Coolers

gunner3006 · Sep 7, 2019

Well guys I know this is a topic that gets talked about quite a bit but I thought I would throw out there what I have found. I’ve had many different coolers over the years. I also happen to be a Refrig mechanic so I spend a good amount of time trying to keep this frozen or at least cool. This spring I purchased a 35 gallon yeti to try out. I have 3 other coolers that are a little bigger and I must say it is legit. The price however is not. I’m also not a big fan of the weight. I’ve got Coleman, and igloo in the garage that work as well but neither hold ice even remotely close to this yeti. The yeti is also set up to be strapped or bungee’d down a lot better than the rest. I’m not sure about the bear proof side of it never really had to test that out.

I would say for shorter trips (1 or 2 days) the Coleman or igloo are plenty good. Longer trips like remote hunting or fishing I would probably stick with a higher grade cooler. My Coleman coolers are both hollow so there is absolutely nothing to them. Zero R value.

Does anyone else here have the biggest yeti cooler you can buy? If so what are your thoughts? Or any other large brand for that matter.

Cheers
Chadd

kanedog · Sep 7, 2019

Made a big investment to keep the drinks chilly Willy.
Indoors the ice lasts 3 days in room temp 20 degrees Celsius which is far from what Pelican claims. Outdoors it’s not that impressive either. I have taken it on a plane and it stands up to abuse of the airline baggage handlers.
It is rugged and heavy duty. Love the wheels and sturdy handle. Always a hit and conversation piece at outdoor events. Other than it, it sucks.
I wish I woulda got a Yeti.
4/10 rating.
Not really impressed.

gunner3006 · Sep 7, 2019

Does it have s drain on it?

kanedog · Sep 7, 2019

gunner3006 said:
Does it have s drain on it?

yes. Built in bottle opener too.

teeroy · Sep 7, 2019

I've got a Yeti Roadie 20 I pack in the back of my side by side and a Tundra 105. the 105 is huge, the biggest one is a tundra 250 and it's like $1200. you could fit a body in the 250. they are expensive, but the best coolers I've ever owned. tough as nails

https://www.yeti.com/en_CA/hard-coolers

mur190 · Sep 7, 2019

Ive had great luck with engel coolers, same build and design as yeti's at a lot lower price point. Biggest thing I have found for longevity of ice and keeping stuff frozen is getting the cooler pre-cooled,
night before we leave ill put a bag of ice In each to get the internal down to temp, seems to help a lot,

https://www.underwaterkineticscanada.com/

for day trips on the river I got a KULA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK76V1v8b0g

gunner3006 · Sep 7, 2019

I like that 110 yeti. Might give it a try. Another thing I found was ice in the block always lasts longer.

gunner3006 · Sep 7, 2019

mur190 said:
Ive had great luck with engel coolers, same build and design as yeti's at a lot lower price point. Biggest thing I have found for longevity of ice and keeping stuff frozen is getting the cooler pre-cooled,
night before we leave ill put a bag of ice In each to get the internal down to temp, seems to help a lot,

https://www.underwaterkineticscanada.com/

for day trips on the river I got a KULA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK76V1v8b0g

How long have you had one of these for? That’s a great idea actually.

chedder · Sep 7, 2019

I've had a yeti copy Driftsun 45 for a year now. It's 45 quart size is decent, though I wouldn't want any smaller. As others have said, precooling and using blocks of ice are key. If I do that I can easily get 5 plus days out of it in summer heat.

mur190 · Sep 8, 2019

gunner3006 said:
How long have you had one of these for? That’s a great idea actually.

The engel prob 4-5 years the Kula 3 ish.

When we do longer trips 5-6 days, we will plan our meals by cooler, cooler A day 1-3, cooler B Day 4-6.
Helps when they only opened when needed, keep beverage and food separate, what we do as well is freeze 2 or 4L milk jugs for ice blocks,
doubles as some extra water if ya need it once thawed.

gunner3006 · Sep 8, 2019

I have to be honest tho. I’ve been in the refrigeration business for 15 years. I’ve never chilled my cooler. Unless you call keeping your cooler for a few nights before on your garage floor.

mur190 · Sep 8, 2019

Understandable I hadent either until we started doing longer trips, makes sense tho, inside of cooler not cold... put frozen goods in, everthing equalizes...goods start thawing.
have you ever pre heated your coffee thermos so you have hot coffee at 2 in the afternoon?

gunner3006 · Sep 8, 2019

mur190 said:
Understandable I hadent either until we started doing longer trips, makes sense tho, inside of cooler not cold... put frozen goods in, everthing equalizes...goods start thawing.
have you ever pre heated your coffee thermos so you have hot coffee at 2 in the afternoon?

Fair enough. Makes sense.

neilsleder · Sep 8, 2019

I was camping with the brother and sister in-laws down in Oregon. They sell dry ice down there for your coolers at the grocery store. It works good! Went for a few days and was hot. Cheap cooler and still had ice left

gunner3006 · Sep 8, 2019

neilsleder said:
I was camping with the brother and sister in-laws down in Oregon. They sell dry ice down there for your coolers at the grocery store. It works good! Went for a few days and was hot. Cheap cooler and still had ice left

Dry ice isn’t popular up here like it is in the USA. Too bad. Handy stuff. Especially if it was in all our grocery stores.

Rene G · Sep 8, 2019

gunner3006 said:
Dry ice isn’t popular up here like it is in the USA. Too bad. Handy stuff. Especially if it was in all our grocery stores.

I think you can gear some from Praxair behind Costco, it’s a really good idea!

gunner3006 · Sep 8, 2019

Rene G said:
I think you can gear some from Praxair behind Costco, it’s a really good idea!

That’s the only spot I’ve ever got it. I have commercial ice machine at my shop so it takes a beating in the summer.

kingkris06 · Sep 8, 2019

i pre freeze mine, gets a extra day or 2 . there is a chance of breaking the cooler but i bought mine at a garage sale ...

if you like spending money how about a 12v fridge / freezer? a good one with a compressor only pulls 4 amps and has same or better insulation.

gunner3006 · Sep 8, 2019

Also a good option. I do have the space as well. We come across them in my trade once in a while. I run a inverter in my service truck too. I’ve also looked into some small marine systems too. 12 an 24 volt.

Joholio · Sep 9, 2019

I snagged this 80L Grizzly from a dude on Kijiji Red Deer for $300 tax in. Works good for beer so far, but its purpose is transporting frozen fish back from the coast. I borrowed a 120L from a buddy when I went last trip, we left the lids open overnight in the walk in flash freezer at Shearwater dock, loaded fish in at 5am and 20hrs home later nothing had even remotely begun to think about thawing. I tossed a couple bottled waters in and they were actually frozen when I got home.

Coolers

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