Is this cool?

[Country Dave]

Is this cool?

I’ve owned a lot of coolers in my lifetime but I’ve yet to own one of the roto molded coolers like Yeti, Engel, Brute and alike. I don’t need to keep ice for five days when I camp/fish it’s seldom more than three days.
But I do like the idea of having a tuff cooler that I can stand on and not worry about crushing the lid. I plan to have 45qt cooler on the boat and it will do dubbed duty as a cooler/casting platform. When not in use as a casting platform it will sit neatly in front of the console and the front deck will be open.

I’ve done a little research and I believe Yeti and Engel are among the top performers, Engel being about $30.00 cheaper than the Yeti. There are some so called independent test out there, this is one I found on You Tube. I don’t think it was all that scientific though. I would have drained the water from each cooler after the first, third, and fifth day and weigh the water from each one. The one with the least amount of water would have been the clear winner.

https://youtu.be/6-TE4RnqT0U

 

[Country Dave]

The test is strait up invalided!

“Hello” I just realized all of the coolers were different sizes. The Engel and Yeti were both 65 quarts but the Igloo was 72 quarts the Coleman was 70 quarts and who knows how big the IRP was. The inner dimensions were it is the most important were all different.

The air spaces in the coolers are different and that renders the test invalid right there. But if that wasn’t enough, a visual inspection of how far the drinks went down is not exactly the most accurate way to see what cooler held ice longer……………… :LOL2:

In order for the test to be valid the coolers all have to have the same inner dimensions and the water would have to be drained from each cooler at the same intervals and the water would have to be measured ether by weight or volume. The cooler with the least amount of water would be the clear winner as it relates to the cooler that keeps ice the longest.

 

[bigwave]

They all have different characteristics. We sell a couple of different kinds. One is a commercial cooler that will hold 2000 lbs of ice for 10 days if you dont open it. There are all kinds of price points for the many coolers. You have to decide what best suits your needs. We are a dealer for frigid rigid....they are the top of the line......and are expensive, but you get what you pay for. You could just as easily buy the new igloo coolers for a tenth of the price....over and over again. It all depends on what your budget is. We are also in the process of looking at a new company out of New England.....price seems to be right and they look bullet proof. I will let you know if we become a dealer.....half the price of the Yeti's.

 

[nomowork]

We have Coleman coolers for our three day fishing trips that keep the fish fresh.

For out one day fishing trips I use a smaller cooler that doubles as a seat. I found it at the Goodwill thrift store for $9! Yes, I'm cheap!

 

[JMichael]

The Yeti coolers have become very popular with the farmers around here recently. Of course they love to talk about their new coolers and how great they are. So, with me being fond of playing the devils advocate, I like to tell them that we need to get some bears before they start worrying about having coolers that are bear tough. :mrgreen:

The other morning down at a popular morning coffee spot, a couple of the farmers were discussing having their coolers stolen out of the back of their truck. One of them is complaining how it's the meth addicts that's stealing them and selling them for a quick fix for their addiction. Then another one jumps up and says they should arrest the @#%$!*# that are buying them because they know it's not right when they buy a Yeti for $100. At that point, one of my friends (who has apparently been around me too much) jumps up and says, "I'll pay them $125 if that will make you feel any better, and it goes down hill from there. :lol: The last thing they want to hear is that the Yeti commercials even show how prone their coolers are to bounce out of the back of a truck and roll down the road, but that doesn't stop us from bringing it up and having a good laugh. :lol:

I found it at the Goodwill thrift store for $9! Yes, I'm cheap!

I like to call it frugal but what the heck, I'm cheap too. And if you've never tried it you might like this one. Ever have a problem with those cheap hinges breaking on your cooler lid long before the cooler is worn out? Get a piece of wide nylon cargo strap (about 2") and cut off a piece about 2" long. Melt the edges so they don't fray/unravel. Now screw that on in place of your plastic hinge using the same screws that previously held the hinge on. They work great, you'll never have to worry about hinges again, and it will never wear out before the cooler does.

