R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > Non-pod Discussion Forums > Mods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: "Redneck" Yeti Cooler
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic Closed"Redneck" Yeti Cooler

 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>
Author
Message
DavMar View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 592
Direct Link To This Post Topic: "Redneck" Yeti Cooler
    Posted: 05 May 2018 at 8:36pm

Thought I’d share this mod I did on an old Coleman cooler I have. Like many of you we carry an extra cooler with us when were camping in order to keep drinks cold and such to free up refrigerator space. After buying a bag on ice once a day or more in the summer while out camping I said this is crazy but even crazier is spending $400 plus to buy a Yeti cooler or one of their competitors just so we can have ice for more then a day. After some research, seeing some youtube video’s, I said I can do this do this and improve the cooling function for cheap.

I took our ratty fade burgundy cooler we had and first lined the box with foam board on sides, top, and bottom. Gluing the foam board in with silicon calk and sealing the seams with the same calk to make it water proof and then using metal foil duct tape to seal the top and lid area. Well just this simple modification extended a bag of ice from one day to three! Now I decided to see if I can get one or maybe two more days cooling by using injectable foam insulation in the lid of the cooler because they put zero insulation there. So out with my 1” hole saw and I drilled six holes in the lid so I can easily spray the foam insulation inside and fill the void. After it set I cut always the excess dried insulation and then filled the holes with some auto body filler I had. Repainted the cooler to match the Pod and our truck and think it turned out pretty good. Now the question is will the extra work filling the lid with insulation foam extend the cooling capacity? Only time will tell but I’m already pleased with the money saved on ice.




Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
Back to Top
MelissaJoy View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 12 Oct 2020
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 16
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 8:39am
This is great! It is insane to spend $400 for a cooler. Nice work.
Back to Top
Pod People View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1065
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 10:03am
We modified our Engel cooler by wrapping it with 3 layers of reflectix on the outside.    We have had solid block ice or frozen gallon jugs  last as long as 8 days.
here is the lower section for the cooler-it has cutouts for the handles and latches, there is a velcro closure on the left side
The top is separate and easily pulls off for access
together
Vann


Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
Back to Top
DavMar View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 592
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 10:08am
Thanks for the compliment. We've used this cooler for a couple years now. Yes, it doesn't match the performance of a Yeti cooler but its also be made for a fraction of the cost. A bag of ice will keep things cool for more then a day so that's all we need to store our "adult" beverages Smile
Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
Back to Top
DavMar View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 592
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 10:17am
Originally posted by Pod People

We modified our Engel cooler by wrapping it with 3 layers of reflectix on the outside.    We have had solid block ice or frozen gallon jugs  last as long as 8 days.
here is the lower section for the cooler-it has cutouts for the handles and latches, there is a velcro closure on the left side


Not a bad idea! I used Reflectix insulation to wrap a electric powered BBQ smoker with great results. Before I did that I had to crank it full blast to get it up to 250 degrees on a cold day. Now it makes that temperature in low medium range a big improvement! So I can see how wrapping my "redneck Yetti cooler" would help.
Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
Back to Top
jato View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2012
Location: Kewadin, MI
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3215
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 10:19am
That is great, thanks for sharing!  Now I have more 'stuff' to do in my spare time.  Have an older Coleman cooler (green 1976) that is going to get an upgrade!
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
Back to Top
Pete Brayton View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 29 Jul 2015
Location: Parker, CO
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 124
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 11:03am
Amateur astronomers use Reflectix to slow the temperature change issues with our telescopes. I also have some leftover pieces that fit my 196 windows.
2021 Rpod 196
2013 Ford 150 V8
Back to Top
campman View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 26 Mar 2021
Location: La Salle, MB
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 209
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 11:24am
I am definitely liking and following this thread. Some great idea's for upgrading an old cooler or 2 we have at our camp. They are useless for keeping anything cold for any length of time, and we need a cooler (for fridge overflow) in the back of the truck for our road trip this summer (once we get our ordered 192). Adding left over reflectix from when we built our sauna several years ago seems like a great way to use up some of the things I can't just throw away! Spare Reflectix for the windows in the trailer is a great idea as well, both for heat and cold management. Keep the great ideas coming!
Andy and Laurie
'16 F150 5.0 4X4 w/factory tow pkg
'21 RP192
"If the women don't find you handsome...at least let them find you handy!"
Red-Green
Back to Top
DavMar View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 592
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 11:45am
Hmmm...now this thread is making the old light on the thinking cap go off! I have some left over Reflectix, from my BBQ smoker project (which by the way now looks like a rocket ship that's missing nose cone) which I can use to glue to the inside on the foam board of my "redneck" Yeti cooler for even more efficacy. Since the stuff is only plastic bubble rap covered with reflective foil on both sides ..... hmmm! 
Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
Back to Top
MelissaJoy View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie
Avatar

Joined: 12 Oct 2020
Location: Michigan
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 16
Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Apr 2021 at 11:50am
When you put this on your windows, did you get a lot of condensation between the window and the Reflectix overnight when it was cooler outside? @campman

Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  12>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz