Favorite cooler under $100

[precision powder]

I have been a Coleman guy all my life. I bought 2 6 day extremes on sale about 5 years ago for less than $40 each. I can bring home a deer in one of them (and sometimes do). I feel they are good value for my money and I like the brand. YMMV.

I like your style! This is clearly why Canadians are the best, also probably why when I had my car I strapped my deer to the roof rack without a second thought. Should have reconsidered it since the car was white though

 

[Joe917]

AO Cooler http://www.aocoolers.com/index.cfm?category=18
The best cooler I have ever used and because its soft sided it can fit almost anywhere.(no affiliation)

 

[Ray Hyland]

Pretty self explanatory here. What is your favorite cooler under $100. I need something new but I cannot justify spending the money on a fridge or a yeti. Something that can do for 2-3 days is plenty. I really do not take that much food that needs to be in a cooler anyway.

Since you are in the powder coating business, I would suggest getting a rusty old coleman or Thermos steel cooler off Craigslist and repainting it to match your truck.

The old coolers had great locks, a screw-in drain, a bottle-opener built into the handles, and way better insulation, since they were not being built to a price-point.

You can get them on Craigslist for less than $100 in great shape, or one that needs repainting for half of that.

This style:






Cheers

Ray

 

[precision powder]

Since you are in the powder coating business, I would suggest getting a rusty old coleman or Thermos steel cooler off Craigslist and repainting it to match your truck.

The old coolers had great locks, a screw-in drain, a bottle-opener built into the handles, and way better insulation, since they were not being built to a price-point.

You can get them on Craigslist for less than $100 in great shape, or one that needs repainting for half of that.

This style:

View attachment 242045

View attachment 242046


Cheers

Ray

That is a great idea, but are the liners glued into them? Every single piece would have to come off the shell for me to do that. The seal, drain, liner, insulation, hinges, etc. Otherwise I would probably be limited to me cerakoting it and doing a low temp 180 degree cure. Which actually probably would be a great idea since it would shed the excess heat from the outside and add an even greater insulating value to it.

 

[KlausVanWinkle]

Any trip that would be long enough for me to need something like that would actually be during hunting season (likely bird or rabbit season) and I would be cooking what I get each day and smoke what I did plan to eat with the addition of fish. I know it is an old life style but I enjoy using the land to my advantage and living off it when possible.

Fridges are great but they're a whole other world. If you don't see the need for one, then you probably don't need one.

It's nice to not have everything floating in ice and to be able to easily restock the beer stash. They also take up a lot less room than coolers with a similar capacity.

 

[mep1811]

Omaha steak cooler and it is free.

I also like the iglo marine coolers.

I've yet to see a Omaha steak cooler that was free and not filled with a couple of hundred dollars of steaks.

 

[JD914]

I picked up a Coleman 12v cooler for under $100 that I've been pretty happy with:
Coleman 40-Quart PowerChill Thermoelectric Cooler with Power Cord, Black/Silver https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008GOBG1Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_EVk-tb0C69JSK

I plug it into my rear 12v socket and let it run the entire weekend, unplugging it at night only. It keeps everything nice and cool, without it getting soggy from melting ice.

 

[Concours14]

I have had good luck with the Colman extreme coolers. We live in the desert and when we take the MH to the beach in the summer for a trip I use a Coleman for drinks. I fill the cooler (which sits in a 110f garage) with warm drinks fill it with ice place it in the back of a Commander (integral temp 150-170f) and go to the beach. The cooler sits out side and the ice lasts 3 days before needing more ice. I know I could get longer times pre chilling the ice but MH trips are to RV parks so ice is always close. My point is the extreme coolers do well even under less than ideal usage.

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

Regardless of brand, most cooler lids are hollow. I have had luck filling the lids with a little expanding foam insulation. Great Stuff I believe is the brand name.

I have also considered making an insulated fabric cover, like they make for fridges, but my sewing skills need work...

Another cooler tip we have learned. Keep drinks in a seperate cooler. That cooler gets opened a lot. That way the cooler with perishables only gets opened a couple times a day.

 

[precision powder]

Maybe I will do 2 small ones. I personally drink room temp water so cold water is not an issue. I do like ice with my whiskey though so that is important

 

[Mighty Dodge Ram]

Coleman Ultimate Extreme. Mixture of block and cubes and perhaps just a bit of dry ice for the long run. I use a quilted furniture pad to cover it for extra insulation. Next step up will require multiple C-notes. :sombrero:

 

[Xrunner]

Another vote for the Coleman extreme. I used one for a few years before moving to a 12v fridge.

They are slightly larger outside due to the extra insulation than a similarly sized regular coolers. Doesn't usually matter though unless space is a price concern.

 

[precision powder]

Do you guys think it would be beneficial for my to ceramic coat the whole thing when I get one? I will probably pick up a Coleman extreme. In theory it should insulate it from outside temperatures in the same way it keeps exhaust manifolds cooler.

 

[Kmrtnsn]

Before our Mojave trip this Spring we bought an Igloo Super Tough Sportsman 72qt cooler. This cooler blew away our Coleman classic in its ability to retain cold. We still had 75% of the day one ice we packed on day three. Not bad performance, especially in 90 degree temperatures. This series appears to me to be the marine series, but with a bright orange interior and a green exterior. I'd recommend them for the price.

 

[precision powder]

Well good news. I ended up getting a new cooler today, well new to me. I was over at my parents house and was talking about going to buy one and my mom gave me her old 12v igloo cooler that she used to use on trips. I verified it does turn on, as I can hear the fan running. I do need to run it tomorrow for a few hours to make sure it gets cold still. I am thinking it is in the 36-40qt range. Maybe a bit bigger? I guess technically these are considered iceless coolers and they cool based on thermostatic difference if I read right. It is designed to cool 40 degrees below the outside temp. How this will do when my jeep is off for the night I am not sure but I will find out this weekend. I do plan to bring enough foods that do not need to be cooled so if something goes wrong it will not be a huge deal.