The Best Cooler for Kayaking

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Hammer-Time
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The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Hammer-Time »

Who makes the best cooler for kayaking? I would love to get the Yeti Roadie, but the price is a little high. What cooler keeps ice better. I want to get everyones opinion. Igloos have gone down hill. Lets hear it......
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tito82x
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by tito82x »

Dry Ice is always an option http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/foru ... e#p1511515" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Hammer-Time
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Hammer-Time »

I use dry ice when I go on multiple day trips, and it works good.
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G-Man
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by G-Man »

I find the best cooler is the one that fits in your kayak. Whether its soft-sided or the igloo hard sided. I rigged one that's a 28 quart to sit behind my seat in my Native Magic.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=145932&p=1511515&hilit=dry+ice#p1511515

As in the above topic/post, I tend to add ice inside the cooler the night before and also freeze the items I am going to take. When its time to be on the water everything stays nice and cold longer. Hope this helps...

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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by BigGabe63 »

I just make sure to put the cooler inside the night before so it isnt so hot from being outside when I put the ice in there and make sure to freeze all waters and gatorades that I take with me. I was using a soft sided rectangular cooler but the last time I was at my moms house I saw she had a hard sided cooler that was skinny and tall. Took it with me and it fit perfectly in my kayak. Needless to say she is not getting that back :lol: But if you freeze your drinks and ensure you keep your cooler shut when not in use you can keep drinks cold for most of the day. Also when I grab a drink and it is still frozen I just tie a piece of rope to it and to my kayak and put it in the water and it melts fast.
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Hook 'Em!!!
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Hook 'Em!!! »

You know, I've been trying to simplify my kayaking trips. I get tired of hauling 150 lbs of crap down to the water every time I go out. I bought a 1 gallon Igloo water jug from Wal-Mart for $6.00. I fill it up with ice and water before I head out and it's all I need. It fits behind my milk crate. When I do bring beer, I grab a tiny 6-pack ice cooler I have. It's been alot easier and my kayak has significantly less weight to bear.
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rabb
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by rabb »

I don't use dry ice like they were mentioning, but I do have a few tricks. I only own a few coolers. One is a 5 gallon camo hunting bucket that we take dove hunting - you can sit on the bucket when blocking a field and drink out of it that way. Second is the big dog cooler for offshore trips. That's where I learned my tricks, because those things sit out in the sun and cook all day. Third is my little kayak cooler, a 9 quart Coleman.

1.) In the Manta Ray I have empty space behind foot pedal, I own an Igloo water jug (with big ice block in it) that can stay cold for days (drank way before then). A water jug keeps you from wasting plastic on bottles and opening your cooler too much.

2.) White. All offshore marine coolers are white, darker colors get hot in a heartbeat.

3.) wet towel wrapped around it. Learned that one from a guy who was too cheap to buy cooler cushions offshore for us to sit on. For long trips, i periodically lean over, re-wet the towel, wrap it around the cooler. Even hot water is colder than hot air.

All normally packed in the cooler is food and frozen gatorade. Sometimes gel cold-packs, for joints and whatnot. Ha ha.
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Kingz
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Kingz »

A soft sided 6 pack cooler with a couple of frozen Gatorades and water, under the front storage works for me..But I'm never out there very long...
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by H-D »

Hammer-Time wrote:I would love to get the Yeti Roadie, but the price is a little high.
I have a 25qt. Roadie, but have never used it while yakking.
It's a little on the heavy side.
I usually just take a frozen 2 liter bottle of water with me and I'm good to go.
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shoffer
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by shoffer »

Kingz wrote:A soft sided 6 pack cooler with a couple of frozen Gatorades and water, under the front storage works for me..But I'm never out there very long...

That's what I do as well.
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larry long shadows
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by larry long shadows »

Ron and Derrell on the fresh water site used a 5 day ice chest don't know who makes it..but you are right about Igloo.. I bought a Cloeman 3 day ice chest and have been putting it to test in the back off my truck for the last week in the sun. Has a thicker lid so far I'm happy ...What i also like ... Twice the Ice..ice machine on road side here in Fredricksburg..you can fill your chest for 1.50 bulk..One thing I do remember dont set on the lid
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by toyradio »

I have an older Coleman that I use. Works great. Also have a 20" rule on the top.
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FishingSETX
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by FishingSETX »

larry long shadows wrote:Ron and Derrell on the fresh water site used a 5 day ice chest don't know who makes it..but you are right about Igloo.. I bought a Cloeman 3 day ice chest and have been putting it to test in the back off my truck for the last week in the sun. Has a thicker lid so far I'm happy ...What i also like ... Twice the Ice..ice machine on road side here in Fredricksburg..you can fill your chest for 1.50 bulk..One thing I do remember dont set on the lid
Tried the twice the ice place. ended up going back to an exxon convienence store on the way to the fishing grounds. cant beat 0.99 for a 20 lb bag, plus the twice the ice here puts out about 12 lbs of ice and 8 lbs of water.

