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  • Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

    I am trying to decide on a Cooler. Thought I would make a thread on this regarding opinions to their favorite one.

    I need a new cooler and thought about a new Colemane steel belt or a vintage one. Thoughts on this, or should I go a different route?


  • #2
    Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

    Looks good to me, depending on how long one will be camping. After three to five days, ice may have to be replaced.

    BTW: Here a link to the same question asked last year. It's always good to bring your question to light, there may be a new and better product(s) on the market, etc. The link is is just food for thought to this endless debate. Thanks for posting up your concerns.
    http://www.campingforums.com/forum/s...your-food-cold
    Last edited by renodesertfox; 06-25-2012, 10:36 AM.
    Get campin', Renodesertfox A canvas campateer
    Campin' Here Between Campouts! Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult

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    • #3
      Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

      I just got back from a camping trip where cooler managment was on my list of things to do better. in reading consumer reviews, one wonders, how do people get such a wide variance of experiences? One user gives 5 stars, "this is the best cooler ever, kept ice for the listed 5 days..." Another user gives 1 star, "this cooler sucks, ice didn't last anywhere near what was rated..." What explains the vast difference?

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      • #4
        Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

        some factors in how long ice lasts
        Varying outside temps
        coolers in sun or shade
        if one pre-cooled items then put it in the cooler
        How often the coolers were opened
        And by whom the coolers were opened. My 16 year old couldn't close the cooler properly to save his life
        And then there is the whole "leave the water or drain it debate".

        What works best for me is to pre-cool items (or freeze). Not just buy a 12 pack from the store, dump it in the cooler, add ice and expect the ice to last for 5 days. I use 2 different coolers, one for drinks and one for food items. I make sure both coolers are stored out of the sun, and try to keep opening and shutting them to a minimum.
        Nights camped in 2019: 24
        Nights camped in 2018: 24

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        • #5
          Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

          Please Suggest a size / brand / at a max cost of $125. BTW, I like the idea of one cooler for food and one cooler for drinks.

          - 2 adults / 1 - 17 year old
          - midsize 4 door car (like a Chev Malibu)
          - 2 night camping (rarely 3 nights)
          - we can make our own block ice (gatoraid bottle)

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          • #6
            Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

            Originally posted by moxiefox View Post
            Please Suggest a size / brand / at a max cost of $125. BTW, I like the idea of one cooler for food and one cooler for drinks.

            - 2 adults / 1 - 17 year old
            - midsize 4 door car (like a Chev Malibu)
            - 2 night camping (rarely 3 nights)
            - we can make our own block ice (gatoraid bottle)
            For your specific needs (thanks for giving 'em; makes life easier) I think a soft sided cooler will serve your needs better for beverages and can fit in the foot well of the front or back passenger. I might even put all bevs in the food cooler whilst travelling and throw a bag of ice in the soft sided unit to keep it cold, place it at the foot well of the front passenger or empty back seat and then fill it with drinking liquids at the campsite.

            For a food container.....you can probably survive nicely with the 36 qt Coleman Poly Lite Extreme. It should fit in your trunk with ease or on the back seat. I think it's currently going for about 50.00 though you might find it on sale for less. Here it is at REI:

            http://www.rei.com/product/687914/co...e-cooler-36-qt
            I have not used the Poly Lite Extreme but the reviews mirror that of the rest of the Coleman Extreme series.

            HTH and have fun out there!

            ETA: if you've one "lying around" a plastic cutting board makes a wonderful divider for your cooler. I've one from IKEA (came in a pack of 3) that perfectly fits the width of my cooler. For shorter trips and/or just the two of us, I only use 2 coolers (to be honest I could survive nicely with one but but thenn I'd be like kingquad making remarks to a someone who is substantially older than 16 about closing the demned cooler :D) and dividing the space between freezer and fridge goods makes the cooler more organised. Oh but err don't bother thinking the cutting board can multi-task as well a cutting board. Nope. Leave it in place.....and don't ask how I know this, LOL.
            Last edited by NYCgrrl; 06-26-2012, 05:48 AM.
            2017:

            July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
            Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



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            • #7
              Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

              Will be camping this weekend with a normal Coleman 54 qt cooler and the 54 qt cooler in the first post. Ill keep you all posted. Temps for this weekend.....103, 101, and 98. Tennessee heat.

