High end coolers & why I don't own one.....

[Shrek]

A great fix for broken hinges on cheap coolers is a piece of tie down strap. Cut a piece the length of the hinge and put it under the hinge and put the screws back in. I'm talking heavy duty tie down like used to strap loads on a flatbed trailer. I've also taken some of that strap and run it the length of the lid when some of the hinge screws were stripped. I buy a pack of short SS screws and run them in every few inches. I've had one rigged like that for going on 10 years. It's a 70qt? I think and it has seen a lot of use.

 

[dotman]

Maybe your vehicle is too small

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Haha, 3/4 ton short box but a long would give more room

 

[Clarktar]

Haha, 3/4 ton short box but a long would give more room

I got the long!

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[HuntHarder]

I have been in this boat for quite some time. Until recently, I finally bit the bullet and picked up a Canyon 70qt. Took it on it's first hunt 2 weeks ago, and it outperformed my coleman 110 extreme by a long shot. Considerably better built and will serve it's purpose for sure. Will I continue to use my Coleman's? absolutely. The Canyon kept 3- 2 liter water bottles, and 2 bags of ice frozen almost solid for 4 days when it was 85* in the day and lows were 40's.

 

[Clarktar]

I would like a 100+ qt. Roto cooler, but they are just too damned expensive.

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[Gumbo]

I have a yeti 110 that I bought after buying a Coleman Extreme that had the lid hinges break on its maiden voyage in the raft. One strong consideration for me is a bear proof cooler because I live, camp, and hunt in griz country, which the yeti is. In fact it is a USFS requirement to have a bear proof container for food in many of my favorite places. Overpriced? Yes. And I hate having to lock it up so it doesn't get stolen, but it works great and keeps the bears and feds at bay.

 

[dotman]

I would like a 100+ qt. Roto cooler, but they are just too damned expensive.

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I looked at a 105qt yeti today when I stopped by Scheels, no way that is 105qt, it looked tiny. I would think two of the 105qt Yeats are not much more then a Coleman 120qt.

The 45qt yeti looked the same size as my Canyon 35qt. Seriously if you spending as much as the big dog rotomolded coolers cost look at one first and see if it really will be what you think.

Here's what you want Canyon Cooler 222 Long

 

[skaldugwas]

same experience here. My favorite thing about my coleman xtreme is that no one will ever break into my rig to steal my effin cooler! Lots of theft at the trailheads here and the tweakers know those yetis will bring some scratch at the pawn shop.
Keeping lots of ice at the ready is great and all, but the cooler bouncing around in the back of my truck is the last thing I need to worry about while camping.
I guess I would rather have my cooler stolen for its contents rather than its logo.

 

[JDeanP]

Dingus (Rob), I had the same cooler a few years ago. Could have saved you the trouble.

They really do keep ice for 5+ days. Even on islands in the gulf of mexico.

 

[kodiakfly]

My Wife carries a Coleman Extreme in her truck for bringing fish home and it holds ice and has lasted. Comparing that to the Yetis I use, I like the Yetis for the features of the cooler beyond the ice retention-handles that don't break off, a lid that stays shut, a lid that doesn't leak, a cooler I can stand on in my boat and not have it flex, a cooler I can use for dry storage and not just ice, etc. So like was said, if you use your cooler daily or weekly, the rotomolded coolers do shine. If you're just keeping ice, a lot of cooler can do that for less.

 

[JDeanP]

Ive handled the Yeti coolers and youre right there. If you want a cooler to cast off of, to be a part of the structure of your skiff, Yeti is indeed nice. If you only need to keep meat and beer cold, the price of the Coleman lets you buy more tags and beer.

 

[luke moffat]

Glad I read this. Never been impressed by the Yeti and such coolers simply cause like someone mentioned I was able to buy a nice 2KW generator and a freezer for less money and have more space for keeping things cold than even the largest Yeti and still be money ahead. Oh and I get to have a generator around to run other things too if needed.

I see the Marine Extreme Coleman 120 is only $59 on Amazon...but they don't ship to Alaska....typical

 

[adamm88]

I get the need if you were a fishing guide and spend 200 plus days on the water and you need a bulit proof cooler that will take a beating, but for my uses im lucky to use my cooler 10-15 times a year, i would love yeti or similar type cooler but for the $$ spend on one i could fund lots of other hunting related gear. Those coolers have place but just not for me....

 

[Floorguy]

I get the need if you were a fishing guide and spend 200 plus days on the water and you need a bulit proof cooler that will take a beating, but for my uses im lucky to use my cooler 10-15 times a year, i would love yeti or similar type cooler but for the $$ spend on one i could fund lots of other hunting related gear. Those coolers have place but just not for me....

Nope a fishing guide spending that time on the water is going to have a high efficency freezer. My father in law has a boat in seward it gets used maybe a month out of the year and they have a dedicated freezer. Definitely beats the coolers, no need to go dunking for icebergs to keep food and fish cold.

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[MuleyFever]

After the Atlas cluster f%^& went to Walmart and got a 120 qt extreme. I already had a smaller one and it held ice for a week in CO last year. The cooler will be just fine for what I do with it and it holds ice plenty long.

 

[Tsnider]

I do a lot of overlanding/offroading and bought a Pelican cooler a few years back because i didnt want to pony up for an ARB fridge for my toyota yet.

The Pelican coolers are solid, but really bulky. my 45qt is around 30 pounds empty. I needed a cooler than I could ratchet down in the back of the FJ so when doing steep inclines it wouldnt break some cheap plastic and smash my dog. I really like the Pelican because its bomb proof but like I said they are super bulky.

I recently won a Yeti at work, the "Tundra 35". My first thoughts were wow this thing is so much smaller and convenient. Its perfect to load up beer and ice. after a little research i found out that yeti has very misleading advertisement. the Tundra 35 is not a 35 quart cooler. its like a 26, but the model number is "35".

Im happy with the Yeti, but i sure as shit wouldnt buy one. If i need a giant cooler for an elk id go with one of these "lower end" coolers for sure.

 

[robtattoo]

UPDATE:
10 days & I'm down to a few cubes left floating in the water, but the bottles are still at 50%

Sent from a mountain somewhere, using telepathy.

 

[JohnyRingo]

How do you guys feel about the Coleman Steel Belted Coolers? It seems a little more durable than most of the less expensive coolers and gets good reviews. I haven't had much luck with the cheaper coolers.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I think very few people actually need one of those overpriced Yeti coolers. The vast majority of us do not hunt where we need bear-proof coolers. A source of ice is rarely that far away that you can't go buy some more if you run out.
If these tv hunting shows suddenly stopped having sponsors I can assure you those guys wouldn't be using those rediculously expensive products like Yeti, Swaro products, Quiu, First Lite and so on. It's all marketing and we're buying into it.
I'd rather spend my hard earned money on hunting.

 

[dunner543]

They're just like anything else that we buy that's over priced, probably not needed as other things will work just fine but you just want it for some reason. I do think the smaller sizes can be worth it though. The 35 makes a great car cooler to keep some cold drinks for the kids all summer only having to change ice packs once or twice a week.