works fine and is very manageable.

BTW-I would not want something much larger in a roomette in any case, particularly something hard-sided.


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## cpotisch

Devil's Advocate said:


> How big of a cooler do you think you can reasonably carry up stairs by yourself without struggling or slowing everyone down behind you?


The OP could be taking a single-level train. My feeling is that if it's reasonably sized (not huge, but necessarily tiny), it should be fine. I've seen coach passengers with coolers much larger than 12x12x12, and there's never been a problem.


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## Devil's Advocate

cpotisch said:


> Devil's Advocate said:
> 
> 
> 
> How big of a cooler do you think you can reasonably carry up stairs by yourself without struggling or slowing everyone down behind you?
> 
> 
> 
> The OP could be taking a single-level train. My feeling is that if it's reasonably sized (not huge, but necessarily tiny), it should be fine. I've seen coach passengers with coolers much larger than 12x12x12, and there's never been a problem.
Click to expand...

Fair point, but out here in Superliner country I cannot even begin to count the number of times other passengers have had to wait while someone who over-packed slowly huffed and puffed and stalled their way up/down the stairs.


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## Ryan

Even back here in single-level country, you're hauling your gear up and down the traps unless you're lucky enough to be starting and ending your journey at a station with high level platforms.


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## Maglev

Here is the cooler I took on our last trip. It was really nice to have a place to store ice and cold drinks in our sleeper, and I think it might work well for bringing provisions into a coach too. As I mentioned, its dimensions are slightly over the size allowed for a cooler or personal item on Amtrak, but it is smaller than the carry-on limits. It has a removable hard plastic liner and a zipper-closure insulated surrounding and top. I can't remember where we got it, but a quick Google search found a similar item at Walmart. The one I have provided a link for below has a "no zipper" top--I'm not sure how that works...

Here is the liner and insulation:





It holds two twelve-packs, although with it that full there is not much room for ice.




It fits in my carry-on size suitcase, and if I just pack clothes inside it, then it doesn't take up much space at all. The cooler also fits under the chair in a Bedroom on Amtrak. (I haven't tried it in a Roomette, but am pretty sure it would fit on the toilet or step). It has an adjustable shoulder strap, and it is not hard to haul it on the handle of my rolling carry-on if the cooler is full.




Here's a link for what I found at Walmart:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Arctic-Zone-30-Can-Zipperless-Cooler/35733211?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=2325&adid=22222222227023764298&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40971489392&wl4=pla-78914147312&wl5=9033448&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=35733211&wl13=2325&veh=sem


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## pennyk

MODERATOR NOTE: Discussions regarding alcohol consumption and related issues were removed since those comments were irrelevant to guest's question about the size of a cooler.


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## RichieRich

It seems you are comparing Coach vs. Bedroom (?). I can speak for the (8-times-a-year) AT bedrooms = as much as you can fit in the room! LOL Also, we get two connecting rooms and open the wall. Cooler full of picnic food (18x12x14), Laptops (for RedBox DVDs), gym bags for clothes, niece also takes a blanket and pillow. Plus (also a 6-bottle carry case with red wine, white, Rum, champagne, vodka, lemoncello. Yes, takes 3 trips up & down the stairs, but on the Sleeper, not much stair traffic.


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## cpotisch

RichieRich said:


> It seems you are comparing Coach vs. Bedroom (?). I can speak for the (8-times-a-year) AT bedrooms = as much as you can fit in the room! LOL Also, we get two connecting rooms and open the wall. Cooler full of picnic food (18x12x14), Laptops (for RedBox DVDs), gym bags for clothes, niece also takes a blanket and pillow. Plus (also a 6-bottle carry case with red wine, white, Rum, champagne, vodka, lemoncello. Yes, takes 3 trips up & down the stairs, but on the Sleeper, not much stair traffic.


We're not comparing "Coach vs. Bedroom". The question was simply about how large a cooler you can take in coach.


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## BCL

RichieRich said:


> It seems you are comparing Coach vs. Bedroom (?). I can speak for the (8-times-a-year) AT bedrooms = as much as you can fit in the room! LOL Also, we get two connecting rooms and open the wall. Cooler full of picnic food (18x12x14), Laptops (for RedBox DVDs), gym bags for clothes, niece also takes a blanket and pillow. Plus (also a 6-bottle carry case with red wine, white, Rum, champagne, vodka, lemoncello. Yes, takes 3 trips up & down the stairs, but on the Sleeper, not much stair traffic.


