After a weekend away with a cheapo igloo, I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge into a good hard cooler

Looking for 50qt or so, don't want to pay Yeti prices.

Open to just about any brand that isn't super $$$

I like my Rtics

I've been eyeing the rtic ultralite 52. Anyone have a review on those ?

big ben said:

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I like my Rtics

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Can you recommend a truck box for us while you're at it?

Another vote for Rtic.

Don't have one but I've been eyeing the rugged road coolers lately

nealan said:

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I've been eyeing the rtic ultralite 52. Anyone have a review on those ?

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You got me looking at that one as well. Wife loves the idea of wheels

I've almost pulled the trigger a few times. Maybe someone who has one can chime in

I have one with divider and wire basket. I really like it, holds ice fairly well and it is light. Favorite cooler to date!

Check out polar bear coolers. Their soft coolers are great, not sure on the hard coolers.

I have an rtic ultra light, no wheels though. It's my go to drink cooler. Load it up and put in 30lbs of ice and it lasts 3-4 days as a beer/drink cooler. Been very happy with it, though I did have to tighten the drains and the t handle already broke (replaced with Amazon knockoffs)

Have an Orca I've been very happy with. Unlike Yeti and Rtic, they're made in the USA. Not sure how long you are willing to wait but they have major discounts just before the Christmas holidays.

I have one and like it. I don't like the rubber feet as it makes it hard to slide around on the floor or in/out of the truck bed. I get why they put them on though (boats).

Yeti. The biggest one they make. You'll need the ball cap to go with it and the $80.00 cushion for sitting on it.

Your wife will need a teal green or pink...or both, Tumblr to drink out of at the office and you'll need multiple stickers on your truck. Anything short of this is failure.

Saw a video a few weeks ago that claimed you can take any cheap cooler, drill a few holes in the main part of the cooler near the lid and fill with aerosal spray insulator and it will be just as good as a Yeti, Rtic, etc... Probably not as good but in theory that should hold ice really well with the extra insulation and it would be much cheaper than a roto cooler.

bigfoot10s said:

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nealan said:

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I've been eyeing the rtic ultralite 52. Anyone have a review on those ?

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You got me looking at that one as well. Wife loves the idea of wheels

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Ultralight 52 - $199
Ultralight 52 w/wheels - $299

Those are some expensive wheels

I like my Bisons. Favorite rifle case as well but they stopped making them.

I backed a trailer right up onto one of my bisons not doing any damage. They are heavy empty though.

I have 70qt wheeled one from frosted frog that I picked up for $350.

Quality is good for the price and probably same as others made in china ones like RTIC.

It will stay cold in summer 3+ days if we open like normal

Day or two longer if I pre cool it.

Pro Tip on rtic is to go to there factory store in 290 and get good discounts on open box items from the far back of the store.

I got 20% off an open box soft side cooler that looked brand new and has been awesome for hauling beer to the beach and holding ice all day.

If in the Houston area go checkout the igloo clearance in Katy. I got a great deal and been very happy.

Igloo Sportsman 55

I have a couple 42 (Ibelieve) quart coolers from Yukon outfitters. Got it a t bucees. Not igloo cheap but much more reasonable than yeti. And performs just as well

FunkyTownAg said:

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Don't have one but I've been eyeing the rugged road coolers lately

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I have one. Nice and light. Had in back ranger and it was sitting on part of a ratchet strap, someone was sitting on cooler and now I have a hole in it. Not rugged roads fault I guess, but not rugged enough. Would not buy again. I did spray foam the hole . Still use it.

Or the RTIC store off 290 has clearance items

I've got one of these 45 qts with wheels and it's best bang for the buck of any I've seen. They have other sizes as well

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/catergator-cg45spgw-gray-45-qt-mobile-rotomolded-extreme-outdoor-cooler-ice-chest/215CG45SPGW.html

Are Yetis not cool anymore? I've had my 35 for like 10 years, most of that in the back of my truck. No issues there.

This one seems pretty interesting....

https://www.igloocoolers.com/products/trailmate-journey-70-qt-cooler

My father in law has one of these. It's big and can hold a lot and easier to wheel around if that's important to you. For the price it's pretty damn good

Tried a couple of the knock off soft side coolers but none are as good or hold up like yeti, rtic soft coolers are especially bad quality.

MyNameIsJeff said:

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Are Yetis not cool anymore? I've had my 35 for like 10 years, most of that in the back of my truck. No issues there.

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Yeti makes a great cooler. However, when it comes to their hard side cooler, i don't see anything to justify the price difference from their competitors. Their soft sided coolers are a different story.

If you are located in NW Houston area you can go by the Rtic store and get a scratch and dent for nearly 1/2 price. That's what I did and could never find the scratch or dent.

bigfoot10s said:

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After a weekend away with a cheapo igloo, I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge into a good hard cooler

Looking for 50qt or so, don't want to pay Yeti prices.

Open to just about any brand that isn't super $$$

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What did you not like about the Igloo?

I still think Coleman and Igloo make the best coolers and they don't require forklifts or rigging.

CactusThomas said:

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bigfoot10s said:

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After a weekend away with a cheapo igloo, I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge into a good hard cooler

Looking for 50qt or so, don't want to pay Yeti prices.

Open to just about any brand that isn't super $$$

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What did you not like about the Igloo?

I still think Coleman and Igloo make the best coolers and they don't require forklifts or rigging.

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We loaded up with ice before leaving Utopia for Boerne. By the time we got home, at least half the ice was melted and the cooler was never opened.

I've been very happy with the Lifetime brand coolers sold at Walmart. They are heavy duty, seem to work just as well as my Yeti, are reasonably priced, and they're made in the US (unless this has changed recently; mine say "made in the USA" on them).

bigfoot10s said:

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CactusThomas said:

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bigfoot10s said:

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After a weekend away with a cheapo igloo, I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge into a good hard cooler

Looking for 50qt or so, don't want to pay Yeti prices.

Open to just about any brand that isn't super $$$

---

What did you not like about the Igloo?

I still think Coleman and Igloo make the best coolers and they don't require forklifts or rigging.

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We loaded up with ice before leaving Utopia for Boerne. By the time we got home, at least half the ice was melted and the cooler was never opened.

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Yeah, that is disappointing. My experience has been very different.

I've got a big igloo that i use during deer season. Does the job but ice does melt faster. Almost upgraded to whatever version of the bro-coolers Costco sells, but the igloo has too many brewery stickers on it to get rid of it.