Best budget coolers

NRA4LIFE

WKR
Joined
Nov 20, 2016
Messages
1,986
Location
washington
Lifetime. Some tests I have seen showed they held ice better than the Yetis at about 1/3-1/2 the cost. I can attest to this as I have two of the 77qt's.
 
Joined
Nov 18, 2024
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2
I am of the buy the best, cry once mentality. I got tired of throwing away my igloos and Coleman’s every year. Bought my first yeti 14 years ago, and it has seen thousands of days from hunting trips , long raft trips, music tests, camping trips etc. Amazing product. I am also thrilled with my Canyon cooler that lives in my raft. It will keep ice for 2 weeks with a little care and planning. Complete bombproof and awesome customer service. For my money, I would look for a used top end cooler, take care of it, and have fun for a couple decades.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2025
Messages
10
Location
Rathdrum, ID
CatorGator from Webstaurant store.
Heard lots of good things about these from other sites. Do they hold up to hunting and hard abuse? Contemplating a 110 and 170 for elk hunts.
 

Mosby

WKR
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
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1,967
I got my 65 qt Orca's at a steep discount from Walmart. They were mis-priced and I took advantage of it. My Cabela's cooler was made by Grizzly and I got it on clearance. The Igloo's and Coleman's I paid full price for never get used anymore. I didn't have much luck with them holding ice more than a couple days.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
2,538
Location
San Antonio
Heard lots of good things about these from other sites. Do they hold up to hunting and hard abuse? Contemplating a 110 and 170 for elk hunts.
I can only speak to one 45qt we have that's identical but not the same brand, 99.8% it's made on the same manufacturing line though. It's been great, zero warp or mold issues (I have a warped RTIC and two warped lid Yetis) but the plug cap gets stuck sometimes and hard to unscrew. Good cooler..
 
Joined
Apr 1, 2013
Messages
2,995
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?

Here is another option, I have 150qt grizzly and 250 Yeti, I will store and lock gear up in them, with that said I’ve gotten where I sleep a lot in back of my truck and neither of those are very space saving.

So my search lead my to soft side fish bags. Three main companies are Kill bag, Opah, and buffalo. Get more cooler for your money with less space restrictions
 

Davyalabama

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 23, 2023
Messages
241
There is a thread in DIY you may be interested in for squaring away an igloo or coleman ice chest and making them better.

Me, I would make sure I have a second smaller cooler, 36qt.. I would use this one as my daily cooler, opening/shutting, only open the big one as needed to replenish the smaller one, do this in the coldest part of the day.

Someone said it, keep it in the shade, keep it wrapped in a blanket, etc.
 

GAHunterr

FNG
Joined
Jan 22, 2025
Messages
6
If you pre chill a cooler, and then keep some ice packs underneath all the ice, you’ll get more days of ice than advertised. I’ve had ice still frozen to my ice packs in my big Coleman 120 for 10+ days
 

Jotis

WKR
Joined
Apr 3, 2019
Messages
530
Here is another option, I have 150qt grizzly and 250 Yeti, I will store and lock gear up in them, with that said I’ve gotten where I sleep a lot in back of my truck and neither of those are very space saving.

So my search lead my to soft side fish bags. Three main companies are Kill bag, Opah, and buffalo. Get more cooler for your money with less space restrictions
Have you used any of the soft side coolers? Looking at trying them
 

Dos XX

WKR
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Messages
966
Canyon coolers are great. I have a 120 or 150 quart that is probably 15 years old or more. It has dry box type latches on it. I got it to fit my raft. It has been on a number of 7 to 9 day autumn floats and still had ice at the end. I have a smaller 30 ish qt, too. They run sales on them regularly.
 
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