COOLers

[erod]

hey all, we are driving across the country (another thread soon!) and are in the market for a new cooler...our old coleman has had it. we were looking at these yeti coolers (http://www.yeticoolers.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2) but they are pricey. anyone have any experience or other suggestions...we also looked at these coleman steelbelted coolers (http://www.summitcampinggear.com/co54qtstco.html) as well, little cheaper than the yeti but still 100 bucks!

i know, get the engle , unfortunately that not happening for a while so we figure this is our next best option...any thoughts????

 

[brett13]

No experience with this Yeti, but we use the Coleman 5-day "extreme" cooler. Works well and is about $45. The thing I learned to make coolers work best is to use blocks of ice. They last forever. I put them on the bottom, then food, then cubes on top. On 5-day trips, the blocks usually make it home while I keep topping off the cubes. Never tried it in extreme heat though (only in the shoulder seasons for long trips).

If you have a chest freezer, you can use some tupperware to make your own blocks the size you need.

I would think a stainless belted cooler might be really heavy too? Just noticed the Yeti's are really heavy, like 20lbs+ empty!

 

[Seemore]

We usually fill up a 4 liter (one gallon?) plastic milk jug with filtered water and freeze that. It lasts much longer than the purchased blocks, we have cold ice water on those hot days, and there is no water to drain out. As long as the container is well washed there is no milk or plastic taste. On our recent trip, the temperatures were in the high 80's low 90's and the ice lasted 3 days in our antique Coleman cooler.

Pat and Carolin

 

[jimjxsn]

I too have had good expriences with the coleman extreme coolers. You do need to get a large enough size. The thick walls throw you off if you are going by outside dimensions

 

[Marc]

erod,
I have that Coleman cooler and love it. I also do the plastic milk jug thing and it works great.

marc

 

[erod]

thanks guys...appreciate the response...didn't decide on one yet but those coleman extremes may be the way too go...definately need to get an engel...i guess i've been camping to much to save any money for one...

 

[craig333]

Hmmm, never noticed any difference between store bought ice and stuff I freeze myself.

 

[chnlisle]

Erod,
My buddy Gene bought a high dollar cooler from Cabelas. The thing was built beautifully and looked great. It didnt perform as well as the Coleman 5 day Extremes. They work really well. I wet down a furniture blanket and throw it over them stacked on top of each other. I put a couple of 2X's under them to facillitate air flow and assure I'm not trying too cool down the planet.

 

[EdoHart]

Swamp cooler effect

In addition to using block ice and keeping the ice out of the water, a good way to extend the life of your ice is to put a water soaked thin towel or thick sheet over the cooler and let evaporative cooling help. The stronger the wind, the more effective it is, as long as the cloth remains wet. A thin, terry cloth towel works best because it hold on to the water enough that it won't just blow away, but not so much that it won't evaporate (cotton is real good at retaining water). I've had some luck by punching a small hole in the bottom of a 2 liter plastic bottle, filling it with water, put the cap on, then placing it on top of the wet towel that is over the cooler(s). Then I can meter the water flow rate by opening the cap somewhere between barely and just a little (5-10 degrees?). I periodically check that there is sufficient flow so that it's somewhere between "most of the towel is wet" to "there is not much mud around the coolers."

Of course, this works best if there is water near by and the coolers are not in the camper.

 

[5 Speed]

Cooler Ice Trick with dry bags

I lived out of two Coleman extreme coolers for 4 month while in Alaska. I usually use frozen 2 liter bottles on weekend trips in California and quite often I return from 3-4 day trips with the ice still frozen. In Alaska I hit all the snow banks that I could find until summer took them away.

What I hate most is the dreaded floating food, zip lock bags, eggs, etc in the bottom of the cooler.

I got two large camping dry bags that seal with a roll up top and buckle. The block ice goes in and the water stays in too!!!!! The inside is never wet again and the ice lasts longer.

 

[chnlisle]

Any of Y'all have the Ice/dry ice combination? On block of each per cooler? I'm not a fan of the stuff but on longer trips into the desert it might be worth doing.

 

[craig333]

It can work if you do it right but I haven't had much luck. Broken beer bottles, frozen eggs. I think if you carried spare ice and had some in there that might be the way to go.

