New cooler

[flightattendant100]

I noticed the Academy ad in todays paper had Igloo Maxcold 152 qt. chests for 79 bucks. You could buy a few of them for what that Yeti costs. The Maxcold line holds ice pretty well.

[UPSMAN]

Paul, Don't have any Academy Sports in my area but I'm going to stop by Costco and see what they have.

[Adrian J Hare]

Paul, Don't have any Academy Sports in my area but I'm going to stop by Costco and see what they have.

I was there the other day UPS and they had a $100.00 Igloo with a handle and wheels not sure the size but it was a large one, hold a couple 24's or 30 packs from where your from the farthest I travel now is from Punxy PA to my place which is 7 hours and \I go into the Dollar store and get a styro foam coolers and pack ice and they last until I get home. I then send my buddies back home when they come for a hunt with a free cooler

[Serena]

I have tried a few of the other soft coolers and I have to recommend the NorChill cooler brand. They run specials on their website www.norchillcoolers.com all the time. They just seem to hold up better than the cheap ones from some of the retail stores. Get what you pay for!

[ch312]

Another vote for the Coleman Extreme 5 day cooler. I use one on my boat for holding fish and the ice blocks last so long that I often rinse and reuse the blocks for 2 or 3 trips. This is with the cooler being opened often and stored in direct sunlight all day.

Blocks work far better than cubes, but if you really want cold just head to Praxair and buy some dry ice at $1 per kilo...

[bowman81]

Somewhere on the net I read a comparison test that involved the Yeti, the Engle, Coleman, and Igloo. The Yeti didn't come off very well. The Coleman Extreme actually kept ice longer than the Yeti. The Coleman is not built as tough but it cost about 1/5 of a Yeti in the same size. If I remember the best was an Engle, less pricey than the Yeti but still pretty dear. The Igloo was the worst.
What do I own? The Igloo. It does what I ask of it. When it gives up the ghost I will shop for something else....but it is going on 7 years and still in one piece.

[Deerstalker]

One thing about the YETI is that "it keeps ice longer, a lot longer" & I guarantee that this statement is absolutely true.

[bowman81]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-TE4Rnq ... detailpage

Here is the test I referenced.

[RAGS]

I have used the Coleman Ultimate extreme 6 day coolers with great results - even on the hottest days. below are tips from the Coleman website - take note of the last one. As long as your food packaging is water tight keeping the water in the cooler makes a huge difference!

Packing a cooler to maximize efficiency doesn’t require a degree in rocket science, but a good game plan and common sense will ensure that goods stay fresh and ice lasts as long as possible. Try these helpful tips:

•Prechill drinks and foods – Ice lasts longer when items in a cooler are already cold. For instance, a six-pack or a gallon of liquid at room temperature melts about 1 1/2 pounds of ice just to cool down. Prechill coolers by placing a few ice cubes inside an hour or so before loading your cold beverages and food.

•Put ice in last – Cold air travels down. Load cans and bottles first, then cover with ice for maximum cold-keeping.

•Use crushed or block ice – Crushed ice cools food and drinks fast; block ice lasts longer. As an alternative to block ice, prefreeze drinking water or juices in clean milk jugs. They’ll help keep foods cold and provide a handy source of cold beverages as they thaw.

•Put foods in “chronological” order – Pack foods that will be consumed last on the bottom and work upward, storing first-used and often-used items on top. Store perishable foods like meat and dairy products directly on ice. Keep foods dry by using sealed plastic containers or zip-closure plastic bags.

•Keep coolers out of the sun – Ice lasts as much as twice as long in the shade. To keep warm air out and cold air in, open the lid only when necessary and close it right away. While traveling, pack picnic blankets, sleeping bags or clothing around the cooler to insulate it even more.

•Don’t drain cold water – Water from just-melted ice keeps contents cold almost as well as ice and preserves the remaining ice much better than air space. Drain the water only when necessary for convenient removal of cooler contents or before adding more ice.