ice chests

[dwilson]

Without gettin crazy on the price. What kind of ice chests has worked well? The five day in ninty degree boxes i've tried are crap. The Igloo that we got two years ago has allready started splitting apart and does good to keep ice a day and a half even though it says five days.

[RespiratoryMan]

I also use the 5 day cooler but I freeze water in 2 liter bottles and place in the bottom. I use the water as time goes for drinking water. I also freeze almost everything else and let it thaw as time goes. I have in the past used a second cooler with dry ice and wraped it up well and duck-taped the lid seal for the second part of my journey.
This isn't the answer that you asked for but I hope that this helps.

[Randy Dodson]

We have an Igloo 5 day that keeps ice for 4 or 5 days in the summer once the ice chest is already cold inside. Keep in mind that by the 5th day there is a lot of water in it but there is still a fair amount of ice also. We've had it about 4 years.

Aside from the expensive chests found at Cascade Outfitters and NRS, Igloo has been the only brand that has worked well for us. Coleman and Rubbermaid have both been EXTREMELY disapointing.

Some of the rafters might chime in here with opinions of Engel, Yeti, and some other brand I can't remember right now.

[Mike B]

It really depends on how you will be using the cooler. Almost any cooler will work with proper packing and good cooler management. That being said, you get what you pay for.

I've used the Igloo Marine Coolers for years with great success. They tend to last for several seasons and all of the parts are replaceable. Keep in mind that no cooler is going to "last forever", especially if you use it a lot. It is, essentially a functioning piece of gear and will eventually need maintenance or replacement. I typically use my coolers at least 20 - 30 weekends out of the year for everything including river trips, camping, picknicking, and transporting food/ice for work related activities. The Igloo Marine Coolers are reasonable in price for what you get.

I also own a 125 qt. Galaxy Cooler that is extremely well built and in the professional quality and cost range (similar to Yeti, Engel, etc. that Randy mentioned). It was purchased exclusively for multi-day river trips and has held ice for 11 days.

Use:

Again, packing is the key. No cooler will work as well if your car camping for the weekend and going in and out of it for drinks, food, beer. There is just too much tempeature exchange each time the coolers is opened. Some good options are buying more ice if possible, having a second cooler packed to open a few days into the trip or using dry ice to make your ice last longer.

Mulit-Day Trips:

Packing and planning becomes very important. Ideally you want to only open the cooler 1 or 2 times a day. Some people try to open it once in the morning (when its cooler) and quickly remove what you need for the entire day and move it to a "day cooler". Having the coolers packed by day is another option, using several smaller coolers or carefully packing big ones for 1 or 2 day use. It is also a good idea to have food on every raft incase one is destroyed, flips and losses gear, etc.

[dwilson]

Well fellas I sure appreciate your time and info. Looks like I need to plan on replacing more often. Sure would hate to buy a high dollar one and lose it on the Buffalo. Not that that has happened to me before.

[okieboater]

The great ice chest battle continues.

All chests even the cheapo ones work pretty good if you manage them. IE glue on a minicell sheet on the top and use a minicell insert on the inside on top of the ice.

I just got off a trip where I kept 3 standard blocks of ice for a total of 8 days. On the 9th day the ice was pretty much gone but it was still pretty cool inside.

I use a Yeti 125 qt with a inch of foam minicell glued to the top and a foam cover that I put inside the cooler. Just push it down as the contents are used.

I kept the cooler covered with a space blanket during the hot sun

I only opened it in the evening

I have the expensive Yeti and while I think it is a bit better at cooling than the Igloo and Coleman units, I think they all work about the same. I think the Yeti is better constructed than the basic Igloo and Coleman units.

For the money the Igloo marine or coleman marine units work well.