12V cooler for Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Bryce/Zion round trip

We will be touring in August and are not used to desert temperatures so were thinking of buying a 12V cooler to keep drinks cool in the car.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what to buy, where to get it, what price to pay etc.

Is is worth the cost given that we will have to leave it behind when we fly back home to England?

Does anywhere hire them out?

Grateful for any help and advice.

12V cooler for Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Bryce/Zion round trip

I highly doubt that you can rent one. The cost for one which could hold more than a ';six-pack'; would be $100-150. The six-pack type cost about $50. Sometimes they are carried in stores like Walmart and Target but more likely in stores carrying outdoor gear.

You would do just as well to buy a cooler in a Walmart for about $20 and put ice in it. You would feel better about leaving $20 behind, and you can buy a bag of ice just about anywhere for $1-1.50.

12V cooler for Las Vegas/Grand Canyon/Bryce/Zion round trip

I agree with Bobbear43 (as usual). Buy a cheap cooler at Walmart, or any grocery store. Actually you can get a styrofoam disposable cooler for about $5 and just fill it with ice each day.

Oh, I hate those cheap styro coolers because they ';squeak'; just from the motion of the vehicle. But it is what I often use on a trip where I can%26#39;t take one with me (such as by air). I put a cloth around it, and a cloth under the lid to stop the squeaking. I have had a Coleman 12-volt cooler for several years which is what I use when I start out in my own vehicles.

Great advice guys ... I was thinking of doing the same (but with the $20 option) ... so I think we%26#39;ll go with that ... can%26#39;t wait to get there - only 39 more %26#39;wake ups%26#39; ; )

LOL. I know what you mean about the styrofoam. But I just used one for about it%26#39;s 4th road trip. I carried all of the food to our condo in Palm Springs. It fit in the back seat of our Mustang convertible. With golf clubs in the trunk and the rest of our luggage in the back seat, we were loaded, but the cooler survived. I might have to use it again for our road trip in May (Canyon de Chelles, MV, Moab, Capital Reef, Bryce Zion and St George/Mesquite for golf). That%26#39;s gonna be 2 weeks of daily traveling, so we might need to replace it along the way. Should I spend the big bucks ($20) and get a real cooler?

Word of advice about those styro coolers....by a plastic garbage bag and put it inside the cooler before you fill it with ice!!! In my experience with these things, 99% of them leak! I never feel bad about leaving them behind!!

And that squeaking....like finger nails on a chalk board!!!!

SJG

I%26#39;m with SJG here - I hate those styrofoam ones!

It%26#39;s well worth the $15/$20 or so to buy one of the modern canvas insulated ones, and they have a hard plastic liner so they don%26#39;t leak even if all the ice melts. As stated above, ice is available nearly everywhere over here.

AND if you buy a soft-sided one, you can either fold it up and carry it back home in your luggage, OR you can fill it up with the stuff that you buy for your friends back home.

We have gotten a lot of trips out of ours, and they (and ice) are readily available everywhere in the States.

The 12V coolers only work while the car is running, which is fine when you are making short stops. For longer times out of the car, ice will be a better investment!

I hope you have a great trip, and yes, those last few weeks are definitely the hardest...