cooler wars - round 2

Rte1985

If you want latches. England pelican rtic grizzly are all great coolers. If latches rant a big deal the Colman extremes hold ice very very well at a good price point.  I'd buy Coleman for a good standard cooler. If I wanted latches I'd get rtic jmho though

fishlessman

HeavyG said:

I can tell that he was serious about all that by the complete lack of emoticons in his post.

lack of emoticons could be a sign of post-concussion syndrome, theres no way im going near a calculator today, my mind seems to be lost in a fog and now i see im forgetting to add smileys. and what if hillary didnt win....

Rte1985

Engel.......not England! Auto text got me again!

HeavyG

Eoin said:

HeavyG said:

Lit said:

Rte1985 said:

Yeti is a nice idea but when you have a Coleman xtreme that keep ice just as long for a fraction of the price.  Let's just say that's a lot of beer and meat money you could have for that next camping trip I'm a big rtic fan also.  Yeti is just so salty!

I have 2 Coleman extremes in my attic cause I hate to throw things away. They aren't even in the same category as Yeti. 

When it comes to the one characteristic most people  buy coolers for - holding ice for a few days - yes they are (as actual testing has shown).

On the other hand, the YETI's are bear proof (and that may be of actual importance to 0.1% of YETI owners) whereas the Xtremes are not.

I'm after a cooler for camping, are the Coleman as good temperature wise? I just want functional (ie stays cold), ideally with latches, at a cheapskate price. Doesn't need to be bear proof.

A few outfits have done multi-day tests of various coolers to see how long they actually keep ice. 

The Coleman Xtremes acquit themselves very well in that regard. In one test I read a few years ago the Yeti did hold ice longer than a Coleman Xtreme but it was only a half day longer in a 6 or 7 day test.

One thing to keep in mind is that there are a few varieties of the Coleman Xtremes and the performance may vary somewhat between the different types.

Here's a site that has a review of hard coolers: http://thesweethome.com/reviews/the-best-hard-cooler/

Here's a video showing a test among a few high end coolers an a Coleman Xtreme:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-TE4RnqT0U

At the 6 minute mark you see that at the end of their 8 day test the Xtreme had as much (possibly a bit more but either way the difference appears to be rather trivial) ice as the Yeti. If judging just by how long each will keep ice I don't see how any sane person can conclude the Yeti is worth many times the price of an Xtreme.

The lack of latches can be a problem for some. I've always just used bungees or, more recently, these type of quick release buckle straps (mainly just to make sure the lid stays closed when bouncing around in the back of my truck):

https://smile.amazon.com/Ozark-Trail-76064P-72-Inch-Quick-Release/dp/B01ATL97U8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490725003&sr=8-1&keywords=buckle+straps

There really is no magic involved in any of these coolers and their ability to hold ice the longest. Generally speaking the one with the thicker walls will win.

The best performing coolers (ice retention wise) I've read about are the ones made by the Australian firm Techniice. They now sell those in the US and I'll bet they are also available in the UK.

Still hard to beat a Coleman Marine Xtreme for the price tho.

Eoin

Pelican is available here. Icey-Tek also came up on cooler searches. Any good? Claim keep ice for 7 days.

Smokin_Trout

xfire_ATX said:

Rte1985 said:

Let's just say that's a lot of beer and meat money you could have for that next camping trip

Camping this weekend- Yeti 65 for food, Yeti 75 full of Beer.  Priorities

By the looks of it you are shorting your priorities! Maybe that should be part of the lawsuit.

Smokin_Trout

From Facebook

RTIC Coolers

Sponsored · 

Old Style Coolers (left) vs New Style Coolers (right) - Thoughts?

We expect to have in stock in 30 days!

Rte1985

Looks like minor exterior skin changes. Any major design changes to improve on the already great cooler??  If not I'd be fine with either

fishlessman

the old school vintage ones on the left hold ice longer

Photo Egg

Smokin_Trout said:

From Facebook

RTIC Coolers

Sponsored · 

Old Style Coolers (left) vs New Style Coolers (right) - Thoughts?

We expect to have in stock in 30 days!

I like the RTIC cup lights...lol

Rte1985

Says all the vintage owners! a rtic will be my next cooler!

Thomasc18

Own both, I prefer the yeti over rtic. Just personal preference. 

CoMoBGE

Thomasc18 said:

Own both, I prefer the yeti over rtic. Just personal preference. 

