What Do We Think of This Up-and-Coming Company and Their Coolers?

Planning and Building

For starters, we're happy they produced a rotomolded cooler. Any new entrant that hopes to break into the market and provide products of comparable quality to those of the industry's established players will need to provide rotomolded ice chests.  

This is a high-quality cooler in terms of technology, and it was obviously designed with the outdoorsy types in mind: hunters, fishermen, campers, and road trip addicts.

There's a eerie resemblance between the design and this Yeti. This is the root of our issues. We couldn't help but wonder if Yeti had changed their logo and brand name when we first laid eyes on this cooler.

In this case, I couldn't help but think of Shakespeare's famous line, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

In many ways, this cooler is a carbon copy of the popular Yeti model.

The Coho ice chest and the Yeti Tundra are virtually identical; the only real distinctions are the absence of a 55-quart option and the Coho logo or name on the Yeti Tundra.

Features typical of a Yeti are incorporated into the overall design. The snug fit of the lid means that it will keep the cold in and the heat out.

Industrial-strength gaskets inside help seal the lid for even better insulation.

The rubber T-Latches allow for effortless opening and closing, as well as the assurance that broken latches are never an issue. Inside, the polyurethane foam insulation will keep things ice cold for days.

For years, YETI has been known to trademark catchy names for otherwise unremarkable products, such as insulation and rotomolded building materials.

It's the same with Coho Coolers. In spite of the fact that their cooler is rotomolded, you won't hear them brag about it. It's known as PressMold.

Their ice chest has ThickWall construction and is insulated with ExtremeCold material. You get a sense of what they're up to, and it all seems to echo the branding strategies of YETI.

What to Look for in a Coho Ice Chest

There was a bit of a spillover into talking about features as we got carried away with the construction and design talk. Let's not jump the gun, but discuss a few of these features for a moment.

The lid's latches and the gasket beneath it are both decently made by commercial standards.

The bottle opener is built into the cap, saving you the trouble of figuring out how to crack open your beer.

On the cooler's top, you'll find a fish ruler for precisely measuring your haul.

This cooler is designed for the kind of rough travel its typical user would engage in, so it features lock ports on both ends.

The cooler's handles are another area where size considerations should be made. In this case, the cooler has handles built into the sides for portability.

You can count on the handles to last thanks to the tough nylon construction, and they even have a good grip. Of course, Coho didn't pass up the chance to trademark yet another name and did so, calling these knobs and grips BigGrip.

In the same vein, you'll be pleased to know that the BigFoot cooler by Coho has excellent footing thanks to its trademarked design.

Do not worry about your cooler shifting around, even when walking over rough terrain. The lock ports allow you to further secure it with rope, increasing safety.

Swirlout, a patented drainage system, ensures that melted ice can be quickly and easily drained away.

Retention of Ice

The insulating properties of this hard cooler are satisfactory but not remarkable. Given that the design was so constrained by what others were doing in the industry, we didn't hold out much hope that it would perform significantly better than the norm.

Although we have not conducted our own tests of the cooler's ice retention capabilities just yet, based on the feedback of those who have used it, we can confidently say that it will keep ice for at least four or five days. Though that's respectable for a cooler of this size, there are alternatives to the Coho that cost about the same but have superior ice retention (and we've included links to some of them below).

Colors and Sizes Currently In Stock

Coolers come in only one size, a 55-quart capacity. You can only get it in white, and there's only one size. We saw where Coho was going with this. Since Yeti already offers the Tundra 45 and Tundra 65, there is an opening here for Coho to fill and a market to be exploited.

Coho isn't particularly novel, though, because there are many other brands competing in the same space. Furthermore, we have become so desensitized to Yeti clones that any new form of innovation or originality is greatly appreciated. Here, we didn't spot much of either.

Representations and Warranties, the Original Source, and Other Considerations

Given the novelty of the product, there is much about which we remain in the dark. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to find any information regarding the cooler's guarantee. As for the cooler's manufacturing location, we have no idea, but like many startups these days, we'll go ahead and assume that it takes place overseas while the product is designed in the United States.

Price-wise, it's a better deal than a Yeti Tundra, though it's still not the cheapest rotomolded cooler out there. Although both the Otterbox and the Lifetime are relatively expensive, the latter is nearly half the price.

As we mentioned in our previous review of Cordova, this city does not provide a 55-quart cooler. But it has a 48-quart cooler, which is close enough for most uses. This refrigerator is unlike any other because it was manufactured entirely in the United States. As a matter of fact, it's the lowest-priced American-made cooler on the market right now.

Cordova is not only reasonably priced, but also has many innovative features such as its patented aluminum handles (which double as bottle openers), taller lid tray, eco-friendly insulation, and much more. We really appreciated how it didn't look like a carbon copy of the YETI. When compared to Coho, it has slightly better ice retention.

Cordova comes in a variety of sizes, and there are many color options to pick from. In addition, a "save10now" discount code can be entered during checkout to save an additional 10%.

Have a look at Cordova Coolers >>.

Among the three sizes of Blue Coolers that we have previously reviewed, the 55-quart one is by far the most intriguing. If anything, it could be slightly less expensive than the Coho.

They also claim that their coolers' insulation is thicker than that of... YETI coolers, making them stand out from the competition. Their walls are a hair thicker, so you're right.

Like the Coho, the blue cooler has a design that is similar to that of the popular Yeti brand. Although they are not made in the USA, these are still good coolers (and so is Coho).  

Click here to learn more about Blue Coolers >>

Also being a fairly well-established brand, Lifetime Coolers offers a 55-quart option comparable to the Coho. They offer a wider range of cooler sizes and colors than the Coho, with the 55-quart option also being less expensive. In addition, we're big fans of the blue details on their otherwise white cooler. They're not merely a Yeti imposter.

Take a look at the Lifetime Coolers on Amazon.com.

In the first place, the RealCold soft cooler looks remarkably like the RTIC SoftPak and the Yeti Hopper Flip. A soft cooler that looks exactly like these two has been seen before.

With precedents like the Homitt and the Patriot Soft Pack, we didn't think it was necessary to conduct a thorough evaluation.

The RealCold soft cooler is an acceptable soft cooler in terms of design and build quality. It's lunch box-shaped, insulated with cold-cell foam, has a welded interior liner, a sturdy zipper, and a cleverly designed lid that maximizes storage.

In addition to the main compartment, there are two additional slip pockets on the front and back, two sets of handles for convenient transport, and a shoulder strap for those who prefer to go hands-free.

As would be expected from a high-quality soft cooler, the ice retention is adequate, lasting anywhere from 24 to 36 hours.

In terms of design, construction, and performance, we have no complaints. The issue is that we are witnessing something that has happened more times than we care to remember, and this lack of innovation in the industry can become a little mind-numbing.

But hey, that's just us nerdy hipsters. To be sure, this is a fantastic piece of gear for the average Joe. And the big front cargo pocket is a nice touch.

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