 

[lqhikers]

perfect fridge!

we have been camping for many years and finally found the only fridge that works,saved our ss checks and bought a engle 12v fridge/freezer,just got back from 8 days in the sierras around bridgeport,started with ice and made ice the whole time weather was always in the high 80's and in 100+driving up and back (as we live in the low desert)pre cooled it before we left had frozen chicken, sausage,hamburger, always stayed frozen never had to set to freeze setting and temp in fridge stayed at a constant 30 degrees rated currant draw is from .07 amps to a max of 2.7 amps. we only have one camper battery plus a solar panel never have a power problem,plus we use satellite for tv . the model we bought holds 60 coke cans so plenty of room for every thing when you dont have to use ice for cooling. these come in all sizes,pricy but worth it,found ours on the innernet best price no tax free shipping,still cant get over how great it worked! will post some trip pics on travel section soon drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

 

[Brian]

Dry bags...

5 speed....great idea..why didn't I think of that. I have a couple of dry bags that I never use and would be perfect for that. Thanks for the tip! I will use it. I too live out of coolers for long periods of time and hate the floating food problem. Our attempts at solving that have not worked.
Brian

 

[5 Speed]

5 speed....great idea..why didn't I think of that. I have a couple of dry bags that I never use and would be perfect for that. Thanks for the tip! I will use it. I too live out of coolers for long periods of time and hate the floating food problem. Our attempts at solving that have not worked.
Brian

Keep the seals rolled up tight and always towards the top, the will leak on their sides. Anywhere I camp I always look for snow as a option, sometimes in the Sierra before it gets hot I will run up high and grab some of the cold stuff, not as much is available in the lower 48

 

[flinchlock]

5 Speed,

After reading Brian's comment, "5 speed....great idea..why didn't I think of that.", I read your post again.

Dahh, you put the ice IN the dry bags... right?

Mike

 

[flinchlock]

We are still working on options for our future ATC or FWC camper. The more posts I read, the more confused I get about what options we want!

First of all, we are frugal, but we have no problem spending money for quality products.

Second of all, we are lacto-ovo vegetarians… no meat, but eggs and dairy are OK.

We have been camping for many years, and have not ever carried a cooler with us until this year. We bought a 13 can “Vector VEC-212” cooler just to have a cold dark beer before bed… the Vector cooler sucks.

After reading all the posts about coolers, we will probably get a Coleman 36 Quart Xtreme 5-Day cooler. The Coleman site says…

2" insulation provides maximum cold retention
Interior dimensions: 19-3/4″ length x 7-3/4″ width x 10″ height

So, is the cooler exterior size: 23-3/4″ length x 11-3/4″ width x 14″ height ?

Also, if I do not want the standard ice box in the ATC or FWC...

About how big is the space where the ice box would of been?

Would the Coleman 36 Quart Xtreme cooler fit in the ice box space?

Mike

 

[Brian]

Dry Bags...

Flinchlock...I am assuming that is the drill...ice inside the dry bags.....for years I have used a folding bucket for the produce in my ice chest and usually before a trip...at least a short trip...I freeze a bucket of water in order to start with a block of ice. The closest I have gotten to eliminating the floating food deal is by starting a trip with several water bottles frozen the night before. All that said, I rarely go for a one night trip....most commonly we use the camper for long forays south of the US/Mexico border and the easiest thing to find down there is bags of cubed ice....blocks can certainly be had but take a lot of effort to find. Esp. so in small towns and rural areas. The idea of a leakproof way to store the ice, that is large enought to contain an entire bag of ice is great for me.
When I am motorcycle and motorcycle/sidecar touring, I use a softsided cooler with ziplock bags that I fill with ice from gas station c-store's soda machines.....they STILL leak. Now I need to find a small dry bag for that purpose.
Brian

 

[Brian]

Snow....

5 Speed.....good info. The problem with that snow idea is that after 22winters in Alaska...if I never see snow again...that will be allright!!! In fact I moved to the desert southwest, 100 miles from Mexico, to insure that I never will! The coldest I ever get is when I open my refridgerator door or turn the air con up. So my friend....it is the c-store ice machine route for this idjit. Joking aside...I do have emphysema and need to stay below 7K feet elevation pretty much. I miss the mountains because of that.
We went to Peru last year and I had to be put on a plane out of Cuzco down to Lima on the coast while my wife and friend explored the ruins of Machu Picchu because of the lung problem. That was a real disappointment. I did get to enjoy a river trip on the Amazon tho as well as bus riding through a large part of the country at lower elevations.
Brian

 

[EdoHart]

3 way refridgerator

First of all, we are frugal, but we have no problem spending money for quality products.


Spend the money on the 3 way refrigerator, it's money well spent. I have used it often in 90 degree plus heat. I usually restock it with beer in the morning and by afternoon they are refreshingly cool. It will also keep your food out of the melted ice water.