Today, I went to Academy with the intent of looking at the Engel Dry Box latches, which unfortunately are different (stainless draw clasp) from the latches on their roto molded coolers. I also looked at the Igloo BMX 52 qt (good size), the Magellan 25/75 (too small/big) the Magellan 50 was not in stock. While there I also looked at several sizes of Yeti. The Yeti 65 was a bit too big and the Yeti 35 was too small. The Yeti Tundra 45 (which I believe is actually 37 qts) was the closest to the size I’m looking for – I think a true 45-50 qt size (slightly bigger than the Yeti 45) would be good for me. I then went to Walmart and looked at the Lifetime 55 and the Ozark 52. I was not impressed at all with the Ozark - Specifically, I didn’t like the latches and it seemed cheaply made, but the performance is probably acceptable. The Lifetime looks like a good cooler for less cost than the Ozark, but it’s fairly gigantic – much too big for me right now due to my size limitations, but I do like the Lifetime latches quite a bit.
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seattlesetters: I’m going to give Canyon Coolers a closer look. The Otter Box 45 looks like it might be the one for me, but Orca and Engel are still in the running - too bad I cannot view them in person. Otter Box coolers are injection molded rather than roro molded. I may run out to Cabela's and take a look at their Polar Cap Equalizer coolers as they have received good reviews. Unfortunately they're not any cheaper than the coolers we've been discussing.
headhunter130: what size Canyons do you have and what specifically do you like about them?
AkMtnHtr: I think you made a good choice with the Lifetime. At $97.00 you really can’t beat the price if you have the space for a large cooler.
vacrt2002: Must be nice to get a free ENG50! Could you comment on the size (good size for a wknd camping trip or too small?), the latches, the overall quality and your impressions of this cooler?
Last edited by High_Noon; 06/05/18.
