Need a "good" cooler, tired of the cheap junk  that wont last more than a day or so. Anyone have experience with either of the following coolers?

http://www.amazon.com/Pelican-Quart-Elite-Marine-Cooler/dp/B008HGKKZ4/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1360956999&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=yeti+65+cooler

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/1791/Yeti-Tundra-65-Cooler.html

http://www.pelicancases.com/pelican-vs-yeti-s/141.htm

coleman maxcold series is cheap but works really well. I have two of them now and am a big fan.

http://www.campinglife.com/camping-gear/ice-chest-shootout/

Looks like Yeti won out in that comparison.

Inherited the small yeti from my dad (stole).
Would be stoked but the rubber latch tore almost In half.  They might warranty it honestly haven't tried because the whole ice for days thing has been mostly ice for a day nothing more.  Unimpressed for the money

Hmmm, interesting. everything Ive ready said they get 5-7days. While the ice will melt, does the melted ice still stay cold?

Ive been told by friends that you have to drain the ice water out to keep the ice from melting. I have no idea if that is true or not. All the coolers Ive used, I just keep the water and ice in there til it all turns warm or Im done with the trip itself.

I have a 45- and a 65-quart Yeti. Excellent coolers. They are not cheap, but are definitely built like tanks. Mine both hold ice very well.

If you can stomach the price, go for the Yeti. It will last you for years under hard use.

Everyone that lives in a hot state, like Florida or Texas, needs a cooler like the Yeti. To make them work really well, you need to:

1. Put all the drinks and other items in the refrigerator the night before so everything going in the cooler is cold to start with.

2. Put a bag of ice in the cooler to pre-cool it before you put in the drinks and other items.

3. Use a combination of block ice and cubed ice. One or two blocks of ice (I generally use 2-liter soda bottles filled with water that I have frozen) make a HUGE difference in ice retention. Put the block ice in the cooler along with your drinks and food and then fill the cooler up with cubed ice. The cubed ice will freeze around the block ice, giving you 1-2 days more life on the ice.

4. I don't drain the water from the melted ice generally, as the water is nearly as cold as the remaining ice. I will drain the water if I am putting more ice in the cooler.

Yeti!  The one I have holds ice longer than any other cooler I've owned.  Just don't leave it in the bed of your truck.  

Coleman maximum won out on the keeping cool test on Practical Sailor test which is the consumer reports of sailing.

Yeti.

It's how you use them and pack them that will determine how "well" they do.



Most people that say the expensive ones suck don't understand thermodynamics or physics.  Good coolers are better in actual conditions than a test environment. Not being dumb with them also helps.



Pelican-just because I know they make good stuff

Pelican (because I sell it )

Yeti is great too. You won't go wrong with either. The only trouble with those high-end coolers is you have to secure them or they will walk off.

Do you ship? Hook a brutha up.

Cooler was in the backseat of my truck in the summer, 12 pack of sodas, and two bags of ice.  Shit you not didn't last a day, I was shocked as well.  I'm leaving on a road trip tomorrow and plan on trying it again to make sure I didn't have the lid cracked or something.  Will take pics with time stamps if it sucks again.

ETA My opinion shouldn't be used for purchasing purposes.  I honestly only used it that one time, and then it went in the garage.  Just sharing my experience, not bashing.

Learned something here -  didn't know pelican made an ice chest

I can't sell to general public, otherwise there would have been a group buy long ago.

Ok, sell it to me in private. lol. j/k , no im not. .

damn $300 bucks for a cooler?...spend just a little more and get a 12v fridge/freezer.



http://www.compactappliance.com/FP430-Compact-EdgeStar-Portable-Refrigerator-Freezer/FP430,default,pd.html?cgid=Outdoor_Living-Travel_Coolers-Portable_Coolers

I posted this awhile back, it may be relevant to this thread:


Just for shits and giggles, I removed the containers I store in my chest freezer and refrigerator freezer when they start to get low in food….we went on a large shopping run and needed the space back. So instead of letting them melt, I did some half ass tests.

Enjoy….perhaps

Ice block test

Time to freeze?

