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Old 09-07-2014, 01:28 PM   #1
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Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

I think I saw a thread about Yeti coolers in this forum not too long ago but have been unable to find it using the search function or browsing the subjects. So...

I'm about to buy a Yeti cooler. I do not (yet!) own a SMB, but when I do it will likely be a E350 RB50 with Aluminess bumper in the rear. I've seen pics of Yeti's attached to the backs of jeeps and other rigs but not sure if I've seen them in SMB pics.

We're leaning towards buying the Yeti Tundra 50 because the dimensions and overall size suit my needs best now. But thinking ahead to an SMB with a rack on the back, is there a particular Yeti that is better sized to fit Aluminess bumpers and stock racks?

Given the price of the Yeti's, I'd rather buy a cooler to suit the SMB than an SMB to fit the cooler!

Thanks for your input!

Scott

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Old 09-07-2014, 01:43 PM   #2
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

Are you saying you need the stock open bumper box dimensions?

I know its not what you're asking but I have the 45 and it fits in front of the bench seat on the passenger side on my EB-50. It sits almost flush with the seat. Also makes for a good ottoman as well. The 45 is good for inside but I'd go bigger is you have room on the bumper.
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Old 09-07-2014, 08:08 PM   #3
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

I'm pretty ignorant about the options, Dave. I see a couple of pics on this TruckCamperMagazine that show open boxes.

http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news ... ge-bumpers

Guess I need to check with Aluminess about dimensions and go from there. Thanks for the tip on the 45 size Yeti, too. That's the kind of info I am after, anecdotal stories of what works and what doesn't.

Thanks,

Scott
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Old 09-08-2014, 12:01 PM   #4
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

Great article Scott. With my Sportsmobile, the limiting factor for a rear bumper box was the taillight and the size of the spare. I didn't care about blocking the rear windows, I never use them anyway but YMMV. The standard open tray is fine for somethings but is exposed to weather & theft. The Yeti's do have a couple spots to add a padlocks (makes them bear proof) that you can add a cable to somewhat protect your investment. I wasted a lot of money with boxes until I finally got what I wanted. There is max weight load that needs to be factored in. For Ice (I need lots of drink ice) I carry a Yeti roadie behind the bench seat. I use dry ice to keep a bag of ice frozen solid. Seems to work but I'm looking at a chest freezer that can make ice. The Yeti's do a good job keeping things cold but I still run out of ice on long trips before fuel becomes a factor.

Marc & Christine had an ice chest on the back of their custom bumper when we camped together. Not sure what ice chest they were using.



I plan to do the same but with the Aluminess tailgate I won't overload the spare tire gate... the tire is already heavy so I'll use it for something on the light side.



Good luck with your choice Scott.
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Old 09-09-2014, 09:35 PM   #5
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

We have a 45 tundra that fits on a deluxe box with rails after a tiny landing pad trim, as stated before weight is a factor up so high on hinges, On the tarmac its ok but dirt roads shake to much. My son in-law welded a "rack" for our front receiver and we tie down our 65l up front and that is by far the better set up. I never move it in or out or up and down and its perfect as a table/work bench ......... Its the perfect solution in my opinion. (I was a little frustrated when I called Aluminess to request a custom rack for the yetti 65l to match my $1x,xxx.xx in aluminess only to be told it was not worth their time) After 30-40 trips I like the 65l @ front bumper. They get very heavy when loaded and it's just another thing to move otherwise.
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Old 09-10-2014, 09:29 PM   #6
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

We have a 50 it is taller than a 45 but footprint is a little smaller. It makes a good extension for the bed
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Old 09-17-2014, 02:27 PM   #7
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

I have a 50 Yeti, it's awesome. Good use of space and offers a pretty nice amount of storage including ice needed to keep it cool.
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Old 09-21-2014, 05:42 AM   #8
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

Quote:
Originally Posted by daveb
I'm looking at a chest freezer that can make ice. The Yeti's do a good job keeping things cold but I still run out of ice on long trips before fuel becomes an issue
Hey Daveb, what have you come across as far as chest freezers? I do a lot of travel in Baja and have been looking into the feasability of a freezer so I can vacuum pack and freeze fish fillets for the trip and drive back.
I just ran across the Sundanzer site http://sundanzer.com/survey/chest-style/ but the 1.8 cf freezer seems like low volume while the 5.8 cf model may take up more room than I have available.


This looks like a good article on 12v options but haven't had a chance to dig into it yet...
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago102.html

-Mark...
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Old 09-21-2014, 10:19 PM   #9
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

Quote:
Originally Posted by DosMars

Hey Daveb, what have you come across as far as chest freezers? I do a lot of travel in Baja and have been looking into the feasability of a freezer so I can vacuum pack and freeze fish fillets for the trip and drive back.
I just ran across the Sundanzer site http://sundanzer.com/survey/chest-style/ but the 1.8 cf freezer seems like low volume while the 5.8 cf model may take up more room than I have available.


