In the market for a new game cooler

3TOE

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So I have been using a large Pelican cooler for the past few years & have been super happy with it. Unfortunately I kept it stored in the garage & the Vegas heat has caused the lid to warp. I didn’t notice it until a recent antelope hunt. Needless to say, it no longer seals like it did, so it looks like I will be buying a new one before my next hunt. I have a Yeti 65 that I use for camp food & that thing is amazing.
Looking for recommendations / size cooler to hold an entire deer that will stay cold for several days to get the animal home.
 
I use the large Cabelas branded cooler, think it is 110 or 120. Works great. My only criticism is the molded handles make it about 4 inches longer than it needs to be.
 
I have been doing a ton of research & found that the cooler manufacturers are struggling to keep up with demand. All of the manufacturer websites show out of stock on the particular sizes that I’m looking for. I think I will just have to pick a few then hope I can put eyes and hands on one to find what I want.
 
Check out the coolers made by Lifetime - by all reports they are as good as the higher end coolers (Yeti, etc.) but cheaper price. I ordered a 115 quart back on 8/21, but haven't received it yet. Once I get it, I can let you know how well it works, holds ice, etc.
 
If you have a Costco near by check out the Coho coolers they are built like the Yeti Pelican & Grizzly coolers But lighter & Better price, I refused to pay the $$ for a Yeti or other top brands but this 55 quart Coho was $110 Costco price !! 1st trip out it was 104 degrees had 3 8# bags of ice pop beer & misc in it sitting on the back of the jet boat end of the day drained maybe 20 oz of water off !! That was after being opened & closed all day long, 2nd trip loaded up thurs night 4 8# bags of ice beer pop water & misc. It sat in the back of the truck fri sat & sun temps were between 80 & 93 had maybe a gallon & 1/2 of water !!
 
I just got a 65q RTIC. Put Ice and drinks in it last night so we’ll see how it does this long weekend
$250 direct from them
 
I just got a 65q RTIC. Put Ice and drinks in it last night so we’ll see how it does this long weekend
$250 direct from them
I was looking at RTIC but have never seen one in person or heard how well they worked. Please let me know how it does. Thanks.
 
If you have a Costco near by check out the Coho coolers they are built like the Yeti Pelican & Grizzly coolers But lighter & Better price, I refused to pay the $$ for a Yeti or other top brands but this 55 quart Coho was $110 Costco price !! 1st trip out it was 104 degrees had 3 8# bags of ice pop beer & misc in it sitting on the back of the jet boat end of the day drained maybe 20 oz of water off !! That was after being opened & closed all day long, 2nd trip loaded up thurs night 4 8# bags of ice beer pop water & misc. It sat in the back of the truck fri sat & sun temps were between 80 & 93 had maybe a gallon & 1/2 of water !!
Understood… it is hard to come off of the cash for a cooler. I had an experience this year that makes me believe they are worth the money. I knew of a small town near where I was antelope hunting & the local gas station had an ice bin outside. On the 3rd day of the hunt my nephew killed a pronghorn so we drove to town. The gas station was closed & ice cooler locked. A sign on the door said “Be back at 4:30”. We left & came back at 5:00. Still closed. I used frozen water bottles from another cooler that I use to keep the camp food cool to at least chill the antelope meat. The next morning we were back at the gas station, still closed. We were over 120 miles from the next closest town that I knew of so we broke down camp & headed out for ice. I still had a day of hunting left but we had to leave for ice. From now on, I will just purchase on the way in & keep the cooler closed until needed. I want a cooler that will keep ice for 5-6 days so I don’t run into something similar happening ever again.
 
I was looking at RTIC but have never seen one in person or heard how well they worked. Please let me know how it does. Thanks.
I have an RTIC 65 and it’s been awesome. Keeps ice at least 3-4 days in 90-100 degrees if kept in the shade or covered. They are heavy though and definitely would need something like the 110 if you were cooling a deer quarters still on the bone.
Don’t overlook the Coleman extreme coolers. Great value and keep ice pretty well.
 
