[ARCHIVED THREAD] - cooler question (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/9/2014 1:49:51 PM EDT
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There was a thread some time back about coolers. I remember some one posted a link to a cooler that was actually better than Yeti but at about a third less. Does any one have a link or name I could look up.
Thanks for any help. |
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Funny you mentioned this. I'm in the market myself and you may be talking about the Pelican coolers.
Link to Amazon. |
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Funny you mentioned this. I'm in the market myself and you may be talking about the Pelican coolers. Link to Amazon. Thanks, found it a few minutes ago and yes it was Pelican. |
| 55 qt sportsmanI saw some igloo branded coolers that were Yeti like at Sams Club the other day for $200. |
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Thanks, found it a few minutes ago and yes it was Pelican. Quoted:
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Funny you mentioned this. I'm in the market myself and you may be talking about the Pelican coolers. Link to Amazon. Thanks, found it a few minutes ago and yes it was Pelican. I don't know about "cheaper".. I note that 35 qt Pelican $299, and a 45 qt Yeti is $339.. both on Amazon. I am sure the Pelican is a fine cooler, but I KNOW my Yeti is awesome. Yeti and the 35 qt Yeti is cheaper... Yeti2 |
| It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. |
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. This is the fuckin survival forum. Maybe he wants it for more than just beer when you can't get more ice to fill it. |
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. My last camping trip was 10 days between places to get ice. It was 3 hours to pavement. I want my stuff to stay cold for the duration. Oh, and mine has never held a beer. |
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. You don't go backwoods camping/offroading much do you? You can EASILY get somewhere that you're not going to be getting ice refills for days at a time. |
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You don't go backwoods camping/offroading much do you? You can EASILY get somewhere that you're not going to be getting ice refills for days at a time. Quoted:
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. You don't go backwoods camping/offroading much do you? You can EASILY get somewhere that you're not going to be getting ice refills for days at a time. That's how you weed out the "do'ers" vs. the internet commandos that think car-camping at their local trailer-park style camp-ground is real camping... |
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. Why you so like 13'er, `Bro? (you don't get out much ---or very far--- do you?) |
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I have the Igloo cooler in the video. It's not very good at all and is the same as "normal" coolers despite the name. I'm surprised the Coleman did ok in the test too. Not great, but the ice looked very similar to the ice in the yeti. |
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Relatively new company, but check out ICON coolers. I have the 90qt. one and can tell you that it will absolutely keep ice and stuff frozen for at least three days. I used mine that long on a camping trip on the eastern shore of VA. Similar to the Yeti, but 1/3 to 1/2 less expensive. http://iconcoolers.com/
I think the key to any of these is pre-cooling them. |
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I have repaired my coolers with piano hinges, nylon strap, leather, caulking, spray on truck bed liner, and any other thing I can think of. I am also in the market for one of these great coolers. As I search, I don't really find one any cheaper than the other. These things never go on sale either.
I am looking for good hinges, latches, and handles. That usually seems to be the difference in the brands unless I am missing something. I think that when these working parts are recessed in the body, there is less of a chance of breaking them. My most recent find was Canyon Coolers. Anyone tried this brand? |
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. Never gone on week long hunting trip deep in the woods have ya? No gas station for 50+ miles(and the road is a two hour hike away) means no realistic way to get ice. If that ice melts on day 3, and you got a deer in there, you're screwed, or you lose a full day of hunting. These super expensive coolers aren't for everyone, but they do serve a purpose. Just because they don't fit your needs, doesn't mean they are useless. |
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Did I see that right that the Coleman out performed most if those high end ones!?!?!?!?! |
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A buddy of mine dropped the cash on the ARB powered cooler, didn't last for shit. Anecdotal, but FWIW.
