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What types of coolers/fridges do you use on road trips?

Original Post
Taylor Spiegelberg · · WY · Joined May 2012 · Points: 1,676

So my cooler is a pain in the ass. It doesn't keep ice whatsoever and keeps things cold for a day max...not ideal. I'm looking into getting a new cooler for my truck and was wondering what everyone else uses and what works. I've thought about getting some solar panels for a fridge or buying a cooler that runs off 12V. What do y'all think?

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276

If I buy the block ice, it lasts for two or three days in my large Coleman cooler. The cube ice will melt much faster.

boo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2008 · Points: 0

Used my REI rebate/coupon for a yeti 45 in the spring. It was fantastic on my trip to Tuolumne and the Sierras. One block of ice 9 days. Seemed like a lot of money, but for the food saved, fresh, etc...well worth.

Brendan Blanchard · · Boulder, CO · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 590

Depends on what you're looking for in terms of size and time. I bought one of these (it was originally available w/ prime) for general weekend trips in a smaller car, but found it to be surprisingly good for the price.

amazon.com/gp/product/B004G…

If it's not big enough for you, then that's that, but I've found that with a frozen gallon jug in it, it keeps cool for 3-4 days. I think I was getting 2-3 days if it was kept in the shade on 85-90F days in TN this May, so not too shabby. Absolutely perfect for weekend trips, but again, I'm not sure what size/length you're looking for.

Also, for smaller cooler's without a drain, buy a properly sized cooling/cookie rack or broiler plate, etc to keep your stuff off the bottom/wetness. Still cheap, and absolutely worth it.

Andrew Mayer · · Driggs, ID · Joined Nov 2010 · Points: 131

Cheap-ish Coleman cooler.

The key is proper cooler management - block ice (not cubes), always keep the cooler in the shade, out of vehicle whenever possible, covered with a white towel, preferably wet. if you can cool the entire cooler prior to your trip, that helps too.

The insulation of fancy Yeti coolers is so good that I've heard if you put an equal amount of ice in a warm Yeti and a warm cheap coleman cooler, the ice will melt faster in the Yeti, since it retains the warm air that was initially in the cooler better than the cheap cooler. (this example highlights the importance of proper cooler management, regardless of the price/quality of the cooler).

Benjamin Chapman · · Small Town, USA · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 18,818

We just put everything into this. It has a full size refrigerator and freezer. Good to go.

Refer

Matt N · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 415

Coleman extreme. Will keep ice (2x frozen 3/4 gal jugs) 3 nights / 4 days and one more depending on temps.
Outdoor gear lab has a cooler review.

Bill Lawry · · Albuquerque, NM · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 1,812

As for powered refrigerators, over cooling to the point of freezing food can be a problem but maybe that was just a problem with the rig my friend had.

A "poor mans" supplement to the lowly and cheaper ice cooler is to wrap it in your sleeping bag during the day.

Perhaps one of these years I'll splurge for one of those more expensive ice coolers.

mattm · · TX · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,885
Tim Lutz wrote:Cheaper than Yeti with a better dry food and drain design amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B009Q
Link doesn't work.

Things to consider for a cooler setup:

1) How long do you need things to stay cold before you can recharge with ice? Temp will effect this of course.

2) How easy is it to refresh said ice?

3) How much do you want to spend?

I break down outdoor cooling options into 3 categories

1) Coleman Extreme and the like. Perfectly decent coolers that won't cost a ton, do their job etc. You'll have to refresh the ice more often but well managed, it will handle an extended weekend trip without much issue.

2) Premium Coolers - Yeti, Pelican etc etc. Unbelievably expensive in my opinion. Do they work better than the Colemans? Yes. Do most people need them vs the Coleman? No. These coolers best serve groups like river guide services where they need extended cooling, large capacity AND have limited or no access to off grid power. There a good series of posts on here with an actual guide talking about how they pre freeze supplies in ice IN their Yetis and then use them chip it out over the course of an extended trip.

3) 12V Compressor Coolers. These are pretty much limited to vehicle supported camping as they're too heavy to transport far by hand. They're also the only option for extended trip where you won't be able to resupply ice AND they have the added nicety of not soaking any of your food. Be prepared to pony up $$. A good ARB, Engel or Dometic will run you $650-$950 and then you need to plan on a battery pack and possibly solar add on. They're awesome but COSTLY.

