Ice chest question

[carringb]

x2 on the YETI coolers. On my Grand trip, the Yeti lasted through day 12, even though it started with the least ice. Daytime temps exceeded 130F a couple of days, and never dropped below 80 at night on our trip.

[daveb]

I think that all the bear proof type coolers will provide about the same performance.
As long as they are made of food grade material and are rated for dry ice, more than
likely the insulation and construction is similar. My Yeti did a great job utilizing dry
ice on my last trip and I plan to get a smaller one soon. Dry ice is kind of expensive
but if you bring the cooler and the standard ice down in temperature with the dry
ice, it is unreal how long it takes before the regular ice begins to melt. After 4 days
the 2 LB of dry ice was gone but the regular ice hadn’t even begun to melt. I also
think the size of the cooler matters and the larger coolers will last longer especially
if using blocked ice but really I only need a smaller one being I have an electric refrigerator
on board. The 35 qt Yeti fits perfect behind the rear side barn door on the EB-50 in
front of the bench seat and doesn’t interfere with the utensil cabinet. It also makes for
a good seat/step.
As far as dry ice goes, I tried 2 pounds and found that 1 pound was enough to do
the job. After 3 days the 2 lb block was gone. The stuff seems to off gas at a fairly constant
rate even below 32*. I was only using dry ice to keep the regular ice frozen for mixed drinks.
It worked great but I’ll bet a couple of good pieces of block ice might do just as well. I plan
to use a smaller ice chest with dry ice because drink-ice isn’t needed as much.

What I can’t figure is why a company like Engel doesn’t offer a 12vDC version built like the
bear proof models they make.