(Beer) Cooler for truck bed

x4.

I fabbed up a wire food shelf for one of these and it was my workhorse for years. Then I sold it for cheap and bought a RovR. The new one looks cooler, but it doesnt cool better than that old Coleman.

 

...or go the complete opposite way and get a 20qt Orca. I spent WAY too much on this cooler even for the deal I got. I use it camping and it keeps everything nice and cold for DAYS!

Now because it's in my truck bed all the time I bought a Deny cooler lock that makes it 'basically' theft-proof. No cables or heavy chain. It uses the design built into your specific cooler to lock it down with a metal bar.

Yes, the cooler and lock combo cost a lot, but I have left it year-round in the open and it's still cheaper(and less complicated) than a fridge.

 

Isn't this website well known for the whole "buy once, cry once" way of thinking? $2000 for a set of kings is ok but $200 for a cooler is crazy? I've used my RTIC for weeks on end on road trips, hunting trips, etc and needed very little ice. If you think you can do that with a $5 garage sale cooler or some coleman more power to you. I've seen the colemans need ice everyday. I live in a fire engine for 3 weeks at a time; the walmart lifetime coolers are junk and need ice everyday.

 

I think your thinking of the ozark trail coolers, they are junk that have a hard time holding ice for much longer than a day. The lifetime coolers hold ice for 75% time of a yeti for 30% of the cost.

 

We had to add 2 to 3 bags of ice every morning to a lifetime. I haven't seen any difference between them and Ozark trail. Also, the lifetime cooler has a grizzly bear resistant sticker. See the picture for what a curious black bear did to ours.

 

Most are grizzly resistant only if you have padlock as well.

 

must of been smarter than the average bear. My lifetime holds ice for around 4 days here in MN (highs in the 90s)

 

Ya, it was still pretty impressive given that the cooler is set into a very tight tray that is around 8" tall.

 

Maybe look for someone that has a Trail Edition and doesn't want those bulky cooler boxes.

 

That was in MN last summer!

 

Well damn, Must be something different then. Same state, similar coolers, but different results. I do know that when people go in and out of my cooler it looses ice much faster, thats why I like the split lid style coolers.

 

I've had one of these for a decade. After a five day camping trip in some serious heat, and going into town every day to buy a bag of ice a day to keep it cool, I upgraded to a Pelican.

In my experience the Pelican is much better, but, you must pre-cool them. Pre-cooling any cooler is good practice but more so with a "good" cooler because it retains the heat while it was in storage in your hot garage and will take a ton of ice to cool it back down. Once cool they work very well.

 

Haha . I can't wait to show this to my buddy. He is a big Yeti guy. The Dewalt cooler fits nicely under my tonneau. It was gifted and I have not used it yet but looks nice. Not sure if its bear proof or not. LOL

 

Why not have both? Works as a cooler with ice or 12v fridge/freezer. Mine worked great all last summer. Half the cost of a Dometic and about $200 more than a Yeti of similar sizes. There are also cheaper options on Amazon but the ICECO has a solid compressor compared to most.

Not having to worry about ice or the space it takes up is great. Although, you still have that option if needed.

https://www.amazon.com/ICECO-Refrigerator-Rotomolded-Construction-White/dp/B08DV1J9L5?th=1

 

Most definitely, opening and closing any cooler a bunch melts ice fast. The lifetime coolers are still a huge upgrade from the basic coleman.

 

unpopular opinion of mine: I found a beer I enjoy warm.

 

Good beer doesn't need to be ice cold to enjoy.

 

My RTIC 65 works well and fits under my tonneau.

 

A few years ago I decided I wanted a "buy it for life" beer cooler. I like to grab a sticker from every brewery I visit, and a cooler seemed like a good place to stick 'em.
Looked at the rotomolded options, but none of them screamed "beer cooler" to me. I decided on the Coleman Steel Belted cooler and have been very pleased with it.

Not sure what height all your tonneau hardware is at, but this fits in the bed a couple inches below the top rails.



It's held ice for weekend camping trips during the summer, it's stood up against raccoons trying to get inside, and it matches my Coleman stove. Continuity.



But I am actually thinking about getting an Rtic as a camping cooler. The Rtics are supposed to be bear (raccoon) proof, and I want to protect my precious beer stickers from being scratched off by bears (raccoons).


Edit: When I got mine it cost only about half as much as what they appear to be going for now.