Coleman Xtreme cooler help

[Jamooche]

I bought a Coleman Xtreme 5 day cooler yesterday. Having wanted an Engel for a while I decided to try out the $24 option before I spend the money on an expensive Engel and I wanted to test it out before I use it. I placed 2 ice cube trays, a smaller freezer pack,and a large freezer pack (that's all I had around) into a room temperature cooler. The starting temp according to my cooking probe thermometer was 32 degrees last night at 11:50pm. By 9am it was up to 35 degrees, not bad. Right now, 24 hours later, the temp reads 44 degrees and the ice cube trays are melted. It's only 70 degrees where the cooler is located.

Is this normal for this supposed 5 day 90 degree cooler? Or should I have added more ice? Or does this only work when you have it packed with cold food and put ice cubes around?

This link gives a very different review: http://www.outdoorsite.com/site/go.cfm/owner/E386F9C8-149E-4520-8CA6322745316634

Thanks for any thoughts. Maybe I just have too much Engel envy.

Jamil

 

[marc olivares]

jamil,

man your really wasting your time with that coleman, i've been there.
i finally gave in to the ARB/Engel envy and ponied up...
over this weekend, i my arb made ice out of (4) 20 oz. water bottles in about 2 hours.
i know it's not what you want to hear, but you get what you pay for.
you can't expect a $26 coleman to live up to an Engel...sorry they just don't

 

[Blueboy]

jamil,

the folks at Mini offer what they call a "Cool Bag" for U$187.00. it runs on DC power and is like a shoulder bag.

go to their site and look under interior options in the build a mini section.

pretty cool idea.

Jaime

 

[Jamooche]

It's now 48 hours after the initial setup and the inside cooler temperature is 2 degrees below room temperature.

I guess you do get what you pay for.

Jamil

 

[Errant]

Maybe you need more ice? I came back from a camping trip with the same cooler still half full with ice and a few beers (believe it or not). I ended up leaving it in the yard until the next weekend, and the beers were still chilly

 

[koby]

Ice sucks.

 

[Eric N.]

I have one of those Colman Xtreme deals.. I have a few things that bug me about it.. For one they are right it will never be a freezer fridge. Second, the damn thing is freaking huge compared to the amount of space there is on the inside. Third, the fact that it has "Xtreme" on the side of it should have told me some thing before I even bought it.. The only thing that I have found that say Xtreme on it that is worth anything is a CAO cigar. Now, having said that.. It is ok for a cooler when you compare it to other coolers in the same price range. If you fill it up and put some newspaper or some thing over the top of your stuff before you close the lid it stays cooler longer. I have used it for a few weekend trips ( 3 days ) and I have always had ice and or half frozen ice packs and cold food when I got home.. That's in the summer at 90 degree outside temps. Helps if you keep it in the shade too.. Will it actually keep ice for 5 days in 90 degree temps.. I doubt it. You do get what you pay for.. It's pretty good for a weekend given the lack of inside space but, I wouldn't use it for longer then that.

 

[bri]

I have one, I also have an ARB.

ITS A COOLER!!!

It ain't no better than any other cooler IMO it is a flat out lie that it will last for 5 days.

In fact, you have to fill it with ice and nothing else. It practically states this on the sticker.

Brian

 

[Jamooche]

Yeah, it says .75lbs of ice per quart of cooler, so at 36 quarts I need 27lbs of ice.

 

[Ron]

Get the thermo-eletric coleman one from wal-mart for $67. It is NOT as nice as an ARB but at 1/10 of the cost it keeps things cool. I would not trust it with long term parishables but for drinks and dinner it has served me well. It is large enough for plenty of drinks.

It also works a lot better if you start with cold stuff.

Ron

 

[D Chapman]

Get the thermo-eletric coleman one from wal-mart for $67. It is NOT as nice as an ARB but at 1/10 of the cost it keeps things cool. I would not trust it with long term parishables but for drinks and dinner it has served me well. It is large enough for plenty of drinks.

It also works a lot better if you start with cold stuff.

Ron

That thing works better as a warmer. I got one just because I needed a new cooler, and because it works on DC power also, I thought I could keep cold beer in the garage. That thing is in the attic now.

 

[koby]

All of those thermoelectric coolers are gigantic pieces of shit.

 

[Mike_Rupp]

I agree with Koby on this one. Why spend money on something that is clearly a waste? I learned a while back just to get the right thing the first time so you don't waste money along the way. I could have bought OME shocks right from the start, but no! I wanted super sexy drop for cool pics. I blew through 6 shocks in less than 10K miles.

Same thing here. Don't waste any dough on something that is clearly inferior. You'll end up getting the Engel or ARB anyways.

 

[kellymoe]

Ice sucks.

Craig,

Is that picture taken in the Saline Valley?

 

[koby]

No, that's Truckhaven, and that's not me.

 

[Randy]

Had 2 extreme cold coolers at MAR. Arrived thursday, left sunday, still had ice in both when I got home. Worked great as coolers, much better than other coolers that I have had. They are not refridgerators or freezers, they are coolers. They work optimally when they are full of cold stuff. For $25ea they rock.

 

[Pugsly]

I've had pretty good success with the xtreme coolers, but I always put a block of dry ice in the bottom of them if it is for more than a weekend.

With a combination of dry ice and regular ice you can get 5 days if you keep the cooler in the shade, even in DV heat.

That said, I've also finally succumbed to Engel Envy...

 

[bri]

All of those thermoelectric coolers are gigantic pieces of shit.

They'll suck your battery too. My ARB can last 3 days in the rig, everything still very cold and rig still starts. They are sooo whorth the money. I spend weeks in the rig per year, so the ARB has been hands down the best "off-road" accessory I have purchased.

 

[syoung]

I have that Coleman thing too- it barely keeps anything cool at all. It's an amp-hog too and sucks a LOAD of power. I was really disappointed- even just to keep water cool for a long drive, it just doesn't seem to work at all.

 

[Klank]

You have got to be kidding me. $1,100.00!!!!!!

http://www.gaiam.com/retail/product.asp?product_id=62578&CMP=KNC-decide04

Forget. I'll drink warm water and bring chips and fruit or something.