Just wondering why that is? I have a Rtic 45 and my buddy has a Yetti 65. We have gone to taking the 45 since it saves a few pounds and has a smaller footprint with just about the same internal space. 

PlanSB

Yeti is no better than RTIC performance-wise, imo.  Yeti is just brilliant marketers, I mean every college kid seems to have or want a yeti.  They wear the yeti branded hats and shirts also, consumerism at its finest!  the last thing I wanted in college was a 500$ cooler.  My coworker told me his college aged son wanted one for Christmas last year and it seemed so odd to me (note: he is not a fisherman or hunter, or even an outdoorsman).

Legume

I'm waiting for LaVar Ball to come out with a set of BBB coolers starting at $500 for the 20.

Thomasc18

CoMoBGE said:

Thomasc18 said:

Own both, I prefer the yeti over rtic. Just personal preference. 

Just wondering why that is? I have a Rtic 45 and my buddy has a Yetti 65. We have gone to taking the 45 since it saves a few pounds and has a smaller footprint with just about the same internal space. 

I first bought my yeti 45 than wanted something smaller.  Wanted a yeti 20. Heard of a new company Rtic, it was $100 cheaper so I went with the Rtic 20. Took 3 months to receive. I believe both coolers perform the same, but as far as blemishes on the coolers the Rtic wins. There didn't seem like there was much attention to detail.  Not sure how some of their products pass QC.  I also own a softpak 30 by Rtic and a yeti hopper 30.  I believe when you start spending over $100's for a cooler, the product should be perfect. Just my opinion. 

HeavyG

Thomasc18 said:

CoMoBGE said:

Thomasc18 said:

Own both, I prefer the yeti over rtic. Just personal preference. 

Just wondering why that is? I have a Rtic 45 and my buddy has a Yetti 65. We have gone to taking the 45 since it saves a few pounds and has a smaller footprint with just about the same internal space. 

I first bought my yeti 45 than wanted something smaller.  Wanted a yeti 20. Heard of a new company Rtic, it was $100 cheaper so I went with the Rtic 20. Took 3 months to receive. I believe both coolers perform the same, but as far as blemishes on the coolers the Rtic wins. There didn't seem like there was much attention to detail.  Not sure how some of their products pass QC.  I also own a softpak 30 by Rtic and a yeti hopper 30.  I believe when you start spending over $100's for a cooler, the product should be perfect. Just my opinion. 

I've got a few Rtic coolers and gear and never noticed any blemishes on any of them.

Perhaps I should get all "Holmes-ian" on them to make sure I didn't miss something.

pgprescott

These coolers are great products, however I think they have become like the pony on the Ralph Lauren clothing. Not that there's anything wrong with that. 

PlanSB

Its a **** cooler. Complaining about nicks and minor imperfections on it is like complaining when your football gets scuffed or your hammer gets scratched.  

Hntnhrd

I bought 2 65 quart and 2 45quarts during the fire sale. Absolutely 0 blemishes or nicks or defects on any of them. I smell BS when posters first posts are on a cooler thread on a Big Green Egg forum. Kind of like when someone's  first post on the forum is touting the virtues of a Kamodo Joe. JMO take it for what it is worth. 

Thomasc18

Hntnhrd said:

I bought 2 65 quart and 2 45quarts during the fire sale. Absolutely 0 blemishes or nicks or defects on any of them. I smell BS when posters first posts are on a cooler thread on a Big Green Egg forum. Kind of like when someone's  first post on the forum is touting the virtues of a Kamodo Joe. JMO take it for what it is worth. 

Lol your right first time poster but long time reader, but I was asked why I like one vs the other. Just saying when your spending a few hundred bucks it should look good, not having the plastic completely smooth with pieces sticking up. Or the rubber gasket not completely aligned. Small things is all I'm saying.  As far as doing their job. They both do it well.  This might strike a few nerves but really no different from big green egg vs any other Komado out there. One prefers one to the next. 

CoMoBGE

Well I guess that means my RTIC won't be winning any beauty awards at turkey camp this spring. I sure hope I don't get any scratches on my shotgun either!

GrateEggspectations

fishlessman said:

as far as ice retention goes, my rtic still has ice since november in it and its been outside in the sun the whole time

I pour water into my Yetis and when I next open them, it's ice. 

