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Having a great time in the outdoors, whether it involves a hunting trip or a party with your friends by the lake, requires the right ice chest for enjoying cold drinks and food while you sit in the grass and look up at the stars.
Those looking for a reliable option should give coolers of the Esky series a go. This series is the brain child of Coleman, a brand that we covered in an earlier review and has dedicated itself to providing the best equipment for your adventure in the woods.
In the case of ice chests, Esky has the design and accessories to make sure that your items inside are safe and cold. Read on through this Esky cooler review to find out how much it will help your next trip through nature become a memorable one.
Esky Ice Chests Compared
item-title | Esky 55 | Esky 85 | Esky 135 | Esky 205 |
to-center | No products found. | No products found. | No products found. | No products found. |
to-center | Capacity 55 QT | Capacity 85 QT | Capacity 135 QT | Capacity 205 QT |
to-center | Ice Retention 7 days | Ice Retention 8 days | Ice Retention 10 days | Ice Retention 11 days |
to-center | Interior (WxDxH) 17.1 x 10.5 x 13.4 | Interior (WxDxH) 22 x 10.7 x 15.6 | Interior (WxDxH) 38.6 x 15.2 x 16.6 | Interior (WxDxH) 38.6 x 15.2 x 16.6 |
to-center | Exterior (WxDxH) 27.4 x 19.6 x 19.6 | Exterior (WxDxH) 32.8 x 19.4 x 21.8 | Exterior (WxDxH) 36.5 x 24.2 x 22 | Exterior (WxDxH) 49.2 x 24.2 x 22.9 |
to-center | Weight 29 lbs | Weight 42 lbs | Weight 50 lbs | Weight 76 lbs |
to-center | Common Uses • Short hunting/fishing trips • Small game • River/lake fish • Extended camping | Common Uses • Short hunting/fishing trips • Small game • River/lake fish • Extended camping | Common Uses • Long hunting/fishing trips • Large game • Ocean/river/lake fish | Common Uses • Long hunting/fishing trips • Large game • Ocean/river/lake fish |
td-btn-amz | Check Price at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon | Check Price at Amazon |
Colemn Esky Cooler Review – Let's Talk Features
Design and Construction
Whether you’re a seasoned outdoorsman or going on your first camping trip ever or in a while, you’ll want to make sure that the ice chest you bring with you is tough enough to withstand anything that could leave scratches or dents.
Esky takes that into consideration with the addition of thick-wall polyethylene to the exterior, providing a tough exoskeleton in case it falls out of the trunk or gets knocked down a rocky hill.
Coleman also made the outside of the cooler scratch-resistant, which should come in handy if it starts raining all of a sudden and wind sends twigs and other debris your way. This should also help in case a small or large animal comes along looking for a snack. After its attempts to get inside and it leaves, you won’t be able to notice any claw or teeth marks.
Another factor that is known to cause damage to a cooler’s exterior, as well as making your drinks inside warm, is the sun, and Esky deals with this with its UV inhibitor, which ensures that the outside is unharmed and the drinks inside stay cold.
These precautions give Esky a 4.5/5 in terms of quality, and being made in the United States will be sure to gain more customers looking to support more American-made products.
With the addition of drain plugs for getting rid of excess water and integrated cutting boards for keeping your items separate and easy to get your hands on, Esky also gets a 5/5 in the feature department.
Esky® Series Coolers – tough coolers made for the outdoorsman.
Insulation
Nothing sucks more for a cooler owner than opening the lid and being greeted with warm soda and beer sitting in water that used to be ice. The Esky series has you covered in this area, as its insulation is designed to keep ice from melting for at least seven days.
Not only does this give Esky a 5/5 in the ice retention department, but it has also given this series plenty of praise in online reviews, with many pointing out how it kept their drinks cold for days on a trip while out and about in nature.
There are 2.5 inches of insulation on the lid and floor of the cooler and 2 inches on the sidewalls of the inside, ensuring that there aren’t any spots that will make it easy for cold air to leave.
Additional features that will keep everything inside cold include the gasket deal, cork fit lid and liner ridge, all of which ensure an airtight seal and take away any gap between the lid and the cooler’s body.