I've used a Yeti 50q for years, after many years of frustration with the Coleman-type cheap coolers. No regrets on the money spent on the Yeti whatsoever. The quality is superb, the ice retention is amazing. When I was told how much they were I scoffed as well, but I'm now a believer. If you're considering it, do it. Beers just taste better from a Yeti. And everything else. |
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Did I see that right that the Coleman out performed most if those high end ones!?!?!?!?! Quoted:
Did I see that right that the Coleman out performed most if those high end ones!?!?!?!?! That's what I saw, too 
The Engel did well, though. Never heard of it. I checked out a Yeti last time I was at a big box sporting store, looked well made. But all of these seem overpriced for what they are. If you do a lot of week-long camping trips, sure, but for preparedness, seems like an expensive stopgap. I use an RV-type propane fridge, 12V batt charged with solar (with generator backup) for the small amount of electricity required to run controller. Down the road I'd like to experiment with running a chest freezer converted with a Johnson controller run off solar. Don't like being dependent on propane. I did experiment with using a cooler as a fridge for a couple months this winter. Contents froze when really cold out, got too warm when winter started to thaw. Really not ideal. |
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I have more than a few coolers. Some were free and some cost some cash. I do not have a yeti or one of the nice big 5 day coleman coolers. My 2 best coolers are the metal coleman coolers, metal body and maybe a plastic or fiberglass bottom. One is a cooler with a drain on the bottom. The other one came out of an old camper and has the metal "handles" on the side to be a sort of slide out thing in the camper. It has no drain on the bottom. They are sturdy items, have a decent gasket that is old enough I probably need to find a replacement if there is such a thing. They do what I need them to do and are small enough that fully loaded I can move them myself. I have all kinds of other stuff, some have insulation between the layers and some just have a big air gap and suck at keeping things cold long term. I have read projects about adding insulation to coolers or adding insulation on the outside or doing this or doing that. To me it comes down to what you want. I enjoy the old metal body coleman coolers and like them. I use some of my other stuff as simply big plastic boxes that have a smash proof box design to some extent. Some get used as coolers. It all boils down to what you want to do. I really do want to buy one of the 12 volt engel fridges but have never gotten the funds headed that direction. My coolers are mostly for transport if needed and used to hold whatever when not really in use, they sit up on the high shelf of a shelving unit and hold lightweight odds and ends that I want to keep mice and bugs out of. The coleman coolers are what I use. Had one in the back of my pickup for a couple weeks while working on doing the worst part of my moving. It got a lot of sun and did some sliding around even though I tied it off a little bit. It had stuff bump it and what not and picked up a dent or two and some scratches. But it kept things cold rather well even with all of that going on. Those who know me know I have more than a little bit of stuff and run into more stuff all the time. I went with the old colemans because they are what I like. If I lost everything I had and needed a quality cooler tomorrow I would probably go with what that review said and get something comparable to the yeti, or I would spend the money on the yeti. Depends on intended use. For how I do things, I like some cheap old junk coolers around. Someone needs to borrow one I don't care if it comes back or if it comes back torn up. I don't tell them that, but it is nice and easy to do things that way. To some extent while I have an empty little chest freezer I could see using it if needed as well. I have the item that will run it as a fridge or I can make block ice and leave the one unplugged and just let its insulation do the job. |
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Quoted: It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it.  Some of us "live off the grid" for a day or two sometimes. 
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I have a coleman extreme and a yeti. The coleman keeps cold nearly as well as the yeti, at about 1/8 the price. The yeti, however is built way tougher than the coleman. I usually use the coleman on a car camping trip, or other short trips, but for times when it would be beat around(canoe trip, strapped to atv, etc. strapped outside of my vehicle while traveling), I like the yeti. The coleman has flaws such as gaps that aren't perfectly sealed around the outside, so It could get water in between the interior and exterior walls.
I haven't actually measured, however it seems like the coleman has a little thicker walls and less interior space compared to exterior walls. |
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My biggest objection to the new indestructible cooler trend is the weight. Most of these are 30lbs empty or more. I'd like to know what the best mix of lightweight and cold retention is. I don't need a multipurpose 30 lb boat seat. Shop around and get the ice chest that you like best. Coleman and Igloo have some chests that are rated to keep ice a number of days...smaller chests do not keep ice as long, so get lower day ratings...bigger chests get heavier when loaded and take up more space. Ya pays your money and makes your choices...every decision has a side effect. |
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My Coleman extreme was around $25 if I recall, and will keep ice for 5 days in the Ga summer heat if it's not opened every few hours. I lol'd at those expensive feel-good coolers. I love my extreme, best cooler for the $$ by far. Only problem is, hinges tend to bust on me. |
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Quoted: I love my extreme, best cooler for the $$ by far. Only problem is, hinges tend to bust on me. Quoted: Quoted: My Coleman extreme was around $25 if I recall, and will keep ice for 5 days in the Ga summer heat if it's not opened every few hours. I lol'd at those expensive feel-good coolers. I love my extreme, best cooler for the $$ by far. Only problem is, hinges tend to bust on me. Some have plastic hinges. All are slowly being redone with door hinges or something similar, depends on shape needed and what I have for scrap pile vs. buying used at a flea market or whatever. Might need to work with spacers and stuff to make sure it is getting a decent seal, all of mine need new seals or came with no seal so no biggy on making it all work one way or another. I have found sitting on the cooler and breaking the hinges can go together if the hinges are holding the lid instead of the lid making a good seal. Been known to ratchet strap a lid down on a cooler when the hinges all broke. If it lines up well a couple straps will keep it in place. |
