Best Car Camping Cooler

[MAScholfield]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Hi all. New to the forum. It looks great!

We tend to car camp for about 30-75 days each summer in a different part of the US (sometimes out of US) so we need a cooler that is small enough to be checked luggage. Height X Width X Length needs to be less than 62". I'm so sick of buying ice every day and the latch on our current cooler is broken. Any one already figure this out? Thanks!

[howl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Being checked as luggage is one condition where the high end brands like Yeti might be justified. They don't keep ice any better, but they're many times more durable. You can buy about a dozen Coleman 6-Day coolers for the cost of one Yeti, though, and the 6-Day will keep ice as well or better.

If I had to fly, I'd probably just buy a cooler on arrival and maybe try dry ice. They sell it in grocery stores in some areas.

[Force10JC]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

This is what we use.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...cm_cr-mr-title





I actually found it cheaper from Academy Sports and Outdoors at $99. It keeps ice for 6 days in normal climates (3 to 4 days in blistering/humid Texas Summers). We have 5 to 6 of us camping normally so we needed the big 110 quart space. The telescoping handle and wheels are very helpful and the stainless steel hinges, lid stay, and latches are really a nice feature. It is really durable too. At 1/3 the cost of a Yeti or Pelican it was the right one for us. The one down-side is that it is really big so it can take up a significant amount of valuable space but if you have 5 or 6 people and are out longer than a weekend it is space that will be needed.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Hi all. New to the forum. It looks great!

We tend to car camp for about 30-75 days each summer in a different part of the US (sometimes out of US) so we need a cooler that is small enough to be checked luggage. Height X Width X Length needs to be less than 62". I'm so sick of buying ice every day and the latch on our current cooler is broken. Any one already figure this out? Thanks!

Agreeing with howl on a Yeti, Engels, Pelican or.....IFC(I think that's the initials) for your specific needs. Great latches and tons of insulation.

Welcome to the forum and tell us more of your travels when time allows:cool:.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

A few weeks back, the man did some promotional work for this cooler company. What a hoot!

www.sovarocoolers.com

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

I just spent 10 days camping in temps ranging from 87 degrees to a low of 43. I had an Igloo max cold and an old Coleman metal 3 way convertible cooler for the trip, Both coolers were cooled with a bag of ice for a day before being loaded for the trip.

I had lined the Coleman with Refectix and used it as my food cooler. It had 4 blocks of ice and all the meat I put in it was frozen, It also held eggs,cold cuts,cheese etc. It was opened at the most twice a day and kept in the shade.

The Igloo held drinks and was opened quite a bit. It had a couple of blocks, pre-cooled drinks and cube ice to fill it. It was kept in the shade also.

The Coleman with Reflectix lining still had 2 blocks of ice that were about 1/4 of their original size. The last pack of foil wrapped bacon was still partially frozen and the last 2 eggs were cold. This is MUCH better than this cooler has done in the past.

After this little experiment every cooler I own is getting a Reflectix lining, It seemed to make a huge difference.

This is the video that gave me the idea. I did the same thing but mine wasn't as nicely done as his. http://youtu.be/SKO-oopGvfQ

I found the video quite interesting and will give the salt water a try on a forthcoming trip. I have to say that the refectix blanket might not work as specified for a larger cooler, say my 100 qt. version, since I've no intentions of emptying the entire cooler out in order to do any draining or cleaning in the field. Of course maybe 3 blankets could be made for 1 large cooler; got to think more on it. For sure I'll make one for the new worse than a hunk of junk beer cooler the man impulse purchased recently. It has no drain, lil insulation and thus should be a perfect candidate for the project.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Well since this is a pretty short trip( 4 nights) decided not to try the salted ice water yet. I need the ice block to make iced tea. Not sure if I'm using my Igloo Maxi (smallest supposedly well insulated cooler that also can fit a bottle of wine; needed) or similar sized in qts. but better insulated Coleman 6.