It's also worth to mention, that all Coleman's Esky Coolers are dry ice compatible.
Security
If you want to make sure that the lid on your cooler stays shut and that no animal is able to open it while you and your buddies are out fishing, you’ll need to make sure that the right securities features are included. Esky has that covered with its catch-free rubber latches, which make sure that the lid doesn’t open if the cooler rolls or tumbles down a hill.
Another security addition to this series are the large-knuckle integrated hinges, which come with stainless steel pins that not only add to the cooler’s toughness but also make sure that it stays closed.
Esky Cooler Bear Proof
Size
The Esky series comes with four options for cooler sizes, some of which are more suited for certain outdoor activities than others.
The two smaller options, the Esky 55 and Esky 85, are better suited for short hunting and fishing trips, particularly those involving hunting small animals or catching fish in a river or lake.
The former measures 27.4 in. x 19.6 in. 19.6 in on the outside and 17.1 in. x 10.5 in. x 13.4 in. on the inside, while the latter measures 32.8 in. x 19.4 in. x 21.8 in. on the outside and 22 in. x 10.7 in. x 15.6 in. on the inside. The 55 weighs 29 pounds on its own and provides seven days of ice retention, and the 95 weighs 42 pounds and provides, according to Coleman, up to eight days of ice retention
The two bigger options are the Esky 135 and Esky 205, which come in handy more for long hunting and fishing trips for large animals or fish in the ocean as well as rivers or lakes.
The former comes with an external dimension of 36.5 in. x 24.2 in. x 22 in. and an internal dimension of 25.8 in. x 15.2 in. x 15.7 in., while the latter has an external dimension of 49.2 in. x 24.2 in. x 22.9 in. and an internal dimension of 38.6 in. x 15.2 in. x 16.6 in.
The 135 weighs 50 pounds empty and keeps ice cold for 10 days, and the 205 weighs 76 pounds on its own and keeps ice cold for 11 days.
Color
While color can help your ice chest stand out from the others at a party, it shouldn’t be the main point that comes to mind when you’re thinking of high performance. Esky doesn’t put a heavy emphasis in this area, as all of its coolers are white (the most common color that you’ll see among ice chests) or khaki.
However, this series manages to stand out in just about every other area, and those who don’t think about color options first when choosing their coolers will not have any issue picking from this two colors.
Warranty
You’ll find yourself covered quite well if you experience any issues with defects from manufacturing, as the Esky series provides a warranty of six years from the days that you buy your cooler. This warranty is not transferable, and we recommend keeping the receipt so that you have proof of your purchase.
While this doesn’t come close to the warranties of Monoprice and Pelican, both of which last a lifetime, it beats out Yeti, which has a warranty of five years, and RTIC, which will keep your cooler covered for up to one year.
Esky Ice Chest Accessories
No reliable cooler brand is complete without the right accessories to match. For Esky, that addition is its seat cushion, which provides a comfortable sitting experience that most coolers can’t provide and comes in handy in case everyone else in your group has the logs and tree stumps around the campfire occupied.
Different sizes for the cushion are provided based on whatever ice chest you buy. The coolers that come with this accessory are the Esky 55, Esky 85 and Esky 135, that last of which is the most expensive at just over $100. So if you end up getting the Esky 205, then the size and room on top will hopefully compensate for the lack of foam above the lid.
Coleman Esky Vs. Yeti
Any cooler brand that tries to make a name for itself must eventually be matched up with Yeti, which stands above the rest in terms of name recognition and reliability. Despite the difference in popularity, you’ll see that Esky proves to be a worthy opponent.
Both Esky and Yeti are perfect for people who love engaging in nature, whether you’re catching big game or small game before enjoying some dinner and smores by the campfire under the stars.
Choosing between the two will mostly depend on how much you’re carrying, and if your friends are bringing the majority of drinks and food and you want to bring some stuff to still contribute to the party, then there are Yeti’s Hoppers and Roadie, which have options that are small enough to carry over your shoulder and can still keep your items in the right condition. Esky doesn't have an answer here.
