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Best Cooler For Camping?

manuel palmer

manuel palmer

Newbie
just curious to see what camping cooler everyone uses. Last year I used storage tubs and it sucked. So this time considering about YETI Tundra 35 and Coleman Xtreme. I've heard a lot about Coleman.
Now I need your suggestions...plz help
 
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I have an Rtic that I like a lot. It is Yeti styled but at least half the price.

The real key, no matter what cooler you have, is pre-cooling it down 24 hours before leaving with sacrificial ice/blue ice that you replace with new when loading the cooler.

Another thing I've been doing this summer is freezing half gallon milk containers and using a couple of them. I do not fill them all the way up and leave the lid loose when putting them in the freezer. I tighten the lids after they the water freezes. They seem to last longer in the blocks rather than ice cubes.

That's my 2 cents. You mileage may vary.
 
Really like our Yeti 35 - these rotomolded coolers really do work!
It fits in the galley for traveling, keeps things real cold. We use it for all the spoilage-sensitive foods.
-But-
It’s not enough for our style of camping. We also have a conventional igloo cooler in our tow vehicle for beverages and bulky salad materials & vegetables that aren’t so likely to spoil.

I may upgrade the drinks&vegs cooler to a rotomolded cooler in the 45-60qt range. The best for the price looks to be ordering an Ozark Trail for pickup at my local Walmart.
 
Inside galley Orca 26 quart, under Honda Ridgeline Tonneau Cover, Canyon 55 quart. Both coolers were better than Coleman . Canyon actually seems better than Orca.
 
We just got a Canyon Cooler 35. It will accommodate a wine bottle (or beer growler) standing up (Yeti 35 & 45 are just a bit too short). VERY snug fit in the cooler space - we had to cut off the rubber feet - they could probably be pulled off but it was delivered as we were locking up the camper to leave so we took the path of least resistance. I'm probably going to have to rig up some kind of pull strap on the front of the cooler - it's too snug in the space to use the side handles. Cooler table will not fit on top, but we just angle it on top of the stowed dining table, toward the cabinet side (to keep it out of the way of the hatch lift and light fixture). We got ours for $169.99 on Amazon about two weeks ago (now $189.99). We also have a Yeti 35 and I have to say, I like the Canyon Cooler much better - not only will it hold a growler upright, I like the more streamlined shape (sandstone color is kind of speckley), it's 2/3 the price, and ice lasted considerably longer - couple three days compared to maybe one full day. No prep, just dump a bag of gas station ice on top of the beer. Lifetime guarantee. Not made in the US anymore - ours was made in Vietnam.

* Edit (10/23/19): Just wanted to say, the Canyon 35 will fit in the galley spot with the rubber feet intact.
 
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Manuel,

For what it is worth, we are very pleased with our stock stainless steel Coleman in the quilted jacket (came with CI). For anything 4-days or less it is our go-to option due to simplicity, ease of use, and storage volume. We have a Dometic, but it is a bit of a hassle by comparison. I have not tried any of the other coolers mentioned here so cannot compare.

Cheers,
--Ken
 
We picked up a 52qt Ozark Trail roto cooler at Walmart today. In stock at $123. It turns out that this is a Walmart house brand.

Since we were prepping for a trip, I snapped a few photos. The white cooler is a Yeti 35qt which *does* fit in the galley of the CI. The gray cooler is the new 52.

The Yeti gets used right where it is, for cooking. the Ozark will travel in the TV, but comes out at the campsite for beverage service and the bulkier vegetables, fruits, and salad materials.

Can you spot Gumby? Pokey is just out of the shot.

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I bought a 26 qt. ORCA, and it fit in the galley (the only difference is that the counter doors would not stay propped open with the ORCA in place. It is a small cooler, but it worked fine for two people on a 5 day trip. We stayed in a campground outside of Durango in July. Outside temperatures reached 90 F. We still had ice when we got home, and I did not worry about any of our food spoiling. We did not open the cooler frequently throughout the day. We opened it to prepare breakfast and make our lunches, and then again in the evening when we were cooking dinner.

I bought the ORCA because it does really well in comparison tests for ice retention and bear resistance, and was hundreds less expensive than the Yeti. I believe it is also manufactured in the U.S., which I also like. The interior of the ORCA is smaller than the Coleman, but it also needed less ice and kept things cooler longer, so I would say it was a net benefit.

I initially was thinking that a refrigerator cooler was important, but having camped in ours several times over the past year, I have to say that I am glad not to be spending battery life on a refrigerator, as we haven't needed it.
 
Jenn said:
Always temperature dependent and how much and what is in the cooler and the direction the galley faces...so i would say block ice lasts 4 to 5.
Click to expand...
That's why you hardly ever see it for sale anymore, they want you to buy more cubes!, but with a little planning you can make your own blocks in containers you can size to best fit your needs.:)
 
Ken & Peggy said:
No it won't. The trailer measures roughly 24.25 wide, and 15.5 both deep and tall.
Click to expand...
I don't travel with any sort of frige or cooler in the galley. It gets too hot in there to run the frige and I usually want access to what's in the cooler.
 
Jenn,

Great idea with the dry bag!!... I have used plastic containers when I make my own blocks of ice - and then put new blocks or cubes in them when on the road - always leaving the cold water with the ice. Metal Coleman with Cooler Cozy gets me 4+ days as you say.... but the plastic containers seem to leak water when sloshing around on the road - Dry bag sounds like it would absolutely solve that. Have you ever made a block of ice in the dry bag? Can you say which brand of 10L bag?Thank you.

BTW - I keep a Yeti 50 in the TV and do the same with a large plastic container I freeze at home and leave the water in... just did 6 days with that and still plenty cold.

Best

Dave K
 
BTW - if you are using a Cooler Cozy from CI - you might consider placing a small string between the two zippers... it makes it easier to unzip/zip the Cozy especially when in the tight quarters in the TD slot. String needs to be slightly longer than the cooler is wide - mine is about 30 in long.
 
Has anyone looked at RUGID 35 quart? It looks like it will JUST fit in the galley space. The side table "pegs" for travel may have to be pulled out 1/4 inch but I think will still work. It's less expensive then YETI, but the biggest draw seems to be that it holds 12 quarts more inside. The side are straighter then yet, so more space. I saw a video ice test where RUGID out performed YETI. Wondering if anyone else has considered?
 
We use the Coleman cooler with the quilted jacket in the galley. We keep the items that don't require as much cooling in that cooler-vegetables, condiments, etc. In the TV we have a Yeti 65. We don't move the Yeti. I freeze blocks of ice in the mixed nuts containers we get at Costco or Aldi’s. When traveling we simply put ice cubes in the containers after the block ice melts. We bought the Yeti at REI during their spring sale when we could use our 20% off coupon.
 
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