In the last few years there has been quite an influx of roto molded coolers on the market. Seems there for a while each week a new company was springing up. I was pleased to be able to put the MD65 from Mammoth Coolers to the test. This is not my first roto molded cooler to review but I was curious if there really was a difference in them.
Well the answer is yes and it comes in the wall thickness, latches and handles. It also comes down to personal preference and marketing. When buying a roto molded cooler there are a few things to take into consideration such as wall thickness. The thicker the walls the longer ice will stay frozen or the contents stay colder. This of course is based on a lot of factors such as, is the cooler in the shade, how many times you open and close it, are you using crushed, cubed, block, or dry ice. Another factor is the humidity. How humid it is will play into how long ice will last or your items will stay cold. Most roto molded coolers can handle dry ice but not your cheaper two-piece coolers you would find at the discount stores.
Mammoth offers you two choices one is the Discovery Series and the Titan Series (pictured above) both are marketed as having the thickest walls.
Next to consider is insulation density. The denser the insulation the better it retains cold. The insulation is installed in a rotational motion so to fill all areas. While most cheaper roto molded cooler may not have their insulation fully filled in all areas, Mammoth coolers do.
None of these factors do much good however if you don’t have a good rubber gasket to seal the lid. Mammoth coolers utilize a thicker lid gasket to make sure the lid seals shut. This is also assisted by the lid latches. Both models use similar heavy duty latches.
The differences between the two coolers are more ascetic but, the Discovery model comes in white or tan whereas the Titan only comes in white. Another difference is the Discovery is more of an entry-level cooler and the Titan a premium cooler. Another major thing to look for is if the cooler is certified “Bear resistant” by the IGBC or Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee. Most of the Discovery and 4 of the Titan Coolers have this certification. Personally I hope I never have to witness this but if it ever happens my peanut butter and jelly sandwich should survive.
Also, model names/numbers can confuse you as to the actual quart size of the cooler. Mammoth has a chart showing each coolers inside/outside dimensions and actual cooler size so that before you buy you know exactly what you are getting. I like this and while most other cooler company’s do the same I did feel some did not give as much info about their coolers as Mammoth did.
I really like the handles on the Mammoth Coolers better than some others I have reviewed or looked at. The rope is very heavy duty and the round grip makes it comfortable to carry either by yourself or by two people. The handles never seemed to cause my hands to fatigue carrying it.
Like many of the other brands the lid hinge is a one piece rod that goes the full length of the lid giving you a sturdy lid made for many years of use. There are also two places in the front where you can place locks to keep human animals from taking things when left behind or for added security from animals of the forest. The bottoms have thick non-skid rubber pieces to keep the coolers from moving around in the bed of your truck or camper while traveling. The drain cap is designed to stay on the cooler while draining so there is no chance of losing it which is a good thing for absent minded people like myself. And the system allows for quick draining.
Ken one of the field staff for Gary’s Outdoor News and Reviews was able to take his Mammoth cooler out to the woods for nearly 10 days for a good test drive. He was able to get 6 days with cubed ice and that was with a lot of opening and closing. They purchased more cubed ice for the remaining 4 days and when they got home Ken says that over 25% of the ice was still frozen. Even on day 6 Ken noted the contents of cooler remained cold.
On my cooler I measured the side walls at 2” thick and with Mammoths high density insulation this cooler weighed in at nearly 30 pounds. Keep this in mind when loading it with ice and your contents if weight plays a factor in what you are using it for. The 65.1 cooler that we reviewed measured: 23″ long x 18″ x wide and 17″ high.
Roto molded coolers cost quite a bit more than your conventional coolers but are the best at doing what you need a cooler to do, keeping ice and food cold, longer. They also are better made and Mammoth Coolers carry a “Lifetime” guarantee so when you factor in that you’ll buy less ice fewer replacement coolers, and have less food waste it is easy to see this is an investment that will save you money over the long haul.
This cooler has lived up to its expectations and I suspect it will continue as I use it each year camping, kayaking and fishing. I liked the tan color because dirt does not show as much and being a cooler it will be on the ground a lot. The Discovery Series Cooler does not have a smooth all around finish and for cleaning purposes does make it a little more difficult to clean but I found just a small brush worked great. Now on the Titan side it is a smooth surface and clean up using soap and water works well. Looking at this cooler and trying to think, what would I do differently, I can only say it will be nice when technology can give us the same cooler with half the weight but until then this is the only drawback to these roto molded style high end coolers. I want to thank Mammoth Coolers and Justin at Rendezvous Marketing Group for this great opportunity to use and review the MD65 Discovery cooler.
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