If you’re ever sitting around an evening campfire and enjoying a cold beverage with friends after a long day of fishing or hunting, bring up the topic of performance coolers. Then sit back and watch the opinions fly and possible arguments begin. It seems some folks feel they are a waste of money while others won’t go into the field without their cooler. Well, after owning my Orion 25-quart cooler for a solid decade now, I can honestly tell you where I stand…right in the middle. Let me explain.
Performance coolers are not for everyone simply because everyone’s situation or need is different. For example, if you’re a fly-fishing guide on the salt flats of the Bahamas, you want a cooler that will keep your clients’ drinks, snacks or lunch cold all day in the blazing sun. However, if you’re a family of four camping for a weekend at the local KOA and only camp a couple of weekends per summer, you’ll do fine with a standard department store cooler and buying bags of ice throughout the weekend. My Orion cooler has accompanied me on several trips throughout the United States as well as one ten-day trip to Canada, and never have I had the items inside the cooler get warm. Was there ice left in the cooler after that ten-day trip to Canada? No, but the melted ice had turned to water and that water was still cold enough to keep things cold and fresh on a trip where buying more ice wasn’t even an option until we returned to civilization. I feel it just boils down to whether your kind of trips will allow you to easily buy ice and whether the money you save on buying numerous bags of ice will be advantageous to you or not.
Keep in mind that how long ice will last in any performance cooler depends highly on doing some prep work prior to your trip. I’ve found that simply putting a warm twelve pack in the cooler and dumping a bag of ice on top of it is not going to let the cooler work to its highest potential. If I ensure the items going in the cooler are cold when I put them in there, and I put a frozen bottle of water or something similar in the cooler overnight the night before to pre-chill the cooler, the ice will last longer, and things stay colder for the long haul. Also, I try not to keep the cooler in a hot vehicle on my trips. If I can keep it somewhere in the shade and outside, it works much better. So, pre-chill everything before leaving and keep the cooler out of the sun as much as possible while on your trip. Those simple two steps will make a world of difference, and you’ll thank me later.
So, what about my Orion 25-quart cooler specifically? Orion Coolers are made by Jackson Kayak in Sparta, Tennessee. Jackson had been making top of the line whitewater and fishing kayaks for several years when they realized the same plastic process, they use to make kayaks could be used to make a line of performance coolers. At the time, I was on Jackson Kayak’s fishing team. As soon as the coolers were in production and available to us team members, I purchased one without hesitation. They’re not only made by great folks here in the USA, but they’re made with quality and features you don’t find on other brand of coolers. Built in tie downs on each corner of the cooler and non-skid feet on the bottom so it doesn’t slide around the bed of your truck or in the boat? Check. Those same tie downs doing double duty as built in bottle openers? Check. Grips made from the same material used on motorcycles for unmatched carrying comfort? Check. Easy opening latches that you won’t have to wrestle with? Check. Plenty of accessories available to customize your cooler? Check. Better insulation than most other big name performance coolers? Check, and I’ve seen the pictures of coolers cut in half that prove it. Bear proof? Check and tested. Cool colors available to match your kayak, boat, etc? Check. Interior size that is true rather than smaller than advertised? Absolutely check. A lot of other brand coolers will advertise their coolers as being one size, for example 25 quart, but fall short of that when measured. Instead of making a 22 quart cooler and calling it a 25 quart, again for example, Orion’s products will measure exactly 25 quarts. True interior sizes on all their coolers means room for more ice, extra sandwiches, more cold beer or whatever it is that you’re putting in your cooler.
As you have probably guessed by now, I’m a big fan of my Orion 25 and the rest of their cooler line up. Mine has performed flawlessly and continues to do so year after year and trip after trip. More bang for your buck is important in today’s economy, and I like to see companies that are so innovative when they create a product, like Orion did years ago. I have no doubt that my Orion 25 will be handed down to my grandchildren, and it’ll keep ice cold just like it did the day I bought it.
You can view the Orion Coolers model line, as well as Jackson Kayaks, at jacksonkayak.com
A Cranky Woodsman 