Let’s talk Coolers:

[WAYAWAY]

Look at RTIC. They are built just like the YETI for less money. Their 65 qt is on sale right now for $183 w/free shipping. My 45 qt RTIC will keep ice longer than my buddies YETI and has survived 4 hard years of offroading and river drifting with absolutely no issues.

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A buddy of mine swears by the RTIC coolers. I have a small Yeti that works really well.. won it in a raffle, otherwise I probably wouldn't have it.

 

[M Rose]

Many grocery stores carry it, especially independent stores. Most towns have an ice house.

Yup, i have one grocery store, and one hardware store that carries dry ice.

 

[mep1811]

The Orzark or Lifetime coolers sold at Walmart are very effective and reasonably priced.
Coleman 5 day coolers have been rated very well but don't have latches.

I've used dry ice and it works great but sometimes it can be hard to find. Stores may carry dry ice but they might have any towards the end of the delivery cycle as it evaporates.

 

[Road]

I’m kind Of leaning toward this one

i live full time in a 32’ travel trailer, and this chest looks like it would serve double duty as my freezer when not on the road.

If you can swing the cost of the Whynter fridge/freezer you linked to, @Slimpartywagon , I think that's you best bet over time. I've been running an ARB 50 for over two years, and the difference in having a 12v fridge over having to use a cooler/ice/dry ice, etc is just astronomical, especially for longer adventures. You'll wonder why you never did it before.

Good luck man!

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

 

[mep1811]

A fridge is the best. I've had an ARB for over 20 years. I also have a small cooler for cocktail ice.

 

[M Rose]

I would look into buying what is called a truckers refer. They usually sell for $100-$200 range. That is if you have battery and inverter for 110v. I haven't seen a 12v model. I saw one on amazon that is chest type or vertical standing that I am contemplating.

Block ice last longer than crushed ice if you keep the cooler drained regularly it should last at least a full day longer. If you cooling drinks then leave the water in.
I have looked for over a year for a good used refer but I haven seen more than one for $500 which included the slider, but it cost over $100+ to ship. :-(

Amazon has a fridge/freezer on sale that uses R

If you can swing the cost of the Whynter fridge/freezer you linked to, @Slimpartywagon , I think that's you best bet over time. I've been running an ARB 50 for over two years, and the difference in having a 12v fridge over having to use a cooler/ice/dry ice, etc is just astronomical, especially for longer adventures. You'll wonder why you never did it before.

Good luck man!

.

Roaddude - On the Road In North America - ROADDUDE

Roaddude - Traveling Photographer/Writer/Artist On the Road In North America. Gear, reviews, people, places, and culture.

roaddude.com

yes it’s a little out of the budget, but since I full time in my TT, it’s also a house expense, so it opened the budget up a little

 

[Lanlubber In Remembrance]

Considering the size and quality of the Whynter 65 qt. unit and how it will serve your duel usage, I don't see how you can go wrong.
I like it because it is square and fits with other stackable's. It's Big enough that you may be able to get rid of one of the others and save on space considering you eliminate the ice that would be eating space in the coolers you have.

 

[DallasTRDPro]

A buddy of mine swears by the RTIC coolers. I have a small Yeti that works really well.. won it in a raffle, otherwise I probably wouldn't have it.

I have a small RTIC and it does well to keep my dog's raw food frozen for awhile.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I use the powerchill. I plug it in the night before in my kitchen and in the morning my drinks have slush in the top. When I leave I fill the bottom with blue cooler blocks. Plug it into my jeep and my beverages and food are cold all day. Unplug when I stop. Blocks stay frozen for 3 days in the bottom. When we move, plug it back in and it's cold again.

 

[MidwestVoyager]

If your leaning toward a non-powered cooler, Pelican is my brand. They stick with their customers. Support is awesome, warranty is no questions asked & lifetime. I made my own freezer ice packs out of PVC that I can freeze in the deep freeze, they run the length of the cooler and sit on the bottom. Basically you just find the diameter that you want, cut to length, fill with water (about 80% full to allow for expansion) and glue on some caps. That with some pre-frozen water bottles will keep alot cold. I also have a dry goods pan that sits in mine, from a restaurant supply co. I'll find take a picture of the setup shortly.