Tap water at 2:10pm

Frozen solid time: 24hrs
1:45pm next day

____________________________________________________________________________________

Time to thaw in fridge (dorm room size, at lowest setting)?

put in fridge 1:45pm 5-6

frozen, yet defrosting stage at 7 days....too thawed to refreeze (if it were food). Could refreeze at day 4, as more than ¾ was still frozen.




________________________________________________________________

Time to defrost in cooler? In my best cooler (Igoo 40qt) laundry room (no A/C) approx 80 degreees, no direct sunlight.
Occasionally air conditioned when door was open (no longer then 10 min at a time) sometimes 85, when doing laundry.

2 frozen one gallon square icecream containers (water)
2 frozen three liter pop bottles (water)
1 frozen 64oz gator aid bottle (water)


6-09-2012 2:00pm 23f
6-10-2012 2:00pm 36f
6-11-2012 7:00pm 43f
6-12-2012 9:00pm 51f




Did not open cooler for 4 days: Day 4 9:00pm lid was opened to check contents (51f before right opening):

2 frozen one gallon square icecream containers (water) = still a chunk of ice floating, about the size of a bread plate.

2 frozen three liter pop bottles= completely melted, cool to the touch
1 frozen 64oz gator aid bottle= completely melted, cool to the touch

As mentioned, we are talking about solid chunks of ice, not cubed ice or the typical 1lb hamburger...etc that would melt faster.


Moral of the story, get a generator if you don't already have one....or plan on eating,canning,drying...etc your food in three days without refrigeration or stocks of ice.

I want that, haven't been able to justify it yet though.

I have 3 yetis and a NRS cooler i like the yetis better. I would look at BRUTE for my next purchase as they are 100% american made.

How are the brute compared to the Yeti???



http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_7_126/1094139_Brute_Outdoors_Cooler_Icechests___MADE_IN_USA__.html

Howdy DT
If you have your heart set on a Yeti, or Pelican, or one of the other bear proof type coolers then go get the one you want.
I have a 152qt Igloo Marine ice chest that I found on the side of I-20 in a 70mph speed zone



The cooler was broken ... the top was torn from the box, and the drain spout was broken.



I bought replacement hinges, latches, and drain from Academy sports and a few minutes work with a screwdriver gave me a functional ice chest.
Since then I have learned a bit
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_18/625509_Ice_chest_efficiency.html
My igloo compares very very well against Yeti in the ice tests that I have read
The first year or more that I had this cooler it stayed in the bed of the pickup all the time ... and the cooler is still going
So considering that it has landed on the side of the interstate, been rescued, and served me well for 5 or more years.  I think the cooler is tough.
I would take the money a Yeti costs and put that into an Engel fridge/freezer.
I hope this helps



ETA



4 and 56






This probably explains how I got my cooler





 




 

 

I have a nice Igloo that serves me well.  But I've messed with a Yeti and I'll admit it's badass.  I just wonder if I really NEED a cooler that badass.  Probably not.  If I ever find myself needing one I'll have no qualms about getting one.

i had a large marine igloo...maybe a 125 cant recall...frozen ice for 14++ days. then again i froze a 5 gallon water cooler jug and layred the bottom with frozen 2 liters and block ice, and put and old beach towl on the lid since a latch was broke...90% of the 5 gallon was still froze as were some of the 2l's.

i dumped the ice water and keep " lid up" time to a minimum



when we used to do 3-4 day canoe trips on the peace river i hd some coleman coolers like their max brand but older which held ice for that time frame in temps into the 80's in a canoe for 3 days ..



would i want a yeti for cool factor sure,,but id rsather spend that extra flow on other items than a cooler.

As has been mentioned, BLOCK ICE and SHADE are the answers to IGLOO & COLEMAN 5 day (and probably all othet 5 day brands).  They will keep block ice that long, nut not bag ice.

If your going to use it everyday get a Yeti mine is five+ years old. I work in the south Texas oilfields, its been used as a step, hit by the gooseneck trailer while hooking up,abused, pressure washed with 180 deg water every week to clean oil/grease off the outside,etc. Coleman or igloo were our previous choices but forget the lid latch to often and sooner or later you'll see the lid flying behind you when the wind rips it off.

If you use it once in a while save the money and add to your ammo/pmag fort or something.
Everyday use buy the best, only costs a couple dollars more to go first class. buy once, cry once