Picked up a Cascade Mountain 80 qt cooler from Costco a year ago, think it was around $250. Very impressed with it during a 10 day camping trip, as well as two different 8 day hunts and a few summer parties where it was the beverage station. It's big, but will easily hold 4 quarters and keep it cold. Throw a few frozen gallon jugs of water in it and you are good to go. I also have Yeti, Pelican, and Igloo Extreme coolers, I use them all depending on the trip.
 
I have 2 igloo extreme and they are junk compared to this new RTIC
2 cases of drinks that were warm when I loaded on Tuesday
I chopped up 3 blocks of ice and just dumped half of it on the driveway
Very impressed
 
I have 2 igloo extreme and they are junk compared to this new RTIC
2 cases of drinks that were warm when I loaded on Tuesday
I chopped up 3 blocks of ice and just dumped half of it on the driveway
Very impressed
I checked out the RTIC coolers but they were out of stock. I ended up purchasing a 100qt Grizzly.
Hopefully it will be a decent cooler.
 
Weight means a lot to me. I tend to do an Alaskan adventure every year or two, so I far prefer a coleman or igloo extreme cooler as they weigh less so I can get more food/supplies in them and stay under the 50 or 100 pounds for airline requirements. They don't hold ice as well in the heat, but for hunting this time of year, they do great and much less expensive.

If I wanted to truck camp in the heat - tough to beat the Yeti style coolers. Tough and hold ice the best.
 
Kong Coolers actually beat Yeti & all the others in ice retention tests last year !! Lifetime coolers sold at Walmart held ice the same # of days as Yeti !! they are roto molded & probably made by same company that makes Yeti & the other roto molded coolers for 1/2 the $$ . In a ice test article I read back in 2019 Igloo Extreme was a day or less behind Yeti & the others top $ coolers
 
I bought an Orca cooler earlier this year. Not impressed. The Yeti and RTICs I have are much better.
 
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Understood… it is hard to come off of the cash for a cooler. I had an experience this year that makes me believe they are worth the money. I knew of a small town near where I was antelope hunting & the local gas station had an ice bin outside. On the 3rd day of the hunt my nephew killed a pronghorn so we drove to town. The gas station was closed & ice cooler locked. A sign on the door said “Be back at 4:30”. We left & came back at 5:00. Still closed. I used frozen water bottles from another cooler that I use to keep the camp food cool to at least chill the antelope meat. The next morning we were back at the gas station, still closed. We were over 120 miles from the next closest town that I knew of so we broke down camp & headed out for ice. I still had a day of hunting left but we had to leave for ice. From now on, I will just purchase on the way in & keep the cooler closed until needed. I want a cooler that will keep ice for 5-6 days so I don’t run into something similar happening ever again.
Not sure how you pack your coolers but here is a great ide take a case of 12oz water bottles freeze them put them on the bottom of your cooler add your food or other beverages { Beer of course } fill the rest of the cooler with ice it usually takes 2 to 3 days for the frozen water bottles to thaw !! OR use Dry Ice
 
I own 3 canyon coolers from 55 to 125 qts and i love them all , in in so utah , and its hot , seals are so tight at times , i cant get them open , worth every penny
 
I was looking at RTIC but have never seen one in person or heard how well they worked. Please let me know how it does. Thanks.
I've got Yetis and love them. We bought them before the other brands came out. A bit heavy but they do the trick. A friend of mine has a 65 Yeti and 65 Rtic. He bought a 20 lb bag of ice for both and checked after 3 days.....both had same about of water. Checked again on day 5...same results. Checked on day 7 and Rtic had a tough more water he said but both were very similar.
 
Another item to consider would be the cooler "bags" made by Aero. They work great for the boat but would work well for game meat as they are not square and will conform to what ever shape of items you put in it. I'll text you a pic of what we have Jorma....
 
Lifetime from walmart. Made in Utah, just as good as the more expensive ones. Kept 2 deer and an antelope for a week in the 55 and 75 boned out and zero issues early September heat. Love them, best value out there.
 
