Yes, just like a plastic hard cooler, the metal shells will also get hot when in direct sunlight. Our advice is to always try to place a cooler out of direct sunlight where possible. This is the single most important external factor for extending the storage time of a cooler when using it outside. And this applies to any type of cooler; plastic, metal or fabric. If you are interested to know more about this, please read the section below about surface temperatures.