ice chest recommendations?

[crappyslayer]

I currently use coleman extreme ice chests, but cube ice can barely make it 2 days, even leaving the coolers in the shade. I see claims that yeti lasts 4 to 5 days and igloo marine are suppose to be decent. Anybody have experience with good coolers..
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[jeremypeace]

I use an igloo mostly because I cant justify the price for a yeti, I am very satisfied with my igloo I dont remember which model it is, but it keeps ice all day in the sun. Never tried block ice as mine is a small cooler, also never tried to see how long it will keep ice. But am very satisfied with it as it meets my needs.
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[windriver]

There was an article in the sportsmans warehouse news about coolers. It was very informative if you can find it.

Windriver
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[elkmagnet]

I use the white igloos I generally put a few frozen one gallon jugs and am good for 3 or 4 days and can drink the water.
The reason I shy away from the premium coolers is because I'm afraid someone will just steal it out of my truck or camp.
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[Metalheadgene]

I have no experience with Igloo Marine nor do I own a Yeti but I have several friends who do and they are everything as advertised. They will keep ice for days and are tough and durable.

I have had coolers stolen before so now when I have no other options but to leave in the back of a truck I run a cable thru the handles, secure to the truck bed and lock it. Not totally thief proof but might delay them long enough to get caught.
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[flygoddess]

I bought one of those hundred dollar aluminum coleman's believing the advertising...wrong! I get maybe two days.
So I bout the Coleman Xtreme. It keeps things cold an easy week, 5 days in partial sun.


But I am a firm believer that home made ice is not as cold as store bought.[]
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[BorntoFish01]

If I didn't already have several different sized coolers that do the job for me, I'd buy a Yeti. Pricey but the best as far as I know. Some of my friends have em and swear by them.
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[cpierce]

Use block ice or frozen milk jugs. Cube ice won't keep very well in any cooler even if you fill it completely. Drain the water frequently.

Another tip is to chill your drinks and other things completely before you put them in. A blanket or sleeping bag on top and kind of wrapped around the cooler also helps.

I use two small to med coolers. One that I use for drinks and high frequency items. The other is more protected and not opened very often. I use it for the perishable food items. It will last a full 5-6 days, and it isn't a new cooler.

Some friends added some foam sheet insulation to the inside of their cooler, including an inner foam lid. It works great.
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[flygoddess]

Dry Ice in paper bags as well. I packed frozen meat with a block of Dry Ice and the steaks were still frozen 4 days later in the Coleman.
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[mudsucker]

I wonder which kind has the best latch? I believe I could start a business selling used cooler lids I pick up out of the ditches around here. I've always tied my coolers shut while driving, I guess most people don't.
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[Duck-Slayer]

Here is my recommendation too get a relatively low quality cooler with the same capabilities as a Yeti.

Igloo® White Marine Ice Chest Cooler, 20 in (L) x 11 1/4 in (W) x 13.13 in (H), 25 qt - $79.99

next buy the blue or pink closed cell foam from Home Depot or Lowes's,
1 4x8 sheet - not sure on price

now take that foam and cut it too insulate the inside of the cooler, yes this will lower the qt size but you will have ice that will last for 5 days, and also use the gallon jugs and fill them 3/4 full and freeze them, if you want too go even cheaper you can use blankets from your home too insulate the inside of the cooler, I am an expert at cheap and stuff that last's, I have had jugs last 4-5 days in 100+ degree heat in the Owyhee's antelope hunting with no problem, the jugs still had ice in the center when I got home, so either you can spend less than a $100 or buy a yeti..... which I go the cheap route....[cool]
Matt
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[crappyslayer]

Ive looked at the igloo coolers, but the latches and hinges are chincy looking. I do want to look at the gott (rubbermaid) cooler..
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[idfishnhunt]

Cabelas has their Coleman coolers on sale. I just bought the 70qt Marine Xtreme last weekend...I think $55. All the sizes are on sale though. Walmart online has them even cheaper, $47 bucks.

Here is a good video I watched before making my decision...unless you have a bunch of money floating around I'd do like Matt said and spend less and improvise...and use that extra money for more gear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-TE4RnqT0U
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[crappyslayer]

We have a coleman extreme 100qt, and im not crazy about how little time the ice lasts. Put in two bags of ice in a cooler that was pretty full. Kept in in the shade and opened it sparingly. After 30hrs ice was nearly gone. A few days would be nice..had more ice brought up and added and it only lasted another 30..
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[ineedtofish]

I also watched that video before I bought a new cooler, and it is actually pretty amazing. It looks like you are definitely not getting what you pay for with a Yeti or Engel if you just want to keep things cold. Maybe the fancy straps and latches, and more durability, but for $40 you cannot beat the Coleman.
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[riverdog]

Many good points to make your cooler work longer. Some other is obviously keep it out of the sun or heat ( such as enclosed vehicle) when possible. If you can't consider using blankets to cover it. I have a couple reflective blankets in my vehicle at all times.
If I can't safely keep the cooler out of the sun I'll cover it with the reflective surface outside to cut down on heat transfer. Another blanket between the reflective one and cooler if it's going to be for any significant time.
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[Duck-Slayer]

seems like if you take a coleman and put the 2" foam in it it would last the longest, that test sure shows that you don't need a Yeti too keep ice.....
Matt
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[mudsucker]

If size isn't a concern, like for a cabin or home, you could put the cooler inside a 2" (or 4") foam box and build a plywood box around it. That should keep the ice for quite a while.
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[StacyR]

[quote crappyslayer]Ive looked at the igloo coolers, but the latches and hinges are chincy looking. I do want to look at the gott (rubbermaid) cooler..[/quote]

Igloo has gotten better on the hinges and latches, at least on the higher-end coolers. I was looking at the wheeled marine coolers in Costco and they have metal hinges. Even the latches have metal hinges. No more cheap plastic flex hinges.

I would totally buy one if I were in the market for a big cooler.
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[Liprippa]

Yeti's are overpriced junk. My friend had one and it didn't perform as well as a low end cooler that I would take. Also there is quite a bit of chatter and field tests out there on the google machine about how overpriced and overhyped Yeti's are.
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