Cooler for PA14

The number #1 selling soft side cooler being used by kayakers is the Polar Bear Cooler. Most of the kayakers in the SE use this cooler because it is the only one that will keep ice for days under our hot FL sun. It is a quality cooler for sure. There are many knock-off coolers at a lesser price, but they don't come near the performance you will get with a Polar Bear cooler. The 24 pack fits perfectly in the space behind the seat/rear deck. A 24 pack will easily hold two slot sized reds, cold drinks and you lunch.

There are a few retailers that carry this cooler but the large majority of their sales are on-line.


polarbearcoolers.com

It looks like that 48 pack would fit in the PA14 if you had nothing in the rear cargo area. Can anyone test this?

The 48 pack is huge. Once we had it loaded with beer and ice and it took two of us to carry it up the stairs to the beach condo

I picked up a nice soft side cooler from the Green Top shop near Richmond yesterday. It's the large size Dorsal Overbuilt Tuff-Tote cooler. It seems very nice. It has a hard bottom and removable liner.
http://dorsalbrand.com/shop/tuff-tote-cooler
Also, I took some measurements of the cargo area of the PA14. Below is the drawing I put together to capture the dimensions as reference.



I am considering getting the Pelican Elite Cooler 45 Quart cooler. I think it would be awesome for long weekend trip and great as a casting/pole'n platform. I think it would fit very nicely in the cargo area. I know it's a bit heavy but the strength and size may be worth the penalty.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition

I use a Coleman cooler and it works great for me.

Huge yes, But I am looking for a cooler that will hold as many saltwater fish as possible while on the water, and the 48 pack looks like the perfect size. Heck, I could put 2 of them back there, and still have room for the largest dolly. Thanks for those measurements.

Hey Guys,

Sorry about the reply to an old thread.

I'm currently working on developing some smaller cooler bags,

We have large fish cooler bags http://drystore.com.au/index.php?id_product=16&controller=productbut are keen to get some better suited kayak models, do you have any suggestions to size and shape? Would it be possible to make a reasonable universal model or would each kayak require a unique shape?

Cheers

Louis

Here is what came up with for a poling platform on my PA12. I thought about a Yetti cooler but I wanted to stay over the center of the boat so I built my own from scratch and then just used a soft cooler on the back.

This platform is fiberglass over a foam core, just like is used on composite aircraft. It's super strong and extremely light. The best part is I can easily cover ground with the mirage drive, lock it up and set my platform on the vantage seat and I am good to go. The transition is very stealthy too.

http://tkaa.org/index.php?topic=6824.0

_________________
Dave

Hobie Pro Angler 12 (awesome)
Native Mariner 12.5 (sucks)

I don't use soft coolers because the insulation in hard coolers is simply better. If you must drill a few holes in it if you need to put accessories on it.

Also a color of cooler that reflects the light would be best.

Yeti 35


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

_________________
2014 Pro Angler 14 Dune
2013 Outback Papaya

Military Police, USAR SFC

Broward County Florida

Igloo 48 fits perfectly behind seat... No sliding

Like so many other options on our "boats", so much is determined by individual wants and needs. I shopped for a soft bag when I got my first kayak, but couldn't find one big enough to hold enough ice to preserve a full limit of reds and trout, and a few flounders, too. The time and hassle of getting a fish into a soft bag also convinced me not to use one. I was also concerned with cleaning it but have been assured it's easy enough. I am blessed to be in S. Louisiana where we have liberal limits and good sized fish, so I ended up going with a hard Igloo cooler. My first one was a 25 qt. but was quickly replaced when I filled it with fish and lost a couple of big flounders that opened the lid and escaped! Now, I use a 52 qt. purchased at Academy Sports. It's well enough insulated to keep ice all day in 90+ degree heat, so no worries about my catch now. Since then, I have read about guys looking for ways to get their soft bags repaired after tears from fins. A couple have complained about broken zippers, too. And, for the cost of one soft bag, I can buy two hard coolers, one for each boat. As to the weight, it stays on the PA14 until it's on the trailer, and then I move it to the back of my truck. No stability problems, either, due to sloshing water when the ice melts. As I said, coolers are just like everything else...use what your situation dictates, or your heart desires.

_________________
Richard Laughlin
Lafayette, LA

Finally Retired, Fish Beware!

2013 Hobie Pro Angler 14
2012 Hobie Pro Angler 12
2001 Hobie Hank Parker Edition Outback