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Us poor folk some times have to roll our own. Here are two builds
Fast and cheap Takes longer but looks nice |
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I have some odds and ends coolers because of the busted hinges. Some had the plastic that just flexes and eventually ages and cracks. Some have plastic hinges. All are slowly being redone with door hinges or something similar, depends on shape needed and what I have for scrap pile vs. buying used at a flea market or whatever. Might need to work with spacers and stuff to make sure it is getting a decent seal, all of mine need new seals or came with no seal so no biggy on making it all work one way or another. I have found sitting on the cooler and breaking the hinges can go together if the hinges are holding the lid instead of the lid making a good seal. Been known to ratchet strap a lid down on a cooler when the hinges all broke. If it lines up well a couple straps will keep it in place. Quoted:
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My Coleman extreme was around $25 if I recall, and will keep ice for 5 days in the Ga summer heat if it's not opened every few hours. I lol'd at those expensive feel-good coolers. I love my extreme, best cooler for the $$ by far. Only problem is, hinges tend to bust on me. Some have plastic hinges. All are slowly being redone with door hinges or something similar, depends on shape needed and what I have for scrap pile vs. buying used at a flea market or whatever. Might need to work with spacers and stuff to make sure it is getting a decent seal, all of mine need new seals or came with no seal so no biggy on making it all work one way or another. I have found sitting on the cooler and breaking the hinges can go together if the hinges are holding the lid instead of the lid making a good seal. Been known to ratchet strap a lid down on a cooler when the hinges all broke. If it lines up well a couple straps will keep it in place. Quick repair for hinges- use a old leather belt, cut a length to size of the old hinge, drill holes to match, oil the piss out of it, screw on. Got a set on a free colman cooler that have lasted 8 years. |
| I do a decent amount of off grid living during hunting season. I need an ice chest that can give me about a week or more. I have two like this Too Cool 80 Qt. I paid a good bit less than the price on that site. They are worth every penny. The latches are actually Engel latches, I suspect they are actually rebranded Engel coolers, the often have a cosmetic flaw somewhere, which tells me it's probably their "seconds". They are very tough, gasketed and you can't break the hinges. I have used to "Coleman Extreme" series and such before, while they are better than the cheapest coolers, they aren't all that great. |
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<a href="http://s299.photobucket.com/user/hero2three/media/Mobile%20Uploads/10800472_A_zpsnexsqtov.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm297/hero2three/Mobile%20Uploads/10800472_A_zpsnexsqtov.jpg</a> I love my cooler\freezer. Never have soggy food again. Now I do enjoy reaching In an icy cooler to grab a cold beer. My friend has one like this that we use melted ice water and fill up a block mold and freeze it to toss back in to the meat cooler. |
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We had a nice discussion on the various big ice blocks vs. bags of cubed ice. I wind up using both. The big blocks get packed in to give me a nice chunk of ice with no air gaps. The cube ice is used to fill to the tippy top and fill in any gaps and what not. Does anyone make a square beer can? Anyway, I don't always wind up happy with just a couple big blocks of ice, seems like it has trouble keeping the cooler cold if other folks are messing around in the cooler. The cubes do melt quickly in the above instance but stuff stays cold. So for those with working brain cells and understanding, explain the differences and reasons for going with big blocks of ice or bags of ice or both? Been using the cooler in the back of the truck more and gonna have to make a white cover or something for it I reckon. Anyway, with acess to more bags of ice I just drain water and add in more bags of ice here and there. That huge block of ice lasts longer but it sure does seem slow on keeping things ice cold. |
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It's a fuckin ice chest. If you pay more than $50 for one, you got duped. Sorry, but you can get fresh ice out of any freezer any day. It's not like you have to have ice last for a week, or whatever the claim is. Anyone I've ever seen had the nights worth of beer in it. Yep, I agree. Middle of the road coolers for me. Love the comments about do'ers and internet tough guys. 
Yeah, cause we all know having ice in a cooler to keep your shitty processed food cold better means your somehow more rugged and roughing it.
The only time I ever care my ice is out is if the alcohol is warm. And if you are camping in a place where you can lug a giant cooler around, you ain't roughing it no matter how you look at it. |
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I love these smart guys who think this is about camping. ....
How long would it take you geniuses to can 100 lbs of beef after the power goes out long term? You going to run a generator for 3 days? If your plan for a long term power outage is to take beef from your freezer and put it in a $30 cooler I raise you .
Either way this argument is stupid. If you're using a $300 cooler for camping because your 'hardcore', you're and idiot. If you're plan is to take meat out of your $1000 deep freezer during a power outage and put it in a $300 cooler, you're and idiot. And yes I would run a generator for three days if I needed to, WTF do you think a generator is for besides powering equipment?
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If your plan for a long term power outage is to take beef from your freezer and put it in a $30 cooler I raise you .
