posted 05-27-2012 12:52 PM ET (US)        

http://hpcoolers.com/icey-tek-coolers.html

posted 05-27-2012 02:13 PM ET (US)            

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150305719425944&set=a. 10150304203610944.383729.91454100943&type=1&theater

posted 05-27-2012 07:17 PM ET (US)            

Jim there are better coolers out there but for the money hands down either an Igloo or a Coleman. Coolers lose the coldness every time you open the lid, Yes a Yete or the ones you have shown will hold the ice a little longer but its not worth the money for the amount of time the ice last longer.

posted 05-27-2012 07:30 PM ET (US)            

I can't speak to the Sea Angler cooler but I've seen several soft sided coolers. I own a couple of soft sided coolers with rigid plastic inserts. They're fine for lunch or snacks and a couple of drinks. A friend has a soft sided cooler that does not use an insert. It keeps his lunch and drinks cool for about four hours.

I use artificial gel pack ice and ice with my soft sided coolers. That seems to work best.

None of the soft sided coolers I've used or seen used would be very satisfactory for keeping dead fish fresh all day.

Have you seen them used by anglers?

posted 05-27-2012 07:46 PM ET (US)            

http://www.orangebeach.ws/component/content/article/182-2011/ 1263-local-angler-leading-in-worldwide-photo-contest

posted 05-28-2012 08:02 AM ET (US)            

I think, compared to the pricing of Yeti and Icy-Tek, there are some very good medium priced coolers available. One such manufacturer is SSI. I have two SSI coolers that are quite old and they both continue to perform well.

My large SSI cooler serves as a fishbox. With a mixture of 2 blocks of ice and some cubes, it keeps the day's catch icy fresh. It sits in the sun on deck all day, is opened many times to add fish throughout the day, and the slime, dried fish blood, and smell cleans up fairly easily.

The handles on the SSI are pretty comfortable, much nicer than the plastic covered ropes on the Icy-Tek. Here is a link to the manufacturer's website:

http://www.ssicustomplastics.com/Coolers.htm

posted 05-28-2012 09:39 AM ET (US)            

When we went out on the Montauk Thursday last my friend, neighbor, and fishing pal brought two one gallon water jugs he had put in the freezer overnight and put them in the Igloo cooler. We were out in the sun on a 90 degree day for seven hours and they were almost solid when we started fileting the trout we caught.

Frank was thirsty and had run out of water so he enjoyed some ice melt. The extra emergency drinking water provided by the frozen water in jugs could be useful on a long trip. I put a one quart jug of frozen water in my soft sided lunch cooler and drink the melt throughout the day. In the soft cooler it melts at just about the right rate.

posted 05-29-2012 08:34 AM ET (US)            

http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/

posted 05-29-2012 01:16 PM ET (US)            

I own:

2 - Yeti Tundra's 65 & 120
1 - Yeti Ruffneck 60 Cube
1 - Yeti Roadie 20
2 - Engel Deepblue 65's - Great Replacement for the Montauk 170 front cooler/seat
1 - Moeller Ice Station Zero 125

No issues ever and they will outlast me. It's nice not to have to worry about the ice for days and the ability to stand on the coolers is great. the bigger 120 coolers, make great bench seats on the boat and off at back yard cook outs. 2 215lb guys can sit on them no problem.

posted 05-30-2012 02:09 PM ET (US)            

I think the Polar Bear soft sided coolers I purchased are the 12 packs, just big enough to hold a 1.75 bottle of vodka along with some mixer and ice.

posted 05-30-2012 03:19 PM ET (US)            

Perhaps the best thing about the cooler is when the fish are out and I wash it there is no fish odor whatsoever, just with soap and water.

I have to add a disclaimer though, the only reason I bought it was because it was 50% off at Boaters World going out of business sale, but it has been an awesome buy.

posted 06-08-2012 09:59 AM ET (US)            

What I liked about the cooler though was the construction. It's almost bullet-proof. I can't tell you how many hinges and latches I've replaced over the years on my igloo. And I know I'm on my 3rd cooler replacement.

posted 06-27-2012 04:28 PM ET (US)            

quote:

---

For a long time it seemed that there was only one cooler for use on a boat--an Igloo.

