Kitchen "Cooler Niche"

The Camp-Inn kitchen “cooler niche” appears to have been designed specifically to accommodate the Coleman 54 quart cooler. The Coleman measures 24-1/4” long by 16-3/4” deep by 16-3/4” high. Therefore, different coolers must be equal to or less than each dimension of the Coleman measurements.

Correct me if there are tolerances that provide for exceeding of any of the Coleman dimensions. I have not made my pilgrimage to Necedah or even glimpsed a Camp-Inn in person. Exact measurements of the “cooler niche” are unknown to me. The diagram on the Camp-Inn website (in the FAQ section for determining cooler fit) is misleading, as it would not provide adequate space for the Coleman 54. The Camp-Inn diagram suggests an envelope with a maximum depth of 16” and maximum height of 16”, and yet the Coleman measurements exceeds both depth and height dimensions. Hence, I’m in the dark.

I really like the idea of a Yeti cooler for the CampInn trailers following reasons:

(1) cooler can be stowed in the trailer kitchen when the back hatch is down on a hot day (reported “shutdown” problems with the Dometic Refrigerator due to overheating),
(2) no drainage on the battery when AC power is unavailable, and
(3) ice will last much longer than conventional coolers, which good for longer trips.

The Yeti Model 35 dimensions are 21” long by 16” deep by 15-1/2” high, and it fits in the allocated space. However, there is a lot of gap by going with this Yeti model, especially the length.

The Yeti Model 45 is a real teaser, because the dimensions are 25-1/4” long by 16” deep by 15-1/2” high. The length exceeds the Coleman by 1”.

The Yeti Model 50 has the dimensions of 24” long by 17-3/8” deep by 18-1/8” high. The length is just right, but the depth and height may present a problem closing the back hatch and/or the stowage of the tables.

Yeti makes other models, but they are bigger.

Mr. fpoole (Frank) has a Yeti 35. I wonder if he came to the same conclusion that the kitchen niche dimensional restrictions only accommodate the Model 35.

Maybe we could get Yeti to make a special cooler 1” shorter than the Model 45 and call it the “Teardrop Model”.

 

Yeti coolers are nice, but they serve a niche market since their their cost is hard to justify for the typical camper.

I can see the benefits of a Yeti if you camp by floatplane or take rafting trips down the Grand Canyon, but a CampInn requires a tow vehicle so anywhere you go you have access to transportation should you need ice replenishment.

You can buy an awful lot of ice for the price of a Yeti

 

We have 2 Yeti Coolers and wouldn't give them up. They keep ice days longer than other coolers. We have reversed storage areas. We keep the Yeti in the towing vehicle, and use the traditional cooler in the Camp Inn for food which doesn't require cooler temperatures such as sugar, coffee, etc.... We have used the cooler cozy and it does extend the traditional cooler ice replenishment by 1/2 day.

 

We have the Dometic and the Coleman. Typically use the Dometic on trips where we know we will have access to ac power while parked. Use the Coleman on trips with limited access to ac power, where we know we have to depend on ice.

It is nice not having to deal with ice all the time.

The Yeti looks like a nice unit,

 

Thanks for sharing experiences. Has anyone put a tape measure to the actual width of the cooler area?

 

I just went out to the garage and measured my cooler area. I got 24-1/4" wide by 15-1/2" deep (stopping measurement exactly where the stainless steel side walls stop) by 17-1/2" tall (that's measuring with our Coleman 54 qt cooler in place with the side table sitting on top of it--to give you an idea how tall the cooler area can fit and the hatch still close fine).

 

Mark n Casandra. Thank you so much, those measurements confirm that the Yeti 35 is the only cooler of the three Yeti models in consideration (listed in the first post) that will fit the kitchen niche.

The method used by Van and Terri makes a lot of sense. If I follow their technique, than I wouldn't be limited to the smallest Yeti cooler. At first glance I didn't fully appreciate their methodology, but it makes perfect sense now.

 

OP (Old Prospector)
Yea, the 35 fits in right nice-like....

There's about 2 " clearance on the sides, and you can put the side table on top, just like they do with the Coleman coolers...

The only small draw back is the "Sticky feet" on the cooler (actually a good thing) as you have to push a little to put it in place... I use mine all the time... heheh, I have to, it's my "Beer Cooler"...

I thought I had a pic, but don't. Anyway, they fit just right.. and allows for the back table to lay just as it does with the Coleman...

ps. I also have the bigger 75? and swapped out the sticky feet for the smooth ones to shove into the back of truck.. it was a real bear to do that when loaded. Works great now...

 

A couple of additional things to consider:

1.) The internal dimensions of a Yeti are much smaller than than a comparable sized Coleman due to the increased insulation. That means less food in the same space.
Yeti 35 = 7.2 gal (28.8 qt)
Yeti 45 = 9.4 gal (37.6 qt)
Yeti 50 = 11.8 gal (47.5 qt)
vs
Coleman 54 = 10.6 gal (42.4 qt)

2.) They are heavy

3.) Yeti's perform well if you pre-chill them and keep them closed. If you open them up routinely you will find that they don't last much longer than a cheap Coleman.

4.) The cost (and status factor) have made Yeti coolers high-theft items.

As stated earlier, Yeti's are nice if your need can justify the cost. Other than bragging rights, I just don't see the need when it comes to car camping.

 

Yah, I'd have to say they keep ice about 30-40% longer depending...

