High Performance Hard Cooler and Ice Box

I had a chance to try the Engel ENG80 cooler together with Cooler Shock cold packs on a three day raft trip. Though it is a model ENG80, it reportedly holds about 75 quarts. The large cooler had a 15 pound block of ice, 3 cold packs and about 2 cases of beverage containers with a couple of other food items. Daytime temperatures were around high 60's up to 70 degrees. Nighttime temperatures dropped to about 40 degrees. The cooler door was opened several times per day. By the end of the three day trip, the ice block had not seemed to melt at all. There was no liquid water in the bottom of the cooler. The ice packs had a slushy feel, but were still clearly cold. To go ahead and test the cooler and packs a little more I left them in the back of a vehicle for three more days and checked the cooler each day. Temperatures probably reached 70 to 80 degrees during the day in the closed vehicle. By the sixth day there was still about 40 percent of the ice block still frozen. Overall, it appears to be very good performance by both the Engel cooler and the ice packs. This cooler has its handles set up for running through cam lock straps, so it ties down well. The latches seem good. The cooler initially seems well-built and durable. Fortunately, I did not have a chance to prove that it was bear-proof. I used the same cooler to transport some ice cream and frozen food on a 90 minute trip. I threw in one Cooler Shock cold pack. There was a little bit of residual water in the bottom of the cooler, too. When I unloaded the cooler, the food items were still frozen. Beyond that, the residual water in the bottom of the cooler had frozen and was dry to the touch--from the cold pack. I may follow up on this review when I take a longer multi-day raft trip, but initially this Engel cooler performs very well. The Cooler Shack ice packs are a good complement, too. They are fairly easy to put together.

This cooler might be too good. I put a turkey in a brine bag in the cooler, and dumped a couple bags of ice in. 18 hours later in my 68 degree home and there was barely a cup of melt in the cooler. Fanflippintastic.

The quality is like they say. I use this for my shopping trips and I live 100 miles away. It does keep ice for a long time. A bit pricey, but worth it if you want quality.

Bought this due to not being able to find a yeti in the color/size I wanted. Quite surprised with its quality and ability to hold ice. It is a bit on the heavy side but one could expect that with a large cooler. My only complaint/ recommendation to change is the feet on this and maybe it’s just due to my boats set up but the rubber knob feet make it very hard to maneuver on top of sea deck flooring from under the captains chair.

Better than Yeti

After years of THERMOS, we learned about REAL insulated ice boxes for our extended camping trips. I think the quality of the various ice boxes of this price range are basically the same. I've checked the competitors and they're all similarlly designed. None seem to be significantly better or worse than the others. There was a brand that I saw at COSTCO at $100 less than what I got, but it was not there when I got the Engel. Oh well. Anyways... this is the MOST important aspect of this type of cooler. THE GASKET SEAL IS THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT THAT COULD LEAD TO FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE!!! When I got my first one and tried it, it didn't hold ice for a few hours, which was not right! Upon closure inspection I realized that the gasket seal was not sealing at one large portion of the lid! What was happening was that the molded lid was warped. I am a manufacturing engineer so it was obvious to me that their manufacturing process was not capable of making consistently flat lids. The gasket is a good design, but if the lid isn't flat (or the box for that matter), you won't get a seal and the warmth will leak in and melt ice! Duh. I literally had to return (2) units before I gave up and went to a local outdoors shop to buy with pre inspection! This is a great product, but BEWARE of the gasket seal issue! When I read reviews, I noticed several commenters noting how their units didn't work, but they never could figure it out. Now I know why their's failed --> Incapable MFG process.

Best cool just as good as yeti but lot cheaper

This cooler came well packaged and undamaged as a result. My only criticism is the locking latch handles had a little excess plastic sheering off where it closes, but not having purchased an Engel before I don’t know if that’s normal or not. It didn’t bother me though. Overall a solid buy and saved $75 over buying direct from OEM.

There really is nothing to dislike about Engel coolers, they take a beating and keep ice for a ridiculous amount of time.....oh ya they are bear proof🐻 So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

Love the size and the quality of this cooler.

I've just received my newly purchased Engel ENG80 cooler at the COOLER OUTLET. It was shipped from Alberta, Canada to Quebec city, shipping was fast by today covid pandemic standards ( bought on june 19 and at my door june 26). The cooler is new, in it's original packaging, its a real nice high end rotomolded cooler and at an excellent price (319$cdn shipped). Can't wait to take it on a trip. I'll try to update my post once my cooler is put to the test and see how good it performs ( if it deserves it's fifth star) . Thanks Cooler Outlet. PA