The... Perfect Cooler

[OTRA15]

FYI the Yeti company has gone public. See the renewed discussion in this Yeti thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f484...rs-171771.html

Happy Trails!

Peter

PS -- Post #8 here in this thread:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Are Yeti coolers still made overseas?

Pelican coolers are made in the USA, and also get good reviews:

https://www.pelicancoolers.com/colle...-color-coolers

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...elican+coolers

Users report that the Pelican positive latching system is easier to use than the Yeti rubber "shock cord" style latching system.
. . .

[Papatango]

No OtterBox love on this thread yet!


We purchased 2 OtterBox coolers in mid 2018, a 45 and a smaller soft sided (forget the size), that sits behind the console of the truck for snacks, beverages, etc.


They are designed in Ft Collins, CO (my home town), and manufactured in Detroit, MI.



They perform well in all the tests we read (and we did a ton of research). The hard sided is bear proof (with special lock), and is build really well. The color combos available were nice as well.



The 45 will keep things cool for many days without pre-chilling, and as long as we've ever wanted (7 days) with pre-chilling. I particularly like the dividers that come with it, and there are some nifty accessories available.



Have enjoyed reading the ENTIRE thread up till now. Hope everyone is staying cool!

[rmkrum]

Hm. Didn’t know OtterBox made coolers. They’re been great at phone cases and saved our family mucho phone damage. Like the time DW dropped hers into a gutter full of water not 30 minutes after I put the case on her shiny new phone.

[coloradoup]

Great thread,love the humor! Had to get to the last post to decide. Otter box on sale now @ Costco.com. Thanks!

[snow]

We bought the Otterbox with the Costco discount. Haven't tried yet - I'll let you know what we think later this Spring.

[Bill M.]

I have only had my Yeti for a little while and I really do not like it much. So for me it is not the "perfect cooler". Too bulky and heavy and hard to open. My wife really hates it. Plus she fusses at me because it cost a lot. I will probably end up buying another cheap cooler with a drain and add ice every day. But I really could not find one when I got the Yeti and had to buy a cooler on short notice around Christmas to transport our medicines. I guess I just bought the wrong thing.

[OTRA15]

Otterbox covers for phones are great, so expect the coolers are as well:

https://www.otterbox.com/en-us/venture-coolers.html
Accessories: https://www.otterbox.com/en-us/ventu...ml#accessories

In particular the locking clasps look very good, in contrast to the Yeti rubber system . . . and closer to the Pelican ones.

Originally Posted by Ray Eklund

. . .
What does this have to do with coolers? Hell if I know.
. . .

Ray . . . any familiarity with these coolers? Your last posts were in November . . . everything OK?

Happy trails, all.

Peter

[gypsydad]

Well, I got my Yeti's last year with a 40% discount, so not looking to sink another couple hundred for this unit, but it looks pretty sweet! I saw this last year at BestBuy and thought it was very nice with the attachments. The Yeti system "ice" blocks are also a great idea since they last a long time, will re-freeze in your freezer in an hour (even our AS freezer overnight), so we carry 4; 2 in cooler to keep drinks cold and 2 in freezer ready to replace. Perhaps other types do the same, we never checked. Our son told us about the Yeti ice so we got 4 of these icepacks up front.

I know our older "Grizzly" brand would keep ice for 5 days when full of ice and drinks, but still, it gets old buying ice and "heavy" carrying when full.

[Ray Eklund]

Returned from a Tent Camping trip with the Walmart Ozark Trail ice chest/cooler, purchased for just Boondock Tent Camping.

Two ten pound pressed together ice 'blocks' put into the cooler April 28th, contents added for trip for that day. The blocks were still melting when we returned May 4th.

We used the melt water for the two Blue Heeler's water bowl.

Albertson's sell only the 10 pound blocks of pressed ice pieces. Not the Clear Ice blocks that I have had better luck for use in a cooler (cheap cooler). The lid is air tight when closed and latched. To release water from it, break the seal to improve the flow by slightly opening it. The rest is pure common sense.

Eggs... on rough roads the contents get the Shake, Rattle and Roll. In the dozen egg foam carton, the eggs will crack. Inserted a paper towel within the carton and that took care of the only issue. We are going to get a plastic container to replace those used in the store. There is a small sliding rack in this cooler, but too small for egg cartons. Never considered this as an issue, but the learning curve for food storage otherwise was in sealable plastic bags.

Someone may suggest plastic containers with sealable lids for other items. That is second on our list of things to get.

I am happy with the cooler. It can take a beating in the back of a pickup truck. The cooler is heavy, so it is nice that two people have handles to lift it into the bed of a 1 ton Ford F350, when full.

Any cooler larger than this... with ice and added contents, you may want to down size your cooler, unless you have a trick to get it into a tall 4x4 truck!

You can sit on this cooler. You can step on this cooler to get into the back of the pickup truck. Would I do purchase this cooler, again?

Hell NO!!!!

This cooler is going to out live me. I won't need a second one.

[CCharbonneau]

Originally Posted by JMynes

I bought a Yeti 45 a couple years ago. I chose the 45 because it fits behind the front seats in the Crew Cab the long way, leaving more space for the dog bed.
The cooler performs well. I like it. Best cooler I’ve ever had.

