I’m in the market for a new cooler – we aren’t long-term campers but we like to pack a cooler for the car so we’ve got cold beer and snacks at the end of the day.
Right now, we’re looking at the Coleman 6-day Extreme 50 qt.
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Ultimate-Xtreme-Wheeled-Cooler/dp/B000G64I0Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t
Does anyone have suggestions?? I’d appreciate it – everything seems to have mixed reviews, which is frustrating, but I trust the Festivarians!
you’re on the right track with wheels and cup holders on the lid, but I would highly recommend wheels that are on the long edge of the cooler. they’re easier to pull and you can pile crap on top and it doesn’t slide off, but slides right to the handle so it stays on. i couldn’t find one on amazon, but mine also has a split lid so you can open only half of the cooler at a time, which is nice you’re sitting on one side and want to get a beer out without getting up.
I would buy one based on budget. it all breaks down to how often you’ll use it and where. I have the one Johnny is describing, it only cost me about 25 bucks and is very useful as he stated. I use it each year to keep a 5 gallon keg in at festivals.
Check this out:
http://www.coleman.com/coleman/colemancom/detail.asp?product_id=3000001003&categoryid=31007&brand=
I’m looking most seriously at this Igloo now:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F6UJ5K/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Very similar to the one Erndog posted here. Looks like a sturdier lid though.
I like the ones with the airline like pull handle. We have had the others and the handle tends to pull off after awhile.
Yeah - I worried about that, as did my father-in-law (who is an engineer).
I feel like the people who have been reviewing these on various websites are WAAAY pickier than I will be; right now, we simply have a cooler whose lid doesn’t close all the way. Obviously that’s a problem worth replacing 
if you put food in your cooler, it tends to get buried deep in the ice cube style coolers, if you’re only carrying beers it’s not as big of an issue. the other thing with ice cubes is that they’re taller and wouldn’t fit in the trunk of my car. personally i’d go with erndog’s recommendation, but if you have an suv the ice cube could work.
Note: Coleman insulates the lids on the Extreme coolers - Igloo does not.
The link I posted is from Coleman’s web store, it is on sale, there may be shipping. You can probably find the same one cheaper at Sports Authority, Academy, or someplace like that.
Erndog knows a thing or two about the Coleman product line methinks
I went with the IceCube MaxCold 70, despite the praise for Coleman products here; I’ll give it a whirl and if, like johnny noted, it seems like it’ll be best for a beer-only cooler, I’m sure I’ll be able to find use for that 
I am a bit worried about the trunk thing so we’ll just have to see … the Coleman is only 3" shorter, though, based on the official specs on the respective websites. Hopefully that won’t matter (too much)!
Thanks for all the help!
A cooler is an important investment…I need one too. Thanks for the suggestions. It won’t be in Telluride this year with me, but it’s going on Phish tour in my trunk for sure…it wont fit in the overhead compartment on my flight to Denver. :cheers
After all the coolers I’ve tried, I’ve found that the old Coleman Steelbelted coolers are the best. Especially if you find one that has all the trays for food or ice to keep your food dry. Tough to find a clean one, but they are out there. Plus they have bottle openers on them :cheers
Also, best to have one for food and another for beverages. That way your food stays colder and dry longer because you tend to go into it less. Beverages are OK to sit in cold ice water.