Caribou Gear

Better coolers

Irrelevant

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I never joined the roto molded cooler craze, just didn't seem like the juice was worth the squeeze. But this, this I may actually buy, makes way more sense. Though I'll probably wait a few years until there's some more competition in the market and the kinks have been worked out.

 
I never joined the roto molded cooler craze, just didn't seem like the juice was worth the squeeze. But this, this I may actually buy, makes way more sense. Though I'll probably wait a few years until there's some more competition in the market and the kinks have been worked out.

Way more efficient, but still $500, crazy. If competition can drive down the price I'm really interested.
 
Also interested in how much they weigh. My Coleman Xtreme 100’s may not work like a Yeti, but they work good enough at keeping things cold and they are easy to move when empty.
I was interested too. According to the site, the 24 qt size weights about 12.5 lbs. For contrast, the yeti 24 weighs 13.1 lbs. Maybe that lessens as the cooler size increases but I was hoping for something pretty drastically lighter than a rotomolded. My 100 qt rotomolded weighs 45 lbs empty.
 
Way more efficient, but still $500, crazy. If competition can drive down the price I'm really interested.
well that's a helluva lot better deal than the yeti version @ $800
 
I have a couple Orion coolers and am very happy with them. Don’t know how they compare to others but I appreciate the recessed latches.
 
I never joined the roto molded cooler craze, just didn't seem like the juice was worth the squeeze. But this, this I may actually buy, makes way more sense. Though I'll probably wait a few years until there's some more competition in the market and the kinks have been worked out.

I resisted for 5 years. Just bought a Yeti Tundra 65 because we are floating the smith and coolers are required to be IGBC certified. Got it for 20% off on MooseJaw, still more than I’ve spent on all coolers in my lifetime. Yeti seems to be the best in class for IGBC coolers. I don’t think they are worth it if you’re not in bear country though. Been using Coleman Xtremes 5 and 6 day coolers with great success for my whole life. I wanted to get the Pelican but only their newer 70qt is IGBC certified and the way the integrated the handles makes them oddly shaped and wouldn’t fit into our canoe. I wanted to like the lifetime coolers but they don’t make basket to fit in like most do now (something I think is going to be great) and the rope handles didn’t look replaceable.

These do not appear to be IGBC certified. Maybe in the future they will, but I can’t see them making a vacuum cooler that is as tough as rotomolded plastic unless the metal gets pretty thick to the point it’s going to be weighing near double I’d guess. Our large yeti mugs all sent first time you drop them, can only imagine how dented a bear could make them.
 
I resisted for 5 years. Just bought a Yeti Tundra 65 because we are floating the smith and coolers are required to be IGBC certified. Got it for 20% off on MooseJaw, still more than I’ve spent on all coolers in my lifetime. Yeti seems to be the best in class for IGBC coolers. I don’t think they are worth it if you’re not in bear country though. Been using Coleman Xtremes 5 and 6 day coolers with great success for my whole life. I wanted to get the Pelican but only their newer 70qt is IGBC certified and the way the integrated the handles makes them oddly shaped and wouldn’t fit into our canoe. I wanted to like the lifetime coolers but they don’t make basket to fit in like most do now (something I think is going to be great) and the rope handles didn’t look replaceable.

These do not appear to be IGBC certified. Maybe in the future they will, but I can’t see them making a vacuum cooler that is as tough as rotomolded plastic unless the metal gets pretty thick to the point it’s going to be weighing near double I’d guess. Our large yeti mugs all sent first time you drop them, can only imagine how dented a bear could make them.
yeah, there may always be a place for the rotomolded, but material science doesn't stop. The idea that we could come up with some kind of alloy that is light/thin/strong.
 
yeah, there may always be a place for the rotomolded, but material science doesn't stop. The idea that we could come up with some kind of alloy that is light/thin/strong.
I imagine someday the tech will be good enough to have portable coolers that cool themselves with solar energy; a light weight portable refrigerator.

Game changer.
 
All about insulation, isn't it? Back in my blackpowder rendezvous days, numerous folk took styrofoam, fiberglassed it, and built a wood box around it. Far cheaper than a Yeti.

Yeti lost me in Nevada at the Tonopah Test Range. Packed full of water bottles and ice, by the end of the day it was water bottles and water. Bought an igloo for far less that has worked just as well for me.

I don't know if there is a universal "best" cooler - we each have our own preference, and because of that numerous marketing departments have job security.

David
NM
 
Yeti GOBOX Collection

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