Coolers

What’s your favorite cooler brand and size? I’ll use it for everything from quartered deer, camping, fishing trips, etc…

Leaning towards Cabelas right now but open to suggestions.

Any top of the line cooler is pretty good. Igloo, Coleman, etc. I prefer a cooler with a white lid. Never understood a cooler with a dark colored lid for a solar collector. Yettis, Grizzly, Cabelas, etc. are nice but to me they are overkill for 90% of what you use them for.

Coleman extreme, RTIC, ….. and then there is the rest……….

This reminded me of this post….

Storing my new RTIC cooler

I tried the RTIC roto molded ones right after they settled with YETI and redesigned them – the two I got sweat like crazy and I send them back (it was truly a no hassle guarantee). I have heard great things about the older ones.

I got a YETI 45 and roadie 20 for 30% off and am very happy. I can’t believe how much I use the 20, it is great for drinks, bait, a seat, and it fits in my kayak and will hold ice on multi day trips. I also like that they can be strapped down and still have the lid accessible.

The cabelas coolers are rated excellent in all categories – I just don’t like how much space is wasted with the molded handles – the yetis are pretty square with no excess space wasted for when you need to pack it up. I also don’t want a non-white cooler when I am looking for ice to last days.

People gripe about fancy “elitist” coolers, but if you use them they are worth it, and mine would have paid for itself several times over with the ice I have bought – only regret was not getting them 20 years ago.

Coleman extreme will do anything the expensive coolers will do. Save your money and get a Coleman extreme.

Goggle the comparison and you’ll see the results.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J0RZQJ4/?coliid=I294XJ17LCNZOH&colid=2IUMBO8TJJ4K9&psc=0

If you’re looking to buy this would be my choice for value.

I use a lot of different coolers all are of the cheaper variety. I’m rarely far from ice and if I were to be for longer than a few days well then I’ll drink my beer warm

Lit Coolers

I think you get what you pay for in coolers. Just got a YETI 45 and am looking to get a 65 here soon.

Also, remember that durability plays a huge factor and most will forget that the higher end coolers are built very good. We go into the boundary waters in Ontario fishing so we do portages with rocky terrain. They take a massive beating not only on the portage but also in and out of the canoes. The top end coolers are definitely made for our trips but the other ones are not.

I have 2 yeti,s they will be hand me downs , last forever!

Alex George wrote:

What’s your favorite cooler brand and size? I’ll use it for everything from quartered deer, camping, fishing trips, etc…

The big question that determines basically everything is do you go “off the grid” where you need a cooler that keeps ice for extended periods of time with no replenishment?

If yes, then you want an RTIC rotomolded cooler. IMO the best value for the performance.

The downside to ANY rotomolded “Yeti style” cooler is weight. Even empty, they are heavy. A 100-quart one filled full and it will be all 2 guys can do to carry it.

If you don’t need extended ice-keeping (5 days or more), then a good 120 quart marine cooler is terrific. Plenty of room, not too heavy, keeps ice well, and I just saw the 120 Coleman Extreme for $69.99. Great value for the money. I’ve had a Igloo marine 120 quart for 20+ years and it’s been on dozens of trips doing what it’s supposed to do. It will keep ice for up to 5 days so it’s not as good as my RTIC, but weighs half as much and cost far less.

For small coolers, the RTIC softsides are just terrific. I have the biggest one, it weighs a couple of pounds unloaded, but I can leave it in the boat in the sun for a whole weekend and it still has ice when I get home. This is my favorite cooler in terms of the one I use the most, I put it in the truck in June and it doesn’t leave the back until October. I just dump and refill.

Grouse

I gave 2 grizzly coolers. I love them. They are made in Iowa have a awesome warranty and have taken some extreme abuse from me.

Pelican. My wife works there.

Oh, and FYI… Pelican makes wheeled coolers.

http://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/coolers/wheeled-cooler/elite/80qt

http://www.pelican.com/us/en/product/coolers/wheeled-cooler/tailgater/55qt

Still love my Milee as a multi functional cooler. It has a divider that also doubles as a cutting board. A rack for keeping things above the ice. 2 built in bottle openers and a cup holder cage.

I’ve had ice keep in it 5-7 days with opening for a week in the hot Florida summer.

I have a 20 and 65 RTIC. Excellent so far.

I got a couple of the lost creek brand from sportsman’s warehouse when they were on sale. Love them so far. I believe I have an 85 and 110 , both come with wheels, that was one of the main deciding factors for me.

Durability? The cheap coolers at a garage sale are more durable than most things most people own-who breaks a cooler? You go on BWCA trips and you are breaking a cooler? What happens to your rods and your bones as you and your gear are tumbling down this rugged granite cliff? Like the idea that the ice does not melt as fast.

Igloo hinges and latches are junk. Thats all I have to say about that.

I bought a new Coleman extreme this spring to replace one that was 10 years old. I pulled the handles off the old one somehow, and then a buddy broke the lid off. My new cooler does not keep ice like the older one did. Not even close. It’s the same exact cooler, with a very slight “body” change. If anyone knows if Coleman has changed the construction of the extreme line, please let us know. Still worth what I paid I guess, but doesn’t perform like they used to.

I’m a fan of coleman for best value but I used two old igloos I have this weekend camping from Thursday to Saturday with nothing but a few bottles of frozen water to cool things down and everything stayed cool till I got home. Started out with all my meat frozen and drinks chilled and pre-chilled the coolers and it worked out fine.

bigpike wrote:

Igloo hinges and latches are junk. Thats all I have to say about that.

They are. You can get metal replacements. I’ve found them at Fleet Farm.

I have a Cordova Cooler, which I like a lot. It’s just another rotomolded style cooler, but I think they have the nicest handles of any of the ‘premium’ cooler brands. I think an old ‘Deadliest Catch’ captain started the company, check them out!

This is the one I have:

Cordova 50 Medium Cooler

The bigger problem is figuring out how to store them. This one wasn’t too bad price-wise, but I had to buy such a big cooler to store this one in, it really increased the investment.