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              • #8
                Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                Some good suggestions and tips so far!! I read on the other thread that renodesertfox posted, freezing ice in glad loc bags, the big bags and laying them in the freezer will make a great flat piece of ice. Im planning on making a few and putting the solid pieces in the bottom of the cooler, almost like a layer.
                Last edited by savage99ss; 06-27-2012, 07:22 AM.

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                • #9
                  Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                  Wuvvvvvv renoDF's frozen water suggestion and already threw some flat ziploc bags in the freezer!
                  2017:

                  July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                  Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



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                  • #10
                    Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                    wouldn't be a bad idea to double bag the water...that way if the bag gets punctured it won't leak water and
                    get the food soggy...depending on what you pack...
                    freezing water in bottles works twofold, it can be used to keep things cold and when it melts it can be
                    turned into drinks using the single serve drink packets or used for cooking/cleaning...just a thought

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                    • #11
                      Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                      Originally posted by TNONMYMIND View Post
                      wouldn't be a bad idea to double bag the water...that way if the bag gets punctured it won't leak water and
                      get the food soggy...depending on what you pack...
                      freezing water in bottles works twofold, it can be used to keep things cold and when it melts it can be
                      turned into drinks using the single serve drink packets or used for cooking/cleaning...just a thought
                      Or as far as the bottles used as ice blocks go you can just freeze say iced tea instead of water. That's what I'm trying this trip out.
                      2017:

                      July 3 to July 16- annual kiddo trip
                      Aug 2 to Aug 14- adult trip to recover from kiddos' outing. Bring on the Campari!



                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                        we do freeze some bottles of tea but I like a variety of drinks so the plain water gives us other options,as long as
                        we remember to pack the other drink packets that is...hope you enjoy your next trip...
                        if the heat keeps up here in TX we may not go camping before October, as we are tight on funds and have to stick
                        to camping areas 1-2 hrs from home right now...that doesn't give us but one choice (TEXAS)

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                        • #13
                          Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                          We go on 3 week camping trips and bring a lot of food. My wife insisted on the 80 quart Coleman X-treme. We have been using it for at least 5 years. Ratings will always vary. If you never open the cooler, the ice will not melt for at least 5 days. We have 2 kids and 2 adults. We usually add a block of ice every 3 days. Of course, this depends on where we are camping. When it's 100 degrees outside, the ice will not last that long.

                          I sure like the looks of the Coleman steel belted coolers. I inspected one at a local hardware store and it appears the construction is not as good as the good old made in USA ones from the past. The hardware looks "cheap". I would stick with a high quality plastic cooler.

                          Our local hardware store was also selling YETI coolers. These really look impressive. But so is the price. Yeti coolers are very heavy. I drive a Subaru Outback and each extra pound is starting to count. I will stick with our Coleman Xtreme since I got it on sale at Walmart for about $40 in the fall.
                          Visit me at Campward Bound for more camping information.
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                          • #14
                            Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                            I ended up getting the Red Coleman steel belted cooler. Not the green one pictured. It is still made in the usa but with some china components. It has a 6 year warranty, but make sure you keep your reciept. Its a thick cooler but def not as good as the old ones as you stated. My dad still has a Coleman Oscar from 1978, cool little travel cooler there.

                            I looked at the Yeti's but those are more mucho deniro than I want to spend on a cooler.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Ice Chest/Cooler Thread

                              Costco currently carries the Igloo, marked dorn from $99.99 to $79.00, which also steel-belted and it's their anniversary model. It looks more rugged than the Coleman, but that's just a first impression.
                              “People have such a love for the truth that when they happen to love something else, they want it to be the truth; and because they do not wish to be proven wrong, they refuse to be shown their mistake. And so, they end up hating the truth for the sake of the object which they have come to love instead of the truth.”
                              ―Augustine of Hippo, Fifth Century A.D.

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