Hey HD,

How do you like the roadie? I was looking at the yeti's because I keep a cooler of water, gatoraid, and cokes in the back of my truck 99% of the time for work. company pays for the drinks, ice, and cooler, but I get tired of draining/filling every 2 days with the 5 day igloo I have (not to mention replacing the latch every 2 weeks to a month!!!) I cant fault igloo for how short the ice lasts because this thing is in the irect sun on a black spray in bed liner, and gets opened ~10 timed a day mainly in the heat of the day, but its the durability I'm looking for as well as extended ice life.
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larry long shadows
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by larry long shadows »

Tried the twice the ice place. ended up going back to an exxon convienence store on the way to the fishing grounds. cant beat 0.99 for a 20 lb bag, plus the twice the ice here puts out about 12 lbs of ice and 8 lbs of water.
Thats funny your right.... wonder if it is made with the filter water that they sell 25 cent a gallon.. I like to save the ice bags and use for trash..
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Lollipop »

By thinking a head, I can keep ice for 3 or 4 days without a problem in a normal cooler.

Freeze water in bottles. I use 2 liter apple juice bottles that have a rectangular cross section. Fill them 2/3 full and freeze them. Then if I'm going to be out for several days I fill all but one or two of them 7/8 full and freeze. 3 days before the trip I set the ice chest in the deep freeze and place the frozen bottles in the ice chest and add 4 inches of water and allow it to freeze. Two days before the trip I add 4 inches more water and allow it to freeze. Ice melts based on temperature and surface area. With a solid block of ice, the rate of melting is much slower than with cracked ice. The ice is covered with a heavy towel and the items to be refrigerated are placed on top of the towel. The ice chest is opened once in the morning and once in the evening. The second morning out, sometimes an ice pick is needed to withdraw a bottle that will furnish drinking water that day. by the third morning it is easier to remove a bottle.

For drinking water the first day I take one of the 2 liter bottles that is 2/3rd full and fill it with cool water from the refrigerator and place it in a soft side cooler. If it is the middle of summer, I'll use two bottles. I add lunch & snacks to the cooler and I'm ready to go.

Back in the 1950s it was so much easier, we would go to the icing plant and have a piece of ice cut to fit the ice chest, but now that we have modernized, that is no longer an option where I live.

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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by RealBigReel »

I like the new 28 Quart Coleman with the bail handle.

Image

Easy to carry, as long as you don't put too many fish in it.
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Hammer-Time
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Hammer-Time »

I definetly want the Yeti Roadie 25 quart. I will probably buy the Coleman 28 and try it out. I have 10+ coolers, soft and hard sided and use my Igloo 25 quart marine the most. It holds ice good with using dry ice, but not as good as the old ones. If you own a Yeti Roadie, let me know how it holds up. My brother has the Yeti Roadie 25 quart, and absolutley loves it; I just want others opinion.

I have read about putting the reflective bubble wrap in the bottom of a cooler and on the bottom of the lid to keep the ice longer. I am going to try that out with a wet towel on the lid as well. We are planning a 3 day trip next month and just trying to come up with good ideas to keep ice the longest. When I had a small block of dry ice on the bottom and wet ice on top, it lasted for 36hrs with a few pieces of ice in it. It was the beer cooler, so was always getting opened. My ice lasted longer that the others on the trip. A 1 day trip is no big deal, it is the multiple day trips that I want to keep ice longer.

Thanks for all of the information on coolers and ideas.
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by 10 Spot »

I haven't seen anybody reference Polar Bear Coolers - They are soft sided - thicker with insulation, that come in all sizes and colors. Funny story, but I received my first one many years ago, from a company that carries transplanted organs. They really keep beverages cold and the 12-Pack size fits inside the hatch of my ex-scupper pro and in my current P-13. Check them out; they are very nice, not as pricey as the yeti's and very flexible...

http://www.polarbearcoolers.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Good Luck!
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Re: The Best Cooler for Kayaking

Post by Cruisin_Cuda »

10 Spot wrote:I haven't seen anybody reference Polar Bear Coolers - They are soft sided - thicker with insulation, that come in all sizes and colors. Funny story, but I received my first one many years ago, from a company that carries transplanted organs. They really keep beverages cold and the 12-Pack size fits inside the hatch of my ex-scupper pro and in my current P-13. Check them out; they are very nice, not as pricey as the yeti's and very flexible...

http://www.polarbearcoolers.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Good Luck!
TFS that, those look like they would work pretty good!
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