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Author: Subject: Best ice chest for long Baja trip?
durrelllrobert
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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 06:57 AM
Look Ma; no ice


I use one these combination refrigerator/ freezers from Home Depot at about $500. Runs on 12V on road/ camping or 110V where available. In refer mode keeps everything ice cold and in freezer mode it will keep everything in bottom frozen until needed and will also freeze your fish fillets for trip home.



[Edited on 5-20-2014 by durrelllrobert]




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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 07:04 AM
Here's more info if anyone is interested


This Whynter Portable Fridge / Freezer offers premium quality and innovative design to your frozen/refrigerated needs. This freezer is great for RVs, boats, campsites, fishing trips and is truly portable so you can take your fridge / freezer anywhere! All you need is either a standard household 110 Volt outlet or a 12 Volt power source, like an automotive battery. Whether on a day trip or major expedition, you can easily keep your food and beverages chilled, or frozen with this benchtop freezer. The Whynter portable freezers should not to be confused with less effective 12 volt novelty and beverage type "coolers". The Whynter portable freezer / fridge is a true freezer / refrigerator which cools between -8°F to 50°F. A cost effective and mobile solution for your recreational and critical freezing requirements.

45 qt. or 60 cans (12 fl. oz.) capacity
Compressor cooling system, which operates as a refrigerator or freezer
Adjustable temperature range -8 degrees Fahrenheit to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
Fast Freeze mode rapidly cools to -8F
Voltage power AC (110V - 65W/ 2.5A) or DC (12V - 4.5A Car Lighter Socket)
LED temperature control and display
Functions even when tilted 30 degree
Tough and solid outer casing with side handles
Two removable wire baskets




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Bob53
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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 12:29 PM


Taken off the Yeti website...
(Q) WHERE ARE YOUR COOLERS MANUFACTURED?

(A) Our coolers are manufactured in the USA at facilities located in Iowa, Illinois, Ohio as well as at a third facility located in the Philippines. Want a YETI made in the USA? Call us at 512-394-9384 and we’ll make it happen.

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Originally posted by Whale-ista
I considered those but I wanted to support the company that is manufacturing them in the US.

Quote:
Originally posted by woody with a view
yeti makes the same style.....
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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 02:31 PM


The Pelican Ice chest looks good, I have been with guys with a yeti, and they are impressive. I don’t own one, as they seem like a lot of money, I have wondered how long I could go using one. Most of my trips are about 2 weeks or less so my goal has always been to keep ice for drinks for that long. My month long trips are in my past and the future. I started this when getting ice was a problem. Most towns didn’t have 24 hour power so ice was rare.

How to keep ice for weeks, over the entire goal is to not ad warm air or water to where the ice is. Get the ice as cold as possible. Moving pads are great, the silver one’s even better, in a pinch a towel also works. If it is hot, wet the tarp/ towel to get a little e-vap cooling going. Keep everything in the shade always. Do not keep the ice chest in the truck without a pad under it. The truck bed itself has no insulation, not good for long term storage. In camp we will bury a chest ¾’s deep and put a pads on top. If you feel the ground under the ice chest that has been sitting for a couple of days it will be cool. Your melting ice is what cooled it. If you can pre cool and pre freeze it helps a lot. While you are camped you can pre cool stuff it’s a good thing too, we get a bucket of seawater and drop the drinks in it. They go from 80 to 60 degrees so ice chest is cooling from 60 to 35. It does not seem like a big deal but if you want to get two weeks it is. All of chest have at least a ½” insolite pad inside on the top (Blue soft foam)

We use 3 ice chest, Drinks, Food, Dry ice:

Drinks, If you add salt to the water it will get cooler therefore stay cool longer. The colder the drinks going in the longer the ice will last. The fuller the ice chest the less air is exchanged. If you are getting low on drinks and ice put the drinks in first so they cool down first, then adjust the water and ice.

Food chest, we use a plastic container (cheap) with a locking lid to store the ice inside the chest. We put the stuff that needs to be the coldest next to the container and the stuff like eggs and veggies around the outside. The plastic container keeps the food dry and will hold ice longer then the things that come with the chest. The water is also can be used for other stuff easily. Sometimes we use 2 smaller containers instead of one larger one. we will also put stuff that can get wet inside the ice container. The whole idea is stuff that is cold takes longer to re-cool then air. Also the protein we are using the next day helps keep things chilled.

