What's the best small cooler?

[hedp]

I'm looking for a small cooler such as the one below for keeping things very cold for day long fishing trips. I usually fish in the hot weather and it gets into the 90'-100's in MN. So I'm just looking for a cooler that will keep my pop and water cold for a 4-7 hour fishing trip. I don't need anything too expensive or something that will keep ice for a week.

I have one like the one below but it doesn't even keep things cold for a few hours and that's when I put an ice pack in with it and it's in the shade under the console. I guess the one below doesn't have insulation in the lid and that's important.






So what's a good small cooler?

 

[kfa4303]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

Hi hedp. If money is no object Yeti or Engel coolers are probably the best around. They're very popular down here in FL where they can keep ice frozen for days even in the middle of summer. They're strong enough that lots of folks use them for poling/casting platforms as well. However, they're not cheap. I use two Coleman coolers and they each work well enough for the money.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

In 1993 I bought 2 Igloo 120 qt and a 64 qt cooler. Dump a bag of ice in the small one and it keeps food and beverages cold all day. Two bags in the larger one and the catch is kept cold, frozen if a bag is added on top. One large cooler was given away the other is used as a step getting in / out of the boat. Not warped or cracked. All 3 are still in use.

 

[roscoe]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

The problem with ice packs, is they are not in complete contact with the cans of beverage.

Too much air space, which is very quickly exchanged with warm air every time you open the cooler.

Make sure your cans are very cold before you put them in the cooler.
And use a cooler that is large enough to hold a sufficient amount of ice to cover the cans.
Something like a 12 quart cooler, with 4 sodas and 4 waters, and the rest is packed full of ice.

Lay a small towel over the top of the ice to help insulate. It is always nice to have a cold damp towel to wipe your face with on a hot day.

Then, try to keep the cooler out of the direct sun.

Now you will even have ice for your drinks, so take along a cup or two.

 

[Grub54891]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

They make refrigerated coolers too. They plug un to your accessory outlet,12 volt.

 

[MAC ATTACK]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

If money is no object

Amazon.com: Pelican 45Q-MC Elite Cooler (White): Sports & Outdoors

Read the reviews, I plan on getting the 65 quart

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

I have a few of the coolers like shown, there is no foam in the lids, so just the air space. no foam is no insulation.

I would recommend Yeti as well.

Ice packs are ok for packing food that will not get opened until its lunch time. other than that, you need the ice and water to keep beverages cold

In my boat, I added 2 custom built-in floor coolers to some dead space under the sole and in front of the engine compartment bulkhead. Each one is 1" thick foam, with 1/4" of plywood, all fiberglassed and gel coated. I can keep ice for 4 days if I dont open the lid. keeps the beverages cold all day.

 

[etracer68]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

I agree with roscoe, the ice packs dont work well. I use plane ice, as roscoe said, works all day, no problems.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: What's the best small cooler?

some more suggestions:

mix ice packs in with the food/beer then add ice.

for ice packs I freeze plastic bottles I fill with water. gives you ice water to drink if you pull them out and let them melt. I also use 175 liquor bottles, frozen, as ice blocks in my fish box.

Put a layer of newspape on top (inside) as extra insulation.

Carry water in a seperate drinking-type cooler; fill with ice and water you refrigerated before (I do not and will not buy plastic bottled water--as they say, my mama didn't raise that kind of fool).

New coolers esp. the cheap ones aren't worth any more than a box. You need insulation. Most of the 20 or so coolers I own came from yard sales and even trash day (people throw away good ones b/c the hinge is broken). The old metal Colemans are the best, although here we have rust problems eventually with them. Also a good way to get bait and fish coolers that start off pre-funkified.

I pack my food seperately and usually just with ice packs in a soft side, since you usually only go in there once or twice but in the drink cooler a lot. I have some ice packs that are flat and line the sides and top.

ALways start with cold stuff. If you are really serious, put a bunch of frozen plastic bottles in the cooler the night before to cool it down, too. or a least store it somewhere cool

 

[doyall]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

... I can keep ice for 4 days if I dont open the lid. ...

Therein lies the answer. The more you open it, the quicker the ice melts. And I would argue that there is no discrimination amongst brands as it relates to that phenomenon. Certainly the degree or rate of degradation will be different, but ...

 

[bonz_d]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

Sad to say but Igloo used to make a 6 pack cooler that worked very nicely. It had 2 ice packs with it, one would fit between the cans ans the sides were concaved and the second ice pack screwed into the lid. There was also enough room to add about 2 trays of ice.

I carried that thing for years, fishing, golfing, to work anywhere I wanted to bring soda. I even used it to carry soda to work and would leave it in the truck. 4 cans of Coke, the 2 ice packs and then pack it with ice and even after all day there would still be ice left even after I would take some out to fill my cup.

Sure wish they would make them again because I'd by 4 of them.

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

If money is no object

Amazon.com: Pelican 45Q-MC Elite Cooler (White): Sports & Outdoors

Read the reviews, I plan on getting the 65 quart

Ya those are great and indestructible. I want one also.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

For that kind of money, I'd stick with the Yeti. It will work just as well, if not better and looks 1000s times better.

YETI Tundra - YETI COOLERS

Here's how lots of folks use them down here in FL on their poling skiffs where space is at a premium.

 

[JimVa]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

I've enjoyed this small, practical cooler ... eBags Crew Cooler II - eBags.com
Read the reviews and you might be convinced this cooler would be a good choice.

I make sure everything is cold before loading the cooler and then stuff it with plastic bags.

Let us know what cooler you do buy.

 

[bekosh]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

I've had good luck with the Coleman Xtreme. I have a 36 qt. model. This weekend I put 20 pounds of ice in on Friday with 2 cases of beer and there was still a few cubes floating in the water on Sunday afternoon with one ice cold beer left. Temps were in the upper 70's low 80's all weekend.

 

[lncoop]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

If you want to stick with that size I'd suggest a good quality soft sided cooler. I have a Polar Bear and an NRS and they both hold ice longer than 24 hours in the summer heat. If you have space for something a little bigger you'll find pretty much any off the shelf hard sided cooler will do the job. However, as has been said, the problems are: you're depending on ice packs, which typically don't last that long or cool that effectively on their own, and there's little to no insulation in that lid. If you stick some foam or something on that lid, start with cold drinks, etc. and use more ice you may find it works just fine.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

I guess the one below doesn't have insulation in the lid and that's important.

I have a cooler (Igloo???) similar to that, that didn't have an insulated lid, and it wouldn't keep things cold very long. Mine had a hollow lid, so I took the top off, drilled several holes in it, then shot canned foam into the lid. NOW,,, it keeps things cold for a long time.

I agree with keeping a towel on the cooler, keeps warm air from blowing in and keeps the sun from baking it.

 

[jkimball]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

I have a 60qt Igloo Ice cube (marine edition) and I love it. the only difference between the marine and regular is A) color, marine is all white B) marine has built in rod holders C) marine has additional netted cup holders.
It's been a great cooler. We filled it up with 2 bags of ice, 2 cases of beer, 2 packs of brats and misc. other small stuff and took it on a 3 day boat camping trip to Cumberland Island and I still had a few cubes in it when I got home. This was memorial day weekend, in NE Florida/ SE Georgia, so temps were well into the 90's
I think I paid ~$40 at Academy sports.

Ice Cube

 

[JB]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

Yeti

 

[kfa4303]

Re: What's the best small cooler?

...I see great minds think alike JB Seriously though, if the guys from FL and TX, two of the hottest places in the country are suggesting Yeti, you might want to look into them. Just sayin'....