Well - the confusion is that there's a single indication on the Amtrak website that a cooler that's less than a 12" cube is allowed as a personal item. There's nothing else that indicates that it's the strict size limit for a cooler - whether it's as a personal item or a carry-on item. It has to be an "Ask Julie" inquiry that mentions "cooler".

_Coolers no larger than 12 inches by 12 inches by 12 inches may be brought onboard as a personal item._


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## SarahZ

RichieRich said:


> Yes, takes 3 trips up & down the stairs, but on the Sleeper, not much stair traffic.


Where do you put everything between trips up the stairs? On the luggage rack out of everyone's way?


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## RichieRich

We load 2 push-carts....transfer in to the vestibule in the center of the car (almost always 5340) where you get on. Then make a few trips to transfer in to the rooms. Tons of open space. In the Sleepers, not much traffic on the stairs...virtually none when we board. There's not that many bedrooms on a car. We only have 1 person in each of our rooms...so few people. Coach has tons more people involved...all trying to board at the same time. Sleepers on the AT start boarding at 2:30...and it doesn't pull out till 3:30-4:00. We never run in to anyone boarding. FYI: We were bringing two flower arrangements for the rooms...no plant material allowed on-board. The reason is another funny story!


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## cpotisch

RichieRich said:


> We load 2 push-carts....transfer in to the vestibule in the center of the car (almost always 5340) where you get on. Then make a few trips to transfer in to the rooms. Tons of open space. In the Sleepers, not much traffic on the stairs...virtually none when we board. There's not that many bedrooms on a car. We only have 1 person in each of our rooms...so few people. Coach has tons more people involved...all trying to board at the same time. Sleepers on the AT start boarding at 2:30...and it doesn't pull out till 3:30-4:00. We never run in to anyone boarding. FYI: We were bringing two flower arrangements for the rooms...no plant material allowed on-board. The reason is another funny story!


What are you talking about?


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## Ryan

He was answering Sarah’s question about how he gets a metric ton of crap into his rooms.

Left unanswered is the question of why you need that amount of crap in a room for an 18 hour overnight journey.


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## KmH

Ambiance !


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## RichieRich

#1. I was replying to @Guest_Mhaecker re the size of a cooler...and that it all depends on if you are in Coach or Sleeper.

#2. And to @SarahZ re where do you put the stuff.

#3. and now to @Ryan. The carry-on of liquor is because we meet people in the other bedrooms and hold our own Happy Hour in our rooms for them since the AT discontinued their wine & cheese reception . The LapTop is for RedBox DVDs since the AT further reduced amenities by discontinuing movies. The large cooler is for a lot of food and champagne as we "host" a pre-boarding picnic at both ends for anyone that we meet while waiting. The flower arrangements were just for fun, as are the Xmas lites we string on the Xmas eve trips every year. Having done the AT for 15+ years, and now 8 times-a-year since retiring 4 years ago...we've seen it all. Uh-oh...shouldn't say THAT! LOL As to why? @Ryan...cause we can and cause it fits!


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## Rail Freak

RichieRich said:


> #1. I was replying to @Guest_Mhaecker re the size of a cooler...and that it all depends on if you are in Coach or Sleeper.
> 
> #2. And to @SarahZ re where do you put the stuff.
> 
> #3. and now to @Ryan. The carry-on of liquor is because we meet people in the other bedrooms and hold our own Happy Hour in our rooms for them since the AT discontinued their wine & cheese reception . The LapTop is for RedBox DVDs since the AT further reduced amenities by discontinuing movies. The large cooler is for a lot of food and champagne as we "host" a pre-boarding picnic at both ends for anyone that we meet while waiting. The flower arrangements were just for fun, as are the Xmas lites we string on the Xmas eve trips every year. Having done the AT for 15+ years, and now 8 times-a-year since retiring 4 years ago...we've seen it all. Uh-oh...shouldn't say THAT! LOL As to why? @Ryan...cause we can and cause it fits!


Sounds like a fun trip!!!


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## RichieRich

This is how we roll. We actually meet some of the same passengers at the station on our trips.


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## RichieRich

As far as size...


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## caravanman

Those pics put my habit of drinking a smuggled onboard can of beer in the coach washrooms into perspective.



(Thankfully, no photos survive!)

Ed.


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## Bob Dylan

I want to ride on your train!


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## dlagrua

On all of our LD trips we have taken a small Igloo Lunchmate cooler with the swing open top.. It can easily hold 3-6 soft drinks and enough ice to last about 24 hours. It fits the 12" x 12" x 12" size and is easy to take along.. You don't have to go big on overnight trips. A tip for longer lasting cold is to freeze small blocks of ice and use these in the cooler.


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