Portable coolers in your 100

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patrickfinley

patrickfinley

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I was wondering if anyone has used a Yeti or Engel DeepBlue portable ice cooler in their 100's?
http://www.yeticoolers.com/
http://www.engel-usa.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=60

I've spent a lot of time in bear country and would like to remove any food from my LC to avoid vehicle damage. Both the Yeti and Engel Deep blue are bear certified.

What's a good family size cooler that fits well in the 100? I was thinking 45-50 quart would be good?

Besides being a good bear solution, I like that they are very light and wouldn't require a 2nd battery setup. I wonder if they actually stay cold for 8-10 days as stated?
 
I had a Yeti, gave it to a friend when I got my fridge (BTW you don't need to do a 2 battery setup unless you are planning on leaving the fridge on for several days without the truck running. For a weekend trip a quality single battery will do fine.), they are great coolers. I would recommend the 50qt for weekend trips and the 65qt if you are planning on going and not restocking for 8-10 days. In 70-80 degree heat I was getting 4-6 days off of one 10lb block of ice in the 50L. I think 8-10 is pushing it but maybe possible with more ice. I always just used a single block and no cubes.

The cooler is only bear proof if you use 2 locks on it.

Once you get a fridge you'll never go back.
 
I run a coleman fridge. Walmart special last year for $75. It gets pretty cold and is very quiet. Not the best fridge but it keeps your old and drinks cold while you drive. You can use it indoors too. Fits snug when you fold up the 2nd row passenger seat between drawers.

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Rusty pretty sure he asked specially if it will fit in the 100.... So it is related, don't you get a hitch basket and put the cooler on that? Then you could get the largest yeti or a coleman marine cooler

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If you're serious about bears then don't waste the money on a bear proof cooler and get a regular cooler and tree it at night. Otherwise, spend the money on a fridge. Not having to deal with ice is the best thing in the world.
 
I have a few Yeti's and an Ultra-Cool, which isn't made anymore. I have the Yeti 45 and15 as a matter of fact the 15 is right next to me as I wait in the carpool line. I'm getting the 20qt. Roadie soon.
The 45 is a great all around size. The one thing you need to consider is how heavy they get when full. The 45 can be picked up by me alone when full but I would have a hard time with a 65.
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How bout them pocket knives?
 
rking said:
Rusty pretty sure he asked specially if it will fit in the 100.... So it is related, don't you get a hitch basket and put the cooler on that? Then you could get the largest yeti or a coleman marine cooler

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Click to expand...
Really?
:rolleyes:


Okay I'll play.

If you want to know if any particular cooler will fit in your UZJ100;

  1. Get the Mfg.s dimensions for the cooler.
  2. Get or make a cardboard box about the same size.
  3. See if it fits.
  4. Done:flipoff2:
Or you could just bust out a tape measure. (If you don't own a tape measure you probably shouldn't attempt to install a portable cooler in your 100, take it to a shop.)

If you want to know if a particular cooler is good as a bear box, what size cooler will meet your needs, the pros and cons of ice vs refer, etc. the guys in the camping gear forum will have a lot of good input.
 
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just watched review of top coolers....Coleman Marine, Igloo, Engel, Yet, and RBI or something like that....they put 50lbs of ice and six drinks in them all in same room and checked at same time.

Best for money- Coleman
Best overall- Engel
Most versatile- RBI as it has a built in cutting board in lid and hook up for garden hose to drain it.

The Coleman and Yeti both were mostly water after 8 days.....the engel was mostly ice as was the RBI...the Engel was middle performer with about even ice to water ratio. The RBI did not win as it is very expensive.
 
Brock said:
just watched review of top coolers....Coleman Marine, Igloo, Engel, Yet, and RBI or something like that....they put 50lbs of ice and six drinks in them all in same room and checked at same time.

Best for money- Coleman
Best overall- Engel
Most versatile- RBI as it has a built in cutting board in lid and hook up for garden hose to drain it.

The Coleman and Yeti both were mostly water after 8 days.....the engel was mostly ice as was the RBI...the Engel was middle performer with about even ice to water ratio. The RBI did not win as it is very expensive.
Click to expand...

