interesting cooler test

http://sportsmansnews.com/2013/05/extreme-coolers/#.U3bKDKNOnFo

There is one floating around where a regular Coleman 65 qt. cooler came in second in an "ice test" against 4-5 of the heavy duty/expensive coolers. I now have a Coleman.

However, I am only an occasional cooler user. Mostly during deer season, relatively light use, and I am not ever far away from ice. So the heavy and expensive coolers make little sense for me.

I think by far their best use is for guys who fish a lot, especially bay fishing. Durable as heck and give you an extra standing deck/seat.

Much beyond that and I can't really see why one would want to schlep around a cooler that weighs 35-38 pounds-empty.

But, hey, 'Murica is great!

I use my grizzly 150 as a tool box ( since its lockable) during hunting season, that way I always have a cooler, even though I normally dont get trigger happy. But its always there also very handy during culling season.

I use my grizzly 60 for drinks and food. Three years in a row its made it 10 days plus in the high country in CO during Sept. That's a lot of gas and time savings

I will say its nice though being able to put a whole mule deer carcass in a yeti 250 and not worry about it for 4 days

I have two yukons and love them. Its obvious that the more your in them the faster the ice melts. Great for storing extra ice for your game and drinks.

Coleman extreme are hard to beat for the money. Key is starting out cold, I use gallon jugs frozen to get it started and try to only put cold drinks in it, holds for 4-5 days in late October till spring. Keep em in the shade helps a lot.

Those grizzly coolers are hard to beat. I fish 150 days a year and ice is one of our biggest expenses. The heavy duty coolers help make it last a week compared to a day like I used to get out of a regular cooler.

Good info, thanks

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

The good ones do hold ice better in my experience and they are built MUCH tougher..

they also perform how you prepare for your outing. I keep mine inside my house with ice in the cooler the day before i will be at the lake or the farm. it keeps the insulation cold so it wont heat up as quick which in turn melts your ice faster. i know its weird but it works!

What I've learned from others and their website, the yeti or any of those types are best if you either store them at room temp or even use a sacrificial bag of ice to cool it down. I know it seeks like a pain so I did my own test since I'm more than guilty of going to the garage and loading one up and going. Stored at room temp then used a sacrificial bag. Got me CONSIDERABLY more cold time. It was night and day. It hold the ice great in it's own right. But when the cooler is 120* then it's gonna be longer and harder to get to that temp. Just food for thought.

Pre cooling makes sense. I used to make fishing trips to Mexico and had a BIG cheap cooler. I found that only getting into it once per day helped but the biggest deal was taping it so no warm air could get could get to the ice and food.

I precool mine with water to clean it and then fill it. Tap water is cooler than outside air temp for me by quite a bit.

I do the same..keep frozen jugs in the chest freezer and precool the Yeti and Brute, works like a champ

We've had really good luck with the Coleman Xtremes. About 1/8th the price of a yet and work almost as well. Good enough for us that we couldn't justify the cost of a yeti or other manufacturer.

Most of the test with these coolers are so misleading. I have had a 150 qt Igloo marine cooler for over 15 years and it still looks almost new. I take care of it and only 8 of those years were in the pounding Texas sun. It wasn't until a couple years ago that one of the latches broke (other still works). If I were to replace them it would costs about $10 bucks.

For the extreme cooler test mentioned. All I know if that my group up here has both Grizzly and Yeti and the Grizz is always the first to need more ice (of course it could be just because we open it more, who knows). When you use them camping and have people in them all day, they last about 5 days max with a Yeti and 4 days with the Grizzly (closer to 3 days max in Texas heat). I just bought my own 105 qt Yeti and will be testing it this fall on some of my hunting ventures.

There is no doubt that the extreme coolers will last longer, are stronger and will keep ice longer. Question is: do you really need the extra ice retention ability? Some do and some don't.

Anyone have a Brute Box cooler? I have heard those things are the real deal and might even be better than Yeti's.

