Best large cooler (that's not a Yeti)

[adk hunter]

Rtic also runs some awesome sales for other items like the sweet hard rifle case for $80 shipped!! I had a Cabela's 80 with those handles...just too large and then try to get through a door with it loaded...nope. Traded it back and got the yeti. If I put my hands on some of those with different latches I might trade? A company's stance influences your choice so buy walmart copies? Not me. Of course I was never going to spend that much $ on a cooler years ago....

 

[claybreaker]

I use a igloo 150 qt to haul elk in, pack elk and ice for trip from CO to TN no problem, but its Oct. I also have a RTIC that pack our food in for camp and it keep food and block ice for 10+ days. For a summer time cooler the RTIC is a great cooler and great price compared to the others.

 

[5Spot]

I'm in the market for a new, large cooler. Ideally looking for at least a 150 quart size.

What is the best value cooler out there nowadays? It would need to retain ice for a least 5 days.

I know Yeti has a strong following, but there's no way that $680+ is value for a cooler (at least in my eyes).

Any opinions? RTIC, Coleman, Igloo, Orca, others?

Here's a link to that 150 quart Igloo at Sam's Club. Check the reviews. I'm very happy with mine, as it lives most of the time in my travel trailer, but has also seen service on two week long elk hunts. One hunt was cold with lots of snow on the ground and the other was just the opposite - too warm. In both cases, it still had ice at day 7. Less than 70 bucks makes it a real buy.
https://www.samsclub.com/sams/max-cold-150-qt/prod11880027.ip

 

[basinman]

Lock your expensive coolers with a cable lock in the back of your truck or they will walk off.

 

[Frenchie1]

I'm in the market for a new, large cooler. Ideally looking for at least a 150 quart size.

What is the best value cooler out there nowadays? It would need to retain ice for a least 5 days.

I know Yeti has a strong following, but there's no way that $680+ is value for a cooler (at least in my eyes).

Any opinions? RTIC, Coleman, Igloo, Orca, others?

The proverbial can of worms has been opened now! Man, after reading some of the coolers performances in this thread I would venture to bet that some folks have to get up in the middle of the night to take wood out of their wood stoves to keep the house from getting to hot because their stove is just so efficient and then go out and siphon fuel out of their truck because they get such good mileage that it will actually produce fuel if not being ran. LOL- I bought a Yeti from a guy that won it in a raffle for pennies on the dollar just because it was way to big for anything he would ever need it for and of course this happened about a day ahead of the breaking story about Yeti debunking what we all believe in and stand for. Since it is the first time I have owned a high powered cooler, I have nothing to compare it to other than all of the other cheap coolers I have always owned and I can only come up with two parting shots,,, One is, I will never get another one of any brand that is close to the quality of what I paid for this so it is here to stay and two is,,, It works great.

 

[dig]

The original roto mold from Australia TechnIce . The signature series is by far the best ice keeping cooler on the market. https://techniice.com/ice-boxes/signature-series.html

 

[Lycanit]

Soo I'll say this. I researched the crap out of coolers before I purchased one. A lot depends on what you actually need and then on what you want. So the two absolute best in every comparison and test was Pelican and Engels. No aluminum hinges. All stainless. The lids and floor are just as thick as the side. I accidentally left ice and cans of soda from the kids birthday party in the pelican in the garage for 3 weeks.. yup actually cool.. not cold.. but definitely 45 degrees. I was surprised to say the least.
Having said that I don't see a need if you're just needing it for 2 days. Any reasonable cooler will work, especially if dumping more ice is not an issue. Also look into yukon cooler plates or any of the other ice substitution medium. They really do prolong the ice time. Happy hunting

 

[Tangent]

Canyon coolers are a great option.

 

[2footroper]

I just got back from my New Mexico elk hunt and used 2 Engel 123 coolers. They actually have a 108 qt. capacity. [Don't know why they don't just call them 108's] 2 day trip back home and they kept the butchered and packed meat froze solid. From what I have read they are the leaders in all the roto-molded coolers keeping ice the longest. Also the first ones in the market. Also made in the USA!

 

[Another Casual]

I am very happy with my coleman extreme for $50 from walmart for the 120 quart cooler. Freeze up some gallon milk jugs so the cooler doesn't turn into a bath and off we go.

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I buy Coleman Marine Extreme 150qt coolers from BJ's ( a regional warehouse type store) for $59. For $8 you can replace the hinges with SS hinges that will last forever.

We packed a frozen, butchered moose in 3 of them with NO ice. It took 3 days to get home from Newfoundland. 99% of the meat was still frozen solid. A little bit of the meat on the edges was soft frozen and just placed in the freezer when I got home.

There are better coolers out there but for $180 I got 3 - 150qt coolers that got the job done. Buying a $500-$800 cooler just doesn't make sense for my needs.

Another consideration is the weight of the cooler when loaded. The Coleman 150 weighed 185lbs when loaded to the lid with frozen meat. They can be lifted by 2 guys and shoved into a SUV or the bed of a truck. Larger coolers would be extremely difficult to move around when full. Some of the really good, large capacity coolers weigh 100lbs empty.

 

[Johnslam]

I buy Coleman Marine Extreme 150qt coolers from BJ's ( a regional warehouse type store) for $59. For $8 you can replace the hinges with SS hinges that will last forever.

We packed a frozen, butchered moose in 3 of them with NO ice. It took 3 days to get home from Newfoundland. 99% of the meat was still frozen solid. A little bit of the meat on the edges was soft frozen and just placed in the freezer when I got home.

There are better coolers out there but for $180 I got 3 - 150qt coolers that got the job done. Buying a $500-$800 cooler just doesn't make sense for my needs.

Another consideration is the weight of the cooler when loaded. The Coleman 150 weighed 185lbs when loaded to the lid with frozen meat. They can be lifted by 2 guys and shoved into a SUV or the bed of a truck. Larger coolers would be extremely difficult to move around when full. Some of the really good, large capacity coolers weigh 100lbs empty.

Weight is a downside to the rotomolded designs. My bison 100 qt is too heavy for just me if it's loaded down with ice and drinks. But, it keeps ice for days and is made in TEXAS.

 

[Indypendent]

Icey Tek

 

[Varmint Hunter]

I have a hitch mount rack on the back of my truck. The rack is 60"x24" and can hold 500lbs. If you just want one giant cooler that you won't be lifting (full), here is what I considered at one time.

https://www.engelcoolers.com/eng320-hard-cooler.html?___store=default