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

On my last trip I used a styro container that somebody sent me some steaks in. Those styro shipping containers ofter are better insulated than a commercial cooler. Throw a couple of milk jugs full of water in the freezer and you have your ice blocks. I'm not cheap, exactly. The word is "frugal" :whistle:

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Well I'm back from my short trip and wanted to report the following. Took my Igloo Maxi Cold 62 qt cooler with us which I regard as the least insulated of all my coolers and a few tricks I learned from youse really improved it's ability to hold the cold. Used a wet towel inside the cooler atop the food stuff. This did a more than credible job of keeping the ice concentrating on keeping the food cold w/o wasting energy on the unused portions of the cooler. I also placed a dripping wet double folded towel on top of the exterior of the cooler. This was a bit of an accident- it rained cats and dogs early during the trip and a towel had been forgotten. Felt the sides of the cooler's interior after and it seemed to be cooler than usual so I left it there for the remainder of the trip. We only added additional ice once in 4 days and that's because a man dinna want to drink anything but ice cold beer.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

On my last trip I used a styro container that somebody sent me some steaks in. Those styro shipping containers ofter are better insulated than a commercial cooler. Throw a couple of milk jugs full of water in the freezer and you have your ice blocks. I'm not cheap, exactly. The word is "frugal" :whistle:

I'm 2 seconds away from throwing my hands up in resignation and letting the man use one of them for his beer. Just got a Styrofoam delivery from a meat company and I have to say they are better made than the ones from supermarkets. Now to see if a beer bottle will fit height wise.......

[a65hoosier]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Here's a couple of hints. Use block ice, put only cooled items the cooler, then wet a bath towel and almost freeze it. Put it over the items in the cooler. Open only as needed. Keep a blanket on top of the cooler.

Well I'm back from my short trip and wanted to report the following. Took my Igloo Maxi Cold 62 qt cooler with us which I regard as the least insulated of all my coolers and a few tricks I learned from youse really improved it's ability to hold the cold. Used a wet towel inside the cooler atop the food stuff. This did a more than credible job of keeping the ice concentrating on keeping the food cold w/o wasting energy on the unused portions of the cooler. I also placed a dripping wet double folded towel on top of the exterior of the cooler. This was a bit of an accident- it rained cats and dogs early during the trip and a towel had been forgotten. Felt the sides of the cooler's interior after and it seemed to be cooler than usual so I left it there for the remainder of the trip. We only added additional ice once in 4 days and that's because a man dinna want to drink anything but ice cold beer.

Gatordude - thanks for the tip. NYCgrrl - thanks for the tip confirming real world test/results. I think I will be giving this a try when I get back out in a couple of weeks. If anything, if it's hot, I'll have an ice cold wet towel to drape over my head. Very little shade where I am going (except that provided by my Noahs Tarp).

Quoting Homer Simpson: "mmmmm...beeeeeeer".

[tplife]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Here's a couple of hints. Use block ice, put only cooled items the cooler, then wet a bath towel and almost freeze it. Put it over the items in the cooler. Open only as needed. Keep a blanket on top of the cooler.

Hey, I like the Space Coast as much as anybody (got a place on the West Side of the Peninsula), but what exactly does a wet bath towel do inside the cooler other than make the ice melt faster? Just askin'.

[cunningman]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

I use 3 coolers. I have a 36 can coleman mounted on the tongue rack for traveling w snacks & fluids and enuff supplies to put together a quick meal if I decide not to go shopping once i set up camp. In my trailer I have a 75 can collapsible coleman that is my main fridge while onsite. I also have a 36 can collapsible in the trailer that I use on my bike to transport cold items back to camp then its designated a the Refreshment cooler for the duration of my stay or the next trip to town or the next leg o my journey. Works well for me, have resigned myself to purchasing ice on a regular basis.

[James.]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

Anyone thought of or tried using the reflecdix on the outside of the cooler? Kind of like a cooler cozy?

I am wondering is this would be worth doing in a way that it could easily fold up and store inside the cooler when not in use.

[Evergreen]

Re: Best Car Camping Cooler

I have used it on an aluminum tea pot for boiling water. It seemed to work well. It sounds like it would do well with a cooler too. Maybe you could place the cooler on some
closed-cell foam too because the ice usually finds its way to the bottom of the cooler.

If I can get a bunch of Reflectix cheap I'll give this a try. Good idea.