Dry ice chest, This only get opened 1 time per day if we only bury 1 chest this is it. This is my 110qt chest. We start with a layer blue foam on the bottom, blocks of ice on top of that dry ice wrapped in a newspaper and black plastic bag (Do not seal the bag tight). We add any proteins we will have on top and fill any cubes or crushed. The idea is that the ice will keep the colder longer then air. Always pull out the next days protein and c-cktail ice when you start dinner. If you don’t it will not defrost for dinner the next day and it helps keep the food chest cool. This chest also has 1” of insolite on top, (2pads ) use the c-cktail ice the same day.

[Edited on 5-20-2014 by MMc]




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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 02:51 PM


I just watched the review video, I own the Igloo marine and the Coleman extreme, I did not think they were in the same class, interesting.



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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 04:05 PM


We have a large igloo plastic Walmart cooler that we can set 8 crystal geyser 1 gal. frozen water jugs in plus some pre-frozen vacuum packed meats with it.
We have a seperate daily plastic igloo cooler that we place 2 other frozen crystal geyser waters into. This works for the food items etc.
As the ice jugs melt down in the food cooler to half or so of ice left, we take one out and pour off the pure water into our drinking containers. We then cut the top off of the plastic jug and put the remaining small block of ice in a towel and beat on it to crush it...then into our margaritas it goes! We take a still solid frozen one out from the large cooler (really only time we open it) and replace the one we just removed from the food cooler.
No messy, stinky water floating ever in either cooler!
This method lasts us a week of remote camping and about that long of frozen meat to vary the mostly fresh caught fish diet.
Coolers cost us about $40 ten years ago.
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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 04:12 PM


Good advice MMc, sounds like you have done it a time or two. I was impressed with the performance of the Coleman Extreme as well at about I/4 the price of a Yeti or Pelican.

Adding salt allows the ice to melt at a lower temperature thus making the water (the melted ice) colder than 32 degrees, it doesn't make the ice any colder. If you want the coldest beer in town add some salt to the cooler.




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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 04:31 PM


We are always out of beer before ice! Good excuse to head back to CSL and a few Cantinas before headin Outback! Maybe a few Gringa Canadiens or Angelenas? Three to four days o mas is time to check in to Humanity beit a Cantina or Friends House. Don't get too technical! Todays Baja has a lot to offer. Enjoy! Tio
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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 05:59 PM


I normally use the ARB Refrigerator/Freezer. It is both 12 volt and 120 Volt.
If you freeze your food the night before, whatever you put in it will stay frozen indefinitely.
If it gets unplugged for 8-10 hours, it is still OK...the fridge is quite well insulated.
The only draw-back is the cost...about $$700.0 US!
The one I got,can hold about 4 cases of beer but now they make three more sizes, smaller and larger.




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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 06:11 PM


dtbushpilot
"Adding salt allows the ice to melt at a lower temperature thus making the water (the melted ice) colder than 32 degrees, it doesn't make the ice any colder. If you want the coldest beer in town add some salt to the cooler. "

dtbushpilot said it much better then I. Thank you.

tiotomasbcs, Sometimes CSL is a day or more away. I need to take enough drinks to last the trip. If I lived where you do It would be hard to get off the beach at all.




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[*] posted on 5-20-2014 at 06:22 PM


Forgot to add that draining melted water from the cooler is a bad idea. That water keeps everything cool longer and removing it speeds up the melting.

Also .... Pack the cooler as full as possible because everything within is contributing to the cooling and there is less air as well.
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[*] posted on 5-21-2014 at 04:14 PM


My wife and I have used the Coleman 54-Quart Stainless Steel Cooler for years and swear by it. I've used it side-by-side with a similar plastic model, and ice in the stainless lasts 2-3 times longer than the plastic. As a bonus, its smooth surface is steeker-friendly.





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[*] posted on 5-21-2014 at 04:58 PM


I really like my Yeti cooler. Works very well and is extremely durable.
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[*] posted on 5-25-2014 at 12:22 AM


Thank you for the suggestion.
I checked the Home Depot website, but didn't see one of these. How long ago did you get yours?

