5-day cooler

[butterflyfish]

I was wondering if there are any 5-day coolers out there that work? I've been looking online and the reviews of them at WalMart.com are very mixed. Some say they work great other say they don't hold ice for one day. There is one on sale at the Marine place but it is expensive and we already have several coolers. It is a 50 qt Igloo marine cooler (I think). I was wondering if this cooler or any other 5-day cooler is worth spending the $$ on.

Thanks!

[PattieAM]

Back in the tent camping days, I had (still have) a variety of coolers.  The last few years, we used the 50 qt. Coleman for the most part, (for food), and a smaller cooler for sodas.  Using block ice (if available) or frozen water jugs worked best, and we kept the cooler as shaded as possible, covered with a wet beach towel (seems to work).  Our blocks of ice lasted several days (2-3), and with multiple families in our reunion camping trip, we alternated daily ice runs - and I found I was getting ice every 3 days which wasn't too bad.

With the PUP, I use the refrigerator/freezer for food, and a smaller cooler for sodas or things I'm not too concerned with spoilage.  It's an Igloo cube and being wheeled and having a drain plug is nice.  It serves as a table between the lawn chairs for the most part!

[spearmint]

I was wondering if there are any 5-day coolers out there that work? I've been looking online and the reviews of them at WalMart.com are very mixed. Some say they work great other say they don't hold ice for one day. There is one on sale at the Marine place but it is expensive and we already have several coolers. It is a 50 qt Igloo marine cooler (I think). I was wondering if this cooler or any other 5-day cooler is worth spending the $$ on.

Thanks!

I've been asking about the same thing and it seems the Coleman Extreme coolers are by far the best. It seems you can get a 70 qt one for about $38 at Walmart - heard that from many people, so it is what I am going to buy this year.

[dkutz]

you might search this site, I am sure there is a discussion on this already.  However,

We bought a coleman extreme this year, and love it.  You have to remember to "prechill" the cooler, and put ice in it the night before you leave (I usually freeze a gallon bottle or two)  Also try to refrigerate everything before it goes in, including sodas, etc.  Keep it out of the sun, and the kids from opening the door ALL THE TIME! (good luck)

WE really like ours, it seems to work great.  I have only had to buy ice on extended Hot trips.

Good luck.  Oh and try ebay, I saw ours on there for CHEAP!

[He Ruide]

I use an Igloo Ice Cube MAXCOLD 70 (ROLLER) and it works very well and it fits in the entrance of the PUP.  I found that solid ice last longer than the crushed ice.

Ruide

[CajunCamper]

I purchased a Coleman Xtreme cooler last year just prior to a trip to Florida. I was disappointed in my purchase. I had to buy ice everyday for it. When I stated that on the site here I got questions like, Did you open it alot? (NO) Did you keep it in the shade? (Yes) Did you keep it on the ground or off the ground?(On the ground inside my add-a-room) Did you have the windows open or closed in your add-a-room? (Opened most of the time) What was the outside temp? (Upper 90's during the day) Did you drain the water? (No I just kept adding ice) I even had someone suggest that I keep it inside at all times with the A/C running constantly. And then I thought, if this thing requires this much attention to get it to perform, what's the point?

Some folks swear by these ice chest, but my experience has been that in the deep south during the summer with the hummidity we have down here, they just don't perform that well.

CajunCamper

[dmodechicky]

I was wondering about the Gizmo ice chest cover...anyone tried that?  How is it?

[waygard33]

I bought a large Coleman Extreme, 6 day cooler last year. Here in the NW, the temps and humidity are not what you will find in Florida.

However, there is an obvious difference between it and my other coolers. Our longest trip was 5 days in August and I never had to add ice. We used it mainly for food, stocked with two ice blocks and 1 bag of ice at start of trip. We don't open it a lot but when ever we needed to. I did keep 'my' beer in there.  

Over the trip I had to add ice to my other coolers pretty much every day, but not the extreme.

On a recent trip early this month, I took only the extreme and so it had food and pop/beer and was opened regularly. Upon our return after 2.5 days I left the cooler sitting on the front porch for the next week (much to my wife's chagrin) and the kids continued getting drinks out of it for the entire week. At the end of the week, the ice was finally gone. Temps were only in the 40-50s during that period so I'm sure that helps a lot.

I'm not sure why there is such a discrepancy in everyone's results with these coolers. Maybe at a certain temp and humidity, they completely fail to perform? Thankfully I don't have that problem around Portland, OR.

Maybe we should sign up a group of current owners, around the country to run a controlled test. Something like we all start 2 different coolers (including the extreme), with exactly the same amount of ice (i.e.,1 block, 1 bag of cubes), set them so many inches off the ground (something easy like 2x4s) and then start logging results. I know I'd be interested. :compumad:

Wayne G

[chip]

It should probably be noted that there are two variations on Coleman Extreme theme:  the "Extreme" and the "Ultimate Extreme."

I have one of each--the larger of the two is the Ultimate and holds ice longer than the smaller, or plain Extreme cooler.  Side by side, in the sun, exposed.  I didn't realize there was a difference until after the first trip, trying to figure out why the smaller of the two coolers didn't keep ice as long.

That may explain some of the difference in experience.  The Ultimate does have thicker walls (by at least half).  