I'd make a WAG that 80+% are best served by option #1 with the other options needed only by expedition style outings.

More and More I see the Yeti stickers on the back of a truck and think "you just spent $300 more than you needed to"
mountainhick · · Black Hawk, CO · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 120

Dometic CF-35



Seems to have pretty low power consumption. We have a second battery in the van for the fridge, sound, LED lights and electronics. No solar yet, everything charges off the alternator. We haven't parked the van for more than a full day and never ran the battery down. So much better than a cooler!
Andrew Gram · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,725

The ice quality is the most critical thing. Grocery store ice is just ice chips that have been compressed together, and it is as much air as ice. I use a chest freezer and some large tupperware containers to make large solid ice blocks that fit tightly in the cooler. This ice will last several times longer than grocery store ice.

An even better option is to find a cold storage place - I use titancold.com/ in Salt Lake City. They charge $35 a month for a pallet, which would fit 2-4 coolers depending on how big they are - the lids need to be open to work so you can't stack them. I fill the cooler about a quarter of the way full, let it freeze for a few days, and then start layering in vacuum sealed bags of food with more water. I did this for a Grand Canyon trip, and we were chipping steaks out of the ice 22 days after taking the coolers out of storage. Even the cheap Coleman marine coolers held substantial ice for 15+ days. If a cold storage place is convenient and you have a buddy or two you could go in on a pallet with, this would be way cheaper than grocery store ice.

Yeti, as well as Pelican, Engel, and Icee Kool, are awesome coolers, but are so ferociously expensive that they are probably not worth it for car campers. They do retain cold(and/or heat - the other post up thread about a warm yeti being worse than a cold coleman is truth) much better than normal coolers, but the best part of them is that they are indestructable. I have a 10+ year old Yeti that I use for rafting - I regularly stand on it to scout rapids, and tons of other abuse. I have to replace the gasket and drain plug from time to time, but other than that it is more or less as good as new. I think the durability is the biggest advantage over cheaper coolers, but unless you are putting it through a great deal of abuse in places where it just can't fail that may not be a big deal.

Cooler management is also important. Drain it regularly, open it as little as possible, keep it covered and out of the sun, make sure everything is as cold as possible when you initially put it in the cooler - cold beer, and vacuum sealed frozen food is best. Consider whether you can use a nearby creek to cool down beverages instead - it takes about 10 minutes to cool beer down to river temperature.

sauggie AA · · Ohio · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 85

I went through the same dilemma a handful of weeks ago. We needed a food cooler for a Ten Sleep Canyon trip and didn't want to run into town every day or so to get ice. I read through piles of threads in forums from this site all the way to boat captain forums. It seems everybody has a strong opinion on this topic. I could go on-and-on.

I decided to go with a 60 QT Icey-Tek Cooler based on price, performance claims, true-to-size inside volumes and how helpful they were on the phone. I figured, screw it, I would take a slight financial risk and make a decision myself based on my own experience at a cost of $260 US.

I pre-chilled the cooler in my upright freezer (pre-chilled as recommended) before loading it with ice and food. I had low expectations. It performed much better than I ever expected. By day 7 our food was consumed and I dumped out a large pile of ice at our campsite before we left. We did add a half-bag of ice mid-week because our beverage cooler could only take a half-bag and we didn't want to waste it. We kept it out of the sun and only opened it for meals.

I debated on whether to share my experience on your thread thinking it may just add to the confusion of different opinions. Hopefully it helps you decide. My experience last week sure made me think that I can save time and some money with this cooler throughout the years. I was not looking for a cooler to pay for itself, just something to save me time and effort of locating and buying ice on trips.

Josh Janes · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2001 · Points: 9,954

I'm very happy with my Grizzly Cooler:

Same quality and performance as Yeti but:

Made in the USA (Yeti is not)
Lifetime warranty (Yeti is 5 years)
Excellent customer service (I couldn't get through to Yeti and email took over a week for a response)
Volume is accurate (my G60 is actually 60 qts whereas the Yeti Tundra 65 is actually some unknown volume less than 60 qts)
Better latch design
More comfortable handles
Better dry goods tray design
And finally, less expensive!