Made in America too.

Interesting read. I have a couple grizzlies and love em. I also have a couple of the extremes and love them as well. We use our coolers weekly with all the scouting/church events we participate in, and are very satisfied with the performance of the grizzlies.

As stated, it's all about he sacrificial bag of ice, and bringing them in the house before hand. If I had to drive into town for just ice, that would get expensive real quick and really adds up with current gas prices. Besides, I ain't got time for that noise!

If your in and out of one throughout the day, your ice will not last long, since it takes that much more time to cool the hot air you just introduced.

We have several The biggest differences between Brute and Yeti is that our coolers are Made in USA, true to size (50 Quart = 50 quarts of capacity), have more insulation, built-in ruler, custom lid graphics, dual drain plugs and are about $80 cheaper on average.

When comparing coolers, please know that their 110 Quart cooler is nearly identical in size to our 75 Quart.

Let me know if I can help with anything.

Jeremy

I am doing a cooler test next week, we are pitting am icehole, frio, grizzly, pelican, and a yeti against each other- any others you want to see? Let me know and I will see about getting them in there.

the challenge will take place following all manufacturers instructions regarding pre-chilling, filling with ice to capacity but then, instead of shade they will be set out in the Texas sun in July to see which one hold ice the longest. Last cooler to loose all of it's ice wins. Coolers will be opened 4 times a day for the same length of time.

Anything you would change about that?

That will be interesting to see


Just returned from a week on the lake, in a tent, and pavilion. Grizzly sat under the pavilion. Sacrificial 10# bag was placed last Sunday, packed and headed out Monday around noon. Loaded grizzly with food and 60# of ice. Added 10# or so Wednesday just because I couldn't fit it in the Coleman. Should have taken pics, but the 150 was 1/2 full of ice when drained and emptied today. Interesting thing is, some of the ice actually froze up and made larger chunks during the past week.

I'm happy with these results anytime

The coolers are sitting with ice in them today to pre chill. I have had the same thing happen with ice refreezing in my yeti.

The final coolers are:
Brute
IceHole
Freo
Grizzly
Pelican
Yeti
Coleman

I really badly wanted an engalls and a K2 in the mix but both did not have a dealer anywhere near me to lend a cooler, and shipping one they wouldn't get here in time. I had already made promises to some of the dealers to get their coolers back to them by a certain date.

I have decided to keep them in the sun the whole time, most folks I know haul their around in the back of their trucks- in full sun, so that is how they will be stacked against each other. I will keep y'all posted!

I have an old 150 Yeti I use for deer and pigs quartered out.. it works great and has held up.

I have smaller Grizzly and Icehole coolers, the Icehole has noticeably thicker walls and I think built better.

I own a Yeti, a pelican and a grizzly, all in the 60-65 qt range. I am posting about the cooler challenge on my businesses new facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VisionsRanchandWildlife if y'all want to follow along.

So far the pelican is the leader by a small margin I would say- I can't tell the difference between most of the others!

I broke down and bought a yeti and to say that i am not impressed is an understatement , i think i will go back to my cheap coleman and use the yeti as a piss tank at my stand lol .

What type of Coleman Ice chest???

My wife and I are quite interested in the findings of the cooler test. We'd like a good one, but don't have a clue as to what's best.

$30 one from academy does me just fine for drinks and keep lunch meat cold.

I've had to throw away 400 dollars worth of colemans and igloo's last 6 years.

Never again

X2!!!

I loved my yeti....
Till some Prick decided to go into my back yard and steal it

And what is your point ? Not being a smart butt
I think the Y's are good if your just going to store ice and not open it up but it's not for the drinking man, I guess

All these coolers won't hold ice if they are opened and closed a lot. Like Bobo I have gone through many coolers at work and when going to the cabin in just the last few years. The reason I like my Yeti is not because it holds ice for a few days but because no matter how much stuff I put it through you just can't break them, and they last me more than one year.

