Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Roto Molded Cooler Advice

I went the Canyon Cooler way as well. Ice retention is superb but what I really like the most is the shape of the cooler: darn near perfect rectangles and squares. They just plain fit in tight constraints. That, and the actual stated volume is real. Yeti’s are known to be a fair bit smaller on the internal volume than advertised.

I have the 125, 75, and 55 Canyons and I figure I’m good for the rest of my lifetime for coolers. I also have a Yeti hopper 30 for Brisket Transport and local things. Good times!

I bought an Ozark last year to use as a cooler seat in my boat. I put hydro-Turf on the top. Maybe they made changes but the cooler I bought is bombproof. It’s heavy. Fit and finish is nice. The latches are heavy duty. The drain plug is beefy. I weigh 225 and stood on top of it all summer and it hasn’t budged. The lid carries my weight and hasn’t dented or deformed in any way. I can’t complain and would recommend it to anyone looking for a cooler that won’t break the bank.

There’s tons of average joe reviews on all the coolers mentioned on you tube,and if you just google rotomolded cooler reviews there’s lots. I was set on a lifetime cooler until I watched a review where hey compared it to a ozark trail and the life time cooler leaked out the lid when turned over. So I bought the ozark and am happy with my purchase.in my research I stumbled across a thread where a guy bought the ozark trail and his buddy had a yeti and busted on him about the ozark, well they were out wheeling and they came back and the yeti got stollen and they never touched the ozark...

I don't know about the cooler you looked at but the one that I bought seems stout as hell and I don't see how it could possibly warp. I looked the cooler over pretty good to see how thin/thick the plastic shell is and it appears to be just as solid as any other roto molded cooler I've looked over. Going to start my ice test this afternoon and see how it holds up and will report back here with the results.

If there's anything someone wants me to try just post it here.

Check this out:

Techni Ice Signature 47

Made in Australia, sleek design (easy to pack into limited space), 3 easy to operate stainless steel draw clasps, lifetime warranty. Weight is a reasonable 24.3 lbs. Reviews are stellar.

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I'm still waffling. Canyon 55, Orca 40/58, Techni Ice Signature 47, Pelican, Engel... They're all excellent quality. What it will all boil down to is what I can find between these models for the best price. I'd like to have one in hand by the beginning of July, so I have a bit of time to find a good price on one of these...

AkMtnHtr: Glad to hear that your initial impressions of the Lifetime are positive. I only took a quick look at the Lifetime so I could very well be mistaken about the lid rigidity.

Ive got canyon, orca and yeti. The canyon ive had for 3 years now, it lives 24-7-365 in the bed of my work truck. I fill it with drinks and ice on Monday and by Thursday Ive still got drinks that are cold but the ice is gone. The orca I use when I go to Canada in August. I freeze bottled water and use that for ice. 5 days after leaving home, if you want a bottle of water to drink you have to sit it out to thaw or else a few swallows are all you get. The yetis work just as well. Overall, ice retention has to go to the yeti or orca, the canyon just isn't quite as good in that respect. Toughness wise, its a toss up between the 3 because Ive yet to have an issue with any of them.

Went to Cabela's today and looked at their Polar Cap coolers (made in USA) they are nice but the design is quite bulky. The 60 quart is very large (externally) and won't work for me since I'm limited on space. The 40 quart model is $249.00, but it's way too bulky as well.

I have an Otter Box 65 coming. Kentucky Gun has them on "sale" for $249 with free shipping. I thought I'd try it. It will be my first high-dollar cooler.

I read a few reviews and write-ups before ordering, and it seems to get good ratings.

People that buy a Yeti cooler must be really stupid. But I really like my Yeti, it’s a 65.
I hunt doves quite often and the temps can be 80 or much more.
I pre cool my yeti, fill it with beverages, food and ice.
I try to keep it in the shade and manage the frequent opening of it.
The ice lasts substantially longer than any other cooler I have ever owned.
My only criticism is it is very heavy.

I freeze my cooler along with what I put in it before a trip...last meal goes in 1st etc...last a couple weeks......every other year or so I do the same with my beat up / tired cooler ....he becomes a colorful fire the last nite...

The Pelican are nice but they're HUUUGE

I have an RTIC 65 that I'm happy with, other than that it weighs a ton. I bought it right when their legal trouble with YETI was coming to a head and it was basically half price.

I sort of regret buying it. Not because it doesn't work well,it works great, but because it's so big and heavy. There's really only once a year that I truly use it to it's full potential and honestly, the trade off the rest of the time isn't worth the trouble.

I recently bought a RTC. I thought it was made in the USA, but I just read it is made in china. So I screwed up there. It is super heavy, and the walls are pretty thick giving a moderate storage for its size. It held ice, but not as long as I would expect.
My friend just gave me an heavy duty soft sided from walmart I guess, and I like that better.

Huntaholic: I’m surprised to hear that your Yeti and your Orca beat out the Canyon in ice retention. Beased on the reviews I’ve seen/read I would have thought that the Orca and Canyon were on par and would both hold ice considerably longer than the Yeti. As some have pointed out in this thread, real world performance is often different than what you might think.

257heaven: The injected-molded Otter Box coolers look great and I think you got a good price. I too have read the excellent reviews, but IMHO all their custom add-ons are a little preposterous. I also don't particularly like all the interior slots and ridges in the Otter and the Pelican. Unfortunately, like the Pelican IM Elite line of coolers, they’re just too bulky for the limited space I have available.