 

[Country Dave]

I’m quite certain every cooler manufacture wants to be able to say there coolers keep ice the longest,

I’m sure most of the high end coolers such as “Frigid Rigid” “Yeti” “Engel” “IRP” “Grizzly “and alike are going to be pretty close when it comes to keeping ice the logiest. After watching that You Tube video I just thought it was pretty funny how they structured their test. Now I will note this,” they never said there test was to determine the cooler that kept ice the logiest” but it was implied. Now here is the irony, even though I don’t believe there testing methods were very scientific or gave an accurate result, the test did yield some results and for the most part I agree.

For me a tuff rotomolded cooler is what I’m in the market for because I will be “as I mentioned earlier”, be asking it to double as a casting platform and I need it to seaport my 215lbs butt when I stand on it. So the winner is for my money “Engel” LOL
It’s a tuff rotomolded cooler that will keep ice for a long time and that’s all I need…………………. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[mbweimar]

Dave, I bought a tundra 65 for my boat. I was on the fence between the 45 and 65, because my floor is so narrow. BUT the 65 seems like it would be a lot more stable as a casting platform if there was a little chop on the water.

 

[Country Dave]

Dave, I bought a tundra 65 for my boat. I was on the fence between the 45 and 65, because my floor is so narrow. BUT the 65 seems like it would be a lot more stable as a casting platform if there was a little chop on the water.

Hey thanks mbweimar,

I’m trying to stay as light as possible and while I will on occasion keep a fish or two, most of what I do is catch and release. So I really don’t need a bunch of cooler space. Most of the high end stuff has those little feet/pads on the bottom and helps with stability.
The 65 is good on your 1752?

 

[mbweimar]

It's a little wide, but I don't mind it. I'll see if I can throw a pic up here later.

 

[Country Dave]

It's a little wide, but I don't mind it. I'll see if I can throw a pic up here later.

Ok that would be great, thanks.

 

[Country Dave]

Ok this is more like it. :mrgreen:
https://www.boatdepot.com/productimages/engel/independent%20test%20results.pdf

 

[earl60446]

I thought it was a pretty good test and I agree with their results. It would be pretty hard to find all the coolers in the exact same size but they were pretty close. I have a couple igloos and I always thought they were well built and strong, still do but to stack them again'st a $2-300 cooler ain't really fair but we all know that. If you need to keep ice for 8 days, better spend $300. BTW, those cheap hinges on some coolers can be replaced. I agree with the 1 poster who suggested webbing, I have used heavy canvas folded over to replace mine and it has lasted years.
Tim

 

[Country Dave]

Engel was clearly the winner but how interesting that the Coleman beat out the Yeti. Who would have thunk it. :LOL2: I’d buy the Colman if I could stand on it and not collapse the lid.

 

[Badbagger]

Interesting reading, gotta add a small cooler on mine above and beyond the one in the bow. That's my ice and eatin stuff cooler and a seat. Need a second one for da fishies lmfao.

 

[bigwave]

Engel was clearly the winner but how interesting that the Coleman beat out the Yeti. Who would have thunk it. :LOL2: I’d buy the Colman if I could stand on it and not collapse the lid.

You probably could on the new styles.....heck go to west marine and stand on one. They are roto molded.......nice seals. Engles are good too. You said you mostly catch and release, but you forgot the most important part.......you need to keep the beverages ice cold.......so the mountains stay blue...... the cooler I was talking about is the Yukon.

 

[Country Dave]

Engel was clearly the winner but how interesting that the Coleman beat out the Yeti. Who would have thunk it. :LOL2: I’d buy the Colman if I could stand on it and not collapse the lid.

You probably could on the new styles.....heck go to west marine and stand on one. They are roto molded.......nice seals. Engles are good too. You said you mostly catch and release, but you forgot the most important part.......you need to keep the beverages ice cold.......so the mountains stay blue...... the cooler I was talking about is the Yukon.

The new Colman’s are roto molded? I’ll have to check it out. How is the price on the Yukon comparable?

 

[bigwave]

I am not sure if they are roto molded but they look a good bit stouter than the regular ones. They are cheaper than yeti's.

 

[Country Dave]

I am not sure if they are roto molded but they look a good bit stouter than the regular ones. They are cheaper than yeti's.

Yeti is out of the picture for me now that I have seen mutable independent evaluations that conclude, they don’t perform as well as even some of the much less expensive coolers. I need one that’s going to support my weight so pretty much thinking Engel. :mrgreen: I will check out the new Colmans though.