That’s enough to hold plenty of ice, drinks, and food for a family of three. Anything smaller, and you end up carrying a lot of bag and not carrying much of anything else. There just isn’t enough room in those smaller sizes for them to be functional for anything except an individual lunch or a few drinks.
But it is limited in features, size options, and it will be a bit more expensive than most other Coleman Coolers. Many of Coleman’s coolers have helpful little features or accessories built into the coolers to make things as convenient as possible. Examples of this include features such as molded cup holders, easy-access lids, multiple carrying methods, stacking capabilities, and much more. A lot of these unique twists and features you won’t find in many competing brands, and it goes to show that Coleman has a nice understanding of what it takes to make a viable cooler.
This means that when you’re making the calculation of whether spending $300 or $400 on a cooler is worth it, you are getting a product that literally should last for decades. That said, if you don’t need multi-day ice retention, even a cheaper hard-sided cooler should be around for many years as well. Most cooler manufacturers provide a “claimed ice retention” spec in their product listings (Yeti is one major brand who does not). That said, we always take manufacturer-provided specs with a grain of salt, and there isn’t an established, standardized test here. In practice, most of the claimed ice retention times feel quite inflated to us, perhaps due to extremely favorable testing conditions (storing the cooler inside with the lid closed in cool temperatures, for example).
Many of the options we tested have this feature, including the Pelican Wheeled, Arctic Titan, Xspec, and Igloo IMX. Still, others have specific slots to tie them down in your boat, backseat, or truck bed. There are two critical temperature thresholds we made a note of — 40º F, and 50º F. Based on FDA regulations, 40º F is the maximum acceptable temperature recommended to ensure food safety, as it minimizes the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
It had its own refrigeration system which cratered and was not repairable. I removed the refrigeration system in the base and used this general idea to add a drain and convert it to an ice-based cooler. In the cooler box interior I used a long 3/8 brass nipple screwed to a coupling, with a large washer under the coupling to provide a base. The coupling was sticking up about an inch, which would coleman sundome have left a lot of water after use. Installing this ball valve is the first step in making my mash tun and wort chiller.By itself, it doesn’t do much, but it will allow me to fit my coolers with a ball valve ahead of time and simplifies the whole process. Now, I have the 3/8″ female end inside of each cooler and I can use it to build off of while I design the components of my two tanks.
We’ve seen people start to think of their cooler as an investment that will last a lifetime rather than just a few years. For retail purchases returned with a receipt, please return the unused and unopened item, with the
original sales receipt, for a full refund or exchange. All returns with a gift receipt will receive a store
credit for the amount of the item at the time of purchase. The handle and wheels on the Yeti Tundra Haul are the best we’ve come across. This cooler feels like you can roll it across anything without the handle straining or bending, or the wheels breaking.
Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. While the Cabela Polar Cap 80 boasts impressive features, there are some areas where it falls short. First, it is a heavy cooler, which can make it difficult to move around, especially for just one person.