Gotta new fishing boat that required the purchase of a couple of new coolers.

It got me shopping for quality coolers for the first time in quite a while.

First and foremost there were size specific requirements, the boat don't have any seats, it's a serious fishing boat not a lounge boat.

The boat has more of a 'butt rest' than a seat behind the counsel which provides a space beneath the 'butt rest' for a cooler but with tight size limitations.

In front of the console there is a 4 foot wide space for a decent sized cooler/fishbox/seat if anyone cares to ride along and wants to sit down.

Unexpected lmitations arose immediately, far too few of these cooler manufacturers offer the option of a padded top on a stout enough cooler to double as a seat, so a Yeti it had to be.

160 quart Yeti, padded top, baskets and divider went north of the B.O.A.T. barrier right away.

But it's not just a cooler, it's seating for two and boat seats are exspensive so there was that justification and you know a true fishing gangster can't be flaunting fake gold.

Well that didn't leave much in the coffers for the second, smaller cooler that goes under the 'butt rest', so I had to get serious with the shopping.

Fortunatly the size restrictions limited the search to a just a few.
The Grizzlies and Rtics and the like have jacked their prices up to be just barely less than the Yetis, but I found these 'CaterGators' coolers that nailed the size I was seeking, came in camo, appeared to be of quality and priced far below any competitors.

LINK



The $199, 65 quart CaterGator sitting here beside it's larger, wealthy American Yeti cousin looks like it rolled off the same assembly line.

The brand is a valid option.

Thanks...

I have one Yeti, one Lifetime and 4-5 lesser junkers.

The Yeti is great.

The Lifetime is not great after a few years.

$200 on a quality 65 Qt. is a very good deal.

My wife buys these clearance coolers that are like Susan Komen or whatever and $5 gets donated. Eventually they go on clearance and wife buys them for $20. I'm not spending $200 on something to put dead fish in. You can find coolers on Facebook marketplace too.

Maybe a link... iffing ya wanna be helpful like Jeff.

Pard,

Good to know pard.

I might get one myself pard.

Stay pard, pard.


Your pard,
Pard

No.

Round of applause to Iowa.

Interesting. Thanks for posting the video. Couple years ago I got a 62 qt. 316 series Coleman cooler at Wal-Mart after looking at the higher price point stuff. I realized that I didn't need to keep ice for days & days, as it usually gets used for fishing trips on Lake Ontario. Long as I can keep salmon, lake trout, etc. on ice for 24 hours or so until it gets to where it needs to go, then I'm happy. It also has a nice handle and wheels at one end so us old guys don't have to carry it around. If I ever need to keep ice longer, I'll consider all those other options that are available. I think Yeti has some serious competition at a slightly lower price point.

Got yeti and artic, both good

By golly I have a green metal hardsided Coleman I bought in 19 and 71. It stays in the back of my 19 and 81 Toyota puckup with pizza cutter narrow tires. Ready for action in Ocala nf. Can put a whole button buck in that 30 quart cooler.

IGNORE

Yetis and their imitators are good (I have one) but they're heavy as an SOB not to mention the $$$$. I just look for a good Igloo on sale any more.

On the most recent boat remodel coming out of my shop, the boat had a large livewell in a front cross seat. Pulled that livewell out and spray foamed the outside of it, shaved the foam to fit then re-installed it.

It still can work as a live well which I don’t need but it’s an excellent long lasting ice cooler with a drain built in.

Osky

They made those new for a while a couple years ago.


Family bought me one for Father's day. I love it.




Sorry for the interruption......back to your sc9lding.

Living in Arizona.most.of.my.life, it helped to have external insulation.to.keep the.cooler.cool. Sleeping bag, wet towel etc., depending upon the situation. Also, if you could get solid ice.and.not compacted crushed ice.

I got a ton of good gear, and very little of it bought from a store. All you have to do is raise 5 kids on a single income and you learn how to find stuff.

Rtic 45 quart cooler; $40.00 on Craigslist…

I have one of these and it works well enough. It was free…

Cash;
Top of the morning my cyber friend, I hope that this second Sunday of October finds you all well.

If you're inclined, I'd be curious to know what the issues with the Lifetime cooler have been?

We picked one up a grey 55 quart cooler when they first showed up at our local Wally World but honestly haven't taken it out too, too many times camping.

This past summer it kept our canned drinks cold for 4 days in temps that were into the mid 90's during the day, but the cooler was in the shade.

Also, we threw a heavy wool blanket on it as well, the theory being the wool blanket might keep more heat out that in?

