The IDEAL take-along cooler?

[Jackdaw]

We've been looking for the ideal take-along cooler for several years. I think we found it in the Polar Bear cooler. For sailing its pretty much perfect. I wrote more about it on our boat's blog.

http://rarerarebird.blogspot.com/2015/04/the-ideal-take-along-cooler.html

 

[Gunni]

Like you, I went on the hunt for the perfect soft cooler a few years ago. Soft coolers are a much better boat cooler. They stick to non-skid better and when you don't need them you can stuff them in a corner somewhere.

What I found was something VERY similar to what you found but with a fabric-reinforced smooth vinyl outer shell. The AO Cooler.

Very easy to clean and stout as a pigs nose. We lash one on the stern swimstep for cold drinks while underway. And it is great for toting groceries back from a provisioning run.

 

[Ken Cross]

I always felt I just didn't want to clean a soft sided one. Have you done that? Just curious.
Ken

 

[Jackdaw]

I always felt I just didn't want to clean a soft sided one. Have you done that? Just curious.
Ken

Ken,
Ours has stayed pretty clean. But then it lives mostly in our icebox which is clean to start. I did hit it with some scotchgard JIC before use but it hasn't gotten dirty. The material does not readily pick up dirt. Its kinda like a backpack. I WOULD hate to set it down in fish guts however.

 

[woodster]

thats a good find Jack and its not as high as those YITTE high priced coolers ...i never thought i would see the day when a person would pay 300 dollars to store 2 six packs of 6 dollar beer

 

[centerline]

i never thought i would see the day when a person would pay 300 dollars to store 2 six packs of 6 dollar beer

after purchasing a yeti cooler, cheap beer is all they can afford... but sometimes to some people, even the cheap beer is an important commodity that needs the highest form of environmental protection for the longest period of time.... after all, it IS cheap beer, so they are in no hurry to consume the stuff, but when they just cant stand it anymore and the need arises, the stuff needs to be as cold as possible to make it palatable..


quality soft side coolers are hard to come by. I really like the soft sided coolers for day trips or for overnight, but any longer than that I still like the hard sided coolers.

 

[seadaddler]

Have one

But it gets pretty hot here in Florida,don't use it much when it's hot
Nick

 

[RECESS]

Igloo makes a yeti knock off for $200 now

 

[nautikaljeeper]

Like you, I went on the hunt for the perfect soft cooler a few years ago. Soft coolers are a much better boat cooler. They stick to non-skid better and when you don't need them you can stuff them in a corner somewhere.

What I found was something VERY similar to what you found but with a fabric-reinforced smooth vinyl outer shell. The AO Cooler.

Very easy to clean and stout as a pigs nose. We lash one on the stern swimstep for cold drinks while underway. And it is great for toting groceries back from a provisioning run.

The idea of the soft sided coolers for boats are great. We have purchased several of the AO brand and I would caution placing bottles in them. I have found the bottle caps punch holes in the lining.

 

[sunman]

I do alot of wk long trips, leave mon. return fri. and stay in shallow lagoons along Fla. west coast, so a cooler was primary in my list of take alongs
I cut out that useless sink and the rest of the counter top, drop'd in a huge Igloo cooler, insulated the compartment, made a hinged insulated wooden top to cover it and cook on, installad a lunch size coolers lid over the pop-can area, installed a divider, drop in 3 1gal frozen jugs of water, then Ice, and freeze as much stuff as I can B4 I leave, I still have Ice when I return, it was well worth the effort, I now have a place to get the cooler outta the way and it keeps Ice for 5 days, and I have 3 gal of cold water water by the 4th-5th day
sorry fellas, but my Galley area dont look like its a place where I spend alotta time whipping up fantastic meals, wine glasse and a wine rack 4place dish setting2 burner bottle stove, on-top of a 5day cooler, DONE! lets go sailing

 

[Chief RA]

I need a new soft pack cooler and the Polar Bear looks good. For those who use larger hard wall coolers on board: check out the Igloo 12 volt unit. I use mine on my RV trips for a beer cooler outside. I run it directly off a 75 watt solar panel. Have run it on panel only for 10 years. Chief

 

[Justin_NSA]

My AC/DC Coleman cooler is a wimp. We can only use it plugged in on shore in the shade. Stuff does stay dry though since there's no ice to melt. I would not buy it again.

