How about another "Cooler" question

[Acampingwewillg]

So we know how much these high end coolers cost(Yeti, Pelican etc etc)...not even sure I need one but I am interested in the ice retention. I bring it up now, wondering if anyone has purchased any of the Coleman high end cooler(Esky Brand)? I'm in Branson now and at their Outlet store they have 30% off plus I have a 30.00 off coupon in another book. Prices at the store are pretty much inline with internet prices so for instance, there 205 quart cooler at 729.00 would be 480.00 +/-....I guess if I want one this might be a good time to buy? Any comment's on this Brand?

[Acampingwewillg]

No need to worry.....Esky is made in the US..... I went ahead(since I'm sooo wealthy haha) and purchased the 135 QT cooler. It's kinda funny but when I got it back to the CG, I looked at the cooler then at the MH door...I didn't think it would fit through the door. Also for the price I got it for( 266.00 after all the discount's), NO other brand would have come close to competing. It's a done deal! Thanks all for the input! 🙂

[JAC1982]

2012Coleman wrote:
OK - I'll restate. If you need a good cooler, can wait for it, and don't want to spend double the amount on comparable products Made in the US and sometimes the Philippines, RTIC is a no-brainer. Unless your buying drinkware or soft sided coolers, then your screwed because all that stuff is made in China.

BTW - Google has servers overseas so you better stop googling.

There was no need for a snarky response. I personally don't care where stuff is made as long as it's made well. I just know some people feel really strongly about purchasing items made in the USA if at all possible. I believe too, with Yeti, you can call them and they will make sure you get a cooler that was made in the USA. Yeti is also suing RTIC and other "copycat" brands, so we'll see how that turns out.

And, for the record, all of our Yetis were free. My husband travels for work and uses his Cabela's credit card for all of his expenses, which are then reimbursed. We then use those free points to "buy" things like Yetis and firearms. So, to respond to your snarky comment, too bad you paid at all for your RTIC cooler.

[2012Coleman]

OK - I'll restate. If you need a good cooler, can wait for it, and don't want to spend double the amount on comparable products Made in the US and sometimes the Philippines, RTIC is a no-brainer. Unless your buying drinkware or soft sided coolers, then your screwed because all that stuff is made in China.

BTW - Google has servers overseas so you better stop googling.

[JAC1982]

Just fyi, as I know this is important to some people, all RTICs are made in China. Some Yetis are too, but not all.

"Our Tundra coolers are manufactured in the USA at facilities located in Iowa and Wisconsin as well as at a facility located in the Philippines. Our Hopper coolers and Rambler drinkware are manufactured in China."

[2012Coleman]

RTIC Coolers are half the price of the YETI and hold more ice. I bought the 64 quart size - and yes, as someone posted, I waited a while to get it. This is because they ship directly from the manufacturer and are not sold in retail stores. I paid 200 bucks - the YETI Tundra is 400 bucks. Both are roto molded type coolers.

My Coleman Extreme can't keep ice for more than two days - even with ice blocks made from half gallon milk cartons. The RTIC blew it away on my last trip - I spent 5 days at a site and never replaced ice in Florida. I'm sure it could have gone another few days.

If you need a good cooler and can wait for it, RTIC is a no-brainer.

[Acampingwewillg]

Pre cooling seems to be an important aspect of just about any cooler you want Ice to last longer in. The Bear Proof stat's are listed only for the Esky 55 and 85, the 135 and 205 are not Bear rated! hmmm? I think I may go get the 135 Camo Model...with items my wife wants to return to the store plus the other discounts, I'll be in the 250.00 range by the time I'm done. (469.00 down to 250.00...guess I can live with that).

[dcb17b]

We use Colemans X-treme coolers. They are fine for weekend camping in the northeast. We use it for the adult beverages so it does get opened quite often and we have ice left at the end of the campout. I usually fill it with cold water for an hour or so to pre cool it before filling it with cold beverages and ice.