---

posted 07-07-2012 07:56 PM ET (US)            

Kevin - checked out the link to Yukons - they have nailed one of the secrets of keeping things cool in coolers - great latches and a lock on the damn things. When we did river trips one of the things we had to do was keep people out of the freaking coolers- especially kids or dudes who had no back country experience - They were constantly opening the coolers to get something - string cheese or a soda (we hated bringing that crap along) etc. Now beer was okay - actually we had beer and drinks in other coolers but dudes would ferget and rummage through coolers and we'd lose the cold.

posted 04-02-2015 02:20 PM ET (US)            

With all due respect, the post in this thread suggesting all classic Whalers (pre 1993) must have Igloo coolers was almost equally as funny. That would suggest one should also have pre 1993 electronics? Loran?

posted 04-02-2015 06:38 PM ET (US)            

For those who spend days on their boats without ready access to replacement ice the ability of a cooler to keep ice solid longer is desirable even if more expensive.

For the many of us who are day boaters expensive coolers have no added value.

An option in my area if one very occasionally need to keep ice longer is dry ice. Some supermarket chains sell if for a lot less than the price of a boutique cooler. It is also available from commercial ice suppliers in larger sizes at less cost per pound although it could be less convenient to buy from the ice houses.

posted 04-06-2015 10:50 AM ET (US)            

The high end coolers will keep ice longer but weigh a ton and are very expensive.

The igloo and Colemans weigh alot less and are cheaper but will not keep ice for as long.

I would say that of you are gonna be out on trips for days yea dump the money but I don't really see the need for a yeti for day trips.

When I go camping I go for 3 days and I have a igloo "ice cube" that is strictly just for ice and then other coolers that keep the food and drinks. By not opening up the cooler until I need to dump fresh I ce and dumping the melted ice out of the food coolers I'm able to make it the 3 days while still having solid ice at the end of the trip.

posted 04-06-2015 11:21 PM ET (US)         

http://www.alltackle.com/canyon_fish_bags.htm

posted 04-07-2015 12:13 PM ET (US)            

As for durability, the Igloo Marine 72 which serves as both a cooler and seating in front of the center console is not dirable enough for my needs. In Southern California, 8-15kt winds with 1-3ft short duration windchop creates a lot of pounding. With a person sitting on the cooler/seat, I have found the bottom of the cooler to fail. The bottom gets crushed. Also, Igloo latches constantly break. Replacements are cheap. I just find myself replacing them too often.

posted 04-16-2015 05:49 PM ET (US)            

I see the Pelican 45qt. once in awhile at Walmart for $200. If I see another one at that price I'll snag it, color be damned. They go fast, as they have underpriced them for now.

If its a weekend trip. The front ice well gets used and no cooler. If its a long trip away from services, a hight end cooler is indicated, which I don't have yet. Medium good Igloos are currently in the lineup.

Keeping with my genetic over-engineering neurosis, I have been able to make the Igloo 80 last for two weeks in the summer. However, it takes a month to prepare it. Cooler is placed into a 0 degree chest freezer. A few days later, a couple inches of water are added. A few days after that a layer of frozen suck-sealed food is added, then another layer of ice, etc. until the color is full to the top, solid with no air. Talk about HEAVY. It's loaded onto the boat with the farm tractor which has a hydraulic bucket on the front.

posted 04-30-2015 04:24 PM ET (US)            

Biggest deal was DO NOT open cooler unless absolutely necessary. Block ice lasted quite a long time. Some guys used dry ice. Not sure it made much difference.

As regards these spendy Yeti things etc - The walls are so thick it makes little sense to me to spend the money to try to keep things cold - and really, why? Outdoors is outdoors - deal with it; beer gets warm, drink it or put it in a net and throw it overboard for 20 minutes. What needs to be so cold (unless some multi day cruise/campout whatever) that's so important? Run out of milk, put beer on your Special K or Grape Nuts - who cares? Eat it dry. I never took ice cream out on river trips.