 

[Brian S]

Jackdaw, how does that do from a condensation standpoint? I have a similar soft side cooler that I bought at the Baltimore boat show 20 years or more ago. There is a similar manufacturer at the Annapolis show every year. The one I have has the standout feature of a one piece inner liner that is very durable and doesn't leak. The exterior is fairly standard nylon fabric, but not as heavy as Cordura. The problem is that when it is humid, the outside fabric gets a lot of condensation, and leaves a pool of water behind. Coolers go best on my boat under the companionway, right over the aft end of the bilge. The first spring after I launched my new-to-me boat, I nearly died when I brought that soft side cooler, and found water in the bilge at the end of the weekend. I put 2 and 2 together and realized that the soft side was damp, and all the water in the bilge was condensation off the cooler. I have not had this problem with either of my hard side coolers... Still, the soft side is a very nice cockpit companion, at least from a toe stubbing point of view

 

[hawk232]

after purchasing a yeti cooler, cheap beer is all they can afford... but sometimes to some people, even the cheap beer is an important commodity that needs the highest form of environmental protection for the longest period of time.... after all, it IS cheap beer, so they are in no hurry to consume the stuff, but when they just cant stand it anymore and the need arises, the stuff needs to be as cold as possible to make it palatable..


quality soft side coolers are hard to come by. I really like the soft sided coolers for day trips or for overnight, but any longer than that I still like the hard sided coolers.

a bit harsh, un-necessary and certainly unprompted???? why the hate? have you used a yeti??

I own two, a 65 and a 20 roadie. Anyone who can make comments such as above has never used a cooler of this caliber (yeti, engel, Yukon etc...). mine serves as a casting platform on my flats boat, a cooler for camping (guessing you don't still have ice in yours after 6 days camping in central florida??) and the small one is an excellent day cooler that will keep stuff cold for days as well. are the worth the $$? you have to decide that for yourself... I was tired of breaking igloo hinges (not expensive but certainly frustrating) as well as the cooler liners in the igloos breaking. I have had the yeti for 4 years now and have not even begun to see a problem yet

 

[cb32863]

after purchasing a yeti cooler, cheap beer is all they can afford... but sometimes to some people, even the cheap beer is an important commodity that needs the highest form of environmental protection for the longest period of time.... after all, it IS cheap beer, so they are in no hurry to consume the stuff, but when they just cant stand it anymore and the need arises, the stuff needs to be as cold as possible to make it palatable..


quality soft side coolers are hard to come by. I really like the soft sided coolers for day trips or for overnight, but any longer than that I still like the hard sided coolers.

a bit harsh, un-necessary and certainly unprompted???? why the hate? have you used a yeti??

I own two, a 65 and a 20 roadie. Anyone who can make comments such as above has never used a cooler of this caliber (yeti, engel, Yukon etc...). mine serves as a casting platform on my flats boat, a cooler for camping (guessing you don't still have ice in yours after 6 days camping in central florida??) and the small one is an excellent day cooler that will keep stuff cold for days as well. are the worth the $$? you have to decide that for yourself... I was tired of breaking igloo hinges (not expensive but certainly frustrating) as well as the cooler liners in the igloos breaking. I have had the yeti for 4 years now and have not even begun to see a problem yet

Only at SBO could two people get in a pi**ing match over coolers.....

 

[Jackdaw]

Jackdaw, how does that do from a condensation standpoint?

Brian, I think the condensation is a function of a coolers ability to insulate, and not its material construction. We have an old West Marine soft cooler that gets sweaty. But it feels 'cool' on the outside which means it is losing cool. The PB cover stays at ambient so no condensation.

 

[Chief RA]

Relax guys, note the smiley faces on centerlines comments. He is just teasing you and making a point about the extreme cost of a Yeti. Chief

 

[jibes138]

Brian, I think the condensation is a function of a coolers ability to insulate, and not its material construction. We have an old West Marine soft cooler that gets sweaty. But it feels 'cool' on the outside which means it is losing cool. The PB cover stays at ambient so no condensation.

Just remember your heat transfer and physics training. Energy flows from high potential to low potential. The purpose of insulation is to keep the heat out, not to keep the cool in. If condensation is an issue I'd suggest wrapping it in a space blanket or a few wraps of bubble wrap to increase the insulation and this keep the heat out even better, aka increase the R factor..

 

[Jackdaw]

Just remember your heat transfer and physics training. Energy flows from high potential to low potential. The purpose of insulation is to keep the heat out, not to keep the cool in. If condensation is an issue I'd suggest wrapping it in a space blanket or a few wraps of bubble wrap to increase the insulation and this keep the heat out even better, aka increase the R factor..

True point, I remember... ;^) sometimes its easier to talk about it that way...

 

[Kermit]

Re all the back and forth: we *could* just thank Jackdaw for the heads up. Thanks for the heads up, Jackdaw.