Any idea how much the energy demand is? I don't have a deep cycle battery in my truck, just a small solar panel (30 watts) charging system and battery/inverter from GoalZero.

Has it been pretty energy-efficient in your experience?

Quote:
Originally posted by durrelllrobert
I use one these combination refrigerator/ freezers from Home Depot at about $500. Runs on 12V on road/ camping or 110V where available. In refer mode keeps everything ice cold and in freezer mode it will keep everything in bottom frozen until needed and will also freeze your fish fillets for trip home.



[Edited on 5-20-2014 by durrelllrobert]


[Edited on 5-25-2014 by Whale-ista]




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[*] posted on 5-25-2014 at 12:25 AM


Thanks for the research. I saw these at Dick's sporting goods store today.

Lighter and smaller than the pelican which interested me, but a lot more expensive versus Costco prices. The 65 quart was $400 versus $250.

Quote:
Originally posted by Bob53
I really like my Yeti cooler. Works very well and is extremely durable.




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durrelllrobert
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[*] posted on 5-25-2014 at 08:41 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by Whale-ista
Thank you for the suggestion.
I checked the Home Depot website, but didn't see one of these. How long ago did you get yours?

Any idea how much the energy demand is? I don't have a deep cycle battery in my truck, just a small solar panel (30 watts) charging system and battery/inverter from GoalZero.

Has it been pretty energy-efficient in your experience?

Quote:
Originally posted by durrelllrobert
I use one these combination refrigerator/ freezers from Home Depot at about $500. Runs on 12V on road/ camping or 110V where available. In refer mode keeps everything ice cold and in freezer mode it will keep everything in bottom frozen until needed and will also freeze your fish fillets for trip home.



[Edited on 5-20-2014 by durrelllrobert]


[Edited on 5-25-2014 by Whale-ista]

Bought it last summer and have only used it plugged into the cigarette lighter once without the engine running. After a day and a half there was still plenty of juice to start my 5.4 liter engine. The rest of the time it's just used to haul frozen stuff from the US to Baja.
I just found it at this web site:

www.homedepot.com/…s/stores/servlet/CatalogQuick.....

Just entered "portable refrigerator freezer" in search box and this is what came up:

$476.10
Was $529.00 Save 10%
Whynter 65 qt. Portable Fridge/Freezer
Model # FM-65G

• Ship to Home
Free
• Ship to Store
Free




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[*] posted on 11-28-2014 at 06:44 PM


Yeti if you have the cash. Igloo moxcold if you're broke. I found a new site that compares the two: cooler comparison
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[*] posted on 11-29-2014 at 11:12 AM


Quote: Originally posted by StuckSucks  
My wife and I have used the Coleman 54-Quart Stainless Steel Cooler for years and swear by it. I've used it side-by-side with a similar plastic model, and ice in the stainless lasts 2-3 times longer than the plastic. As a bonus, its smooth surface is steeker-friendly.



+1 for this cooler of all the cheap coolers over the years this one just seemed to work the best...and for about a $100 it is areasonable price
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[*] posted on 1-3-2015 at 03:44 PM


A little late to this thread but the cooler topic has been a hot one for me and my Baja co-pilot for 15 years. Right now we bring one massive marine Coleman for all food - packed solid with block and some cube ice for c-cktails. We also bring my heavy duty 65QT Engel - very solid coolers - which we fill with frozen drinking water and open sparingly.
As the Coleman ice melts, we transfer frozen drinking water to it and - eventually - when those bottles melt, that becomes our drinking water.

(sidenote - freezing 10 days of drinking water is too much for most home freezers so we sometimes stash big bottles of water deep in the ice section of our local market a few days before shove off, then retrieve it the day we leave.)

Last winter we met a guy on a one month solo trip through central Baja who had relied 100% exclusively on a propane cooler and swore by it. It does SEEM like a very space-friendly way to keep food/beers cold (seems like most of use 60-70% of our cooler space just to keep ice) but I'm wondering if there's a drawback? Anyone have good/bad luck with propane coolers?
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[*] posted on 10-23-2015 at 04:42 PM


New addition to my Baja arsenal. :bounce:

Dometic (Waeco) 62 qt. fridge/freezer -- It only runs when the Jeep is running. After getting a dual battery relay system, it'll be a continuous system.





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