This looks like a good article on 12v options but haven't had a chance to dig into it yet...
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/yago102.html

-Mark...
I’m not sure yet Mark and still open to suggestions. That article is OK but doesn’t really cover off road refrigerators subject to rough conditions. From the articles I’ve read, it’s hard to beat a National Luna-40, but wow, are they an expensive unit not to mention somewhat large in height. Fridge-Freeze models are priced out of this world and made for medical use. I’m not paying $3,000+ for a little ice maker. Maybe if I was looking for a larger dedicated fridge/freezer or fridge-only unit, my views might be different. But what I’m after is simply a way to make ice to use for keeping things in my Yeti cold and to supply ice for a night of drinking but will admit having a backup refrigerator has its merits. As I posted earlier, I’ve been using a Yeti Roadie where I keep a bag cubed ice frozen solid via a slab of dry ice. Although this has worked, I still find that I run out of ice on trips well before my engine fuel gets low during extended stays in the middle of nowhere. Leaving out of the backcountry for ice wastes time and fuel. So I really don’t need a huge freezer just one large enough to supply ice.
I’m still trying to figure how I’m going to make ice while on the trail. I’ve seen some covered ice trays but they are plastic and that is an insulator which would require longer times to freeze the water. I might have a custom set of ice trays made out of stainless but that would be very expensive. Freezing metal “drink cubes” is a solution but would have to be washed after use and I don’t want that. I might just freeze solid trays and use an ice pick but will probably just use the plastic covered trays to see how that goes.
I have narrowed my choices down to the EngleMT-17 but am looking closely at the Indel B (TB 30). Although a bit larger than the Engel, the Indel is priced to move @ $430.00 (according to Expedition Outfitters) and has some good reviews. Expedition Portal has the Indel TB31A priced @ $601.00. Is it the same unit? I don’t know but the web site says the TB 30 will arrive in Dec-2014. I’m not sure about Expedition Outfitters. They are the only US company that sells the NL & Indel products, and being the Indel -30’s are out of stock, I hope they are not playing a numbers game. The dimensions will matter but the Engel-17 costs $815.00 and if Expedition Outfitters is posting the correct price, the Engel-17 is almost double the price of the Indel-30. The National Luna comes in at a price of $1,550.00+ putting it slightly out of my reach unless I turn my pockets inside out. The ARB and Edgestar are cheaper than the National Luna but I can’t seem to find a smaller sized unit than a 40cu.
For short trips I can load any of these with pre frozen ice and just keep it frozen w/o having to worry about making ice. In that case, the larger units have the advantage. Also a larger fridge can be more useable as a backup if my front fridge takes a dive. That alone can save vacation time and/or a high dollar fuel bill requiring me to return home due to a loss of refrigeration. With vehicle space as a top priority, I’ll have to weigh the options I have. I usually bunk up top but I’d like to keep the lower bed as clear as possible and putting the NL-40 might have height issues installing it above or below the lower bed. I will not move the lower bed up just to install a freezer so the smaller Engel is the top contender. This will all depend if the lid can be opened while sitting on the lower bed.
Outside dimensions:
Yeti Roadie: 19.25Lx13.75Wx14.33H
NL-40: 25L x 16.5W x 20.25H (35” lid up) The inside has two levels that I really don’t need.
Engel-17F: 21.2L x 12W x 14.2H I don’t know if it has a split level or just a basket.
Indel-B-30: 23L x 13.75W x 15H The inside also has a split level IIRC.
Inside dimensions:
NL-40: No info available
Engel-17: 11.5L x 8W x 10H
Indel-TB30: 10.5L x 12.5W x 11.5H

The Yeti Roadie fits very well on the passenger side behind the bench seat on top of the bed pad in my EB-50. There are no issues opening the lid but the Engel and Indel lids open length wise which I’ll have to measure. When I designed my van I had the necessary 12vDC/110AC outlets installed where I’d want to carry an additional fridge. If I need to sleep on the lower bed, I can squeeze in as a single person and move anything off if I need room for two. With all of these refrigerators I’ll have to factor in a slide out tray if mounting under the bed.
If I do put the unit below the bed, it will force me to do something with my camp chair and small table. Maybe a water tight bag can be made to house the chair/table on the rear bumper.
I have also looked at smaller medical type units primarily the Engel MD-14 mini fridge/freezer but it cost $645.00, and doesn’t automatically switch over from AC to DC when the AC is de-energized. Not a deal breaker but it’s so small I’d be lucky to get 5 standard ice trays in it. I think I need more room than that.

http://assets-production-webvanta-com.s ... Report.pdf

http://expeditionportal.com/overland-jo ... ge-review/

http://expeditionportal.com/introducing ... ge-series/

More back on topic, I do love my Yeti's but wish I had skipped the 200 bucks I spent on the Roadie and put it toward an electric. I might keep the Roadie on board for food storage and as a good outside bear proof ice chest but it just takes up so much room. I'll keep my Yeti 35 for my beer tote. Makes for a great extra seat inside the van.
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Old 09-21-2014, 11:46 PM   #10
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Re: Yeti coolers, preferred size for SMBs

I don't know if this idea or a variation might work...

I really really like icy beverages. What I did was recycle an idea I had used at home, which was making "one large ice cube" per drink. I had started doing this at home because I liked to freeze coffee for iced coffee (as it melts the coffee gets coffee-er not more watery), but cleaning out ice cube trays that had coffee in them got old. So I started freezing the coffee in either the bottom 1/3 of a tapered yogurt container or in a small plastic "shot glass" (got it at Starbucks as a free sample container). In both cases the cubes popped out easily due to the tapered design. This provides "one big cube" per drink instead of multiple smaller cubes, and I find it lasts a long time in a drink. I could fit two or three of the little "shot glasses" in my tiny SMB freezer where an ice cube tray would not fit or would spill, etc.
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