(Beer) Cooler for truck bed

Howdy,

I'm looking into getting a decent cooler for drinks and food that will fit under my Lomax tonneau cover. Any recommendations?

I know there are some really good, expensive brands out there. I'm not against spending money but it also has to be on the shorter side so I can keep the cover closed if need be. It won't necessarily stay in the bed - I'm hoping to be able to use it for BBQ's and stuff as well.

 

https://canyoncoolers.com/

 

The whole bed is a beer cooler

 

Let’s party

 

Yeah but that's going to make the DIY pool I installed pretty cold...

 

grab a lifetime cooler from walmart. They are about the same as yeti, but 1/3 the cost.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Lifetime-55-Qt-High-Performance-Hard-Sided-Cooler-Grey-90949/490384164

I've had mine hold ice 7 days before. My only complaint is that I wish it came with a second above-the-ice tray.

 

Seriously though, I think the best, most affordable is a coleman extreme. Great coolers and keeps ice for days.

 

I have Rtic coolers and they’re just as good as Yeti’s. Keeps cold for about 3 days or so. Also, Amazon has brackets to tie it down too I was thinking about getting.

 

I'm a fan of coolers and have owned many, it's a weird hobby/interest. My person opinion is that the Coleman Marine series is the best compromise between performance and value, before moving into the rotomolded stuff. Even then, it would probably be one of my top choices. If you have a tonneau cover (and/or a bed mat), be sure to measure max exterior cooler height before buying. My truck just clears a 65 tundra.

I've had Yeti's, Pelican's, Ice Mules, Grizzly, Polar Bear, Coleman, Igloo, a few no name rotomolded coolers. Ask away if you have any questions.

 

Cool, I'll look into that Coleman Marine series for starters at least. I like the Yetis and Canyon Coolers but spending so much on one, for my purposes (tailgating, a weekend camping trip, or a day long summer BBQ) doesn't seem like the greatest way to spend my cash. If I was going to spend a week in the woods hunting or something, sure.

 

I don't need things cold for days on end, I'm just a casual tailgater and day trip kind of person so regular coolers and a bag of ice sets me up just fine. Knowing all that, the Igloo Playmate is the best everyday cooler for my money. The lid just rotates so you can even open them with the tonneau closed, I do this with mine. They come in various sizes to suit your needs, the 14 or 16qt models are the classic ones, and cost maybe $25 bucks at Walmart/Target.

For "full-size" coolers the standard Coleman is great, again maybe $20-$30 at your typical big box store.

Don't buy into the marketing hype of Yeti, they ain't special.

 

My current large cooler is a Yeti 65, which I do enjoy. This fits in my truck with an OEM bed mat and Bak Flip G2 tonneau. That said, completely overkill from a performance perspective, for beer and tailgating. You get best results when these coolers are pre-chilled and kept shut, not opened/closed for beers. Now if you're a "buy it for life" type of person, then maybe the rotomold is worth the premium, even for beer. FYI, a Coleman Marine is essentially a Coleman Extreme, with better hinges and UV coating. Based on your description, I'd go with a Marine or Extreme, whichever is on sale.

 

I own a few RTIC coolers and have been very happy with them. Did a road trip through the southeast a few years ago in May and only had to buy ice twice in 2 weeks with the cooler in the bed under a cap. They also have a lightweight version that I've been looking at recently.

 

X2.

Had this guy for years and it works fantastic.

 

Thanks for all of the good recommendations, folks. Looks like I'll probably be saving some money and will still be getting a better cooler than some of the stuff I've had in the past.

 

I've been using this cooler for more than 15 years without an issue

 

I have the Igloo Sportsman 55 qt. It's a pretty nice rotomolded cooler. Problem is that I added wheels to it and now it doesn't fit under my cover (Lomax also). Sucks but better than lugging a 100+ pound cooler around without the wheels.

 

Get a piece of crap at the dump or garage sale. Just don’t stand on it or drop it too much. Costs about $5 and will last years.

 

I have this very cooler and these work great... one bit of advice is too take a thin garbage bag (about the thickness of a standard Walmart/grocery store plastic bag) and sandwich it in between the lid and cooler body.... It acts like a gasket filling most if not all gaps and prevents most/all of the warm/cold air exchange.... I do this with every cooler except the yeti types....