It was about half the price of a similar sized Woods rotomolded cooler and then for a Yeti up here we could have almost bought 3 of the Lifetime for one of them.

Thanks in advance, all the best and good hunting.

Dwayne

From what Ive seen, theres more than one “grade” of Lifetime coolers.

Both were made in USA.

The walmark model had a flimsy lid.

The higher end model at Sams was more like a yeti / rtic / etc.. But more $$$

Do you use a camo cooler to hide your beer from your buddies?

I have one too, the guy paid me $25 to haul it off.

Lol.

150qt. Coleman, made in USA. Claims on the side it keeps ice for 6 days. $100 with free delivery from one place or another.

All I need it to do is hold a skinned deer for aging and until I get it cut up.

There is a guy around here that builds and sells coolers made from 2x4 and 2x6 lumber. Tough, and hold ice better than a coleman for sure.

lol

I bet that is fun to go jogging with.

Nice score, shrap. I've got the same one I bought several years ago, and on sale, before they started raising their prices.

They are invisible to fish cops.

Sure he did.

Neither did I, the $200 dollar 65 quart CaterGator is for my lunch and beer.

The fish go in the 160 quart $1,100 padded top Yeti.



Gonna be heading south to do some fishing/camping in the 10K Islands as soon as this cooler weather starts sticking Pard..

Be lookin' a lot like this just in pale yellow with cooler coolers.

Do you know what “lol” means?


Oh, and show us a picture of those coolers…

The Lifetime (55 quart) has deformed some... I am guessing the foam has shrunk/twisted maybe? The lid still closes and seals, but I can see in time (next couple of years) it will be less than ideal to meet the standards of keeping ice for a week... and most probably be relegated to an ice pail.

I also expect the latches and hinges to wear out.

It does not get abused, but it is also not babied.

If I could get the $80 or so back... I would add $120 and get the Gater 65 that Jeff linked.

My oldest son gave me the Yeti 32 quart... it is a rock star build... I suspect the Gater is very similar.

External insulation on "insulated" stuff is good. When I am on a hunting campout, I usually have a one or two quart "thermos" along. I fill it with boiling water in the evening, so I have hot water for coffee (mandatory!!!), and instant oatmeal in the morning without having to heat water. Makes for a bit of comfort and an earlier start.

The water's temperature difference in the morning between taking it into the sleeping bag with me or wrapping it up in a jacket, and leaving it nekkid overnight is notable.

Me- I buy th cheap Colemans, on sale if I can. It's all I need.

Now, I did see at SW, a really big cooler I'd like for meat- It would hold a moose. I think it was $750? At least!

Cool pard.

Be safe pard.

I have Bison coolers. They were an option in a 25 year work anniversary gift brochure.

Every bit as good as a Yeti but they are not cheap either.

I bought a "Cold Bastard" and love it. It will keep ice longer than a Yeti, is far lighter and was considerably cheaper.

LOL, I do have one but I paid a lot more than $40 for it. Bought it for the last trip to Alaska to ship meat home in. Great for that, not even the baggage gorillas could bust that thing.

Grizzly 4000 qt cooler - 100 gals for $1,000 about, was what I referenced earlier.

That will hold a whole week's worth of beer!

Trailer not included.

Do you know what a sense of humor is?

And, maybe his sense of self worth isn't tied up in pictures presented to the forum?




Sweet!!

I have a metal sided red one, keeps ice for 2 days. good enough, probably 1970's also.

Sure thing Karen, maybe you need to be a hall monitor…

I do know what it mean and I have posted quite few pictures of things I have done outdoors. I have not posted any of the RTIC as it is new to me. A gift from my sister.

Love a good cooler thread.

I hear ya pard.

Next ice chest I buy will have two wheels on it.

One of the better features you get by surprise when you pay Rockstar price for a padded top Yeti is this..



The amazing company let's you, the new owner, layout and drill your own holes in your new $1,100.00 cooler and install the padded top yourself!



None of that 'right outta the box' ready to go schit you'd expect with some off brand cooler the Chinese children built!

I mean who doesn't wanna break out the ol'drill and start punching holes in their new cooler?

Did I mention the 'free' Yeti stickers?

Yep, absolutely free, and enough of them to direct every crackhead thief within miles directly to your easily pawnable cooler.

These are just a few of the things you miss out on when you pay a quarter of the price for a exact replica of a super cool Yeti cooler.

Don't go through life looking like a lowlife dirt bag, buy that Yeti!

Much appreciated pard.

Thanks, but wait until you see the pics with the Yeti cooler in there, it makes it 100 times better!