And, I suspect that Yetis, with their widespread recognition, are just begging to be stolen if left unattended.

Taylor Spiegelberg · · WY · Joined May 2012 · Points: 1,676

Thanks everyone for the solid feedback! Anyone try the 12v plug in ones though?

MyFeetHurt · · Glenwood, CO · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 10
Taylor Spiegelberg wrote:Thanks everyone for the solid feedback! Anyone try the 12v plug in ones though?
I have an ARB freezer/fridge. It is amazing, I have actually frozen beer in it on accident, nothing beats an IPA chilled to 20 degrees, and no soggy burger patties and water at the bottom from melted ice.
jaredsmokescigars · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 65

I second Matt N. Coleman Extreme in the 60ish size. Any smaller and the days of holding ice is negated. We also have a Yeti 65 and it is junk, heavy, and prone to having the lid warp.

The Coleman Extreme is, hands down, the best bang for the buck.

Sumbit · · My house · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 0

I have owned a Coleman Extreme and recently upgraded to a Yeti 75. I swore by the coleman extreme but now that I have both there is absolutley no comparison the Yeti used the same cube ice in the red in July for 9 days. Was it $250 more than a coleman extreme, yep. Is it worth it saving time and money getting ice, yep.
Over the long run the Yeti will more than pay for itself and it looks like it will last forever.

More and more I see cars with Yeti stickers and I think "There is a person that made a wise long term investment"

One downside is the Yeti is seriously heavy, not a pull in and out of the car or truck several times a day kind of cooler

mattm · · TX · Joined Jun 2006 · Points: 1,885
Sumbit wrote: More and more I see cars with Yeti stickers and I think "There is a person that made a wise long term investment"
I see the same stickers and have a different reaction. I think of the rotomolded cooler craze in a similar vein to the high end hardshell jacket craze of years past. Many, Many people opted to buy a $350+ GoreTex jacket that saw very little "hard use". Nothing wrong with that per se as yes, it is a really nice jacket but reality was that they could have likely gotten a $120 jacket that would have been just as good for them, lighter etc etc.

The Cooler Craze of late is similar but the performance similarities make the price differential even harder to swallow (And the over the top "real tough manly man" marketing doesn't help). I 100% agree that the high ends do better, though not significantly so, and are much more durable than an Xtreme. How many people are really beating the crap out of their cooler weekly and require unsupported cooling for 5 days? I've looked at them A LOT (and would get a Bison or Canyon 70qt) but the reality is my (and likely most) needs are long weekend (3 days) unsupported MAX. $50 Coleman 70qt Marine Xtreme vs $400 Bison or $370 Canyon. That's a lot of $$ to buy gas and ice or a plane ticket to climb etc etc. My needs will likely change as my kids age so I don't rule a nice one out BUT the idea that's it's a good investment questionable.

These are BY FAR, the best two articles on the subject. Their info is solid as is their testing.

Cooler Tips

Cooler Test
Sam Stephens · · PORTLAND, OR · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 1,090

My wife bought my Yeti with her 20% REI coupon and her dividends. I have a 65 and it's awesome. That's all I can really say. Holds ice great, especially if you manage it like others have said.

Michael Brady · · Wenatchee, WA · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 1,316
mattm wrote: I see the same stickers and have a different reaction. I think of the rotomolded cooler craze in a similar vein to the high end hardshell jacket craze of years past.
Are cheaper coolers not rotomolded? Would the cost be significantly less if they were injection or vacuum molded?

I have spent a lot of money on coleman coolers over the years. I wish I would have bought a Yeti and saved the money and time.

Engel make a really nice 12v cooler/fridge too.
Matt N · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 415

The weight of a Yeti would be an annoyance. Those old, low bear boxes in Tuolumne are a pain with my Coleman as is. And I can at least load a full Coleman in the car by myself (including down the stairs), a Yeti, not likely.

If you don't do trips longer than 4 days very often, a Yeti/similar just isn't worth it. Comes down to personal use. I paid around $35 for my Coleman and buy ice about once a year during longer trips.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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