Walter

EXACT reason I bought mine. I could give a who ha how well they hold ice. I got sick of replacing 3-4 broken coolers a year. Ice retention is just a bonus.

Busted lids, cracked bottoms, broken hinges...ect

Nothing worse then buying a brand new cooler and dropping a bag of ice in it, and cracking out the bottom. Not an issue any more for me.

More or less I use a cooler year round

I now have 3 Yetis and yes if you don't open them much they will hold ice. I recently got a Roadie and use it as drink cooler, which constantly opens and closes especially with kids. It won't hold the ice in this application. But like mentioned I can throw it around, sit on it, stand on it, drop it, and don't have to worry. I am hard on my stuff! I now use my old cheap coolers for fish boxes in the boat.

I do the same, I have a roadie in the back seat of my truck all the time with water and dr peppers in it, and open and close it atleast seven or eight times a day if not more. I put ice in it about every three days. On the end of the third day the ice is all melted but the water is still very cold. That is also in the truck with the windows open so it is very hot inside. But like I said I don't buy them to hold ice forever. I have an ice machine at work that will make 600lbs a day so I have plenty of ice.

Walter

We just got back from camping in Meridian.

Yeti test: I put an empty 45 qt Yeti in me deep freeze on Wednesday night, filled with ice on Friday around 1500 and opened it less than 5 times all weekend. It was used for "extra ice" and for anyone to use ice out of. The cooler was kept in a shelter and mainly used it to put my fan on.....

Igloo test: I put a case of cold water and a case of cold 12oz Gatorades in my Igloo Ice Cube (that was room temp) on Friday around 1500 and filled with ice. We opened it several, several times (way more than the Yeti) as with the heat, we stayed hydrated with water and Gatorade. It was kept in the same shelter.....

Pound for pound, price for price, quality for quality.....the Igloo smashed the Yeti. Not to say that the Yeti didn't hold ice (about 1/2 and 1/2 ice and water) but let's just say it's a good thing I bought the Yeti for $75 (and not for $300). As a table, the Yeti did hold my fan and never faultered. I'm sure the Yeti will last longer than the Igloo (already 10+ years old) but from now on, no more special treatment for the Yeti.

oh heck- I meant igloo not Coleman- It was an igloo cube- it was the first to fall. I want to redo a head to head test against the winner and a Coleman extreme if I can get my hands on a loaner.

So far here is what has happened:

Day 5, about mid day the igloo lost it's ice...I was shocked it lasted that dang long!
Day 6 the ice hole lost it's ice by 9:30 that morning. the high was 101 degrees and late that evening the Yeti lost it's ice- only about 38 hours after the igloo!
Day 7 early morning the Brute was out of ice.....

The remaining coolers are (in the order I expect them to place)
Pelican
Frio
Grizzly.


It has been totally fun watching this challenge.

If you want to follow more closely check out https://www.facebook.com/VisionsRanchandWildlife

While ice retention is the bonus...if I am gonna spend that much on a cooler and they are all rugged as all heck why not get one that holds ice the best? Of all of the ones that I tested there isn't any of them (besides the igloo cube that says don't sit or stand on the lid) that I wouldn't sit or stand on or put through hell. But they are all priced about the same so lets go for the longest ice, and to me..the best handles.

Handles are a small thing for some folks but I move my cooler a lot and as a yeti wner (who bought one a year before deciding to do this test) I HATE the rope handles, and there are no other handles to use if you are using 2 people to carry it- the sway kills me- Of all of the ones I am testing I like the grizzly and pelican handles the best. everyone else has rope handles.

Always like to see how we stack up.

It's interesting that the darkest colored cooler is hanging in there with white coolers, the ecomate foam is doing it's job.

If the Grizzly would have been white or tan, I'd expect even better results since we've tested surface temps of white vs. any other color and the differences are substantial.

