222 - cooler upgrade?

[Smiles272727]

2025 222x model

Has anyone upgraded their cooler? I like the size of the igloo one but where we go boating is super hot and it’s not insulated enough. Anyone find a higher end cooler that fits in the “space” ok? Was considering the yeti 35. Hard to go by measurements since the yeti tapers down and is not shown on their website dimensions.

 

[sbeassie]

I think the Yeti 35 or Rtic 32 are both good options. I'm using this Plano (white) cooler that I won in a fishing tournament a few years ago. It fits well in the space.

Plano 32

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

2025 222x model

Has anyone upgraded their cooler? I like the size of the igloo one but where we go boating is super hot and it’s not insulated enough. Anyone find a higher end cooler that fits in the “space” ok? Was considering the yeti 35. Hard to go by measurements since the yeti tapers down and is not shown on their website dimensions.

There are other “performance” coolers out there, Otter, as in otterbox did or does make them as well as RTIC, Hooked and a few others. Perhaps if you’d provide the dimensions of the space you need it to fit in people could be more aware of your space requirements and could help.

The issue I’ve seen with performance coolers besides being heavy is that they tend to be large for a given quart size of cooler, in other words the performance cooler for your space may have a much smaller capacity.

There are a few things you can do to help your cooler stay colder when it’s hot out.
-Pre cool the cooler and all your beverages / stuff that’s going in the cooler, in the fridge the night before.
-Use frozen water bottles as well as ice. I mainly use frozen water bottles. Ice houses used to have block ice, 10&25# which lasts a lot longer, the frozen water bottles stay frozen colder longer than crushed ice…like a single ice cube in a whiskey glass.
-Throw a towel over the top of the stuff in the cooler. We used to use newspaper when I was a kid.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/RTIC/page/E34CBC3F-6CA8-4006-915C-6D227524FC92?is_byline_deeplink=true&deeplink=4F9736CC-5888-4F4C-8466-4D18F09B79FE&redirect_store_id=E34CBC3F-6CA8-4006-915C-6D227524FC92&lp_asin=B01M1OJO3B&ref_=ast_bln&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

https://www.amazon.com/Plano-Frost-Cooler-Quart-Pacific/dp/B0CJB1N1HF/ref=sr_1_20_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4D42ICbeFM7zPfRV3lZCcHPybNW8Wa9Pkvr2mPR8P_4rC-vYs0WHRzDF46xRegKrr8bApMj8Mepq5rSUnDc-2kycTWCJisWh1G23VC1RXSiLa8XXLRPaDX0zub2rBwsfxiDz8Zjgi6ZsI4IOuPLYUaZ97PpPx51RBEouhStdEZSomCvoJaFtQbfMhSWExZ2AanmOHOQQSHqI0euapvV9tvV-f4KNMjI-IMA0Q0ioDOaLGVo9rRx9NPTo5rszygOowSZ3rH7Qs74MtfFETJb0sdarTW2ME8jeJVEH8CHcdFI.zJ_Fo1pcyPA7XYvf0YNJ3J1gXqxA7l8p5fciHmZ8sXk&dib_tag=se&keywords=otterbox%2Bcooler&qid=1753100241&sr=8-20-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

Or for about the money as a yeti you can have an electric cooler that never needs ice and you won’t have ice box soup.

https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Electric-Compressor-Cooler-ICF/dp/B0CSSK6YNH?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

 

[sastocky]

Here are some photos of our Yeti Tundra Haul. Link below to the previous post below.

2022 AR250 vs 252S - YETI Photos

 

[sastocky]

There are other “performance” coolers out there, Otter, as in otterbox did or does make them as well as RTIC, Hooked and a few others. Perhaps if you’d provide the dimensions of the space you need it to fit in people could be more aware of your space requirements and could help.

The issue I’ve seen with performance coolers besides being heavy is that they tend to be large for a given quart size of cooler, in other words the performance cooler for your space may have a much smaller capacity.

