Best budget coolers

[HuntOregon]

I’m a young guy who’s getting back into hunting. Not a big bankroll so u am hoping to get some advice on best budget cooler for keeping game or camp. Are there some good budget options, or is it worth it to just go all in and get a Yeti?

 

[Maverick1]

150 qt cooler. Igloo. Sam’s club. $89. I bought 3 of them about 15-20 years ago. Price then was $69. Have used extensively. Work great. (The big expensive one aren’t any better for my needs and only pay for marketing.). Have stored ice blocks in them for 2 weeks in hot western states (AZ and NM) with pink insulation and covered by a sleeping bag. Took them on my trip this year, covered with a sleeping bag in the back of the vehicle and half of the ice was intact 17 days later. You do not need a Yeti.

 

[HuntOregon]

150 qt cooler. Igloo. Sam’s club. $89. I bought 3 of them about 15-20 years ago. Price then was $69. Have used extensively. Work great. (The big expensive one aren’t any better for my needs and only pay for marketing.). Have stored ice blocks in them for 2 weeks in hot western states (AZ and NM) with pink insulation and covered by a sleeping bag. Took them on my trip this year, covered with a sleeping bag in the back of the vehicle and half of the ice was intact 17 days later. You do not need a Yeti.

Thanks Mav

 

[RocketRob16]

What Mav recommended is spot on. As a secondary option, there are a bunch of Yeti knock offs out there. I have a Magellan that’s been great for almost a decade now. When I bought it it was substantially less than a comparable Yeti with the same size, layout, and more “features”

 

[LongWayAround]

Lifetime. It's basically a yeti knockoff.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have the igloo 150 as well, can not imagine having a larger yeti, too damn heavy.

I have a Lifetime 77, got it on closeout and its a nice cooler!

 

[WaWox]

Second on igloo or even Coleman basic ones off Costco or similar.

I have done 5+ day car camping trips with a basic Coleman "marine" 120qt where I'd fill the cooler 2/rds food (all precooled!) 1/3rd freezer gel packs and everything leftover was still perfectly cold when I got home (admittedly never in burning hot temps -- but could have hit 85+ during the day for sure ) and that's with plenty of getting food out of there and thus letting a lot of heat escape.

I had no issues with that Coleman + 2 igloos on my drive utah->WA with an elk boned out inside them either

The one more expensive one I also own is a lifetime that looks absolutely bomb proof (and is lockable and rated bear proof). This one might be worth it if you need to leave it out in camp and are worried about critters.

Coolers are truly not "pay for what you get" -- there's no real performance gain from roto molded and if anything they are heavier and I could imagine they break more easily for some types of impact ... no need to cry when buying a cooler

 

[browning2480]

I second lifetime.

 

[ETtikka]

No matter what cooler you end up with, if you pre cool it with frozen water bottles and some water or something prior to filling with ice and meat , definitely stays colder longer

 

[wnelson14]

Smaller Chest freezer is the way to go. Couple hundred bucks at Lowe’s/home-depot.

 

[Solm]

I have a 65 Yeti and a 70 Coleman. I can tell you that for the average usage of a cooler the Coleman is great…mines 7 yrs old now. Yeti is definitely sturdier and doesn’t slide around and has better handles but for $60 you can’t beat the Coleman.

 

[WaWox]

I have a 65 Yeti and a 70 Coleman. I can tell you that for the average usage of a cooler the Coleman is great…mines 7 yrs old now. Yeti is definitely sturdier and doesn’t slide around and has better handles but for $60 you can’t beat the Coleman.

If you ever want to do a science experiment for the greater good I'd love to see how long 60 qts of ice stay frozen in each of these. If you want to do it twice you could even precool both first and then give it a try. My guess is the difference would be measurable and likely bigger with precooling but really curious about the magnitude -- maybe 6 days vs 7?

 

[Solm]

If you ever want to do a science experiment for the greater good I'd love to see how long 60 qts of ice stay frozen in each of these. If you want to do it twice you could even precool both first and then give it a try. My guess is the difference would be measurable and likely bigger with precooling but really curious about the magnitude -- maybe 6 days vs 7?

Sure sound like a good idea.

 

[TylerTheTerrible]

Coleman Xtremes

 

[seand]

Coleman extreme pre-cooled keep ice longer than a rotomolded with no pre-cooling. Bonus is it weighs about as much full as a rotomolded does empty.

Two 70 qt coolers full of meat are easier to lift than a single 150qt.

Yeti/etc have some advantages but the cheaper coolers do too.

 

[HuntOregon]

No matter what cooler you end up with, if you pre cool it with frozen water bottles and some water or something prior to filling with ice and meat , definitely stays colder longer.

Coleman extreme pre-cooled keep ice longer than a rotomolded with no pre-cooling. Bonus is it weighs about as much full as a rotomolded does empty.

Two 70 qt coolers full of meat are easier to lift than a single 150qt.

Yeti/etc have some advantages but the cheaper coolers do too.

Thank you for your response. Everyone has been so helpful. Going to check out Coleman for sure and lifetime if I can swing it.

Crazy how much Yeti gets thrown in your face by ads.

Appreciate all the info everyone.

 

[Fieldcraft]

It might not count as "budget" but Orca coolers are great - coolersonsale did a review and they beat out the bigger name brands in ice retention + great customer service. They replaced mine when it developed a crack in the lid several years later.

 

[j3h8]

I own the less expensive Igloo coolers. They work but absolutely do not keep ice the same as my roto-molded RTIC coolers. The 65qt RTIC will hold ice nearly twice as long as the igloo of the same size when kept side by side.

Now if you're not camping for two weeks in a remote area and you make sure your ice chest is kept shaded use that reflective insulation like they use for sunshades to help with any direct sun issues the Igloo will work great. I have also draped old sleeping bags over the ice chest to help add some insulation without much effort.

Always pre-chill your ice chest. Use frozen milk jugs or larger water containers to help extend your ability to keep ice and that igloo will serve your needs without complaint.