I was wondering about the color on that one to! It was the only substantially darker cooler but I couldn't get my paws on a white one. I love the grizzly handles and the drain plug is different than the rest and I also like it.

I started out doing this test because I needed a new cooler- beside being able to test their ice retention I have effectively "used" all of them, I have stood on them, carried them around in my truck, filled them, drained them, filled them and used all of their latches. It has been a great way to figure out what I like as I prep for buying a large cooler for my outfitting and also for hauling my grass fed beef that I produce.

One thing I didn't expect was to get so disillusioned with my Yeti- I already did not like the handles- but now that I see how far own the ladder it has fallen I am sad to have spent the money on it! I would have gone with something different if I had it to do all over again.

Igloo needs to get in the frat boy hat and truck sticker business. That obviously makes the coolers work better.

Day 9- This morning the Frio lost it's ice. The Pelican is still holding on but just barely- I expect by the end of the day it will be out to.

I find it interesting that the Frio, a relatively unknown baby to the others placed second- and...it has a lower price point than most of the other coolers tested. Here is the final placing along with their prices and the things like like or dislike about them. please keep in mind that these are just my own opinion in the form of a review on my likes and dislikes.

all of the coolers are well built, they are all tough as all heck. All of them have rubber feet, good drain plugs, and nice latches- in the end all of that comes down to preference.

1st place: (still holding ice on Day 10 in the morning) Pelican Extreme Marine 65qt $359- I love the handles in this thing- very versatile. It has a larger footprint than all of the other coolers in the test. It claims to hold ice for 7-10 days and it has lived up to the challenge. It also has a lifetime warranty. It's latches are unusual with a button on them but they work week and seem sturdy.

2nd place: (Day 9) Frio 65 qt. $319.00- This cooler is pretty new on the market. It has nice metal latches and a good drain plug system. You can customize this cooler any way you like- which makes it an excellent corporate gift idea or giveaway item. I am not a fan of rope handles but I would the smaller cooler has an over the shoulder strap that I like. I think this is the best value of the coolers tested- it is one of the two lowest priced coolers yet still placed in the top 2- I was impressed and maybe a little shocked.

3rd place: (Day 8) Grizzly 60 qt. I need to do a little disclaimer here- The grizzly was the only darker color cooler we used- only because we could not get a white one in time for the challenge to begin. I love the Grizzly's handles- some may not like them because they are not flush to the sides (although their other models do have rope handles) I prefer handles that don't sway. The drain plug was my favorite- it is huge- it drained the fastest by far. One thing I was curious about was that when I carried the Grizzly to drain it water leaked out the lid seal. that was the only cooler that had that happen. I checked the latches and they were closed so I am not sure why it would have leaked. My thought on this is: if water can get out then air can get it. Regardless, the grizzly placed third even with it's dark color. I would love to retest the top three using all white coolers and see how it does! I love the Grizzly cooler's smaller footprint, being build more in a cubed shape, it makes it easier to carry than other coolers with the same capacity.

4th place: (Day 7 in the a.m.) Yeti Tundra 65 qt. $369 Ok I think we all know the Yeti by heart but here is my break down- I dislike the rope handles, I do like the latches because they have a little give to them- I have filled my cooler a bit too full on accident a few times- latch them down and once the ice melts a tiny bit the cooler closes itself. I know- seems silly but I like that.

5th place: (Day 6 P.M.) Brute Box 50 qt. $319 I wasn't all THAT impressed with the brute box. It had probably my favorite latches but that's about it. It has a dual drain plug which might have been neat if both of them weren't pretty small (compared to other coolers) and you have to tighten them pretty hard to keep them from leaking slowly. I found this out during the pre-chill process. The cooler itself is lightweight, and has thinner walls than it's competitors. I did like the handles- can be carried with no sway.

