Help, I'm eating too many baconators - I need a cooler - pics request

[Jivewalker]

I'm eating way too many baconators lately and am trying to find a GOOD cooler so I can pack dinners for me and my boys. Cooler will sit in truck all day and until after sports practices 5 days a week. I have to go straight from work to the fields (except what has become the routine baconator stop). Curious how different sizes fit in the cargo area. There is a good deal on a used 65Q Pelican I can get sub $200, but it sounds absolutely huge at 38x21x21. Anyways, if you have pics of your cooler in the cargo area, I would love to see them, and any input or opinions would be great! TIA

 

[jhguth]

this is a perfect application for a fridge if you don't mind the cost

 

[tm965]

any yeti/pelican/artic/ etc in a size that you need will work. i have a yeti tundra 45(? i think) and it works well. not worth the coin IMO, so if i had to buy again i'd go with a knockoff. just realize that while the exterior dimensions of these types of coolers are large, the interiors tend to be significantly smaller

 

[SlickTRD]

Coolers will do the job but ice will be a pain and sealing items to prevent being soaked becomes a chore after a while.

Get a portable fridge instead.

 

[Jimmyasheville]

I use a Yeti 65 fir road trips and a Yeti 45 for day or weekend trips. They are expensive, but they keep ice for days. Anyway, if you place the Yeti across the back, you can get stuff out of it just by lowering the rear window. That may not matter to you, but it allows me to step in behind my racked bikes (Kuat NV 2.0) and get to the cooler. They come with food baskets to keep stuff dry.

 

[CavPro]

As stated roto-mold coolers are thick and the usable space is quite a bit smaller than outside dimensions. The size and price you stated will be a great solution, get it. You can always use dry ice in it as well, lots of info on doing that, look around. A plug-in is a huge waste of money for you application.

 

[jhguth]

As stated roto-mold coolers are thick and the usable space is quite a bit smaller than outside dimensions. The size and price you stated will be a great solution, get it. You can always use dry ice in it as well, lots of info on doing that, look around. A plug-in is a huge waste of money for you application.

be careful with dry ice though, make sure you ventilate the vehicle if its been closed and make sure you have fresh air while driving

 

[Jivewalker]

Thanks for all of the input. Would love to have a fridge, but a little to salty for me for this application. I know i could get the used pelican65 for around 150-175, but the dimensions just seem huge. It's something like 38"x21"x21". I might have to just go check it out to see how big it really is. Whatever i put in the back is in addition to baseball gear, chairs, tools, etc.

 

[MyanRagahis]

I know Kingships has one. I even bought one after I saw his/her photo. The OD Green was on sale for $120 for the 45. I know they have clearances every now and then and their 65's will drop too.

Tinted the windows and bought an Rtic45 to stay in the runner

any yeti/pelican/artic/ etc in a size that you need will work. i have a yeti tundra 45(? i think) and it works well. not worth the coin IMO, so if i had to buy again i'd go with a knockoff. just realize that while the exterior dimensions of these types of coolers are large, the interiors tend to be significantly smaller

Not wrong, is a lot smaller on the inside. But it did keep this ice in the cooler for 3 days while it was inside the house. By the fourth it was all water. Still cold though. Has two drain valves on each side, one higher than the other if needed. Granted, it was in the 70's inside the house. But my small Ozark Trail soft cooler from Walmart, which I still like, the ice would melt within the day. Stayed cold as well though.
Haven't used the RTIC yet but I look forward to it.

 

[CavPro]

be careful with dry ice though

Oh for sure, plenty of mailboxes can attest to that.

 

[Rhinle]

I say just stay strong with the baconators.

 

[Tuc4R]

If you are going to use it that often, you definitely want to go with a fridge. Not having to get ice is huge in itself. I have a 50qt Indelb, and I absolutely love it. I travel a lot, and I feed my dog raw, so this slows me to keep her food frozen. Just make sure it has a good compressor.

 

[Jivewalker]

If you are going to use it that often, you definitely want to go with a fridge. Not having to get ice is huge in itself. I have a 50qt Indelb, and I absolutely love it. I travel a lot, and I feed my dog raw, so this slows me to keep her food frozen. Just make sure it has a good compressor.

How does the battery handle the fridge? Aside from the price, I'm worried I'd kill my battery. I don't really know anything about vehicle fridges, except that the prices I'm seeing would be a much longer payback in food stops.

 

[SlickTRD]

I'm eating way too many baconators lately and am trying to find a GOOD cooler so I can pack dinners for me and my boys. Cooler will sit in truck all day and until after sports practices 5 days a week. I have to go straight from work to the fields (except what has become the routine baconator stop). Curious how different sizes fit in the cargo area. There is a good deal on a used 65Q Pelican I can get sub $200, but it sounds absolutely huge at 38x21x21. Anyways, if you have pics of your cooler in the cargo area, I would love to see them, and any input or opinions would be great! TIA

How does the battery handle the fridge? Aside from the price, I'm worried I'd kill my battery. I don't really know anything about vehicle fridges, except that the prices I'm seeing would be a much longer payback in food stops.

Your stock starter battery can handle a few discharge/charging cycles but it will not last a few months of this cycling. You would need to upgrade to a deep-cycle agm battery. Also, no stock ports are always-on so you would also need to run a dedicated wire to a new or existing port when the car is not on. If you plan on running an agm battery you will need to boost the charging voltage on the battery - "Voltage Booster" for 31M AGM Battery. You should also run a battery maintainer to make sure the agm battery is topped off as after a while agm batteries do not like being undercharged. You would be looking at least $1,000 when all is set and done and more if you are looking for some more fancy features.

 

[rrflyer]

I’ve got several yeti style coolers and a Engel fridge/freezer.

I used the Engel a lot when I was spending a whole day out doing stuff at the ranch. Now I have one of the smaller 20qt yetis and use it the most.

Unless your packing for multiple days at a time get a smaller yeti, they’re more efficient when just using them for a day. Freeze a couple water bottles and throw them in then you have ice and water to drink when it melts.

 

[Jimmyasheville]

That Rtic looks a whole lot like a Yeti. The rubber latches, the handles, everything.

 

[vondy21]

I think a fridge would be best but if not, go with a Yeti type cooler and some blocks of arctic-ice or similar. The blocks last longer and keep your stuff dry.

Arctic Ice Cooler Packs

You'll want several blocks because they take a couple of days to fully freeze and you will be rotating them every day.

We use a Yeti 65 which fits under the cargo cover keeping it out of site. May be too large for your purposes but there are plenty of sizes. I would see them in person to make sure it's the size you want. They are quite a bit smaller on the inside.

We got ours at REI, they send members a 20% off coupon every year and that's $80 off of a $400 cooler.

 

[Salvo Jimmy]

You can keep cargo space with this scheme

 

[cascadiarunner]

You can keep cargo space with this scheme

:rofl:

But where do you put the whale once harpooned?

 

[leveeguy]

Welcome to GATR Coolers

These come in much cooler colors than yeti, rtic, etc