Let's Talk 12v Coolers Again.....

I need to get a cooler for my truck and I am leaning toward the Coleman. The only thing that concerns me is the fact it says the inside temp will be 40 degrees colder than the outside temp. Has anyone has issues with things getting too cold in one? I like the size of the Coleman more than anything so open to other suggestions!

I really don't like those Coleman coolers, nothing says "I'll self destruct in 3 weeks like a Coleman!". Of course, this is just my opinion.

I highly recommend the Koolatron coolers. A bit higher in price, but you get what you pay for - especially with coolers! I personally have this one.

Koolatron Cooler

It keeps everything very cold so I don't have to worry about maintaining the proper temperature for my eggs and yogurt. To this day, I still haven't been able to fill it up completely. And what's really nice is that its easy to take apart the fan/engine cover so that if you need to clean it a bit its never a problem.

"The only thing that concerns me is the fact it says the inside temp will be 40 degrees colder than the outside temp."

I personally think this is kind of not true and maybe an advertising scheme. What if you leave your cooler on for a day that you're away from your truck in the winter and the interior temperature goes down to 40 in your truck. So your cooler will pump air that is 0 degrees? Not a chance, that thing will freeze over.

You don't want to freeze all your food in there. I've never had this problem with my Koolatrons. I've had to battle it repeatedly with the Igloo that I owned though. Couldn't even make eggs most morning because they were frozen. This is all just my opinion though and my experiences.

Daniel, I'm curious did you have to order this cooler and have it shipped? Or where you able to get it from a wally world or somewhere like that? I've seen you talk about it before.

I'm a ways off from needing one at this point but I have good retention skills.

I really don't like those Coleman coolers, nothing says "I'll self destruct in 3 weeks like a Coleman!". Of course, this is just my opinion.

I highly recommend the Koolatron coolers. A bit higher in price, but you get what you pay for - especially with coolers! I personally have this one.

Koolatron Cooler

It keeps everything very cold so I don't have to worry about maintaining the proper temperature for my eggs and yogurt. To this day, I still haven't been able to fill it up completely. And what's really nice is that its easy to take apart the fan/engine cover so that if you need to clean it a bit its never a problem.

"The only thing that concerns me is the fact it says the inside temp will be 40 degrees colder than the outside temp."

I personally think this is kind of not true and maybe an advertising scheme. What if you leave your cooler on for a day that you're away from your truck in the winter and the interior temperature goes down to 40 in your truck. So your cooler will pump air that is 0 degrees? Not a chance, that thing will freeze over.

You don't want to freeze all your food in there. I've never had this problem with my Koolatrons. I've had to battle it repeatedly with the Igloo that I owned though. Couldn't even make eggs most morning because they were frozen. This is all just my opinion though and my experiences.

Did you get the 110 cord? I wasn't planning on taking it out of the truck once I get one so not sure if I will really need it.

No I didn't get that cord, don't need it. The cooler stays in the truck always.

Sean, Walmart doesn't sell it because they would rather sell a piece of junk 80$ cooler. They aren't smart enough to stock good quality products. You order this online at their website or amazon.

I've had the same Coleman cooler for several years and it's been a trooper. It's lasted the oil patch and pipelining. If road BIA14 in North Dakota didn't kill it, I don't know what would... :) The only reason I'm still not using it is because my new truck has a built in fridge.

I've been advised by Coleman store reps to unplug the Coleman before starting the truck 'cause they heard from drivers it might be causing a power surge. I have no idea if there's any truth to this.

I just purchased the Koolatron P27 few days ago for $58 from Walmart online which offered free shipping on orders over $30 or you can use the ship to store option and pick up at the location of your choice....ship to store is faster this time of year - received it today. I had checked Amazon along with other sites even Koolatron prices varied widely for the same model and features......Koolatron was double the price and you had to purchase the cords/adaptors separate.

When the time comes I plan on going with the Koolatron P-27. From my research, It seems to be the the only one I have run across built for constant long term use. The others, including other Koolatrons, seem to be more for small road trips or short vacations. Many reviews on all others show quick deterioration/breakdown with long term use. The P-27 had very few long term issue reviews, and the highest praise for long term use.

...I guess I could've just said listen to Daniel. ;)

I've been advised by Coleman store reps to unplug the Coleman before starting the truck 'cause they heard from drivers it might be causing a power surge. I have no idea if there's any truth to this.

Yes, yes there is. Well, maybe. A few weeks after I bought mine I had to replace the plug (cut and splice) because it burned up. It worked great for about a year after that, then, kaput.

I bought a mini fridge at Wally world but the dang thing didn't work in my old truck. It works great in my 2015 though. It is 110 and I never unplug it.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.