YukonRon

I bought my Yeti because I am, "That Guy". I had no knowledge of RTIC, in fact, they were not even available at the time.
I am "That Guy" because where we camp, it is mandatory you hang your food off a branch in a tree, or use lockable community storage bins, or own a Yeti because of bears. 
We (my family) are part of that 0.1%. It was worth the money, not to have to deal with bear proof canisters in the trees, and hot, often smelly community storage bins.
So, whatevers my peeps. I can at least justify, if not to anyone else, to myself and my family, the reduced price I paid for my 65 at Sam's Club several years ago. 
It has seen a lot of heavy use, has had the shid beat out of it, and still out performs all my other coolers, hands down (thinking around 8 or so).
It did a great job with the bourbon slushies, too. They remained frozen several days in food saver bags, in fact, so much so, 4 days into our trip to the BB last year, we had to take them out of the Yeti to thaw, prior to serving.
Impressed me, but I am probably one of the more gullible fools in this forum.
I do like my Yeti. It does have advantages I find worthy.

paqman

GrateEggspectations said:

fishlessman said:

as far as ice retention goes, my rtic still has ice since november in it and its been outside in the sun the whole time

I pour water into my Yetis and when I next open them, it's ice. 

I pour water into my RTICs and when I next open them, it's wine.

WeberWho

PlanSB said:

Its a **** cooler. Complaining about nicks and minor imperfections on it is like complaining when your football gets scuffed or your hammer gets scratched.  

I can see your point PlanSB but when buying something I usually prefer to be the the first one to put a scratch or scuff in it. Is it a deal breaker? No. When paying $200 for a cooler I'd want my football to be leather over plastic and I don't want my expensive hammer coming from Dollar General. Will the football and hammer get the job done? Sure. I'd just expect the finish on the cooler to be a little better than the one I can buy at Walgreens for $15

PlanSB

WeberWho said:

PlanSB said:

Its a **** cooler. Complaining about nicks and minor imperfections on it is like complaining when your football gets scuffed or your hammer gets scratched.  

I can see your point PlanSB but when buying something I usually prefer to be the the first one to put a scratch or scuff in it. Is it a deal breaker? No. When paying $200 for a cooler I'd want my football to be leather over plastic and I don't want my expensive hammer coming from Dollar General. Will the football and hammer get the job done? Sure. I'd just expect the finish on the cooler to be a little better than the one I can buy at Walgreens for $15

I get it, but I don't think that Yeti is any better than RTIC. 

WeberWho

PlanSB said:

WeberWho said:

PlanSB said:

Its a **** cooler. Complaining about nicks and minor imperfections on it is like complaining when your football gets scuffed or your hammer gets scratched.  

I can see your point PlanSB but when buying something I usually prefer to be the the first one to put a scratch or scuff in it. Is it a deal breaker? No. When paying $200 for a cooler I'd want my football to be leather over plastic and I don't want my expensive hammer coming from Dollar General. Will the football and hammer get the job done? Sure. I'd just expect the finish on the cooler to be a little better than the one I can buy at Walgreens for $15

I get it, but I don't think that Yeti is any better than RTIC. 

Performance wise no. Yeti kills RTIC with warranty and finish. I have a 65 RTIC myself and wouldn't pay double for a Yeti just for the additional warranty and better finish. If something does go wrong with my RTIC I can buy another cooler and still be at Yeti prices. I do wish the finish was nicer for still being a $200 cooler. I can't knock the cooler for anything else. 

fishlessman

ive never thought to even call a cooler manufacturer about their warranty, ive got coolers over 30 years old if your yeti or rtic breaks, you did something you should not have done.  i dont think much can go wrong keeping beer and ice in one of these things, it would have to fall out of a truck at high speeds.  the stickers on crooked, the top is fading from the sun, what kind of warranty issues you looking for. eventually those latches will fail, they probably will send you new ones anyways

jtcBoynton

A good cooler should last a long time and you hope you never need to have a reason to use the warranty.  However, sometimes things do happen that make a warranty worthwhile.  I have a Coleman Extreme cooler that has started to crack.  The external shell above the handles has cracks big enough to allow water to enter between the inside and outside shells.  The cooler has been used but not abused.  This is the type of issue that a warranty is good for.  In my case this cooler has been used for many years and is long past any warranty. I got my money's worth from it and am quite satisfied on how long it lasted. But if this had occurred in the first year or two, I would have been disappointed.