Can't speak to the Igloo side of the house, since I haven't even looked at them.  I have too many coolers now.  

[Jon Spencer]

All I've got to say is....Cruzin' Cooler!!!


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2011/2370009454_48f7dc4a3c.jpg?v=0

[McCampers]

I purchased a Coleman Xtreme cooler last year just prior to a trip to Florida. I was disappointed in my purchase. I had to buy ice everyday for it. When I stated that on the site here I got questions like, Did you open it alot? (NO) Did you keep it in the shade? (Yes) Did you keep it on the ground or off the ground?(On the ground inside my add-a-room) Did you have the windows open or closed in your add-a-room? (Opened most of the time) What was the outside temp? (Upper 90's during the day) Did you drain the water? (No I just kept adding ice) I even had someone suggest that I keep it inside at all times with the A/C running constantly. And then I thought, if this thing requires this much attention to get it to perform, what's the point?

Some folks swear by these ice chest, but my experience has been that in the deep south during the summer with the hummidity we have down here, they just don't perform that well.

CajunCamper

Amen budro!  No cooler will perform much in the South in the summer.  We use the Ice Cube Igloo and its ok, but you'll still be using alot of ice.  Its the humidity.  Part of our burden for being in the South, but we can camp in December.  Tell em Budro!  Oh no cher' eeze not too cold.

[mike4947]

A lot of the difference in "extreme" coolers is the fact that for years a lot of discount houses stuck 5 day stickers on regular coolers.
There are actually quite a few types now.
Check out the link for your cooler to see if it's actually an Xtreme:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/category_main.asp?categoryid=8500
 
We learned if it's blue or red it ain't an Xtreme

[spearmint]

you might search this site, I am sure there is a discussion on this already.  However,

We bought a coleman extreme this year, and love it.  You have to remember to "prechill" the cooler, and put ice in it the night before you leave (I usually freeze a gallon bottle or two)  Also try to refrigerate everything before it goes in, including sodas, etc.  Keep it out of the sun, and the kids from opening the door ALL THE TIME! (good luck)

WE really like ours, it seems to work great.  I have only had to buy ice on extended Hot trips.

Good luck.  Oh and try ebay, I saw ours on there for CHEAP!

Do you use the frozen gallon milk bottles just to cool down the cooler before camping or do you use them as ice blocks FOR camping? Seems to me they would take up all the room in the cooler.

[flyfisherman]

We've been using ice coolers for a long time. Different types and brands, large ones, mediums and small sized. Hard metal and soft styrofoam sided; then the plastic ones. Used one for the perishable food stuffs and another for the fish ... try not to get the use of the two mixed up later on as the fish arroma can get carried over!

Found out that pre-chilling is the way to go. Keep some frozen water in quart rubbermaid containers in the home freezer, remove the ice from the containers and load them in the cooler awhile before placing in the chilled (and frozen) food stuffs. Usually the ice chest is close to full and so there's little empty space that seems to hasten the end of the coolers performance. And I like two smaller coolers rather than one larger one. Pre-chilling is important as anyone knows who has loaded a cooler with warm drinks to chill down that it requires lots of ice.

About the very best cooler I've ever had was the original 32 qt Coleman Xtreme. Tried to pick up another one just like it but they had changed styles and the second is no where close to the performance of the original. I see in this year's Cabela's marine cataloge they have a 200 qt "OptiMax" Coleman cooler for the mere price of $299.99! Sure looks good (ought to for three hundred bucks!), but it says it will keep ice for 7 (seven) days!


Fly

[McCampers]

We've been using ice coolers for a long time. Different types and brands, large ones, mediums and small sized. Hard metal and soft styrofoam sided; then the plastic ones. Used one for the perishable food stuffs and another for the fish ... try not to get the use of the two mixed up later on as the fish arroma can get carried over!

Found out that pre-chilling is the way to go. Keep some frozen water in quart rubbermaid containers in the home freezer, remove the ice from the containers and load them in the cooler awhile before placing in the chilled (and frozen) food stuffs. Usually the ice chest is close to full and so there's little empty space that seems to hasten the end of the coolers performance. And I like two smaller coolers rather than one larger one. Pre-chilling is important as anyone knows who has loaded a cooler with warm drinks to chill down that it requires lots of ice.

About the very best cooler I've ever had was the original 32 qt Coleman Xtreme. Tried to pick up another one just like it but they had changed styles and the second is no where close to the performance of the original. I see in this year's Cabela's marine cataloge they have a 200 qt "OptiMax" Coleman cooler for the mere price of $299.99! Sure looks good (ought to for three hundred bucks!), but it says it will keep ice for 7 (seven) days!


Fly

Now thats an expensive fish cooler!  I'll bet you don't lend that one to your buddies to take home a mess of Flounder fillets!  I can't imagine paying 300 bucks for a cooler.  My folks used to raise cattle in South Dakota, and when I went there to see them.  They would send back meat with me to NC.  It got so popular that I had them ship 200 lbs of hamburger to me once for some friends.  They used the original 5 day extreme (silver) Coleman coolers.  My friends both swear that those coolers are the best coolers they have ever seen.  Too bad I didn't get one at the same time.  My Igloo cube works OK, but I would like to get one of those Coleman extremes.