Everything below is about how you use the box, not the box itself. Do these things and you'll get noticeably more out of every bag of ice you buy.
1. Pre-chill it. This is the big one.
A warm cooler eats your first bag of ice just getting itself cold. The plastic and the foam have to come down in temperature before they stop stealing from you.
Night before the trip, throw in a cheap bag of ice and shut the lid. Tip the water out in the morning and load it properly. Short on time, even a few hours helps.
This one habit makes more difference than everything else on this page put together.
2. Two parts ice to one part everything else.
By volume, not weight. It's the ratio the industry works to, and it's why a cooler "doesn't hold ice" when someone's thrown in a six pack and two cubes.
More ice is not wasted ice. Ice protects ice.
3. Use block and cubed together.
Block ice melts slower and does the long haul. Cubed has more surface area, so it pulls the temperature down fast and fills the gaps around your gear.
Block on the bottom, gear in the middle, cubed over the top. Cold falls.
4. Pack cold things, not warm things.
Your cooler holds cold. It doesn't make it. Drinks out of the fridge, not off the shelf. Fish on ice the moment it comes aboard.
5. Leave the meltwater in.
This one surprises people. Cold water holds temperature better than air does, so draining the box every few hours actually shortens your ice life.
Drain it when you need the space, when you're handling food and want it clean, or at the end of a trip. Not out of habit.
6. Keep it shut, keep it shaded.
Every time the lid comes up you dump cold air out and let warm air in. Decide what you want before you open it, not while you're standing there with the lid up.
If you've got a split lid, only open the side you need. Half the opening, half the loss.
A wet towel over the lid, or just parking it in the shade, is worth more than people think. Direct sun on a closed lid is a slow leak.
7. Clean it properly. Dry it properly.
Warm water and a bit of dish soap after every trip. Bicarb and water for fish smell. Pull the bung and let it drain right out.
Then leave the lid propped open until it's bone dry inside. Put it away damp with the lid shut and it'll go musty. You'll know about it next trip.
8. Store it out of the sun.
UV is what ages a rotomoulded box over the years, not use. Under cover, lid slightly open, and it'll outlast the boat.
Parts and extras
Latches and bungs take the knocks. Both are $5, both swap out in a minute. A top basket keeps your food dry and off the ice. The divider doubles as a chopping board.
Your warranty
Five year limited warranty against manufacturing defects. Read the full warranty terms.
