Looking to buy a cooler

I find myself in need of a new bigger cooler for a Canadian fishing trip in early June. Does anyone on here have a 100 Qt + one laying around that they no longer are using or want to sell? If I end up needing to buy a new one – What brand / Model should I look at? The Yeti is way out of my price range. I do need something rather high quality that will keep food cold for a rather long period. There has to be some options that do the job without the cost of a Yeti. The Canada trip is at a drive to no electricity camp ground, and the nearest place to get ice is at lease a few hours away. We most likely will need to bring a few coolers each just to hold frozen jugs of water and a larger one to hold all the food needed for a week long trip.

Would recommend this one for an affordable unit, should be able to get it for $80 or so if you shop around. IMO all the Coleman Extreme models and sizes do a good job hanging onto ice for their price, I really like the 28 quart model for drinks/lunch in the boat. Good luck with what you decide.

Coleman Extremes are great coolers and quite a bit cheaper than the “high-end” coolers.

Coleman Extreme…best bang for the buck.

yup another vote for coleman extremes. ive researched it a lot actually and I would recommend the model below. Also a great price on it right there too

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

Coleman Xtremes here too. Its all I’ve used on our 5-7 day Voyageurs trips since they first came out. And that is a screamin deal on that 120!!

xplorer wrote:

And that is a screamin deal on that 120!!

No kidding. its actually been that price or around that price for a while now. Think its Walmarts price. I have been very tempted to buy it many times but I already have a 100 QT coleman to go along with about 10 other smaller coolers

Make sure you use block ice and not cubed. That’s what I do. My coleman extreme will go almost as long as my yetti. I freeze 2 water gallons and use them for my ice.

You can find chest freezers for a fraction of the price of coolers these days…and even cheaper on Craigslist.

We’ve used them for our west hunting in warm climates for animals. If you are camping and not needing to carry it around, maybe s great option. Plus you’ll have a chest freezer!

Get the Coleman extreme. You will not be disappointed. Look at the reviews of it and videos that are out there comparing it the the expensive coolers. I have 3 of them. Always satisfied.

Much cheaper and way lighter cooler and just as good.

IDO got the best of me tonight…. I’ve been wanting a bigger and decent cooler for awhile without spending Yeti money. That 120 qt Coleman Extreme on Amazon looked like too good of a price to pass up on.

How far north in Canada do you go? Out of curiosity, whats the typical weather like in early june? As for the coolers, I bought my dad a Yeti to keep our ice blocks cold for a similar trip we go on in August. If im being honest, I dont think it kept ice any better than the homemade styrofoam coolers other members of the trip have made in the past. Only issue with those is that they cannot leave the bed of your truck once youre up there.

tbro16 wrote:

How far north in Canada do you go? Out of curiosity, whats the typical weather like in early june? As for the coolers, I bought my dad a Yeti to keep our ice blocks cold for a similar trip we go on in August. If im being honest, I dont think it kept ice any better than the homemade styrofoam coolers other members of the trip have made in the past. Only issue with those is that they cannot leave the bed of your truck once youre up there.

We have about a 14hr. Drive from St. Cloud. The weather can really vary in early June. I would think it will be in the 60-70 during the day and 50’s at night. Last year we went a week later and hit record temps 80’s and low 90’s. We weren’t camping and had electricity where we stayed last year.we will need several smaller coolers just for frozen blocks of ice. Then a few bigger ones for the food. There are 6-7 of us going. If it was just myself and a buddy i’d Survive on hotdog, ramen noodles, granola bars, and a few meals of fresh fish. Would not need much ice for that

I just bought a couple lost creek coolers from sportsman’s warehouse. They seem nice. Haven’t actually used them yet.

Do those colman extreme coolers keep the rain out if i wanted to use it to keep things dry? I have a few other coolers that wont.

Totally agree on the Coleman Extreme, but be sure to get the 120! You will not regret the extra size, more space = more ice.

Also, on a long trip like you’re planning, cooler management is as important as the cooler itself. #1 thing is have 1 big cooler for food and keep the opening/closing to an absolute minimum! Don’t let people go in and out of the cooler and never add warm stuff like beer or water to the food cooler or you’ll kill all the ice in a couple of days.

Pre cool everything and freeze whatever you can before packing the cooler. Pre-chill the cooler with ice and water about 1 hour before you pack it. Drain out the ice water right before you pack and then pack it quickly.

Use block ice in the coolers, then pack any remaining space with cubes after the cooler is packed.

If camping, keep the cooler under a silver tarp during the day and preferrably in the shade under a silver tarp. Don’t let the cooler sit in the direct sun.

Keep the drinks for daily use in separate smaller coolers away from the food. Nothing kills the ice like having people going in/out of the big food cooler every day.

Also, on really long trips, I take an extra cooler with just blocks of ice. This is where the super coolers really shine. I have the Coleman Sportsman super cooler and I can put 2 blocks of ice and 25 pounds of cubes in it. If left unopened and out of the sun, in 5 days barely any of the ice melts. Using this strategy can really prolong a trip because you can replace ice 3-4 days into the trip.

Grouse

We used to do week long canoe trips on the upper Miss. We always used one cooler for meat (or anything that you would typically pull out of a freezer.) Then used a block of dry ice to keep everything frozen. Only open that cooler once a day. Then used duct tape to re-seal. Also, use newspaper to line to bottom and sides of the inside of the cooler. Remember, dry ice does not create water when it melts. It create CO2 gas.

We would have rock solid frozen food till day 7 doing this. And this was done with cheap coolers back then. Nothing fancy.

-J.