I agree. I have a few in different sizes.

[ITSNO60]

Ray EKlund do you think the Ozark Trails cooler is the same as the Walmart Lifetime cooler? Been thinking about getting one.

[OTRA15]

Re-posting #8 from last October, with a plug for Pelican . . . made in the USA, and a better latching system IMO.

Happy trails,

Peter

Originally Posted by OTRA15

Are Yeti coolers still made overseas?

Pelican coolers are made in the USA, and also get good reviews:

https://www.pelicancoolers.com/colle...-color-coolers

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...elican+coolers

Users report that the Pelican positive latching system is easier to use than the Yeti rubber "shock cord" style latching system.

Stay cool!



PS -- Plenty of helpful comments in these earlier cooler threads:

https://www.google.com/search?q=cool...=airforums.com

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by ITSNO60

Ray EKlund do you think the Ozark Trails cooler is the same as the Walmart Lifetime cooler? Been thinking about getting one.

****

When we purchased three plastic egg carton holders, Walmart had two stout coolers. The Ozark Trail and then one that seemed a lighter version and about 30% less in price.

Our intent was getting 5 to 7 days of use before restocking ice and the Ozark Trail did fine. Tent camping requires more canned meat products, but not a whole lot of perishable foods that do well in a cooler.

Those with a Dometic Refrigerator in their trailer... and need one or two coolers must really like eating or have a large family traveling. When young and ignorant, I could get by with a smaller inexpensive cooler to keep soda's cold. The rest were dry or canned food. Collecting fossils in the Badlands of western Nebraska was remote... but towns were close to restock.

Much like wrist watches. An inexpensive watch keeps just as much information, like date, seconds and accurate time as a Corum $20 Liberty Gold Coin from 1900 and a 20k gold band. Coolers... for most of us can use the same comparison.

Frugality at best. I take my 44 ounce truck stop plastic drink cups, triple them up for 'triple insulation', get the refill while driving for 49 to 99 cents and the ice hangs on for hours. Picking up loose coins on the street or near a cash register is my savings account. Sometimes penny pinching has its advantages.

Bought two Airstreams over the years... cash. Wheel barrows are handy, also.

[gypsydad]

My, this is an older thread/question for sure...having owned Coleman's, Igloo's, Yeti "knock off" Mammoth, and now a real Yeti 65qt., I can agree with Ray that the Dometic in the AS works pretty darn well comparatively….

Seriously, the Mammoth worked much better at keeping ice for 4-5 days, over the Coleman and Igloo. The Yeti now on two trips to the cabin in MT from Austin over 9 days, using only the Yeti ice packs, kept the contents (beer from my son's brewery in Austin) cold when we arrived...never opened entire trip and it was hot in TX (95) and cold in Tetons/Yellowstone at night, but warm during the day. Is it worth the price? No, but I was able to get 40% discount...still, a lot of money and I am sure there are a few Yeti "knock offs" for less $$ that would do just as well.

We have used these Yeti ice packs several times while traveling with the AS. They are light weight, freeze in about an hour in the freezer or will also freeze up under bagged ice pretty well, and last a long time. Trick in any of these heavy duty coolers is to keep them full...air is the enemy if your using just ice...

The 65qt is bigger then we need and often just take a smaller Yeti with us, but on longer camp trips, we load it up and leave it in the bed of the truck. Works well for beverages but Dometic is prime food cooler for us.

[KK4YZ]

The Dometic fills up quickly if you like to take a lot of drinks. Probably all of the rotomolded coolers like Yeti, Pelican and the like work about the same. I like the Pelican because of the latches are mechanical instead of the rubber thingies.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

. . .
I like the Pelican because of the latches are mechanical instead of the rubber thingies.

^^^^^ x2

We will go Pelican when we get a super cooler. [See earlier posts for details and links]

Peter

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

The Dometic fills up quickly if you like to take a lot of drinks. Probably all of the rotomolded coolers like Yeti, Pelican and the like work about the same. I like the Pelican because of the latches are mechanical instead of the rubber thingies.

*****
I probably would like the mechanical latches as well. When a latch breaks, replace it with an elastic latch. If the elastic latch breaks... oh well. To me it is liking one color over another. If the cooler was clear... probably make everyone ill from looking.

It takes a bit of a tug to get the elastic latches on and off.

I figure if they go bad in ten or fifteen years, I will put a fence latch that can have a lock, so my brother cannot get into it when he is thirsty.

[Airtandem]

I'll throw another cooler in the mix; try the Rtic coolers. There is an upto 50% discount going on.
I have the 40 soft pack that works very well.
The son does some guiding (fish & hunt) in Texas and is now using them in both hard and soft side.

mj

[ROBERT CROSS]

Our AS has a reefer, of all the reefers I've tried it's still one of the best...it has never failed to light.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN_MPr_CFbY

Bob
🇺🇸

[OTRA15]

"Cool" Bob, thanks! What a talent he was.

May I reefer you to the OTRA II music thread for more JW material?



Peter