6th place: (Day 6 A.M.) IceHole M35 35 qt $365.00 I put this cooler in the running even though I didn't have the right size because the dealers I know really wanted it in there. They are considering switching to a different dealership and wanted to see how the icehole stood up. That said- I loved the latches- I like that they can be customized. The criteria were the same even though the cooler was smaller- it was still filled to capacity with ice and the M35 makes the same claim as the M60 as to time frame so I wasn't worried too much about the difference. Icehole recently came up on their prices, the 35 qt Icehole is priced higher many of the 60 qt coolers in the contest. the 60 qt retails for $435- the most expensive I have seen. Other than that- pretty standard- rubber latches, good construction- nice drain system. Rope handles though!

7th place: ( Day 5) Igloo Cube 60 qt. $24.39 I threw in my trusty old cube because I wanted to see how it did truly. I was shocked it lasted this long but the coolers were opened less than it usually is on a camping trip with my kids. this cooler is NOT rugged- It even says not to use the lid as a seat....what?! The only things it has going for it are that it is cheap, it comes in lots of colors, it has wheels and drink holders on the lid. No latches means...they won't break! It it's defense- I have had mine for 3 years and it hasn't died yet. We don't exactly baby it but I sure dont chunk a hard bag of ice in the bottom like I would my other coolers.

Ok- that's the run down. Let the questions begin! Feel free to PM me any questions or just post them here. Keep in mind I did the best I could with what I could get my hands on. This contest was NOT sponsored by any of the cooler companies. I bought a couple of the coolers to be included and some were loaded to me by outfitters and dealers who had them. All of the above reviews are only my opinion (opinions are like belly buttons, we all have them and they are all a little different) so play nicely!

Thanks for the great write up and reviews.

I'm still pretty dang happy with my Coleman Extreme (really hard to beat for the price), but am looking to add a more rugged and versatile cooler for ice storage. Think I'll have to take a hard look at that Frio.

The folks who lent me the one I used are at http://www.texasicechests.com/ Super nice folks

The Xtreme line is really good. Walmart has great prices on them too.

Thanks for the write up.

Looks like your real world ice test mirrors what we've seen in our testing of premium coolers, the higher the capacity the longer ice will last.

Pelican 65 - 72.75 QT
Frio 65 - Assuming 65 QT
Grizzly 60 - 60 QT
YETI 65 - 57.2 QT
Brute 50 - 50 QT
Icehole 35 - 35 QT

I love my Grizzly 60!

I need to clarify this..
I have NOT done a direct comparison for ice retention so the above is based on appearance or perception of the icehole being built more "sturdy"

Both work well and have held up fine but I will defer to the test showing the Grizzly holding ice longer

wow, coleman it is

During dove season I put a piece of dry ice on top of my ice in my Coleman and it will have ice in it 5 days later.

Thanks for the test write up! A lot of good info here, I am just curious, did you use the new Brute Box design or the old version?

Yep I will agree. You can pile 35 QTS of ice on the ground and 72.75 QTS of ice on the same ground in the full 100 deg sun and guess which one will last longer? I would think the test results will be a bit different if they are all have the same capacity.

I agree- but please find me them all in the same size- they don't all come in a 65, or a 60....and the ice hole even says on their website that the smaller cooler holds ice as long as the bigger one. Bottom line- I worked with what I had and got as close to the 65 mark as possible. No cooler test can be that exacting because of the size differences.

Maybe I missed something, but if you just test these coolers for ice it doesn't represent actual use. I think the real test would be to fill the cooler with a mixture of ice, soft drinks, meat, etc. Then each time you open the lid remove a couple of cans as you would in actual daily activities. Letting more air in the cooler each day would better match actual use, at least for me.

I did open the coolers 3 or more times a day. For me, that is regular use- I did ice only so that it would be a more direct comparison. Since there was a variance in cooler size the full compartment of ice was a more direct comparison than a 55 qt having a six pack and a 65 wt having a 6 pack. There would have been a different ratio of ice to drinks, so I just did all ice. Feel free to take what I did with a grain of salt if you wish.