 

[probablytheguy]

I just preordered an Rtic 54. I feel like it's a good deal especially at the preorder picing. After I get it I'll be sure to give my review on it. They ship out in August so if you're in no hurry for one I'd hop on the wagon.

RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Cooler - A Portable Lightweight Cooler

Shop our newly designed, premium lightweight hard cooler. The RTIC 52 Ultra-Light Hard Cooler is more than 30% lighter than hard coolers of the same capacity.

rticoutdoors.com

 

[maddscot]

The Orzark or Lifetime coolers sold at Walmart are very effective and reasonably priced.
Coleman 5 day coolers have been rated very well but don't have latches.

I've used dry ice and it works great but sometimes it can be hard to find. Stores may carry dry ice but they might have any towards the end of the delivery cycle as it evaporates.

This! I have Yeti, RTiC as well and they are very good. However we had to get a cooler during a trip and swung by Walmart. Picked up a soft side Ozark for the beach, and a large Ozark cooler that kept our food and perishables fresh and cool the entire trip. I don't spend the $$ anymore as these Ozarks in all sizes are comparable and work well for me. I have tested in my backyard over a period of time and it was very close and not worth it (IMHO) the extra spend. Typically I am a pay once, cry once type of shopper.

Yeti 65 quart > $349
Ozark Trail - 73 quart > $174

Robot or human?

 

[MMc]

I love my Maluna chests. They sell direct so there ane not many reviews, I have a Pelican too. The Maluna has a quinque hinge that is very good.

Maluna | The Best Cooler Ever Made

www.maluna.com

 

[Will0861]

For what it's worth, I purchased one of these.

KITCHEN - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

Monoprice, Inc. (DBA. MonoPrice.com) specializes in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for home theater, PC, and high technology industries. MonoPrice.com offers a wide range of products from standard PC products, network cables, and HDMI cables to custom cable assemblies...

www.monoprice.com

I haven't used it in extreme heat, but it gets down to well below freezing pretty quick, and it draws minimal power. I was able to run this cooler overnight only from my Yeti 400 battery. It only used a quarter or less of the charger on the battery. It also comes with 12v and regular power cords. So far so good.

 

[maddscot]

For what it's worth, I purchased one of these.

KITCHEN - HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

Monoprice, Inc. (DBA. MonoPrice.com) specializes in the wholesale distribution of world class cable assemblies for home theater, PC, and high technology industries. MonoPrice.com offers a wide range of products from standard PC products, network cables, and HDMI cables to custom cable assemblies...

www.monoprice.com

I haven't used it in extreme heat, but it gets down to well below freezing pretty quick, and it draws minimal power. I was able to run this cooler overnight only from my Yeti 400 battery. It only used a quarter or less of the charger on the battery. It also comes with 12v and regular power cords. So far so good.

Will have to look into that one... thx!

 

[MMc]

Costco is selling a 12 volt frig right now.

 

[LanaDelNeigh]

We have an Rtic and a Yeti and they both work the same... save your money, get an Rtic.

 

[MidwestVoyager]

Here is that setup I was talking about. The cooler is a 65 qt Pelican. The tubes are pvc and are filled to around 80% capacity with water. These go in the freezer prior to a trip to provide no-mess ice. I freeze several water bottles that go in as well. The pan is from a restaurant supply store that fits in the lip to either keep things separated/organized or dry when there is ice in the cooler. The PVC tubes don't take up much space and fit nicely in the bottom.

 

[Will0861]

Once you invest in a powered cooler, you won’t ever have any desire to use, find, or make ice. Or you can use your freezer to make ice for your other coolers.

 

[Downs]

I picked up one of the Lifetime Rotomolded coolers from Walmart. Works great for my uses. Not uncommon for me to go 5 days between ice. I exercise all the normal cooler ice preservation techniques as well which helps. You don't get the YETI or RTIC sticker to go on your vehicle so no one will know how cool you really are so there's that. But it is a lot cheaper.

I'm still waiting on 12v freezer/fridge prices to come down. Until then I'll keep shuckin bags of ice as needed.