what brand of cooler is best to keep your drinks cold

[rsdata]

Have the same one and works great. Ice is damp though so if you take out and put in freezer it will need banged around to get smaller chunks.

You are right there... I use a 2.5 gallon zip lock bag to put the cubes in then place in freezer after each dump of cubes... each time I take it out of the freezer I drop it on the floor to break up the previous batch that froze to itself... but in the end I can usually gain 5-6# of ice in the freezer every day it works and that includes ice for the drinks...



before buying the ice machine I was chasing all the "Twice the ICE" vending machines I could find

[rsdata]

Following this so we can pick up a powered one for outside. Mamma likes her vodka cold

have you thought about an outside dorm fridge? I used to use one in my popup... small and light weight

[carlsbad]

Originally Posted by rsdata

any cooler will do as long as you have a $99 ice machine and electric... bought mine about 3 years ago and is one of the first things I plug in at camp... it makes about 6-8 pounds a day ( we don't tend to it at night)... downside it needs re-filled with water and ice taken out about every 90 minutes, but mine chugs away 24-7 for usually a week or 2 at a time

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-Igloo-ICE...ice+cube+maker

I guess if I have the AC power to run an ice maker I could just run a fridge and not worry about an ice chest?

[rsdata]

I guess if I have the AC power to run an ice maker I could just run a fridge and not worry about an ice chest?

I sometimes pack a small cooler to the beach, or a day trip with some drinks or a snack and the ice machine comes in handy for that... plus the occasional margarita...

[carlsbad]

Originally Posted by rsdata

I sometimes pack a small cooler to the beach, or a day trip with some drinks or a snack and the ice machine comes in handy for that... plus the occasional margarita...

Margaritas? Why didn't you just say so?! :grin:

[PARADOX-SEV]

Gave my son the Yeti and got me a new 45qt Siberian Alpha. 😁

[Gumpster808]

Got the Coleman 40 qt from amazon couple days ago. Had a deal on the cooler with ac adapter for like $89.

Tried it today and in about 4 hours it was down 40 degrees less than temp in the house. Will be taking on a two week trip soon to use outside camper to minimize trips in and out for drinks.

Better than dorm fridge for us since can plug in when just taking Jeep on road trip too.

[woodyrock1]

I was tired of having to get a sleeve of ice every few days so I recently bought a Galanz 3.5 Cu.FT refrigerator to keep outside. Of course if I am not where there is an electric source I will have to stick with my cheap igloo cooler to keep the beverages cold. I am thinking that I will need to put a hasp lock on the door to keep the critters out.

[Larry123]

My wife & I have done a lot of research on this. Just to let you know 1 thing before you purchase ! Be sure you check the warranty ! A lot of people think Yeti is the best ! NOT ! It seems like everyone is coming out with them. There are several new ones they have come out with since we bought 1 ! We ended up going with Igloo Sportsmen !

[Larry123]

If anyone has the time go to what ever brand name they are wanting or thinking about & look up the warranty theirselves !

[CTGREG]

Buy a small dometic ice maker. one paid for itself after the first year of usage.

[markb422]

Would buy a dometic 12 volt fridge/freezer if they did not cost so much. So we continue to rotate ice cube trays trough the MH freezer every third of fourth day depending on outside temps. I looked at the yeti or similar cooler and thought if I could pay $400+ for one of those, I would better just pay the extra for the dometic 12 volt fridge. Instead we bought what we thought to be a bargain walmart brand ozark trails and got disappointed with that. Got better ice retention with our old Coleman extreme.

[brusso]

A friend of mine has a get to and I have the same size really world brand. We camp together all the time. They both are very comparable as far as ice usage. The difference is I payed $190 and he payed $450. Even if his was a little better, which it is not, I would still be happy with mine. At $3 a bag I could buy about 85 bags for the $260 difference.

The yetti is no different then any other cooler. You have to pre chills it for 24 hours, and then, put already cold items in it. You need to keep it out of direct Sun. Open it as little as possible, and most important, make use that when you close it, it is closed tight.

I love my wally world brand yetti. I have an igloo extreme and it works fine, but the yetti like cooked a are a little better. But I will not pay yetti prices.

[markb422]

Looking at the ozark trail coolers you would think they would work great. Thick walls that I assume are filled with insulation. The clamp down lid with gasket that should make it near air tight. I keep gallon jugs of ice in the freezer at home to pre-chill the cooler even overnight the night before we go. The day we go, I first insert a gallon sized block of ice then all of the bottles and cans that have been in the fridge for at least 24 hours. I top off with ice cubes to the brim. First time using it was in the fall up north Michigan with temps hitting low 70's, daytime, and low 40's at night. I would have thought the ice would last us through a long weekend. I know our old Coleman Extreme would have done better.
The reason I bought the 30 qt. "wally cooler" was the Coleman is 48 qt that I bought when the kids still camped with us and is larger, and heavier when filled, than we need.
Just very thankful we did not spend $450 for a cooler that is only marginally, if at all, better than our Coleman Extreme.

[Jakieboy]

We have used a Koolatron 12-volt plug-in cooler for many years. Keeps drinks cold as long as you remember to plug it in while traveling. They also offer a 120-volt AC/12-volt DC power supply, but they don't last very long. We use an automotive battery charger, costs less than the Koolatron, and seems to last forever.

[TonyShope]

Why a YETI.

I have a $800+ dollar YETI for only one reason. I travel and fish/Hunt.

Folks are only partially correct here about other top end coolers.

The thing that makes the Yeti better for a sportsman (Me a YETI 260) is that once I get her cold before the hunt or fishing/trapping trip, she will maintain below freezing of my catch for up to 12 days traveling through temps above 70.

So there are many reasons not to own one.

As I have aged I choose my presents to me. When the kids were raised we had the reward of rewarding them at Christmas, BDAY etc.

Then since I retired I find myself purchasing the Best North Face gear, the pair of boots etc that are the best of the best.

You get what you pay for.

I enjoy my treats to self. I would not bet my life on anything sold at Wally World.

It is all perspective and personal usage.

[RangeMaggotBob]

It's just like the continuing debate about generators. Honda/Yamaha is the best out there. Yeti is the best cooler made. There will be lots of arguments both ways; everybody compares products to these two gold standards. That being said, I personally have no use for a Yeti cooler. I have a fridge in my RV and a small cooler for my beer. Good enough for who it's for...