I'll take the Coleman out for colder temps to keep the beer from freezing... and even on a 3 day cool weekend, but anything longer and summer/warmer temps, the Yeti, hands down...

Well worth it IMNSHO, for anything longer than a 3 day'er... and if you're planning on camping for a while, with the Camp Inn, it's assumed you are...

 

A person can easily go off grid in the Rocky Mountain States. If I was out chipping away at rocks for 5-6 days in the summer (no hook ups and a two hour drive each way for supplies), a cooler that will function longer does have value.

Frank is correct that I would be out for a while and not want to go to town just because I needed buy ice to keep the food cold.

Mind you I’m just in the thinking stages, but using dry ice, the Yeti could be your freezer. Pre-planned meals for Days 4, 5, and 6 and a reserve block of ice would be in the freezer. Then meals and ice would be transferred to the daily cooler as needed. It’s a certainty that I will be purchasing a Yeti cooler, and I want to ensure that it fits in the kitchen cooler niche.

The initial purpose of this thread was to see what would fit. However, this thread is becoming a gold mine of information; so please keep posting experiences and opinions on what works for you. I’m kind of like a sponge at the moment, just soaking up all the gems of shared information.

 

My recommendation, based on your stated usage (ignoring cost) is to buy the biggest Yeti that will fit into your tow vehicle and keep the Coleman in the CampInn.
Pre-chill the Yeti before you embark on an adventure, fill it with frozen food and frozen water bottles (instead of ice) top it off with dry ice to keep everything below 32*

After 2-3 days when you've depleted the contents of the Coleman, restock from the Yeti. Open the Yeti once each day and take out everything you need for that day. The Coleman doesn't have to keep food frozen. It just needs to keep food cool. (basically treating the Coleman as your refrigerator and the Yeti as your Freezer.) Frozen foods can defrost safely and frozen water bottles become drinkable in the Coleman.

A smaller Yeti (as a straight replacement for a Coleman) will not have enough volume & thermal mass to store food / ice for more than a couple of days anyway (negating the objective of avoiding trips back to civilization), especially if it is you 'go-to' cooler for everything.

For most people, the Coleman works well for 2-3 days and fits well in it's intended space. No reason to re-invent the wheel. If you stay out longer simply restock with fresh food and new ice – rinse and repeat.

 

Sorry to inject this into the Yeti discussion, but for my money, the best off-grid strategy is a Dometic and a solar panel. We've been in the boonies for a week with no problem. The Dometic holds what must be refrigerated and we carry extra food that can be kept unrefrigerated, like fruit, certain vevegetables, canned or packaged stuff, breads, etc. Our 120w folding solar panel keeps the battery charged, even in partial sun or overcast. Simple. No ice.

 

Here are some pics if that would help, but "Chaos" has the right idea.


As I said, I use them a little differently, but the main idea would be to only open the "Big one" once a day or less and the Coleman holds more but if you're just loading daily stuff, it might be too big. The more loaded/packed the coolers are, less dead air space, the cooler they will be.

I have a friend who does use Dry Ice and swears by it. I suppose after the first couple of tries it would probably be better. Yeti claims you can drop dry ice and it won't affect the cooler at all.. heheh, I'd have to still wrap it until I got used to it.

Note the cooler dimensions are smaller at the bottom.





Anyway, luv the coolers. There's another thread on this somewhere, you might try searching for "Yeti" as someone did try the 45qt and it was just a hair to big.. I would have gotten it if it fit. 35qt works for me.

More pics here

Hope that helps...

ps. I'm not sure what the "Status" thing is... they're expensive cause they keep stuff cooler and are built to last. They can be secured, they have a locking cable if desired.

Kewl...
heheh, it's the name of the game...

Oh, and Mother Nature helps too at times..
Really kewl... heheheh...





fun..

 

Thanks everybody. As far as dry ice, I would definitely wrap in butcher paper (newspaper has been known to transfer ink to plastic materials), and never just drop dry ice inside. The temperature of dry ice is -110º F. Direct contact with the inside surface of the cooler would be questionable, especially if the dry ice would bond to the cooler skin material, even temporarily until it sublimed. Strength, fatigue, and reaction properties are generally not specified for most materials at this extreme temperature. The good news is that CO2 is mostly inert because it's in a full oxidation state. It is possible that dry ice might contain a minute amount of impurities that could be reactive. Hence, the butcher paper ensures no direct contact.

 

I like my Yeti, but I will say that this summer, going through Cali and the SW, I was struggling to find dry/hot ice in many places and had to resort to regular ice, which didn't hold up as well as I had hoped. Even towns outside of national parks didn't carry the dry ice because they couldn't get their hands on it. They said they had loads of people asking for it every day. Granted, in some places we were dealing with temps as high as 110 degrees (and hotter in the car). We were burning through it fast, and I had the Yeti packed as recommended: pre-cooled and all frozen foods in there along with dry ice. It was a bit crazy! Everything was defrosted in a week and I had bought dry ice 3 times and it was gone.

One other issue to remember is using dry ice in your Yeti in the car can increase the CO2 in the car itself and you need to be careful you have good air flow to eliminate any poisoning. We opened the windows every so often just to move the air around a bit.

I love my Dometic and never leave home without it. If I had to chose, I would pick that over a Yeti. Just my 2 cents.

 

Jim and Ani,

This is good to hear. We ordered the Dometic and are thinking of a 100w Renogy solar set-up. Encouraging to hear of your success with your arrangement.

 

Yum!!