[JAC1982]

I think our largest Yeti is a 110, and it's a complete bear to move it if it's filled up with ice. It would be way too large to be on the back of an ATV as well. The Roadie or the 50 are a good size for that. I'm pretty sure our 50 fits perfect in the back "trunk" area of our RZR.

[NYCgrrl]

Acampingwewillgo wrote:
Thank you all for the input....I'm still undecided about it but as indicated, if I'm going to do it, this would be the time. I have done the typical internet searches on the "Esky" brand and it seems to hold up fairly well. I'm looking real hard at the 135 quart one. It has a 469.00 price tag but after all the discounts, I'd be right around 300.00. My wife says, get the 205 quart but I'm thinking I'd never move it!!!(thinking weight).

One other comment, I've seen plenty of these high end coolers on the back side of ATV's...hence another use I might need it for. Oh well, we'll see, have till Sunday when the sale ends. Thanks again..

Agreeing with you about the weight of the 205 qt unit. My biggest cooler is 100 and something quarts (put it away for the season) and we drag it grudgingly to it's ultimate locale when we reach the camp ground. Can't imagine having to pick it up.

I will say that I'm not sure if the Esky line is bear-proof which is a spec I'll need fulfilled for out West travels.

[Community Alumni]

There is a camping couple in the NE part of SD who needed a long term solution for refrigeration (long term tenting non-electric) and they purchased a Yeti cooler. They reported that it worked very well for them. in the shade and 90 to 95 degree temps as the high and about 85 the norm.
One of the camper mags put out an article about high en coolers and the Pelican was there top dog with I believe the Yeti second.

JimR

[Latner]

This cooler head to head with Yeti is actually a better value: Engel Cooler You can find find them on ebay for the best price.

[Acampingwewillg]

Thank you all for the input....I'm still undecided about it but as indicated, if I'm going to do it, this would be the time. I have done the typical internet searches on the "Esky" brand and it seems to hold up fairly well. I'm looking real hard at the 135 quart one. It has a 469.00 price tag but after all the discounts, I'd be right around 300.00. My wife says, get the 205 quart but I'm thinking I'd never move it!!!(thinking weight).

One other comment, I've seen plenty of these high end coolers on the back side of ATV's...hence another use I might need it for. Oh well, we'll see, have till Sunday when the sale ends. Thanks again..

[rexmitchell]

JAC1982 wrote:
We have a bunch of Yetis, and I agree with the thoughts that they are a bit overkill for your average camper or someone who has hookups all the time. However, if you plan on boondocking for long periods of time, especially in warmer weather, a heavy duty cooler is worth the money, not only for ice storage, but for other food storage too. I'd say if you could get a heavy duty cooler that is that size for that price, do it. Just make sure it's actually the real deal. Often outlets will sell things as the real deal, but they are actually lesser quality. I haven't been to the Coleman outlet that often, but for clothing stores these days, that's usually the case.

Portable ice makers are nice, but at least in my trailer toyhauler, storage space for things like small appliances is at a huge premium so having an extra item around isn't really an option. We keep our coolers on the floor of the garage area of our toyhauler.

If/when you do get it (or just in a regular cooler too), first fill the bottom with a few ice blocks, that'll help keep the cubes from melting as well.

^This.

Yeti's and the other high end coolers aren't needed for a weekend camping trip. What they are needed is for extended stays well away from a source to get ice. We own 4 yeti coolers and a bunch of their cups (which are worth every penny FYI). We use our yeti's because when we are hunting sometimes we need to retain ice for 7+ days and they can do it, even in the warmer months. Durability is another thing that I need, I am very hard on my equipment and would go through a cheap cooler at least once a year. So are they worth it? 100% they are, but you need to identify if you need one or just want one. Either is fine and I'd still recommend getting one if you want to spend the money.

[Golfcart]

I use a big 60$ ice chest and just hard freeze a couple bags before use when i go tent camping. Always ice left at the end of the weekend

If im going to spend 500$ on a cooler its going to have a little motor and wheels lol