IGLOO Marine Elite Coolers?

Chicago_48

Chicago_48

New Member
Nov 22, 2016
28
Chicago, IL
Boat Info
2006 48 Sundancer
Engines
Cummins QSC 8.3 HO's @ 540 HP
Anyone have any 'recent' experience with these? I'm looking at 94 or 150qt option. Good sale going on at WM right now. Hear mixed reviews online re: their performance, ice keeping ability, fit & finish, etc.

I know Yeti is good and all the craze but do I really need to spend 4-5x to ice down some brews for my buddies to drink all afternoon in the Play Pen (i.e. party cove)?
 
I would NOT buy an igloo. Coleman marine extreme and offshore are way better. Boating Magizine did a test and Coleman was right up there with the expensive best. Igloo, not even close
 
Holy smokes....wouldn't an Igloo cooler somehow void the warranty on that beauty of a boat you have? I thought for sure they require Yeti's or Pelican's only? ha. I must say I'm impressed to see a value-shopper owning a boat like yours. You probably spend more on oil changes than that Yeti would set you back? ha.
 
I'm pretty impressed with the Yeti hard coolers. I have tried some knockoffs with little luck. Same for the soft side coolers. However, I think there is a lot of comparable cups out there to compete with Yeti.
 
I bought the same igloo at walmart last year. Last time I will go to Walmart, but a story for another day. That cooler SUCKS! It barely holds ice 24 hours. I really don't want to spend the bucks on a Yeti, so hoping to find something better than this piece of Sh-t.
 
We have an engel. Works great but fairly heavy.


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Canyon Coolers are pretty good. Not as expensive as YETI but with many of the same features.
 
I have a Pelican 95 QT and an Igloo Sportsman 20 QT. I know the Igloo is smaller than you are looking for, but its all I can tell you about. Both are heavier than you would expect, but if you are looking at these caliber of coolers, then you already know that. The Pelican just rocks. I’ve used it in non stop sun, on my deck on the coast and camping and boating, and the ice holds. When left on my deck, it doesn’t seem to keep ice as long, but that has to do with my guests constantly opening it up to see if the ice is still there! LOL. But with 3-4 cases of beverages and full of ice, it'll last 2 days, with some melting. I usually just went to the bait shop and grabbed a 10 lb bag of ice each morning and that was it it. When its not being used a party cooler and it is just my imediate family, the ice lasts much longer. The key is how often the lid is opened. I love the handles and love the clasps that hold it closed. It is heavy, so it is definately a 2 person job moving it with ice and beverages. My only complaint with it is the tiny (compared to the Igloo) drain. But if used on a boat, you could/can attach a garden hose to drain it over the side, since it mates to a hose. I have never needed to do that.

My Igloo was a gift for Christmas. I find myself using it much more than the Pelican, but thats only because it is smaller and easier to handle. It too is well made but has rubber (Yeti style) clasps to keep the lid closed. My wife and I use it each weekend to bring food down to our gulf house. It is left out in all weather, at least from Christmas, and uses very little ice! Seriously, in a 3-4 hour drive home, it is barely wet in the bottom. If left overnight, there will be some water in the bottom, but nothing that would or should alarm anyone. I can see using it in the summer and probably going through 1 10lb bag of ice a day, in normal circumstances. Again, keeping the lid closed goes a long way to keeping it cold inside and not getting a bunch of water right away. My wife left the ice in it (about 5 lbs) for a couple days to see how long it would hold, it lasted 2 days, with her opening it up each morning, so about 48-50 the ice was gone. Not too bad in my book.

Each has its place in my activities. On the gulf in Texas, I am kidded about my “Mickey Mouse” coolers since Yeti pretty much rules the day down here. But I just smile and tell them to have another cold one and they eventually see what great coolers they really are! LOL.

I hope this helps. Matt
 
I can only speak from my personal experience, but over the past 40 years or so I have tried about all of the cooler brands except for the expensive ones like Yeti.....I'm just not going to spend that kind of money for a cooler because I don't need that kind of high performance....normally all I need is for a cooler to hold ice for a couple of days.....

I live in the southeast where summer heat can be brutal....a cooler's performance in these conditions becomes evident quickly.....

based on the way I use a cooler for the money and performance I believe the Coleman coolers are the best value.....the Xtreme line of Coleman coolers are pretty impressive for what they cost....they hold ice very well and seem to be well made with tight fitting lids.....

but the one thing I have found to significantly enhance the performance of any cooler is to keep it out of direct sunlight....

cliff
 
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I have had two igloo marines, one soft and one hard. Both did not do a very good job. I had an old coleman that worked great until i lost it. Tried both igloos and finally gave up and bought a yeti. yea they are expensive but they work.....
 
Have had a Coleman for the past few seasons and we're very happy with it. Purchased at Walmart and for less than $100. We are however looking at the RTIC 65 this season as we want to get something a bit bigger. Have been reading up on it and it gets great reviews even after a few years. It seems to be on par with the Yeti but at half the cost.
 
We bought 2 roottomolded coolers last year before boating season. 1 Siberian 40qt and 1 Permachill 75qt from Gander mountain. The smaller replaced an Igloo marine and the larger a Coleman Xtreme 72. Dimensions were very important on the Siberian as it had to fit on the starboard side of the boat while still allowing the transom door to swing freely on our 90' 270. It was also used as a step for our dogs and us. Couldn't beat the performance. 5-10 lbs of ice would easily keep our beverages cold for 4-5 days while being opened several times a day. The larger always was tied down on the extended platform and was used for food. The Coleman was great but was beginning to weaken so we bought the Permachill on sale fo about $260. Used the rebate gift card to buy the tie down kit and 2 freeze packs and all work great. Has 2 trays for items you don't want wet too. All together about 550$ into both but they should last for a very long time. They're both well built and will keep contents cool for extended stays.
 
We've been using a Coleman Xtreme 100 qt wheeled cooler 4 seasons (a steal at Essex/Bargain Hunt for $25, but still economical at $45 - $55 regular retail) and it's been a HOSS. Because we store it on the boat, we don't have ideal loading conditions: the cooler is always warm, and sometimes the contents we add are warm, too. We typically load it Friday late afternoon/evening and stay through Sunday afternoon. One key is that we always include frozen single-serve water bottles as part of its cargo, to help cool as well as to drink as they thaw. If the sodas/beer/etc. are chilled, we typically don't have to add ice at all except when the weather is blistering hot. If we start with warm bevs, we usually add 10 lbs of ice Sat.....more if we've also restocked with warm bevs. (FTR, we open this puppy A LOT.)

If we wanted to carry frozen foods, we'd consider a Yeti or similar technology, but for our more basic needs, we didn't feel we'd get the ROI since the same capacity in a Yeti takes more cubic footage due to its thicker walled construction.

Friends who have a classic 270DA appreciate the small Yeti they use for frozen meats....it doubles as a seat instead of the fold-down ones behind the helm.
 
2015-05-29 18.07.54.jpg

Purchased in June '15 the first time and just repurchased last month (thieves stole old one) and I have been very happy with the performance !! Sams Club purchase.
 
LOL. Thanks (I think). One of my concerns in buying such a high-end cooler is the idea that it might end up "walking away". Seems like it could be a theft target.
 
1/2 price of Yeti. Holds ice in our 100 degree heat for days.


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