I agree with Treefarmer.
I have never had a cooler last a long time. The bigger they are the heavier they are, the shorter they live.
I am at the age I want them on wheels. I want them light. I use to be able to lift 150 qt coolers full. Now a hundred is tops and my back doesn't like it.
Weight out your needs. Alway best to make a list pros cons requirements so you get what you need.
One of the things I gotta have is wheels. I never realized how convenient they are until the years began to take their toll on my back.
I read a lot of reviews on the Walmart Ozark coolers and they were almost all positive. But, I've owned a couple of the 150qt Igloo (white) coolers over the past 10 years or so. Replace the hinges and latches every few years (or replace with stainless). Cooler was $70.00 - If it's full of ice it will keep the ice for 3-4 days as long as it isn't late summer oven type heat. Plus I put self adhesive window gaskets along the edges of lid - it sealed better too. It all depends on how long you need it to keep ice or will be in the field. Personally my needs never dictated a $600.00 cooler, but to each his own.
Freezing blocks of ice work better, they last longer I use to do allot of week end camping from late Friday to Sunday night. igloos and we generally added hogs and deer to them.
I have made a few trades and ended up with a Yeti Roadie 25qt and the Yeti Tub 85qt. Just recently won an auction at a CCA banquet and headed home with an Engle 30qt soft sided cooler. I prefer the Engle hands down, it can be strapped to an ATV, holds ice all weekend long and can change shape based on where you need to store it. The Tub is great for the boat when you know the lid is going to be lifted 50 times a day. No cooler is going to keep ice that way but the ease of taking the lid off and the depth of the tub, its about the perfect boat cooler for under the captains leaning seat.