Dale06: Glad you like your Yeti, but they're off my list due to their political agenda. I know what you mean about it being too heavy, which is why I’m looking for a slightly smaller/lighter cooler.

atvalaska: You must have a huge freezer, but I’m sure your procedure increases ice retention.

cas6969: Yep. Everything I’ve read about the Pelican IM Elite coolers indicate that they’re extremely durable, extremely bulky, extremely heavy, and hold ice for an extremely long time. Too bad I don’t have the space for one. While looking at these coolers, I discovered that Bed Bath and Beyond carries them. Although their price for the 50 is a bit high at $300.99, I believe you can use the 20% coupon they send out, which lowers the price to a more reasonable $240.79.

Terryk: Unfortunately, these days you really have to investigate before making a purchase. I don’t know if this is the case with RTIC, but often a company will state that an item is “designed” in the USA, which leads one to believe that it’s also made in the USA, but I’ve learned that “designed in the USA” is code for “made in China.” I never really considered the RTIC because in the tests I’ve read/viewed, the RTIC ranked towards the bottom of the pack in terms of ice retention, as you discovered. Perhaps you could sell your RTIC and recoup some of your costs and then put that towards a better performing cooler, such as an Orca 58.

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I’m currently looking for the best deal I can find on the coolers that I am interested in purchasing.

The Techni Ice Signature 47, the Canyon 55 and to a slightly lesser extent, the Orca 40 all have a practical sleek/trim design (nothing sticks out) that is best for packing tightly with other gear into limited/tight spaces.

As much as I like the Pelican and its great latches, the Otter box, or the Cabela’s Polar Cap, the handles that stick out are not small-space friendly at all – they are extremely bulky and heavy – and the handle design, although far superior to rope handles for carrying and moving is just too bulky for my intended usage.

The top contenders right now are the Techni Ice Signature 47, The Canyon 55 and the Orca 40. So far, the best price I can find on the Canyon Outfitter 55 is $229.55 (inc. shipping). The best price I can find on the Orca 40 is $229.98 (inc. shipping). There's a slight chance I may be able to get the Techni Ice Signature 47 for around $150.00 (inc. shipping), which is a helluva deal on a ~ $300.00 cooler, and if that is the case, I’d be hard pressed to pass up that deal. If not, then I'll probably get the Orca 40. We shall see.

The Siberian Alpha is another cooler that consistently ranks at the top in terms of ice retention and durability. I like their trim design, their easy to use latches and their lifetime guarantee. Unfortunately, these are another cooler designed in the USA and made overseas - I'm not sure where - probably China so I think that their $300.00 price for the 45 quart is too high for a cooler that is probably manufactured in China - even with a 25% off coupon I found online.

I called Canyon Coolers today and I spoke to Adam, who was very helpful and he answered all my questions. I confirmed that their coolers are made in Thailand, but he said they are producing the 150 qt here in America and they have plans to slowly move production of all their coolers to the US. He also said real world usage would provide a minimum of 5 days of ice retention, which could be considerably more, depending on conditions. I was concerned about the neoprene seals Canyon uses on their coolers as I've had neoprene degrade fairly quickly so I asked him about the seals they use, which differs from many of the other high-end coolers that have silicone or freezer grade seals. He said that in the 4 years he has worked at Canyon, he's never had a call about a failed seal or seen a problem with the seal. He told me that the neoprene seals are manufactured in New Jersey b/c they could not find an overseas supplier that could provide the quality they required.

I just ordered a Techni Ice 47 quart. 47 true quarts, dual seals (one freezer grade & one flex seal), lifetime warranty, made in Australia, free internal basket, 3 recessed stainless steel latches, oversize 2" recessed insulated bung, ~3.5" lid and bottom, 2.9" walls, elevated feet, and everything is recessed and the cooler is square with nothing protruding, so it will pack well with other gear where space is limited. Price: $156.69 including shipping. Helluva deal on a cooler that has a retail price range of $239.00-$289.00 if you ask me and certainly a much better cooler and cheaper than the $165.99 Walmart brand Ozark. Touted by Techni Ice as the best cooler in the world today, and the reviews are stellar. I'm very happy with the price.

Thanks to everyone for their input. I will report back once I receive the cooler and get a chance to test it out.

If I need a larger cooler in the future, I may get a Orca 58, but I suspect that this Techni Ice 47 will serve my needs well for the foreseeable future.

I see them for over $200, who has the deal?

Thanks

Allen

hemiallen: Techni Ice USA is offering the 47 quart (as well as other sizes and accessories) on flea-bay with a starting bid of $109.00 +$45.00 shipping. I was the winning bidder at $111.69. The price for the 47 quart Signature series on the Techni Ice website is $289.00. Amazon has them for $239.00.

THIS!!! Otter is making some amazing new products. Ive never owned a better cooler, and i have had many. Up in the high country right now with my Otter, going on 6 days with just two small 8 lb bags of ice.

Duck911

That Kentucky Gun otter box deal is a Screaming deal!!! It actually easily beats my wife's employee discount - I highly recommend jumping on that for anyone still in the market after this thread. We may buy another one from them as well.

Also, as most of you know, there is an art to getting the most out of a cooler. Pre-chill the intended contents, AND the cooler, plus use a block of ice or frozen gallon(s) of water. That will add almost a WEEK to the ice holding capacity.