cooler question (1 Viewer)

[coleAK]

In prep for salmon and halibut I’m in need of replacing my current fishing cooler, a igloo marine ultra 94qt that I have used and abused for the last 10 years.

My gut feeling is to get another one of the same for the following reasons: made in the USA, I’ve never had a problem with its insulation, $150 at Costco. The only disadvantage is it’s not bear rated so I have to secure in with straps (Alaska problems) and the latches break off which don’t really matter since I have to use bear straps.

First off it must be made in the USA so YETI is out of the question.

Anyone with experience with one of the USA made heavy duty bear rated brands: ORCA, Grizzly, Bison, or Cabelas?

What makes them worth 3x the cost of my igloo?

 

[Somebodyelse5]

why does it have to be made in USA? Just curious.

I've heard good things about these guys
Outfitter 125 Quart Cooler White Marble

 

[coleAK]

When given an equal product or one I perceive to fit my needs I try and support: Alaskan companies, American made products, American companies, and local businesses whenever possible. So I figure there are enough good American made coolers out there to pick one. I’ll pay more to buy local if I get good customer service. I only buy online as a last resort.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

I have no experience with your current cooler. I did receive a Grizzly as a gift. I haven't gone all nerd and done ice retention studies, etc. It's basically a copy of a Yeti. Roto-molded (versus blow mold), very thick insulation, gasket on the lid, the stretchy rubber latches. Head and shoulders above the standard WalMart Igloo.

Is it worth 3 times the cost for you? Dunno. I guess the main benefit of these for most people is ice retention when off-grid for extended periods. If all you need is to keep your fish cold for a day until you can get them into refrigeration then maybe hard to justify. You can buy a lot of ice for what these cost.

 

[CaneCounsel007]

@coleAK check out iconcoolers.com - my boys Zane and Mike own the company, work their tails off and it is American made, through and through. Icon Coolers. (I went to school with Zane, and he works his butt off). Def a Carolina brand through and through, based in Wilmington NC.

As to coolers man, I dig my rotomolded coolers bc 1) I live in Florida and frequent the Bahamas for spearfishing. Ice is both precious and expensive. 2) I can stand/sit on them and they don't bounce as much in my boat. All important for a small boat! 3) It's tougher and built to last, and don't fall apart on me. All things being equal I'm going with a 10 year cooler vs a 2 or 3 year cooler. Cost is equal to cheaper depending on how integral a bigger cooler is to your daily life. I can't stand the floppy cooler lids of the non-rotomolded coolers- I'm a big fan of sitting, and I seem to break these, plus the lid hinges go bad far too frequently (although remedied one of ours with the hose material lid hinge kit). You should be able to get you one pretty affordably with all the sales and competition happening in the rotomolded cooler market. But there are very few manufactured entirely in the USA.

Good luck, and honestly if you need a bigger cooler for multi-day ice capacity, I think Orca, Grizzly (ugly as hell to me), K2, or the like will treat you just fine without murdering your wallet. And a new product I really like is an ice packet similar to NuIce (I can't buy the 2 pound size anymore) which 4 10"x9" kept a 10 pound bag of ice pretty good for 3 days (and all our food/drink): Cooler Shock Freezer Ice Packs.

 

[coleAK]

Thanks all for the reply’s. I Emailed grizzley (as their 100 qt is 38lbs, more on that) to find out why they have a 30 lb ice capacity on the 100 qt. I’m really weight aware as I put my cooler on a hitch rack on my camper trailer the 70-100 miles each way to fish (then on The LX on and off the beach). Add in 50-100+lbs of salmon and then add in ice and I’m up there in weight. I didn’t realize the molded coolers were so heavy. Most 100-115 qt ones are 60lbs+ Some are almost 50 lbs more than my igloo marine ultra (~18lbs)

So I don’t need better ice retention I’ve kept ice in the igloo no problem for 5-7 days, but then where I’m fishing in July and August 60 degrees outside is a heat wave and the water is in the 30s. Really the reason I was thinking of change Is for certified bear resistant storage (that’s required of game meat in AK) even though with straps my set up complies I’ve been given a hard time once or twice.

 

[troy scott]

id go with what you had its cheap and hard to beat easy to fix the latches its what i always use for hunting and fishing trips the new style coolers are just to pricey

 

[coleAK]

Troy I agree. Costco has the same igloo I’ve used and abused for 10 years down to $119. It’s made in the USA and works great. I can’t get any of the rotomolded in ~100 qt for shipped to AK for under $600 from what I can find and the extra weight is an issue.

 

[RyanStl]

Pelican coolers are super solid, bear proof, and made in the USA. The only problem is the 95 quart version is 60 lbs. I have the 70 qt and I have to have help moving when fully loaded.

 

[coleAK]

The unloaded weight is really the deal breaker for me on any of the roto coolers. Just finished sockeye salmon and filled a 150 qt igloo with 150 lbs of filets. Here is a pic of about half our catch in step 1, headed and gutted.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Check these coolers out, everything you need...

Cordova Coolers – The New Standard of Cool

 

[coleAK]

Nice. Not as heavy as others and have roots in Alaska!

 

[FJ60Seth]

I spent a week camping with the same size Yeti & Pelican. The Pelican is my favorite. It kept ice longer and the matches are far superior.

 

[coleAK]

Yeah I don’t know anyone up here that uses Yetis in the field. The only place I see them is keeping drinks cold at soccer games and my brother uses one for his little league team.

 

[CV Kurt]

I'm thinking of getting a 35q Orion Cooler... mainly because they have integrated tracks compatible with those used in kayaks and other personal paddle/oar crafts. They are made in Tennessee.

And to the OP, the largest they make is 85q, weights 43lbs, holds 100lbs of ice or 110 cans of beer, and isn't cheap ($549). For you use, seems some more similar to what you've been using would be best.

Anyone have experience with these?