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best soft side cooler? 36 can at least

riverroyal

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I have a AO cooler, im over it, the zipper is crap.
Suggestions?
 
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SKIDMARC

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I hear the Yeti's are good but really expensive. I swear some people think its a status symbol. LOL
 

Shlbyntro

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I have the yeti hopper 2 in a 40. It was a gift, or a tip rather.

I like it ok, it holds ice for a good 2.5days in Texas heat so yall can compare to the others.

It also matches the boat😉
 

boatdoc55

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We have 4 different sizes of the Polar Bear coolers and they work great. Had them for at least 7 years.
 

02HoWaRd26

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CA3D61CD-DEDF-4411-BDB1-29F3DADC8DAF.jpeg
 

mbrown2

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After having AO's, Yeti's and Rtic's I actually feel the AO's are easier to manage and keep the ice just as long. This is purely soft side coolers. I cannot stand the yeti zippers or the mouths to actually fit anything into.
 

450grip

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Yeti zippers need to bed waxed(lubed) constantly to not be a total pain in the ass
 

Meaney77

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I picked up 2 Cocho soft coolers at Costco last summer. 1 for beer and 1 for kids drinks, food and water and I am still happy with them.
 

Sangerdog

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RTIC and they are onsale now I believe. I have several sizes in soft side and hold ice great.
 

CoolCruzin

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I’m over the soft side bull crap .
They will leak . Just when .
Glad my boat has a spot for the hard side type .
 

angiebaby

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We have been using AO for . . . jeez . . . 15 years now? Maybe closer to 20. Have they been in business that long? I only had one ever leak, and that was my fault because we had a habit of dropping them at the dock, full. They still replaced it. The ones we currently have, we have been using for at least 12 years. They are still working fine, and look great. No complaints from me. The Yeti ones don't look as flexible to me. Might as well be hard-sided. Plus, my AO ones work great, so why would I need to pay that kind of $$ for new ones?
 

Racey

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Yep sent my 7 year old one back and they offered me a brand new one for a crazy low price and free shipping.
The products are great, use them right and you cant beat the customer service.

Yeah i don't understand all the hate, don't treat the thing like a damn savage and they last. Don't put trash back in it, and don't thrash it, and they work perfectly. If they do leak they have a great customer support and warranty....

You can't make a flexible cooler invincible.
 

DWC

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Steve, I’ve got one of these in Havasu if you want to take it for a test run. It’s pretty damn sturdy, and seems to keep ice a bit longer than my AO. Only issue is reaching in to grab a beer. The zipper is aggressive at best.
3194BD0A-97CA-464F-B19D-A86E4DAE95F9.png
 

Marios Metalworks

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AO for sure. The ones made for motorcycle saddle bags come with two zippers.

One zipper failed after two years and I rocked it until this year before sending it back. I developed a leak after one too many crushed cans packed back into it. They offered a great deal on the replacement and I couldn’t turn it down.

Has anybody else had water partially freeze in their AO if it’s at the bottom covered in ice?
 

Rbcconst

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I have had almost all size AO’s and can see the zipper comment. However the flat pack 38 can is the best cooler ive ever had.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

riverroyal

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Well crap. I guess I will lube the zipper first. Sounds like it might be me!
I have 2, the one that gives me issues is the square one, soft side but not the bag type.
it holds ice long enough. Zipper grabs some material and gets stuck. Then I say f it and never close it!
 

Hallett Dave

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Well crap. I guess I will lube the zipper first. Sounds like it might be me!
I have 2, the one that gives me issues is the square one, soft side but not the bag type.
it holds ice long enough. Zipper grabs some material and gets stuck. Then I say f it and never close it!

I have had nothing but good luck with AO..
Eight years ago I had one cooler leak because of one of my guests putting crushed cans in the cooler.
I called Brian at AO and he sent me a new cooler with the same custom stitching for free.
I have never had a problem with a zipper on the AOs.
Maybe because I am smart enough to not try to over fill the cooler. :rolleyes:
YMMV
 

DLC

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The new yetis don’t have a zip, they use magnets and then fold over For a tight seal.

im actually thinking I can’t live with out one for the can am....

I have like 6 AO’s they work great
 

Steve-o

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I got the yeti as a gift with the magnetic top (no zipper). It has been the BEST cooler I have owned. I actually make fun of yeti people but this one is awesome. It automatically closes after the kids open it to grab something. The magnet is strong enough to not let a drop of water out when I tipped it on its side when it was full. Being that the magnet is so strong it is surprising that it’s not that hard to open. Just my 2 cents
 

LHC Kirby

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You cheap bastards ... AO coolers work great, yeti you can go 2 days with out adding ice... :rolleyes: cool, I’ll add the the $3 bag of ice every day!
 

JUSTWANNARACE

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Ozark Trail from Walmart. We have had a couple for 3 or 4 years with no issues. They seen to hold up pretty well for the price. Dont leak and never a zipper issue. (Knock on wood)
 

81Sprint

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I recently got these AO stow and go, work great for the boat, flat and easy to get into. Ive had the regular soft sided AO and didn't like them near as much as these. Seem to hold more
 

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rampster

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I own AO's, Zipper Yeti and Yeti with Magnets. Yeti with magnets is the way to go.
 

