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(More customer reviews)This review is for two similar Coleman Xtreme coolers, which are virtually the same size on the exterior: the 70-quart, 5-day, BLUE cooler and the 56-quart, 6-day, GREEN cooler. By the way, these coolers do not come equipped with a plastic shelf to keep food suspended above the melt water.
First, let me say that Coleman made its reputation years ago with its workhorse, white-gas cook stoves and lanterns. Today Coleman mostly makes products for backyard use and casual family camping. Coleman generally does not make quality products for avid outdoors people operating in rugged or demanding conditions, so you can't expect too much when purchasing a Coleman product.
That said, I went through Amazon.com to purchase a Green Coleman 6-day cooler because I didn't want to shell out hundreds of dollars more for a tougher product and because I needed a cooler that would fit comfortably between the gunwales of our canoes. So far, I have used this cooler on two river trips, the first of which lasted seven days in southern Utah during September, 09. The weather was hot, but could have been hotter. Our block ice lasted 6 days, and on the 7th day we had plenty of ice water, so the cooler achieved its 6-day rating.
This was followed with a 4-day trip in October, which wasn't long enough to test the cooling performance of the cooler, but did reveal the cooler's low-quality construction. On the second day out, one of the handles came off when its plastic retaining pin fell out. A member of our party had with them a smaller Coleman Xtreme cooler, and both of its hinges were broken off and useless. So, if you plan to use this cooler much, I would suggest taking the preventive measures described below. And then try to be gentle with it.
A few weeks ago I purchased a 70-quart, 5-day Blue cooler at Wal-Mart for $30. At this price I couldn't pass it up. Apparently the store had a few of these left over from last year, and they were being sold at a deep discount because Wal-Mart is featuring a different Coleman Xtreme product line this year. I haven't used this cooler yet, but I can describe how the two Xtreme coolers compare physically.
NOTE: See my "customer images" available under the main product photo to see what I am describing here.
On the exterior, the two coolers are indistinguishable except for the colors. Same cheap plastic hardware on both. On the interior, the 6-day green cooler has noticeably thicker walls implying more insulation, and thus 20 percent less volume than the blue 5-day cooler.
Here are the fixes I have adopted in an effort to overcome the flimsy hardware issues. When I got home from the second river trip, I used a screwdriver to pry out the plastic retaining pins on the two handles (two pins each) and glued them back into place with Gorilla glue. This I expect will hold the pins in place for a while. On the newer cooler, I removed the plastic handles altogether and replaced them with rope handles. This type of handle has the advantage of remaining in a fixed position (unlike the original sliding plastic handles) allowing me to run a strap between them to secure the lid in case of a canoe upset.
On the interior of each cooler, I have screwed into place a short nylon strap between the lid and the side wall. The strap is long enough to allow the lid to open beyond 90 degrees and remain in an upright and open position, but the strap is short enough to prevent the lid from extending backward far enough to place excessive strain on the hinges. I am hoping this will keep the hinges from snapping anytime soon.
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Coleman 70-Quart Xtreme Cooler (Blue)The Coleman 70-Quart Xtreme Cooler is the ideal traveling companion. The large icy blue cooler and white lid are lined with a full two full inches of insulation and the hinged lid also features a secure and tight gasket seal, ensuring that your cooler will keep food and beverages chilled for up to five days at temperatures of up to 90 degrees. Holding up to 98 beverage cans with ice, this cooler features two-way handles for easy lift and maneuvering in tight spaces, and the sump-lined drain promises easy clean-up and no-tilt draining--a plus for this large capacity cooler. This model’s lid can be fitted with 24-inch cords (not included) for additional dry storage--lawn chairs, beach towels, picnic blankets, etc.--on top.
About Coleman The Coleman Company has been creating and innovating products for recreational outdoor use since W.C. Coleman started selling gasoline-powered lanterns in 1900. Inventor of the hugely popular fold-up camp stove, Coleman developed a plastic liner for his galvanized steel coolers in 1957--the birth of the modern cooler--and the company has been improving their utility and design ever since. The array of products that bear the Coleman name now includes just about everything you might need to work or play outdoors, from tents and sleeping bags to boats, backpacks, and furniture.
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