Corpusfishing.com

[Big John]

I have the blue 5 day Igloo. I think it's 48qrts. I have had it for almost ten years. Still works great. I think I paid $25 for it, at HEB, on clearance. It doesn't hold ice for five days in our heat, but if you fill it to the top, and don't drain it, it's still half ice two days later. If you keep it in the shade that is.

The first time I saw one of those high dollar coolers, I thought they were pretty nice, but efren I looked at the price, and couldn't believe it! I figured it was mislabeled, and checked the next Yeti cooler over, and it was the same. So then I figured that the whole section was priced wrong, so I asked the salesperson there in Bass Pro if the guy pricing the coolers was sick or something. The guy said that the price was right.

I can't believe they sell any at that price. If I was a millionaire, I would spend that kind of money on one.

[Blast-n-Cast]

Over the years I have had tons of different ice chests. For a long time I didn't think the high end coolers were worth the money. It wasn't until I actually owned one (gift) that I realized what I had been missing. I have never had the Pelican or Engel but currently have (2) Yeti's that I use for hunting and (2) Bruteboxes for my boat. They both make really good coolers. Probably not cost effective for the everyday weekend warrior but for those that use them a lot I think they are worth it. In addition to holding ice really well, I can literally stand, jump, dance or whatever I please on top of them and I know there will be no issues. They come in really handy on my boat because I use them as both a seat for passengers and a casting platform. Try that with one of igloos, coleman, etc. and you will have problems. The cheaper coolers may be cheaper up front but in the long run after you buy them over and over or buy replacement parts over and over how much did you save? They end up with cracked lids, broken hinges, broken plugs, yellowing, etc. I will probably stick with buying Brutes now since they are still made in USA but I definately think the higher end coolers have their place.

[wolfpack]

FSG Electric is a local distributor for the BRUTE coolers. they keep the most common sizes in stock and can get additional ones in a few days if needed. They are on SPID between Old Brownsville Road and the Bear lane right next door to the Stripes. They are every bit as good as the best coolers on the market and for a more reasonable price. Blast n cast is correct it how durable they are, and a great warranty.
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"One more CAST"

[Big John]

[Blast-n-Cast]

[Fersha]

I apologize for bump the old topic, but I have some interesting observations that I would like to share, maybe this will help someone in the future because once I was on the lookout for useful advice.
I cant bring myself to buy a $400 cooler, but if i was going to, it would be an engle. Just the fact they come up in conversations with little to no advertising (that i have seen) is a testament to their quality. After watching the video, it looks like the coleman held ice just as well as the engle and the yeti didnt even come close. Not saying yeti is bad, but for the money, you can get better. Me, ill stick to my colemans and igloos. I had a coleman extreeme hold ice for 7 days in the direct sunlight in july which is plenty for me! We used a small cooler to keep food/drinks an the coleman got opened once a day to refill the small cooler. Here's how I look at it:

Yeti/engle: extremely durable. heavy! Good ice retention. Probably last 10 years. Cost $400

https://bestoutdooritems.com/pelica
Coleman/igloo: not as durable. Much lighter, same (or close) ice retention, probably last 2 years. Cost $40

https://www.ebay.com/p/Coleman-Xtreme-150-QT-Cooler-Green-Ice-Chest-223-Can-Capacity-4-Cup-Holders/710152172?iid=172235147425

So for half the cost over a 10 year period, i can get a cooler that holds ice just as well,weighs less, and im not heartbroken if it gets stolen, lost, or breaks!

Ice retention/cooler performance has more to do with cooler prep and temperature regulation than price. For extended trips, chill your cooler ahead of time, chill or freeze the items you are placing in the cooler ahead of time and keep the lid tightly closed as much as possible and just about any quality cooler will keep ice 5+ days! On extended trips, i fill the cooler with ice and the items i cant freeze that i plan to take 2 days before the trip, the day of the trip, i drain the water, add the frozen items, and refill te cooler with ice. This gives me 5-6 days of ice retention on a coleman extreme and another 1-2 days of cold items (little to no ice) in our texas summers.

[hickroots07]

one I havent seen mentioned here is the lesser known Maluna. It may be branded as the yeti killer. Last year when the hurricane came I had a buddy hold ice in his for 10+ days. It's also cheaper than a yeti. Just throwing another name in to the mix.
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Great captains, the stuff of legend, are made not by what they have caught, but by what they have given back.

[rustynail11]

[Johninaustin]

Igloos. I have nine of them in varying sizes, they just sort of breed in the garage. I'm going on 12 years with the biggest one. Even the seat cushions last. i never got the "spend $400 to save $2 worth of ice" thing. Then again, I bought an ice maker off of the state property disposal office for $60.

I'm also trying to find a reason why I would jump or stand on a cooler

BTW, Those cheap soft side coolers make for excellent fish and bait bags.

[Jiggyz]

Ah the old cooler debate.

Up next: Sunglasses.

[rodandroll]

[Vern]

If your interested do a search on you tube.
A couple of people there cut Yeti and others in half and looked at them. Others picked up from there found that Igloo lids are not insulated.
I took my igloos and used canned foam to fill them and now they work great.
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Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. (Fishing is one of those things )

[gkrane]

I haven't tried one yet but much cheaper than a Yeti. I have a yeti 160 and the thing is a backbreaker to move when filled.

https://www.southjettycoolers.com/

[myanez]

I opted for the Otterbox 45 only because I got it on OfferUP and was able to haggle down to a really good deal. Normally their price range is that of Yeti. It's a solid cooler. Kept ice for five days in my sweltering garage. I really like my Coleman Marine xtreme as well really functional for fishing and hunting.

[gkrane]