This is particularly true in the Offshore Pro Series which cranks up the ice life and toughness. Also, many of the weak hinge issues they suffered from in the past have been corrected. Outside of the somewhat weak handles, these are solid-performing ocean-friendly ice chests that can be had at a reasonable price. Coleman Coolers are designed more for people on a budget who are looking for a simple cooler that can meet their needs for a weekend trip to the lake or a tailgate. They have found a happy medium between performance, toughness, and asking price.
That’s important, especially if you, like most people, don’t have a freezer that can produce enough ice to fill a cooler and you tend to resort to buying bags of ice from the grocery store or liquor store. Similar to any other true roto-molded cooler, the RTIC 65 is practically indestructible, which makes it great for tougher outdoor environments. In our testing, the RTIC 65 kept ice frozen for 10 days with some periodic draining. We’ve also used this cooler for nearly five years for grocery runs in Hawaii, and it’s still going strong. One charm of the RTIC 65 is its reasonable price, which allows us to be far less careful with this equipment than we are with something as expensive or desirable as a Yeti. Beach, lake, backyard or tailgate—bring the party in comfort with our Southern Comfort coleman cooler.
But for this convenience, you have to deal with poor insulation and very lackluster ice life. It doesn’t fare well in the sun for very long but it is very reasonably priced. The Xtreme Series has recently undergone some updates and the new look is much more attractive. Also, the thicker insulation coleman canopy and higher quality materials result in quite good ice life for the size and price. That being said, the lid can be a bit stubborn to open and close and screws used on the hinges can also strip prematurely. When shopping for coolers, many people have a particular brand that they look for.
External patterns and color schemes and even attractive metal coolers are part of their vast selection. So for those of you who want something that looks as good as it performs then you should be covered. That being said, they do still keep their highly-regarded and conventional cooler designs such as the Coleman Chest mostly unaltered to appeal to the old-school crowd. Some specific attributes and qualities would benefit one size more than another, and Coleman has a good understanding of what modifications to make to their design based on its size. It is refreshing to see them put thought into the applications of their products. Get sneak previews of special offers & upcoming events delivered to your inbox.
The coupling was sticking up about an inch, which would have left a lot of water after use. Coleman makes coolers available in every size you could need, from as large as 120 quarts of packing capacity to as small as a 5-quart personal cooler and a wide range in between. There are coolers fit to take on a day trip to the beach with the family, on a fishing excursion, hosting a small coleman cooler backyard party or even handing out cold cans to the neighborhood at a block party. Coleman is a quintessential American brand in the outdoors industry based in Chicago, Illinois. They got started all the way back in 1900 in Kingfisher, Oklahoma when William Coffin Coleman introduced his gasoline pressure lamps, a product that the company still sells today (updated of course).
The lid latch takes some getting used to, and one must occasionally get down and visual with it in order to assure that it is secured. The latch is a two-part contraption that remains secured to the main box portion. Hooks on the latch and lid mate to secure the lid, while an articulating cam pivots to pull the lid and press the gasket tight. However, again, it occasionally takes a little fiddling to get it just right.
Remember, storage volume that you can’t use is just extra weight and storage consideration you’ll have to deal with! And don’t think that just because Coleman makes an extra-large cooler and also a personal cooler that they approach both in the same manner. This cooler is simple in design, with a wide-opening lid and solid lid latch.
The Coleman Xtreme features replaceable hardware, whereas some of the company’s cheaper models don’t. This is an important detail because the first thing that will wear out on a cooler is either a hinge or a handle, and having affordable replacements means a cheap repair rather than a brand-new purchase. At the moment, you can buy Coleman’s replacement hinges and replacement handles for less than $10 each.