That test is to be deemed inconclusive. There is no evidence to support wether or not all the coolers were prepped in the same way. The Coleman extreme holds ice well but as all Coleman, Igloo and of the kind, they are built awful.
Being that the business I'm in I would go for the Yeti or Engel. I have destroyed more coolers than one can count except for the Yeti or Engel.
For me, I like the Yeti simply because it has a huge following which ensures that you'll have a customer service department to work with and replacement parts are available.
A buddy of mine and I did our own cooler test and the ice retention of the Engel vs. Yeti were the same. The Coleman did well but they are junk. I put my foot through one and of an Igloo using them to stand on.
 
FMKV said:
I have the tan Yeti 45 and it keeps beer and food for all 4 of us for 3-4 days cold. Just depends on how much you open and close it I guess.
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If I put my 45 in my walk in freezer for 24 hours (with the new gasket) then put good ice in I get awesome retention. Up to 8 days. BUT!!!!, to anyone wanting great ice retention you should limit how much the cooler is open because that will kill ice rurally really quick. I don't care what cooler it is.
You could just use dry ice.


Hey FMKV,
Hate to get off track here, but since your in MT.P you should get together with our local club, Swamp Fox Land Cruisers. PM me if your interested.
 
FMKV said:
I have the tan Yeti 45 and it keeps beer and food for all 4 of us for 3-4 days cold. Just depends on how much you open and close it I guess.
Click to expand...
The best way to make ice last a long time is never open the cooler. Not really a practical solution though. However you can minimize how often the cooler is opened.

We use two coolers, one for drinks, lunches and that nights dinner.
The other has nothing but frozen food and ice in it. We try to only open the second cooler once a day to get out what ever we need for that day's meals. This is one reason I like to use several small coolers instead of one large cooler. Other reasons are flexibility in packing, and ease of moving them. We also keep the coolers covered with heavy moving blankets as much as possible.

The Yeti and it's cousins may be great for outfitters and catering but for us average Joe Campers the Coleman is more than enough cooler IMHO. I'd rather save all that extra cash and but it towards a real refer like the Engle or Norcold.
 
:hhmm:The money saved I can understand, but I look at it like I didnt need the 1000 dollar investment of a fridge in the back so I saved money getting a cooler that will last 10 -15 yrs.
 
Your right, this doesn't need to be in the 100 forum, if it fits in an 100 then it will fit in an 60, 80, 120, 200 or just about anything.

Great feedback from everyone thank you.

Few things to note:

-Putting a full, heavy, cooler up in a tree doesn't sound very easy. Seems like throwing a lock on it at night is the way to go when in bear country. One positive thing is that many camping areas in bear country will often have bear boxes at the site. It's the occasion when you do more remote camping that you'd need a bear proof solution.

-If you run your Engel Fridge on a single battery, and are only exploring for 3-4 hours a day is that enough to keep everything inside cold for the rest of the day/night?

-What do you do with your Engel Frige if you go to places like Yosemite, Yellowstone or the like. You cannot leave any food in the vehicle. You will even get fines from Rangers if any food is visible from the outside. Do you take it out and put it in a bear box at night? Can you run a long cord to your vehicle? Is it bearproof the same way as the Yeti or Engel coolers?

-Do freezer ice packs work well or is a block of ice better? Seems like a block of ice would be better.
 
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patrickfinley said:
-If you run your Engel Fridge on a single battery, and are only exploring for 3-4 hours a day is that enough to keep everything inside cold for the rest of the day/night?
Click to expand...

If you have a good battery (Odyssey/Sears Platinum) then yes you can run it non stop for 3-4 days in moderate temperatures. I have had my cheapo autozone die after one night but I have also had it go for 2 days.

patrickfinley said:
-Do freezer ice packs work well or is a block of ice better? Seems like a block of ice would be better.
Click to expand...

I've tried ice packs but they don't seem to stay ice for very long. A good block is a good way to go.

I cant speak to the other questions but am interested to here about the Yellowstone thing. have not been there is 15 years and really want to get back.
 
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