Best Cooler/food/beverage storer

[MasterChief]

So currently I have about 10-15 different coolers (Yes I like my beverages cold and food/game not spoiled)....everything from soft work lunch coolers to big fishing/hunting/tailgating coolers.

I want to Salvation Army 75% of them and buy quality. At the same time dont want to eat into my gun buying money (while prices are pretty nice) but i do believe you get what you pay for....to an extent.

What are your recommendations and thoughts on a small (25ish qts) med., and large (possibly an XL) cooler?
and stay frosty!

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[slimmer13]

Coleman xtreme coolers are great for the money. Not as good as the Yetis and such, but with coolers, like with all things, the bell curve gets real steep where you end up paying 400% more for a 10-20% increase In performance for the high end offerings.

Yeti Cooler Vs The Coleman Extreme - Beyond The Tent

 

[Ura-Ki]

I use the Coleman Extreme all the time, and I usually get 3 to 5 days of Cold out of it when packed in ice. I can extend this by more then double with the bottom 1/4 packed in Dry Ice. I can usually keep frozen things frozen for the days I listed using Ice or Dry Ice! I also use packing tape to "seal" the lid while in transit or between long times between opening while loaded and this works very well, but the dry ice needs to breath, so I leave an inch or two on taped and it seems to work out this way! Note, If you do use dry ice and don't vent it, you could literally blow the whole thing up with enough power to kill you and those around you, and damage a lot of property in the process!

 

[Joe13]

Yeti - don't you listen to country

 

[Joe13]

Keeping a tarp and rock on top of a crap cooler and keeping it in the shade will go a long way in keeping the ice in it and cold.

Also, imo blocks of ice are far superior to ice cubes for longer cooling.

 

[Joe13]

Costco sells what looks like fairly high quality XL coolers but I'm not sure if they are still there.

Even then I want to say they are $300 maybe.

 

[MasterChief]

Dry ice can be used in Coleman Extremes? Has anyone used RTIC (heard family is related to YETI in some way)

 

[DirectDrive]

So currently I have about 10-15 different coolers (Yes I like my beverages cold and food/game not spoiled)....everything from soft work lunch coolers to big fishing/hunting/tailgating coolers.

I want to Salvation Army 75% of them and buy quality. At the same time dont want to eat into my gun buying money (while prices are pretty nice) but i do believe you get what you pay for....to an extent.

What are your recommendations and thoughts on a small (25ish qts) med., and large (possibly an XL) cooler?
and stay frosty!

25 qt is pretty small for your "every day" cooler.
Mine is a 36 qt which is minimum IMO. Sometimes it's a 48 qt.
Both of these are Rubbermaid products.
I feed it from a 100 qt Igloo. This is the "ice reservoir".
The Igloo has its bottom lined with block ice and the cube ice is on top.
It also has a closed cell foam panel that chases the ice down, so dead air is kept away from the ice.
The Igloo sits on 2" rigid foam if it's in the truck bed.

Keep 'em covered with whatever you have and out of the sun.

 

[Ura-Ki]

The older Igloo work pretty good, but I haven't bought a new one in years! I have the 150 quart version and it works about the same as the Colemans, just a lot bigger! Mine is usually on the swim platform of my boat and I use it to keep my fish and bait cold, or pack it in ice when I know I am going to be out for a while! When not in use on the boat, it can be found in one of my fire trucks and gets used to keep several days worth of liquids chilled!

 

[MasterChief]

25 qt is pretty small for your "every day" cooler.

This is my 4-wheeler/short river float cooler but agreed...whats your thinking on "ice" to items stored ratio?

So with my coolers i'm looking for chilled and more....due to exposure/weather or for certain items spoiling....not just bottled deliciousness

 

[Timbertodd]

Also, imo blocks of ice are far superior to ice cubes for longer cooling.

X2

 

[DirectDrive]

This is my 4-wheeler/short river float cooler but agreed...whats your thinking on "ice" to items stored ratio?

I carry the 36 on top of my external frame pack into camp.
The 100 has the bottom lined as described above.
There are about 7 bags of cube ice on tap of that.
I never run out in the typical 3 day thing that we do.
Deschutes Canyon in the heat of the summer.

 

[41mag]

I researched the range of choices about 20 months ago.

The choice I made was based on being in sizzling back country for upwards of a week without resupply of ice being handy. I was unfamiliar with anything beyond the old 'add ice every couple days'.

