Have you ever looked at Orca? I've owned Yeti, Canyon and Orca and all have been great coolers but lean towards Orca unless I need a cooler over 140Q.

 

you need to make to scale cardboard models for each one to really wrap your head around the size differences

 

Most of the "cool" coolers are too heavy, and stupid expensive. Igloo marine coolers, and similar old school brands, work fine.

 

👍 agreed. my roto molded stuff mostly collects dust these days. heavy af and the limited capacity inside for the external size killed it here. throw some metal upgrade hinges and latches on a igloo and good to go for most trips.

 

For what it is worth, here is another opinion. if you can handle the higher cost, Yeti in my opinion is the best cooler for most of us boaters. If you want a beverage or steak still pretty cool on that last evening of a long multi day float, Yeti can give you that but as mentioned it is gonna cost you. Cannot remember the name but I read about an Australian cooler that beats the Yeti brand on keeping things cool but cost makes the yeti's look reasonable in cost.

For less money you cannot go wrong with other brands like Canyon, Engel, Grizzly, ORCA and others listed here on the Buzz. Take your pick. All will work pretty good. Just find the best deal or on sale units. Watch the descriptions and get the thicker top and side insulation.

I have added extra insulation to the cheaper Igloo / Lifetime coolers (both glue on and injection) and with good cooler management they will work pretty good at a lot less dollars invested. For short length trips - no problem. For the longer multi day floats you need coolers with thick top and side insulation.

Regardless of brand, I always glue on thick (usually one inch) closed cell foam on top of my coolers plus a closed cell pad sized for a snug fit on the inside of the cooler on top of the goods. If the sun is out, if we get to camp early I will also toss something on top / sides of my cooler just to keep the direct sun off the cooler.

I have used drag bags quite a bit. On some rivers drag bags work pretty good. For me, it is worth the extra cost and attention to reach into my cooler at take out for the day and get a clean, no dents and cool drink.

 

I have both a Cordova 88 that I use in my 14' and for a 5 day trip it is just right. I wish I could get a 105 but can't find one. I also have a RTIC 145 for my 16'. The damn thing weighs 65lbs empty. By the time you add ice and food hell it weighs in at well over a 100 lbs, and you need 2 people just to get it into the slot on the frame. I do more and more small trips thus I find myself (usually solo) and I take the 14' and just have a soft cooler with my drinks and stuff. Seems like all the retomolded coolers are either to small or a bit to big for the opening in my frame and I don't want to mess with adjustments. Oh well what are you guna do, pick one out just bit the bullet and go for it.

 

Heh, I had a similar chart, prices circa 2020:

Brand	Size	Length	Width	Height	Price
Grizzly	165	45.38	19.65	22.75	467
Coleman	Xtreme 5 150	43.3	18.9	18.9	112
Coleman	Xtreme 6 150	43.2	19.2	19.2	160
Engel	123	41.5	18.25	18.25	400
Yeti	Tundra 210	39.75	15.75	24.18	800
K2 Summit	Summit 120	41.63	19.25	19.25	435
Mammoth Ranger	Ranger 125	37	19.25	18.5	450
Coleman	Offshore Pro Marine 150	43	18	18.25	160

I was working on options for a relatively wide but narrow bay with little in the way of adjustment.

My sense on big money options vs. small money options is that your use case matters a lot. Are you doing long weekends or relatively cool trips? Small money is great. But if you're doing 7+ days in 100 degree temps in Utah or Arizona, you're one of the few people who can justify the cost of the high end options. Either way, you can extend things a lot by 1) covering the cooler with something (I use a paco pad), 2) sandwiching wet cloth between the cooler and the cover, like a wet towel, and 3) only dipping into the big cooler 1-2x a day during the coolest part of the day.

 

I hate that a cooler cost more than my first car.

 

Ha Ha Ha, ya and a quart of beer was .45 cents

 

You're missing a lot of good brands. I think I spent over 2 years before purchasing lol. Keep in mind that Yeti is going to be one of the lowest quality of all the options and have one of the worst warranties. They don't make it into the top 10 on ANY of the cooler channels on Youtube.

 

Wondering if you know if there is any truth to the "marine" coolers. Some manufacturers claim the plastic is more UV resistant, maybe some difference in how heavy duty the construction is. Has anyone noticed any difference?

 

Mt buzz at its finest....

 

I'm still rocking my $100 Rubbermaid 150qt on week long desert trips. I just can't justify damn near $700 for a Canyon of the same capacity for 1-2 weeks of use a year. I have discussed my system here before on how to make the ice last 13 days in it. If money was not a concern, sure, I'd got with the Canyon as it has so many cool rafting specific features, but that $700 is lots of ski days or beers or what have you....now it's almost a point of pride that I can rock a cheap cooler as good as the big boiz.

 

I have a coleman extreme 6 which works better than my Yeti. But I think they stopped making them. I have a Hooked cooler that I love.

 

You could make one too! Like the surly dory guy lol!

 

I've had Yetis, Lifetimes, and now a Canyon 125. The Lifetime's are heavier than the Yeti's, but kept ice better. The Yeti plastic is higher quality so it didn't warp, one of my lifetime's lids did. Looking forward to testing the Canyon in the desert soon to see how it holds up. Really like the Canyon 1 piece construction and latches, the Yeti/Lifetime latches I don't think are great in a raft as they either have to be mounted high for clearance, wide enough to work, or kinda hit the frame.