Esky’s offerings can match up with smaller Yeti's Tundra options in case you have a certain amount of products to carry, but Yeti’s larger Tundra coolers will give you the room you need if the game you’re hunting requires a lot of room. The biggest that the Tundra series has to offer is the Tundra 350, which measures 24.75 in. X 23.25 in. X 63.5 in. on the outside and 16.75 in. X 17.75 in. X 54.625 in. on the inside.
However, Esky has an advantage with price, as its offerings cost between $300 and $550 (or even less, just read on), depending on which size you want. While this seems expensive compared to some other Yeti alternatives, it’s still much cheaper compared to some others, and its quality certainly makes it worth it, granting it a 4.5/5 in this area.
While Yeti has ice chests at similar prices, its larger options will cost you much more, with the Tundra 350 being the most expensive at $1,299.99, particularly due to the room required for the extremely big game.
Hardcore fans of both Esky and Yeti may have an easier time choosing between the two than those who aren’t familiar with ice chest brands. Yeti certainly has a great track record, but Esky is a great rival and has the features and design that guarantee a great user experience.
We recommend giving Esky a shot, and you’ll need to consider price, carriage size and other factors to see which brand will give you the best bang for your buck.
Other Noteworthy Esky Competitors
Every high-performing brand in the cooler world comes with its share of rivals, and Coleman’s Esky series is not an exception here.
Igloo Sportsman
Having a name as big as Igloo as a competitor does well for your reputation, and this one does so with its Sportsman ice chest. Esky has an edge over the Sportsman in terms of size, giving you more room to store drinks, food and whatever you catch on your hunting and fishing trips, though this gives the Sportsman an advantage when it comes to price. Both, however, come with handles on the side to make carrying the coolers an easier experience than it would be without them.
The Sportsman has 2 inches of insulating foam to make sure that your drinks stay cold for at least a week, and the lid is secure when locked and opens and closes easily. Its anti-skid feet will ensure that it won’t slip off the back of your truck or boat.
Read our Igloo Sportsman review, or check its price at Amazon here.
Grizzly
Another ice chest brand that comes in handy for people who have a hunting or fishing trip coming up is Grizzly, which offers a few more options than Esky in terms of size. While some of options are smaller, thus making them cheaper, and some that are in the same range for size and price, the bigger ones will cost you a couple extra hundred dollars. You’ll have plenty more colors to choose from with Grizzly, it won’t affect your favoritism towards Esky if you don’t care about the color.
Grizzly’s rotomolded construction keeps its coolers tough enough to deal with the worst that nature has to offer, and the pressure-injected insulation will not only keep your ice cold, but also have no negative impact on the environment.
Here is our Grizzly review, plus you can also check it at Amazon.
Esky vs Competitors: The Verdict
Despite the differences between these names, they are easy to miss, and being a creation of Coleman, a reliable name in the outdoor product world, gives Esky an edge over its competitors, in addition to its quality.
Coleman Esky Coolers for Sale – Where To Buy?
If you’re having trouble figuring out where the best place is to get an ice chest from the Esky series, then you should know that we recommend getting them at Amazon, the well-known name in the world of online retailers. This spot has proven to be a dependable one for buying just about anything and everything.
Customers provide reviews (check them here) so that you know what you’re getting into when purchasing one of these coolers, and you’ll have the option to return it in case it doesn’t live up to your expectations. Being a Prime member also gives you the benefit of free shipping, among others.
Coleman's Esky Cooler – Conclusion
Esky has proven to be a reliable option when it comes to picking the right cooler for a hunting or fishing trip, or if you want to bring barbeque food to a camping spot by the lake. The outside is designed to stay scratch and dent-free while keeping everything underneath secure, while the inside ensures that your soda, beer, game and snacks are in the right condition to drink and eat.
The price, which may sound expensive compared to some brands that you’re more familiar with, is suited for the quality of this option and is even preferable to that of bigger names.
The next time you have an adventure in the outdoors planned for your weekend, give Coleman’s Esky cooler a go and see how it helps you have a fun time.
Esky Cooler Rating
Coleman Esky Cooler Rating
- Ice Retention
- Quality
- Features
- Price
Summary
Those looking for a reliable option should give coolers of the Esky series a go. This series is the brain child of Coleman, a reliable name in the outdoor product world and has dedicated itself to providing the best equipment for your adventure in the woods.
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Last update on 2024-11-02 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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