After 40+ years with granny's beloved Coleman, I finally caved & went to the opposite extreme. Did serious comparison shopping, and finalized my final 3 based on actual volume needs, as well as the 'how cool/cold could a Cooler keep cozy if a Cooler could keep quantifiable' etc....data and first hand inspection limited my choice further, and my choice may not be your choice, based on my List of Virtues.

Several finalists were booted as they had no local dealer or hands-on inspection models. The one I was after was unavailable until well after my trip 2 months down the line.

I settled on a rare 50 qt size Yeti despite being adverse to such a $$$$ outlay. It had the largest internal volume compared to smallest external footprint of any I could find.

Performance remains unarguable delight. And it's amazing to hear from various friends how they couldda/wouldda/shouldda/found something 'just as good for less money'.....

Sing the song brother, I got a cooler that already HAS outlasted my annoyance at the cost. I use this nearly weekly for meat runs, berry transport, and various cold storage in a summer fried Jeep.

 

[Caveman Jim]

The most I'll spend on a cooler, a large one for fishing is less than a hunnet dolla. I use 1 gallon tea or O.J. containers (5), mix lukewarm water & 1 cup of salt, leave the lids off & freeze them. They will stay frozen for 3 days in my Coleman 99 qt boat cooler...

 

[DirectDrive]

If you have the want for the high end roto-molded coolers but want to find a deal, search on blemished coolers.
Orca, K2 and some others sell off their blemished units.
Yeti must destroy theirs, because I never see blemished Yetis.

Before throwing down on a blemished, have the seller verify that the lid seals properly.

 

[41mag]

In my search process last yeat, I came across a 'good deal' on Orca...closeout dealer, had 65 qt model, WAY too big for my own needs, plus it was the UofO team colors/logo. If you like green/gold it was fine yet somehow it was a most unflattering rendition I've seen. I'm sure it is long gone, but it was at 50% of dealer price, so they told me.

 

[Hawaiian]

I use my coolers for camping and keep them in the shade. What is it you need your cooler to do?
The Yeti and other comparable high end coolers are in fact better for extended trips.
If you are just going for the weekend, you can get by just fine with a good igloo Extreme for a couple of days.
When deciding on size, remember that you need a lot of extra room for ice. Even a Yeti packed mostly full of food/drinks with a few bags of ice won't last. Block ice on the bottom and bags on top.
When going for longer than a weekend, I freeze some of the water/drinks. They act as ice for a few days and then you can drink them.
I also take a smaller drink cooler to stock from the main cooler. This eliminates having to open the main cooler often. Keep it closed and it will stay colder longer.
I also freeze some of the meat or other food that I won't been eating until later in the trip. It acts as ice and thaws after a few days.
I don't open the bagged ice and dump it in. Leave it in the bag keeping it together and it will last longer.
Most important is to keep your coolers in the shade. Throw a blanket over the main cooler for extra insulation.
Start off with a cold cooler. Throw a bag of ice in it the night before you pack it.
We often camp buy a creek that is snow run off. Ice cold. We put drinks in fishnet bags and place em in the creek. Instant cooler.

 

[Siglvr]

Slimer13 nailed the answer. The price performance curve all but goes upside down to get an incremental oufff. But if you need that ouffff, then you need it and should get it as folks say. Outdoor gear labs says that the Orca58 outperforms the Yeti 55. (in fact, outperforms everything)

Rating Scores - The Best Coolers - OutdoorGearLab

 

[Stinkerbelle]

I use Coleman Xtreme coolers and have decent success, but then my longest trip is usually only 4 or 5 nights. Pre-cool, use block ice mixed with crushed, freeze a few small bottles of water and mix in and I can go that long fine.

I think the Yetis and others are way cool, but I'm a little too cheap to spend that kind of money on an ice chest. Plus, I'd be worried all the time that some one would come by my camp and steal it.

 

[11Charlie]

I use the Coleman Extreme all the time, and I usually get 3 to 5 days of Cold out of it when packed in ice. I can extend this by more then double with the bottom 1/4 packed in Dry Ice. I can usually keep frozen things frozen for the days I listed using Ice or Dry Ice! I also use packing tape to "seal" the lid while in transit or between long times between opening while loaded and this works very well, but the dry ice needs to breath, so I leave an inch or two on taped and it seems to work out this way! Note, If you do use dry ice and don't vent it, you could literally blow the whole thing up with enough power to kill you and those around you, and damage a lot of property in the process!

This with one exception. instead of packing tape to seal it, I use small rolls of shrink wrap. It comes off easier and doesn't leave a gummy residue on my cooler. I usually carry at least one roll in my truck.