Not sure how you pack your coolers but here is a great ide take a case of 12oz water bottles freeze them put them on the bottom of your cooler add your food or other beverages { Beer of course } fill the rest of the cooler with ice it usually takes 2 to 3 days for the frozen water bottles to thaw !! OR use Dry Ice
That’s usually the trick I use for my Yeti that I use for my camp food cooler. I freeze an entire case of water bottles & Gatorade’s to line the bottom of my cooler with then pack some between some of the food.
I will usually precook a few meals & freeze them solid also. That has worked great so far.
 
Another item to consider would be the cooler "bags" made by Aero. They work great for the boat but would work well for game meat as they are not square and will conform to what ever shape of items you put in it. I'll text you a pic of what we have Jorma....
Are you talking about Aerocoast soft sided coolers?
I have an igloo soft cooler that I bought for my turkey hunts when I travel. I was pleasantly surprised how well it performs, but than again I did give $100 for the thing.
 
Are you talking about Aerocoast soft sided coolers?
I have an igloo soft cooler that I bought for my turkey hunts when I travel. I was pleasantly surprised how well it performs, but than again I did give $100 for the thing.
It is called AO....I'll send a pic. I forgot.
 
I was looking at RTIC but have never seen one in person or heard how well they worked. Please let me know how it does. Thanks.
I have RTIC 64 and 110. Priced much cheaper than Yeti and work great. I put a 10 lb bag of ice in the 64 when I got it and still had ice after 3 full days. They are going up in price now. Got mine 4 years ago.
 
I have RTIC 64 and 110. Priced much cheaper than Yeti and work great. I put a 10 lb bag of ice in the 64 when I got it and still had ice after 3 full days. They are going up in price now. Got mine 4 years ago.
I hope I don’t kick myself for not waiting on the RTIC. They were out of stock & I couldn’t find one online when I was searching. I purchased a Grizzly & Wiszard turn me onto some large soft sided coolers ideal for air travel. I haven’t bought them yet, but I plan to pick up 2 of them.
 
Grizzly 400 is what I use for bring a whole cutup and packaged steer back from So. Dak with 10lbs of dry ice.
2 boned out elk will fit in it nicely.
 
I've used a bunch of different coolers over the years deep sea fishing and rafting. Best ones I've used are the Engel and Icy Tech coolers. My Engel would hold ice for days with fish in there as long as I didn't open it. Ive used the Icy Techs on the Grand Canyon and didn't open the cooler till day 15 and still had block ice in there 150 miles down river. Yetis are nice but not the best. You're just paying for a name with those ones. We had good luck with the Lifetime coolers for drinks this year at Lake Powell as a drink cooler. Not the best but a good value over Igloo.
 
I've got Pelican, YETI, RTIC, and Grizzly and they all work well and have great features. For big game hunting I bought a Grizzly 100 and an RTIC 110; the Grizzly keeps frozen jugs of ice longer and is less bulky (a little smaller in size), but the RTIC is a close second. The RTIC will vaccum seal up so tight you have to jam a screwdriver between the lid and body to break the seal to get it to open. Not cool when the wife is looking for a diet coke. Overall I think YETI is my favorite, well built, not too bulky, and keeps ice for a long time.
 
I own 3 canyon coolers from 55 to 125 qts and i love them all , in in so utah , and its hot , seals are so tight at times , i cant get them open , worth every penny
I have a Canyon cooler too and really like how square they are. The sides aren't tapered like other ice chests so you can pack a couple of them tight with each other.
 
Purchased a 115 quart Lifetime cooler and used it on my boy’s muzzleloader hunt this past week. Very impressed!!
A great option for much cheaper than the big name brands.
 
My two Yetis have spent 8 years in a Phoenix garage, summer after summer- they work like new (but I've abused them in trucks so they look like crap). If I had known of a cheaper cooler that works as well and handles all my abuse, I surely would have bought those tho...
 
I have one Yeti, 1 Canyon, and 3 Engel coolers, all in the 125Q range. All will keep ice for 8-10 days in summer conditions.
The Engel is my fav.
 

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