I just bought a cheap cooler

[MinnesotaHunter]

Another thing I have learned over the years, is that air exchange is the number 1 enemy, especially if you are going to drive 1500 miles. For quite a few years, before I invested in a couple of good coolers, I used to fashion seals for my cooler lids by rolling duct tape and putting it around the channel the lid goes into effectively making it air tight.

Looking at that Igloo, I would be inclined to seal that small hatch on top....

 

[Deerhunter6250]

I think its about how you pack the coolers. I fill a cooler with frozen ice jugs then add ice cubes around the ice jugs to keep the jugs frozen while I'm hunting. I also keep the coolers in the shade and dont open the lids while I'm hunting. When I have success I then air cool the meat through the night and the next day put the meat around some of the frozen ice jugs in a different cooler. Then I dump off any water that melted from the loose Ice and use that cooler for the rest of the meat. Ussaully will keep meat cool for days. My buddies had the expensive coolers and really couldn't tell any difference with the amount of ice melt. My igloo coolers are pretty thick walled.

 

[WapitiBob]

Multi day fishing trips or tent camping for a week like randy does, yea, they make sense. I bought a trailer with a big fridge and freezer.

 

[Scarey]

Igloo has been around for a long time, I have never been disappointed with my igloo coolers.

 

[BlakeA]

Pre cooling a quality cooler correctly and not opening until you kill makes a huge difference. For example, opening weekend for archery antelope was legit 100 degrees last year. I was hours from a gas station. Not sure I would want to be driving around with meat sitting in luke warm water in a cooler. My jugs were completely frozen and cooler was ice cold. They hadn't been opened in 4 days. Also, like @MinnesotaHunter said, when you are gone extended days with multiple tags or hunters it's nice not having to worry about it.

If you are day hunting close to home or only hunting late season I wouldn't bother with a spendy cooler. Give your cooler the water test (fill with water and set it upside down for 5 mins to see if any water leaks out which shows it's not sealing properly and is letting air in) before leaving and make sure it seals properly.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

OK. I just dropped $35 to replace the Igloo cooler that served me for 20+ years. I could not bring myself to spend 10X that much on a cooler. Tell me what I am missing...

Time to get you a sticker!

 

[Corn king 60]

I’ve used igloo many times without any issues 1500 -1700 miles
dry ice on top once we get to where we can find it
close cooler seal it and leave it alone
oh yeah don’t take 4 days to get home

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Looks like there will be a lot of heavy caskets

 

[Schaaf]

damn. hope thats still available a week from now

 

[rwc101]

I bought a Cordova rotomolded cooler so I can lock food away when camping in grizz country. All my hunting is done with Colemans.

 

[noharleyyet]

Looks like there will be a lot of heavy caskets

Casket mention made me think Boomer. We borrowed a huge Engel one year for Colorado. Thing held two big cows that we hung just as the snow started to fall heavy. Cut em up and packed snow around em the next morning...and got out before the thaw gumbo got too bad.

 

[MTLabrador]

grizz

That’s why I have a dirty commie Yeti.

 

[Deleted member 38069]

Casket mention made me think Boomer. We borrowed a huge Engel one year for Colorado. Thing held two big cows that we hung just as the snow started to fall heavy. Cut em up and packed snow around em the next morning...and got out before the thaw gumbo got too bad.

Glad you got out before that quicksand set in. I have two 65s and they saved my deer quarters from three days in the 60s this last fall.

I was referring to the penny pinching will make for heavy caskets!

 

[The Lame Trapper]

I'm with ya on not spend $500 on a cooler. I found a great one for $154 at Walmart. Built just like the high dollar ones, made in the good ol' USA and held ice and 2 antelope just fine. I think it holds ice for 5+ days. Also they just started selling the 115 quart for just under $200 which is a hell of a deal.

 

[mxracer317]

Buy once, cry once.

I’ve never regretted investing in high-quality.

Any time that I’ve ever “cheap out”, it’s always end up costing me more down the road.

That being said, everything has a place. Quick day trips, cheap coolers fine. Hunt camps in bear county and long distance, the choice is easy.

 

[WyoDoug]

Price don't necessarily translate into quality or fulfill your needs. I buy Igloos for all my day and weekend trips. They still have ice when I come back home. Keep a blanket over them and keep them out of the sun and you should be fine. I have had Igloo coolers retain ice an entire week. I bought a huge Webstaurant cooler and it retains ice close to 10 days. I bought it to haul big game home after I quartered and sometimes deboned it.

For the price you got a good deal.

 

[beagle001]

I'm with ya on not spend $500 on a cooler. I found a great one for $154 at Walmart. Built just like the high dollar ones, made in the good ol' USA and held ice and 2 antelope just fine. I think it holds ice for 5+ days. Also they just started selling the 115 quart for just under $200 which is a hell of a deal.

I’ve got the original 55 quart and it is darn nice for $100. I’ve heard you can fill the lids with expanding foam (at least on older models) and make them all the better, because that is their only weak point.
We were in and out of it for 7 days on a trip out and back to Yellowstone in August of 2019 and I had to drain the water and add ice on day 6. I had put frozen meat in it, expecting it to thaw by the time I wanted it... I was wrong and was constantly swapping things in and out of our little cooler to get them to thaw

 

[RobG]

Someone told me to put a wet towel over the cooler on multi day trips. The evaporation keeps it cooler.

 

[The Lame Trapper]

I’ve got the original 55 quart and it is darn nice for $100. I’ve heard you can fill the lids with expanding foam (at least on older models) and make them all the better, because that is their only weak point.
We were in and out of it for 7 days on a trip out and back to Yellowstone in August of 2019 and I had to drain the water and add ice on day 6. I had put frozen meat in it, expecting it to thaw by the time I wanted it... I was wrong and was constantly swapping things in and out of our little cooler to get them to thaw

They fixed the lids. The are solid now with no felx at all In them.

 

[Wallydeuce]

In the attached photo is my solution to the damned annoying banging of the rope handles of the heavy coolers. One inch closed cell pipe insulation. I had to buy a 6' length to get two 6" pieces, but it works.

For the small older cooler on the left, I did the spray foam thing on the lid. Important tip...when that crap comes spewing out, let it dry before trying to get it off! What a mess.

I have to plan ahead on cooler loading. I bring it in 3-4 days ahead into the air conditioned house so ice doesn't start melting from a hot cooler. Another important tip with the new heavy coolers...don't load it inside and expect to be able to hump it into the truck. The first (and only) time it happened, I walked into the kitchen and my wife said, "cooler's loaded and ready ". Uhhhhh ok.