Either way this argument is stupid. If you're using a $300 cooler for camping because your 'hardcore', you're and idiot. If you're plan is to take meat out of your $1000 deep freezer during a power outage and put it in a $300 cooler, you're and idiot. And yes I would run a generator for three days if I needed to, WTF do you think a generator is for besides powering equipment? Quoted:
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I love these smart guys who think this is about camping. ....
How long would it take you geniuses to can 100 lbs of beef after the power goes out long term? You going to run a generator for 3 days? If your plan for a long term power outage is to take beef from your freezer and put it in a $30 cooler I raise you .
Either way this argument is stupid. If you're using a $300 cooler for camping because your 'hardcore', you're and idiot. If you're plan is to take meat out of your $1000 deep freezer during a power outage and put it in a $300 cooler, you're and idiot. And yes I would run a generator for three days if I needed to, WTF do you think a generator is for besides powering equipment? Apparently the generator is for wasting gas. Insulation works for free. If my sister had to evacuate the farm they would be leaving behind hundreds of pounds of frozen beef. Do you suggest we leave it there to rot? Same thing if we had to bail out without electricity. A cooler that lasts for days would give us time to use it or can it properly. Especially since neither of us has that much extra freezer space. You're not thinking about this clearly and acting like a child because we don't agree with you. You are thinking very short term and we are thinking longer term. If you were in the area effected by Katrina and you had to evacuate, wouldn't you want a good quality cooler. Especially if you couldn't resupply ice easily? |
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Apparently the generator is for wasting gas. Insulation works for free. If my sister had to evacuate the farm they would be leaving behind hundreds of pounds of frozen beef. Do you suggest we leave it there to rot? Same thing if we had to bail out without electricity. A cooler that lasts for days would give us time to use it or can it properly. Especially since neither of us has that much extra freezer space. You're not thinking about this clearly and acting like a child because we don't agree with you. You are thinking very short term and we are thinking longer term. If you were in the area effected by Katrina and you had to evacuate, wouldn't you want a good quality cooler. Especially if you couldn't resupply ice easily? Quoted:
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I love these smart guys who think this is about camping. ....
How long would it take you geniuses to can 100 lbs of beef after the power goes out long term? You going to run a generator for 3 days? If your plan for a long term power outage is to take beef from your freezer and put it in a $30 cooler I raise you .
Either way this argument is stupid. If you're using a $300 cooler for camping because your 'hardcore', you're and idiot. If you're plan is to take meat out of your $1000 deep freezer during a power outage and put it in a $300 cooler, you're and idiot. And yes I would run a generator for three days if I needed to, WTF do you think a generator is for besides powering equipment? Apparently the generator is for wasting gas. Insulation works for free. If my sister had to evacuate the farm they would be leaving behind hundreds of pounds of frozen beef. Do you suggest we leave it there to rot? Same thing if we had to bail out without electricity. A cooler that lasts for days would give us time to use it or can it properly. Especially since neither of us has that much extra freezer space. You're not thinking about this clearly and acting like a child because we don't agree with you. You are thinking very short term and we are thinking longer term. If you were in the area effected by Katrina and you had to evacuate, wouldn't you want a good quality cooler. Especially if you couldn't resupply ice easily? I am the child and not thinking long term? Your concerns are $1000 worth of beef and you are going to buy a half dozen $300 coolers to protect it. Sounds like a sound decision to me. Second, your sister lives on a farm. In the event she has to evacuate there is going to be some serious shit happening. You're telling me her biggest concern will be what to save from the freezer?
I am not thinking long term, but your long term solution is a $300 cooler that will keep 50lbs of meat frozen for a week? My solution is $50 in fuel and if I have to leave I'm pretty sure I will have bigger shit to worry about than last years beef in the freezer. JFC
I am through arguing with you at this point. Absolutely pointless with the thinking you have. |
| Now you are saying that when things are bad enough to drive my family off the farm we should leave all the stored food behind. Makes sense. I bought a $30 coleman cooler that is rated for 5 days. Do you get that we can permanently store that meat without refrigeration with a little work over a few days? I think having the capability to store food for a few days is a big deal. Why walk away from valuable food? |
| Wow I am in the market for a car camping I guess maybe a a weekend. And for off roading trips and vacations. I am looking at coolers for under 100 bucks I would love a pelican cooler but to me and what I plan on using it for its over priced.I am condering a coleman xtreme 5 cooler from rei or cabelas, or a igloo sportsman. I would like to get the best value for around 100 bucks since I will never be out or away from ice for more that 2 days if that. |
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I am condering a coleman xtreme 5 cooler from rei or cabelas, or a igloo sportsman. I would like to get the best value for around 100 bucks since I will never be out or away from ice for more that 2 days if that. There is your answer. A coleman xtreme should keep ice for two days in any conditions if it stays closed when not retrieving contents. |