Coolers again !!

[fzsk4p]

First off I will say that I cannot justify the cost of an ARB/Engel 12 volter for my usage.

Now having said that. Plus reading the threads on coolers here. I`d like some opinions.

My usage is going to be in a 4 x 4 Jeep. It will get bounced around, splashed and generally abused. Not simply tucked in the bed of an SUV or PU.

Ice (home made blocks/frozen plastic bottles etc) will need to last 4-6 days at a time. Has to have a latch and a drain.

The Coleman Ultimate`s seem to have a good value/dollar rating here. But I looked at a Yeti Sherpa and it seems so much "beefer" then the Coleman's. The Icee (Galaxy now) also fit into this category. Not to mention there sizes more closely match my available room. Lets throw the Down Under(s) Tropicals in there also.

Granted you can buy 4 Coleman`s for the price of a Yeti, Galaxy or DU-T. But if the Coleman breaks halfway through a trip have you saved anything ?

I`d be a bit Leary of using a Coleman as a step or sitting on it for any length of time.

Or am I being off base here ?

Not that I am made of money but I need some thoughts from those with more experience then I.

Thanks !!

 

[IZZYDUSIT]

Anything but Coleman!
I have bought 2 of them and the lids warpped, no latches
either.
the insulation seemed to be ok since the ice lasted for a few hot day in Az, but thats about it.
I have no experience with the other brands since I bought my ARB 2 years ago and never looked back.
just remeber, CHEAP IS EXPENSIVE...

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

Honestly. I think much of your concern with damaging the Coleman can be resolved by simply strapping it down tight in the back of your rig.

I understand the need/want for a HD duty unit, but I just don't see the justification for the high end Yeti (ect) units.

Also I don't see the advantage of the Coleman Ultimate Extreme over the Coleman Extreme. The stated difference (per coleman) is 6days of ice vs. 5 days of ice, for twice the price.....no way

 

[mrchips]

Right now I use a coleman ss steel cooler, and use the re-usable Blue Ice packs when I go for the weekend, and it works great. Pre-chill the cooler before loading with ice, and you don't have everything wet and standing in water. Freezing water in bottles and then drinking the water is not good. When the water has thawed the plastic releases something into the water making it a little cloudy, or you can see particles floating in the liquid. . I was using Evian bottles.

 

[durango_60]

I've got a first gen icee kool(galaxy) that I've been abusing for 3 years now without a hitch. It certainly is a pricey cooler, but I've been able to keep block ice for over a week on many occasions.

 

[JIMBO]

:archaeolo I gave up on ice and it's mess, a long time ago

I've got a Koolatron for short trips and an ENGEL MR040f for extended trips and the ENGEL is flawless, at any COOL temp.

:REOutIceFishing: JIMBO

 

[IH8RDS]

First off I will say that I cannot justify the cost of an ARB/Engel 12 volter for my usage.

You’re not the only one!

I wanted an ARB/Engle for a while now, but I could spend the $1000+ elsewhere.

I use a Coleman Marine 150. Large...yes. Cold yes!
On my last trip (6 Days) I had it in my M416 trailer. I froze two 2liter bottles and put them in the sectioned off side (comes with two dividers/cutting boards that I block up to keep all the meats and “fridge stuff”). Initially I bought two bags off ice to cool down everything. 1 case of beer, one case of soda and 1 case of water was warm so it consumed that ice quickly. All the meat was already cold. I just left the drain open on the way up. It chilled everything nicely to very cold. The next day I bought two large bags of ice and closed the drain. The ice stayed in the cooler for 5 days after that. The two 2liter bottles stayed practically frozen the whole time and there was still plenty of ice in the cooler when I got home. So I finished off the cold beer and unpacked.

The plus side of a decent cooler is you don’t have to pay the outlandish upfront cost of a fridge and no batteries are required. Ice is cheap and readily available. If you protect you’re food in containers, you won’t have soggy food.

I think I’ll stick with coolers for a while.

 

[cnskate]

Seems like the people I know with Engels are always draining their batteries, which would be bad for me because I do a lot of backcountry solo with multiple days in one really nice spot. I'm looking at the Yeti Tundra. Is Icee Kool any better/worse?

 

[allnew2me]

For the money you really can't beat the Coleman cooler. Other than the lack of latches they are pretty nice. One thing to note though, they make the Ultimate but they also make the Ultimate Extreme as seen here.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-6-Day...e=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1220551690&sr=8-2

It is a better cooler with 2 inches of insulation and it will last as advertised, for 6 days and still have ice left in it.
I had looked at the Icey Tek, galaxy, Icee kool, etc, but for the price I went with the Coleman.

 

[Corey]

Seems like the people I know with Engels are always draining their batteries, which would be bad for me because I do a lot of backcountry solo with multiple days in one really nice spot. I'm looking at the Yeti Tundra. Is Icee Kool any better/worse?

Never had that problem with my ARB fridge, and it has ran for up to five days at a time without starting the rig.

I run it 24/7, and after I came home from work Friday, it sat there all weekend until I went to work Tuesday morning.
Rig started right up with the factory battery.

I do run duals though, but the second battery was not flipped over to start the rig.

 

[JIMBO]

:rappel: I NEVER run down my batteries

I travel alone also and I don't TOUCH my vehicle's battery, just for security, I use my trailers Battery, for cooler/lights/inverter/radio

:26_7_2: :26_7_2: JIMBO

 

[Corey]

I like the solar panel, I need to research one of those sometime.

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

For the money you really can't beat the Coleman cooler. Other than the lack of latches they are pretty nice. One thing to note though, they make the Ultimate but they also make the Ultimate Extreme as seen here.

http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-6-Day...e=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1220551690&sr=8-2

It is a better cooler with 2 inches of insulation and it will last as advertised, for 6 days and still have ice left in it.
I had looked at the Icey Tek, galaxy, Icee kool, etc, but for the price I went with the Coleman.

Yeah, but paying almost twice as much for an extra day of cooling? That seems rediculous to me

 

[Backwoods Rambler]

:rappel: I NEVER run down my batteries



I travel alone also and I don't TOUCH my vehicle's battery, just for security, I use my trailers Battery, for cooler/lights/inverter/radio

:26_7_2: :26_7_2: JIMBO

How much did that solar panel run ya?

 

[JIMBO]

:roost: Yo Backwoods, the solar panel is from Northerntool and it was $499.00
it's a 60 watt panel, which puts out about close to 4 amps on full sun

How much did that solar panel run ya?

Having camped with ice and cooler/discomfort, for over 50 years, the cost of the ENGEL and solar and various control circuitry, is OF NO CONCERN TO ME

With the ENGEL, I don't even NEED the panel, but I have many other circuits on the battery, so I'm just staying safe

By the way, I've been retired for 15 years and my family comfort is fairly important to me

ROFSheriffHL: ROFSheriffHL: JIMBO