Best budget coolers

[hunt1up]

I use two 120 qt Coleman extremes for most things. Freeze some gallon jugs of water and put those in there. I'll always throw a bag of ice in my coolers the night before a trip and then when I leave I add the jugs and some ice. Makes a big difference. Keep the coolers in the shade and you're good.

I also have a Lifetime and Ozark Trail molded coolers in the 55 qt range. They're great for the money and not too heavy.

I've had all the sizes of roto coolers like RTIC and others and they're just so damn heavy when loaded. Fill a Yeti, or any heavy roto cooler with ice, and it's a bear to move. I hated even my 65 qt roto coolers when loaded.

 

[stumpknocker]

Lots of good suggestions but IMO you cannot beat a good rotomolded cooler if you're dealing with any kind of heat (does not have to be a Yeti, they all work about the same).

They simply let you do far more with far less.

I use RTIC 65 for car camping and whitetail/hog, and it became our fridge after Helene came through. Once it is down to temp it requires very little ice which leaves more room for everything else.

 

[KenLee]

I have been impressed by the Magellan 100 qt "icebox" cooler. At $300 with wheels and 2 types of handles, I'd just as soon have it as a Yeti. It has latches with push buttons in center of latches to open from either side.

 

[5MilesBack]

From my testing the best "budget" coolers have been the Coleman Xtreme 6's, haven't seen them at Walmart anymore (companies always changing things up) but they were right at $57 full price for the 120's. I have two of those. This year I was out 10 days straight in September in high day temps and lows in the 40's the whole time. The frozen gallon milk jugs were all still over 50% ice in both the Coleman and my 200qt marine rotomolded cooler on day 10. I have tried the Igloo's and just haven't gotten the same performance from them.

I also tried the 45qt Catergator last year for my milk and other drinks that I keep separate from the big coolers. I really wanted to like it, but my 40 year old Michelob cooler still keeps the frozen milk jugs longer. But my buddy has a 110qt Catergator and he seems to really like it.

 

[Erict]

I have also had great experiences with Lifetime. Keep an eye out at Wally World this time of year as they often have great clearance prices on coolers.

 

[LongWayAround]

Last week I went to Wyoming on Thursday evening with my Coleman Xtreme 120. I believe I had 5 16lb bags of ice and several frozen gallon jugs of water in it.

Monday afternoon, I gave most of my ice to my buddy who killed an elk.

I kept one 16lb bags, added two 10lb bags, and 5 gallon jugs. Plus, a rear quarter.

As of this Saturday morning, the jugs are about 60% frozen and the ice is mostly frozen at about 2.5" deep. Daytime highs around 70° outside and 30-40° lows. Cooler has been in my garage since Monday night.

 

[WI Shedhead]

One thing you need to expect with the igloos- you will need to eventually replace the hinges and latch. It will break. Just buy the metal ones get it over with and they will last a really really long time

 

[roosiebull]

Cordova are relatively cheap for rotomolded, I have a 127qt (I think) and it does hold ice well, but the quality isn’t like my rtics, or even my 56qt coho from Costco

I would stick with Coleman extreme unless you want to bump up to rtic price (which is quite a bit under yeti price) rtic makes a top shelf cooler

I have insulated 1/4 tote that beats them all, if you could find one used, they are awesome for high volume and holding ice well

I have kept a whole quartered Roosevelt bull in one on ice for 8 days and it still had plenty of ice, but they are big and heavy

I have 2 of those and they are way better than any cooler I’ve used. I used to have a full tote but it was just too big

 

[HuntOregon]

Cordova are relatively cheap for rotomolded, I have a 127qt (I think) and it does hold ice well, but the quality isn’t like my rtics, or even my 56qt coho from Costco

I would stick with Coleman extreme unless you want to bump up to rtic price (which is quite a bit under yeti price) rtic makes a top shelf cooler

I have insulated 1/4 tote that beats them all, if you could find one used, they are awesome for high volume and holding ice well

I have kept a whole quartered Roosevelt bull in one on ice for 8 days and it still had plenty of ice, but they are big and heavy

I have 2 of those and they are way better than any cooler I’ve used. I used to have a full tote but it was just too big

What do you mean by 1/4 tote and a full tote? Is that an old brand or something?

 

[EdP]

Just take a look at how much ice you could buy with the difference in price between a Coleman or Igloo vs a Yeti or Yeti knockoff, then make a reasonable decision. It is probably more ice than you will buy in a lifetime of hunting.

 

[roosiebull]

What do you mean by 1/4 tote and a full tote? Is that an old brand or something?

A few companies make them, but this is what I’m referring to

Insulated Fish Totes & Wine Totes

We provide insulated fish totes, fish boxes, wine totes & insulated containers for any commercial application requiring products to stay cold.

www.dacocorp.com

 

[Jimss]

There are some great suggestions on this forum. If you truly want to see how long ice lasts in different coolers take a look at some of the side by side, youtube video comparisons. It will open your eyes to the features of each and how long ice lasts in them.

Here's an example of one of them....there are a bunch:

 

[cubdriver84d]

Lifetime.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Catergator for rotomolded hands down

 

[Kurts86]

I think a big thing to consider here is what season you will be hunting, how long and where you hunt. September elk hunts in New Mexico are quite a bit more demanding than a November Elk hunt in Montana. If you hunt for 2 weeks and never go to town it’s a lot different than a 4 day hunt based out of a hotel, town or ranch. I’ve never made it half way through a September elk hunt with ice in a cheap cooler and then it’s basically a non-issue come October 15 and you could throw meat in a Rubbermaid tote and be fine.

Every cheap cooler I’ve ever bought was a waste unless it saved baggage cost flying to a hunt. Eventually you will end up with a big nice cooler and the cheap ones are money wasted along the way that fill up your garage. It’s crazy how little ice good coolers require and it a huge quality of life upgrade, just don’t try to move them loaded without 2 guys and a forklift…..

 

[huntabsarokee]

I prefer a cheap 150 like a Coleman because it can hold an entire bull. The Yeti are so heavy and big at that size they become a pain to move around. Two smaller Yeti than not as economical when buying dry ice to bring a bull home 32 hours.
The other issue I have is leaving a $350 cooler at camp or in back of truck vs a Coleman.

 

[Mojave]

The Walmart, and Costco branded rotomolded coolers are $150 ish for a 60 liter and the same as my Yeti. I didn't replace my Yeti when it was stolen I bought 3 cheap rotomolded ones from Costco.