Badchoices03

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Thanks guys, I never heard of the Yeti with magnets, I use both RTIC and AO normally.....now my wallet is $300 lighter....smh
 

LargeOrangeFont

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So there are many people that can no longer deal with the zippers on their soft sided coolers and just buy $300 magnetized soft coolers instead.

So I will ask this for a friend - Are these the same people that are going to "rise up" and "take our country back"? :)


I have 1 AO on the RZR and it has been great. It needs some zipper lube though. This is coming from someone that hates soft coolers.
 
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sintax

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just try the RTIC, they are great. You do need to lube the zippers though, but that should honestly be done on anything. It just helps everything glide nice. For the price, there is nothing out there that i've seen thats nicer than the RTIC soft sides.
 

El Chingon

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I picked up 2 Cocho soft coolers at Costco last summer. 1 for beer and 1 for kids drinks, food and water and I am still happy with them.

My buddy bought 2 of the Costco Coho soft sided ice chests. Never heard of them or if they were legit? Until after we used them all weekend long in Parker last year....I'm a believer now. I've been using AO coolers for 20 years.
 

jetur

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We have been through most of the brands and I don't know of one that will hold 36 cans with any zipper longevity.
 

throttle

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used a friends yeti everyday last week on the boat. it was pretty durable, obviously expensive, had a magnetic top (made it difficult for single hand use) and we had to add ice to it everyday. I'm not sold on it but it was nice.
 

WATERDOG

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apparently i own the 3 best ao coolers ever made...never leak always hold ice have been in the dirt and boat and are just awesome!
I have one too. Works just like the day it was new 14 years ago.
 

Outdrive1

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IMG_4999.jpg

IMG_5001.jpg

IMG_5003.jpg



Every piece is falling apart. Every strap is broken. [emoji1418]


IMG_5004.jpg



Its been retired by the Yeti.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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DLC

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My buddy bought 2 of the Costco Coho soft sided ice chests. Never heard of them or if they were legit? Until after we used them all weekend long in Parker last year....I'm a believer now. I've been using AO coolers for 20 years.

I have the same one and some how cross threaded the Fine zipper and it’s no good!
I only used it 4or 5 times and it’s toast...
 

El Chingon

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I have the same one and some how cross threaded the Fine zipper and it’s no good!
I only used it 4or 5 times and it’s toast...

Return it to costco for a full refund.Only seen the hard sided coho ice chests this year.look like a "yeti style" hardside.
 
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robby dmax

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I am trying the ones that are made in the USA they are about $10 more then the POS ones that are made in China.. China Material is just not the same as we all know.
So here is everyone chance that is looking to buy a new one. Step up an buy the one made in the USA 🇺🇸
This looks like the same as AO coolers just under a different name
Goto Hatch coolers.com
 

dezrtracer

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Had AO coolers ever since they first made them but , the last two I bought have both leaked . I just bought a RTIC and will try it this weekend .
 

OldSchoolBoats

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Have only had AO coolers. For the price, can't be beat. No way I am spending $300 on a YETI, that is just blasphemy!

Bought 2 carbon series AO to match the boat and they are holding up well. Zipper is fine as the kids are in and out of it all day. Customer service is top notch.
 

HB2Havasu

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I’ve had my AO Cooler strapped to the back of my RZR for 5+ years. (8,000 miles) That’s a lot of abuse! It still works perfect except it leaks because when I first got it I didn’t know I shouldn’t put crushed cans in it.

I’m going to be sending to them for warranty repair. From what I understand you just pay for shipping? (I could be wrong)

For the price you can’t beat an AO Cooler!
 

Riverfamlee

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Have AO's with no issue.

I think the problem is overloading them. I have this argument with my wife every time I ice it up and cant close the zipper without forcing it.

Too much shit in here woman, too much shit. Her response- Dont complain when you run out of beer or food. Cant win so we just added another AO.
 

Ballyhoo

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Have AO's with no issue.

I think the problem is overloading them. I have this argument with my wife every time I ice it up and cant close the zipper without forcing it.

Too much shit in here woman, too much shit. Her response- Dont complain when you run out of beer or food. Cant win so we just added another AO.
Same here- No issues with three AOs and ice all day long in the summer. If I need something to keep ice for multiple days Ill use a Pelican, Yeti or something similar. As with any cooler, don't overload it.
 

LowRiver2

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So there are many people that can no longer deal with the zippers on their soft sided coolers and just buy $300 magnetized soft coolers instead.

So I will ask this for a friend - Are these the same people that are going to "rise up" and "take our country back"? :)


I have 1 AO on the RZR and it has been great. It needs some zipper lube though. This is coming from someone that hates soft coolers.
Same here :
I’ve had 10 or more AO’s since the late 90’s.
They are easy to deal with on repairs. I’m sure my leaky liners came from people throwing bottle caps back inside instead of in the trash.
I had one zipper go bad on a 12 year old 36(?) can size and they gave me a new one instead of fixing it.
I like the new flat top but my standard one does just fine folded down under my spare on the can am. Way better space saver than that can am cooler, lol. That thing is huge.
 

pwerwagn

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I have like 4 Ozark soft sided coolers. They all work great. We use them very frequently, and never lube zippers, never have zippers get stuck, etc. Sometimes they are on sale really cheap too.
 
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