 

Another consideration is longevity and customer service. I have four canyons, now. Two 150s purchased within the last few years to fit my rafts. One 50 (for my drift boat) and one 100 ( for car camping) I purchased over fifteen years ago. The 100 was supposed to come with an internal basket, but didn’t. After calling, they OVERNIGHTED one to me. Totally unnecessary, but a great way to say they actually care.

Over the years, I’ve lost a few drain plugs. I’ve called and asked to purchase them, and have either been sent one gratis, or paid and gotten them within a few days. Service has always been outstanding. They are certainly expensive, but I feel the price is relative and they have paid for themselves over the years.

 

I think once you go up to rotomolded they are all pretty much the same or close enough cold wise. I have RTIC and Yeti and they seem to be made in the same factory lol I'd mainly focus on what fits your boat the best and the height you want for the the best price. Or if there's a specific feature you want like being able to hang from the rails. After that you can just worry about cooler management and any of them should get you through a week+ on Deso in the summer with no problem. I've had my Yeti since 2007-8'ish, still gets the job done, but I don't know that I'd pay the prices today, fitting your setup right is probably the biggest thing.

 

There is money, then there is value. Buy the one that meets your specs, then find the best price on that one, then buy and forget.

 

I haven't seen Kysek mentioned yet. I got a killer deal on a used 100L and it works great on long trips. The best part is it has the same exterior dimensions as my igloo marine cooler, so I don't need to adjust my frame whichever one I choose to use depending on the needs of the trip. The igloo is sufficient for most trips, but the Kysek doesn't require as much cooler management on hot summer trips, and still had ice after on day 26 in the Grand Canyon (it was December though). The Kysek has done 10 days in the sun multiple times during August archery hunting trips. I say buy what fits your boat the best.

 

What are your boat’s dimensions? I have a 156R and the Engel 123 shoehorns in perfectly. For smaller trips, I run a 75 and can fit my water jug next to it, freeing up its original space for more beer. Get the cooler that fits the space

 

For me the best cooler is the one that fits best in my frame. I just completed a similar exercise, and only found maybe 2 companies with latches that don't get in the way.

My ideal cooler would have the following characteristics

16" inches high, 41" long, and 18" wide. I hate a cooler that sits up to high, it just gets in the way.
Southco style steel latches like they use on dry boxes
2 inch wide mounting lip to sit on the frame.
Have a lid that protrudes down inside the cooler about an inch to ensure an extra tight seal.
Have the hinge molded into the body of the cooler sticking up into the lid, so the lid doesn't swing back when you open it. That way if you have gear rigged high behind it, you can still open the cooler easily.

 

The Engel 123 is nice if looking for a big, narrow cooler. I have one K2 cooler and by far the best latches for rafting (the open from the top - which seems like a simple concept that virtually no other cooler has). I tend to buy whatever best fits the space for a reasonable price, as long as it’s not yeti. Yeti is the biggest rip off in coolers. No better but cost much more than everything else (and the latches suck for rafting).

 

Cooler management! With good cooler management and the use of wet gunny sacks I got 17 days of ice using a igloo 150 in 90* plus degree heat on a 20 day float. I could get 30 days with these new coolers. Nobody seems to talk about "old school" technique for cooler management. One key thing for ice longevity is draining your cooler, don't let melt build up around your existing ice, you are doubling what the ice has to cool. Another great trick is making your own ice, store bought ice is shot with air making for a short life span. I make a huge block of ice that covers 2/3rds of the bottom and height is roughly half of the cooler. If you can see through the block of ice you have good ice (no bubbles-no white streaks) Target sells plastic bins with lids that are perfect for making your own ice that fit in a freezer. Keep the cooler out of the sun always. I usually have to toss leftover ice after a extended float. Drinking whiskey drinks on the river with no ice is "Heathen Drinking". Don't be a Heathen!

 

Have to disagree that draining the nice near-freezing melt water out of the cooler will help keep the cooler cold.

 

Don't even bother with a cooler, just drink river temp beer and eat tuna with crackers.

 

Ok, I am a cooler geek. All you buzzards need to check out the Cooler Zone web site. Consistent testing of all the major brands. Which cooler holds ice the best???. The Australian one mentioned earlier. Techni Ice. Followed by another obscure brand, Kong. I have the smallest Techni Ice model the 37 quart and its performance is outstanding. Plus it is lighter than a Yeti of a similar size. I also have a 110 L Kysek which is my long trip cooler. It also performs well AND I got a great deal on it used from a river bud. Cooler management means a lot but a top end rotomolded cooler is a game changer IMO. I also am a fan of the “cooler gel” type ice replacements that manipulate the freezing point of the gel. I have some Artic Ice tundra series packs that will keep a 100 quart cooler frozen tight for a couple of days traveling to a put in summer temps.

 

if someone ever waterproofs,ect one of these….oh my,oh my…..game changer there.

 

My dream product is a propane powered ice maker. The propane powered fridge/freezers that are used in RV’s kick ass. It’s this tiny flame that makes the whole thing work and they do work exceptionally well. You don’t need a feed back t- stat as you just want it to get as cold as possible. Pull into camp, light it up and in the morning, fresh ice? How come I can’t buy one? Every outfitter on the planet would buy three.