There are a few things you can do to help your cooler stay colder when it’s hot out.
-Pre cool the cooler and all your beverages / stuff that’s going in the cooler, in the fridge the night before.
-Use frozen water bottles as well as ice. I mainly use frozen water bottles. Ice houses used to have block ice, 10&25# which lasts a lot longer, the frozen water bottles stay frozen colder longer than crushed ice…like a single ice cube in a whiskey glass.
-Throw a towel over the top of the stuff in the cooler. We used to use newspaper when I was a kid.

https://www.amazon.com/stores/RTIC/page/E34CBC3F-6CA8-4006-915C-6D227524FC92?is_byline_deeplink=true&deeplink=4F9736CC-5888-4F4C-8466-4D18F09B79FE&redirect_store_id=E34CBC3F-6CA8-4006-915C-6D227524FC92&lp_asin=B01M1OJO3B&ref_=ast_bln&store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

https://www.amazon.com/Plano-Frost-Cooler-Quart-Pacific/dp/B0CJB1N1HF/ref=sr_1_20_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.4D42ICbeFM7zPfRV3lZCcHPybNW8Wa9Pkvr2mPR8P_4rC-vYs0WHRzDF46xRegKrr8bApMj8Mepq5rSUnDc-2kycTWCJisWh1G23VC1RXSiLa8XXLRPaDX0zub2rBwsfxiDz8Zjgi6ZsI4IOuPLYUaZ97PpPx51RBEouhStdEZSomCvoJaFtQbfMhSWExZ2AanmOHOQQSHqI0euapvV9tvV-f4KNMjI-IMA0Q0ioDOaLGVo9rRx9NPTo5rszygOowSZ3rH7Qs74MtfFETJb0sdarTW2ME8jeJVEH8CHcdFI.zJ_Fo1pcyPA7XYvf0YNJ3J1gXqxA7l8p5fciHmZ8sXk&dib_tag=se&keywords=otterbox%2Bcooler&qid=1753100241&sr=8-20-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9tdGY&th=1

Or for about the money as a yeti you can have an electric cooler that never needs ice and you won’t have ice box soup.

https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-Electric-Compressor-Cooler-ICF/dp/B0CSSK6YNH?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1

I like the idea of the on-board "Refrigerator". I think I would have that on a switched power source. If that was running hard while you were just hanging out, sandbar, beached, etc.. it could draw steady on the battery.

In the Off-Road world, Dometic is the gold standard for this type of "refrigerator/cooler.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I like the idea of the on-board "Refrigerator". I think I would have that on a switched power source. If that was running hard while you were just hanging out, sandbar, beached, etc.. it could draw steady on the battery.

In the Off-Road world, Dometic is the gold standard for this type of "refrigerator/cooler.

True and I expect it would if it was hot and people were in and out of the cooler, but they don’t draw very much power about 5 A, so if you started the day with a fully charged house battery, there should be plenty of power for that cause it’s not going to run 100% of the time.

I have a Whytner 35 quart that I use on my camping trips and long road trips to keep things frozen until I get where I’m going, and to keep things frozen while I’m there it works great! It’s just a little big to use on the boat. I’ve been thinking about one of those small igloos though for the boat, especially to keep bait frozen.

Just a lot of great tech out there these days!

 

[kgower]

We use an RTIC 45 on our 222SE.

 

[BumbleBee255]

To get the all day performance that you are looking for, you need thick wall roto-molded cooler. As stated above this will increase the overall size but give the R-value needed. Always go with white or some other VERY light color. ORCA was the brand to beat for ice retention for years, but they stopped production about a year ago. Just recently heard that they are starting back up.

Brands to look at,
ORCA
RTIC
KONG
ICEHOLE
CANYON

These are all very good coolers. You can also search for the ice retention tests that some magazines do (although they never do a good job at the actual test).

The company that I work for has made several of the high-end coolers and we have tested many.

 

[zpaul]

ORCA closed their doors.
KONG paused their production.

 

[BumbleBee255]

ORCA closed their doors.
KONG paused their production.

The word on the street is that ORCA may have new owners and start back up again. Only time will tell.