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I see some Walmart Ozark Trail and other Yeti knock offs. Are they as good? As tuff and stay cool as long?

Can you stand on them?

I saw some Cabela's coolers on sale at Bass Pro the other day. They are supposed to be better than YetI

Rtic makes a good cooler also. The “keeps ice longer” deal only works if you don’t ever open the lid. If your opening the lid all day to get food and drinks, they all hold ice the same. The other thing about rotomolded coolers is they aren’t very big inside compared to an igloo. For this reason, they don’t make a good fish cooler for my boat ( needs to fit under leaning post). They are tough, you can stand on them, and they will last longer, but are pretty heavy and harder to get in and out. Pros and cons to those type coolers. Good luck

If you use a cooler for more than a day at a time, they are worth it. We sell Orca (made in the USA) @ True Value/Gulf Coast Lumber & Supply in Monticello. Come by & see us. Ask for me (Tal Speed - Manager) or call me for availability of a size or color 997-2519.

There are some pretty good videos of "cooler comparisons" out there I found the site below to be pretty informative since their video involved a lot of brands including some non-rotomolded coolers for comparison and they also open/moved contents around and closed each cooler rather than just filled them up and closed them so a little more real world. Definitely some arguments can be made about their methodology but still informative.

I've resisted the vanity cooler trend until this past weekend when I ran across an 20qt Orca at Lowes for $169 including a SS mug and Lowes was also running a 10% off deal so I bit the bullet, I think the whale tail rubber latches convinced my wife she needed one My Polar Bear soft coolers did very well on my mid-July (blazing hot) trip to Mexico Beach and I bought them BOGO during the Christmas season sale and use them for all sorts of things... (Thanks SK for posting that BOGO sale post several years ago)

http://www.coolersonsale.com/ultimate-i ... e-results/

I have an Engel cooler and like it alot. I put it on my bow and stand on it with no issues.

I have 3 yeti and they work but this time of year with the 100 degree days im not sure any cooler will keep ice in it for to long especially if its in direct sun light. The one thing about a yeti is that it is made to last and as mentioned before i use one in my boat and you can stand on it and fish

I think the main thing I am looking for is one sturdy enough to stand on, a "cheap" poling/casting platform that does double duty. I'm not really worried about ice for over one day at a time.

RTIC is basically a copy of Yeti. Its 1/2 the cost of a Yeti.

I packed frozen fish with loose ice to MO over 48 hours. I couldn’t find a drop of water when I arrived. The ice had frozen more than it had thawed.

Redbelly wrote:I think the main thing I am looking for is one sturdy enough to stand on, a "cheap" poling/casting platform that does double duty. I'm not really worried about ice for over one day at a time.

Then a rotomolded cooler is for you. I put one up front and it’s nice, for standing or sitting and fighting fish if it is a little choppy. Sea deck is great on it. If you get it, get something like snow camo or fake teak so it doesn’t show dirt. A 45 is probably the smallest you’ll be able to use as a casting platform, but a 65 would be better if you have the room. Not sure brand matters much, I own yeti and rtic and like both Good luck, let us know when you pull the trigger.

I picked up the Igloo copy cat with the single handle to use for just a tote around. Its got enough ugly colors so I wont have to worry about anybody stealing it. It seems to work well.

Redbelly wrote:I think the main thing I am looking for is one sturdy enough to stand on, a "cheap" poling/casting platform that does double duty. I'm not really worried about ice for over one day at a time.

That's what I do, plus it saves space on my small boat. I have an engel 65 with seadek on top. Really helps to have a little cushion for your feet. I also have a ss flush mount with straps to hold it down. Can tow it to the ramp sitting up on the bow while doing 65mph. Really nice feature not having to constantly take it up and down since they are heavy. However, the straps allow quick removal if not needed.

I can't really compare the brands, but I'm not sure it matters how long it keeps ice (especially if you are opening it). Personally, not sure why anyone would need ice for more than a day, or two max. This is Florida, not some wilderness fly-in camp in Idaho.

the Ozark trail brand and the Academy brand coolers work just as good, I've got a Yeti, R2, RTIC hard and soft. they all work about the same. I will say the Yeti and the RTIC cooler lids have warped from being in the sun so now they won't make a good seal.

dombern34 wrote:the Ozark trail brand and the Academy brand coolers work just as good, I've got a Yeti, R2, RTIC hard and soft. they all work about the same. I will say the Yeti and the RTIC cooler lids have warped from being in the sun so now they won't make a good seal.

Don’t know about rtic, but I’d think yeti would take care off that

dombern34 wrote:the Ozark trail brand and the Academy brand coolers work just as good, I've got a Yeti, R2, RTIC hard and soft. they all work about the same. I will say the Yeti and the RTIC cooler lids have warped from being in the sun so now they won't make a good seal.

My yeti 45 lid warped after a few years and they sent me a brand new cooler at no charge. I even told them that I won it in a raffle. There reply was no problem.