Says the hall monitor Karen.

I mean s—t, you were blind to them fuggin’ around with “first liar doesn’t stand a chance” and got pussy hurt. Then asking for photos of a stupid used cooler? And then you are blind to the fact that when you got called on being a Karen you went full speed on pot calling the kettle black.

Whoa pards.

Let’s punp the brakes here pards.

The Lost Creek Coolers from SW are great when they are on clearance. They should be soon. They are made in USA. Purchase the 120 quart version. I do like the 105 Yeti deep as it has a small footprint and can hold and haul quite a bit of stuff.

Aqua Seafoam Shame colored Bru-Tank dawg.

I found out that Yeti's lifetime warranty isn't worth anything. I've had problems with two and they refused to warranty them. They said a cooler isn't supposed to last forever.
Fkc em.

Best I've ever owned is a Pelican.

You to... what's the odds... I just keep odds and ends in it now... if I was home I'd take a picture of it so you could ogle it.

Kent

Anyway, I have an Rtic I bought years ago for 125.00 on some internet deal they had, a 65. Never thought I'd pay that much for a cooler... should have bought more.

It fits in my Boston whaler where the cooler/seat goes. I bought the Rtic seat pad for like 30 bucks later.

Kent

https://rticoutdoors.com/Cooler-Cushions

Probably could fit other cooler brands.

Kent

I've got several Coleman coolers, they serve my needs without being overpriced.

$1100 for a fuggin Yeti?!

Are you going camping on the surface or Mercury? Holy crap, beer doesn't stay around in my camp long enough to warrant tearing the wallet off my ass like that. You all have 'fun' but I'll be putting my beer in the creek as always. Damn..

And Rtic isn’t anti second amendment.

I ordered my Lifetime from the factory in UT. I expect it to outlive me, and it's been great so far, the 55QT model.

Rtic was what I'd though I would be buying until I took notice of their base price increase along with a few other things, the padded top was a major one.

Couldn't deal with the Rtic's 'strap-on' vs Yeti's 'snap-on'.



That attachment method just seems inferior and could possibly compromise the lid sealing gasket.



Granted Yeti burned me down for $185 for the uninstalled pad that fit the 160 quart where Rtic is getting $85 for the pad that fits their biggest cooler, the 145 quart.

But.

This is a piece of boat furniture that's going to be subject to a lot of UV and a lot of use and I see day and night difference in everything from the quality of stitching to the attachment options.

If these quality details point to durability and longevity it'll be a hundred dollar bill well spent.

I really like my RTICs. I use two 45s , one 65 and a 110. Mostly I use the 65 and the 110 on trips. I have had the 2 45s and the 65 for 7-8 years and the 110 for 5 years with a lot of use and no issues. No broken hinges or latches.

I wanted coolers that were durable and just a basic rectangular shape without handles sticking out for loading together in my short box pickup. I wanted simple durable hardware molded into the cooler with minimal or no screws. My RTICs checked all the boxes for my wants and needs.

I don't run around with my coolers in the back of my open pickup but I do have a cable lock system and a cooler lock system.

I also have one of their 25s hard coolers but rarely use it. Its heavy and small inside. I have their 25 and 35 soft coolers and they work for Kayaking and lunch boxes better than the hard 25.

My old Coleman and igloo marine coolers worked great for keeping ice but were not cheap and I was constantly repairing latches and hinges. They always broke at the worst time. I kept a ziplock with a spare set of hardware that I tossed in each cooler so I would have them.

I have no regrets buying my RTICs. I have some Yeti products (Duffle, for beverages and a loadout box) and they are all top notch quality. I have no yeti coolers as my RTICs are working for me.

I like RTIC but I would never go with that strap on cushion. That is total crap right there. There is no way
I would want that strap across that seal. Someone at RTIC needs to get it together.

You made the right purchase for your need. A boat seat or cooler down here in Florida are subjected to heat, salt and UVs Like no other place in the States. I would go with your choice as well. Enjoy your boating.

I found a Yeti in the back of somebody's pickup truck and I have to say it's the best cooler I have ever owned.

I thought everyone burned their Yeti and carhartt barbed wire fencing vest during the ‘pemdemmie’

I think you could match or surpass the quality of Yeti's padded top option by getting a custom cover made for pretty much any cooler at your local marine upholstery shop.

With the small amount of fabric involved you could buy the best known for marine applications.

Bought these catergator coolers as a gift for my employees. one is in a boat, another on a tractor and another is camping. They are a very good option and will work for years to come.

I have no doubt about that.

Sure. Burned them right up they did. Lol.