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Best cooler for off-roading

goathearder

goathearder

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So I am getting ready for a trip to Moab later this month and I want to upgrade my cooler cause the one I have leaks/sweats all over the place and I hate that cause I often sleep inside the K5 and a wet floor makes that suck.

I am not looking to spend gobs of money but I would like something the seals around the lid and has a locking lid to really prevent leakage. Soft side coolers are out cause they just can't hold ice long enough. Someday I will get an ARB/Engel fridge but that isn't on the table right now.

Any recommendations?
 
Coleman Extreme.
http://www.coleman.com/products/8581

Even in AZ it will keep my "soda" cold for several days on 10 lbs of ice. Plus it has cupholders. I use mine as a center console.

IMG_7633.JPG
 
X2 I bought mine at Costco a few years back, love it. Like he said, it keeps things cold a long time with little ice. Add your items, throw some ice in, a few hours later, drain the water, add more ice and you're good to go for days.
 
Nice, I have been reading a lot about the Xtremes but does the lid latch or do you just ratchet it down to the floor? I am sick of my carpet getting all wet from water splashing out, hahahaha.
 
goathearder said:
What do you guys think of Yeti coolers:

http://www.yeticoolers.com/pages/Wildly-Stronger.html

Its a bit more than I wanted to spend, but it seems like it would last a lifetime. Same insulation level as a coleman though so I am not sure it would be better at keeping stuff cold.
Click to expand...

I've drooled over them in the Sportsman's Warehouse in Anchorage a lot. I see them on lots of fishing boats and hunting rigs. They are thick polyethylene and have good rubber seals on the lid. They've got to be a billion times tougher than your average cooler. I know the bottom would be way more abrasion and dent resistant.
 
Yea, I am thinking that even though they are pricier, the durability aspect of it might be worth it in the long run. They have a freakin 5 year factory warranty and I tend to be really hard on coolers.
 
Was thinking about building one for my purposes. Specific to fit the location it will be stowed in and have some actual mounting tabs to attach it to the cage. Seems like the commercially available coolers are always just the wrong size or shape.

Stainless double wall with the insulation in between.
 
Keep checking your local craigslist and such. I picked up a Norcold compressor fridge for $80 off Craigslist and once you use one of these you don't want to go back to ice. The power consumption is low, you can keep putting warm stuff in each day and it keeps cooling it down. No water to drain and no food floating in the bottom. You can freeze everything if you want to.

Another option I always wanted to experiment with is dry ice.
 
80 bucks is a great deal! If I could find one for that I would be all over it. Used off road stuff tends to embe over valued in so cal though. Dry ice is ver intriguing which is another plus for the Yeti, it's compatible with dry ice.
 
My friend has a Yeti cooler, it's really nice quality and fit and finish. He says that it keeps cool for a week, I know it kept ice the whole weekend at mudfest and it got opened a lot

That being said, I'm not going to be buying one
 
Actually I looked back and I paid $85. I drove over an hour the same day I saw it. It's only 1.1 cu. ft. but that is about the biggest that fits between my front seats anyway. A fridge has less interior space than a cooler, but you also don't need any room for ice. You also don't need quite as much room because the non-perishables can be stored somewhere else and added in on a daily basis. With a cooler constantly adding warm stuff takes requires more ice, more draining, etc.

If you want a fridge, you might look at the EdgeStar line. They are only about half the price of an Engel.
 
I actually ended up buying a 75 qt yeti. I went and looked at them in person and was absolutely amazed by the quality and I can use that baby for everything(boating, off-roading, tailgating, etc). It was damn expensive but I don't think I will ever have to buy another one.
 
Those Yetis look sweet, never heard about them before I seen this. Gonna have to look into them.
 
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