Make your own YETI - Update!

[Smossy]

Yeti coolers absolutely hold ice longer. Whether a $1.50 bag of ice lasting all week or needing two or three is worth the extra money to you is one thing, but they do certainly hold ice longer.

You sure? 

High End Cooler Test by SportsmanGuys.com™ -
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,158414.msg2094216.html#msg2094216
Thread all about it.

[dscubame]

Looks like the Coleman Extreme outperformed the Yeti.  On sale I pick up my Coleman Extremes for $69 at Post Falls Cabelas.

[Smossy]

Looks like the Coleman Extreme outperformed the Yeti.  On sale I pick up my Coleman Extremes for $69 at Post Falls Cabelas.

We just got a Coleman Extreme 120q for $55 at walmart two days ago. Big enough for me to get inside it.

[h20hunter]

I don't know buddy...I saw you at the feed trough at the bbq....maybe, just maybe but I don't think you are getting the lid closed!

[sirmissalot]

You can believe anything you want, after all, it is the internet. Like I said, its up to you whether you'd like to spend a few extra bucks on ice or a few hundred more to make it last all week. Many times we are require to have bear proof containers, the yeti's qualify as well as keep frozen food frozen solid for days, and still good by the end of the week.

[dscubame]

Looks like the Coleman Extreme outperformed the Yeti.  On sale I pick up my Coleman Extremes for $69 at Post Falls Cabelas.

We just got a Coleman Extreme 120q for $55 at walmart two days ago. Big enough for me to get inside it.

Good catch on that price.  I keep trying my local Walmart and they have been out all summer.  I started to wonder whether they still carry it, now I will check other locations while out and about because I want to add one more to the collection.  At 6 foot 2 and 215 lbs I don't think I can bend myself in one though.

[Becky]

I don't know buddy...I saw you at the feed trough at the bbq....maybe, just maybe but I don't think you are getting the lid closed!

  lid was definitely open.

[DoubleJ]

LOL!!!

[RadSav]

Yeti coolers absolutely hold ice longer. Whether a $1.50 bag of ice lasting all week or needing two or three is worth the extra money to you is one thing, but they do certainly hold ice longer.

You sure? 

We bought quite a few of the Extreme coolers when they first came out.  Definitely did a good job of keeping things cold.  Though our big problem was keeping them together on the boat or bouncing around logging roads in the back of the truck.  Most that were in our boats didn't make it through the first year.  No question they are a good bang for the buck, but I suggest keeping some duct tape handy if they are going to see any type of abuse

One good thing about both Coleman and Igloo is that Sportsman's Warehouse carries replacement parts for just about everything but the main frame and lid.  But, I'd still keep the duct tape in the glove box for emergencies.

[RadSav]

I thought about drilling some 1/2" holes in an old cooler and filling the hollow walls with some door/window spray foam. The type that won't bow the cooler with extreme expansion.

Great idea. We've done this to the lid on all our Igloo marine coolers for about 30 years.  Really makes a big improvement   Make sure you add a lot of vent holes in the center of the lid for air to escape.  Otherwise you will never get a good fill as it fills around the larger cross section edges first and then into the center.  Also you want to check compatibility of the foam to the plastic.  I can not remember the brand, but we ruined one cooler with some foam that turned the whole thing into jelly...that didn't work so well   If I remember right it was some sort of urethane foam we got at Eagle Hardware.

[washelkhunter]

Took the cooler as seen in the first pics out on Labor Day for 4 nights of camping on the high ground up by Indian Heaven. Alt 3400ft <>. One frozen water jug was a saline solution the other was just H2O; they had been in the freezer for some time at 0 degrees. I added loose ice to fill the empty spaces between the jugs, juice, food, beer & water; didn't take much as I had a lot of bottles in there. I had 2 basins inside to hold meats and eggs, salad that you don't want getting wet, etc. While in camp I once  more added loose ice to bolster that which had melted and which I grabbed out for drinks. The cooler was under the awning most the day and only saw 2 hours of sunlight at most. The top screws anchoring the straps were being stressed and pulling down; fail. The bottom screws were being pulled up; I had not anchored those thru and thru; fail. I had added some foam adhesive tape to achieve a more positive seal but I had pulled it too taut while sticking it down to the inside of the lid and it readily pulled away from the corners; fail. Still' we left camp on Friday the 5th day and came home. I emptied the cooler on Sat of all food but left a few bottles of water and beer. Never touched it Sunday, oh, both Sat and Sun were very warm in the 'couve. Mon and Tuesday I had to work 12's, didn't open it. On Wed late morning I went in the garage and opened it up. The jug of salt water was completely thawed out, the jug of H2O still was 1/3 < frozen. There was still a small amount of loose ice in the bottom of the cooler and the water; about 2" in depth was ice cold, this was on the 10th, 9 days! Impressive, but improvements needed to be made. I moved the top strap screws down and into the front of the lid and they are holding fast. The latch screws are now thru & thru 8x32x2in length pan head SS Phillips with nylon bushings covering the threads and rubber backed washers for and aft. The nylon nuts are 32's. I duct taped the insulation panels to keep the renegade styro bits from flying around. I re-applied new 1/8"x1/4" foam seal to the inside lid of the cooler. I filled the holes from the screws with silicone caulking. When you open this cooler now it makes a very satisfying sucking sound!  As noted this is a 100qt capacity cooler but I really don't notice any loss of storage capacity; but I'd readily trade what little loss there is for the additional cooling capability. Can't wait to use this next year at Lake Billy Chinook in late July. Between now and then tho it's going to get a lot of use. Total cost of improving this cooler is now about $25! Still beats that $450 yeti.

[Whitpirate]

Looks great and worth taking a a stab at

[Bean Counter]

Definitely looks nice and seems functional, but what's the plan to clean it after you've had blood and snot from a dead animal all over the inside?

[baker5150]

You could bend up a stainless steel box to slide inside the foam.   

That would clean up really easy, you could even pull it out and clean it.
Maybe a cover for the inside of the lid too..

[washelkhunter]

Definitely looks nice and seems functional, but what's the plan to clean it after you've had blood and snot from a dead animal all over the inside?

The styro panels pull right out and being double wrapped just hose right off, i wanted cleanup to be a snap.