Your most valuable piece of survival equipment in the aftermath of a natural disaster may turn out to be an efficient cooler.
by Leon Pantenburg
Disclaimer: Titan™ supplied the product for this review. I don’t work for the company, was not paid to review the cooler, and nobody had input. The following is strictly my opinion.
A cold beer or soft drink may be a personal priority on a hot canoe day trip or football game tailgating party. It’s nice to have a cold one, but the lack of such amenities is generally not life-threatening! And in casual day-trip recreation situations, a typical cheap cooler will work just fine – the ice melts, further cooling the beverages and the can drips on your pants as you slosh it down. It’s not a big deal – the leftover ice gets tossed at the end of the day and the interior is wiped down.
But here’s another scenario (think Asheville, North Carolina): A major storm has come through and knocked the power grid down and blocked major access roads. It’s summertime hot. No electricity means ice will be hard, if not impossible, to find. A family member has health issues and meds that need to be kept cool. In this case, an efficient cooler that can hold ice for a long period of time can be critical.
Another scenario – you’re on a river trip with 4 guys and want to ration ice over several days. One of your excellent coolers can be air tight, filled with ice and waiting for its turn to open on day 3. This cooler below doesn’t disappoint.
The Titan Leak Proof Welded Cooler™, distributed through Arctic Zone, may need to be on your radar.
This Titan Leak Proof Welded Cooler holds 36 cans.
Here are the Titan specs (according to the Titan website):
- Easy clean Hardbody® leak proof liner
- YKK® water resistant easy glide zipper
- two side mesh pockets
- Removeable, adjustable shoulder strap with shoulder pad
- Deep Freeze performance insulation deflects heat and retains cold
- Heavy duty waterproof Coldblock™ base
- Holds 36 cans
- Made in Cambodia
Here’s how the Titan worked out for me:
Coolers are like any piece of survival gear – you pick the best one for the job. I opted to review the Titan 36-can size as a smaller size cooler for a variety of scenarios.
Sometimes, a super cooler or an excellent large cooler may be too big and bulky for your specific needs. The interior requires more ice to keep it cooler, and the additional space may not be necessary and might be a liability. On a day fishing trip, I’ll only take along several canned drinks, some lunch and various snacks. I don’t want or need a bigger cooler that takes up more space in the canoe or raft. It’s handy to have a smaller cooler for beverages to toss in the back of the truck.
In some settings – like summer bluegrass music festivals – ice will likely be available, so stocking up won’t be necessary. But on a multi-day canoe trip, you may need a lot of space for extra ice.
We recently used the Titan by Arctic Zone on an overnighter event in Shaniko, Oregon for a bluegrass music gathering. The night before we left, I filled the Titan about halfway with ice from our freezer and let it sit overnight. In the morning, the ice was slightly melted and I threw it out.
We then filled the Titan with cold drinks, lunch, fruit and snacks, and added three medium sized frozen bricks before hitting the road. We didn’t open it at all for 18 hours. In the morning, the food was still cold and the bricks were almost liquid. I was surprised that the bricks didn’t last longer – the room wasn’t hot and we had only opened the cooler a few times. In fairness, the cooler wasn’t packed and the bricks took up a small amount of room. But, with the air tight lid and spec claims, I thought it would stay colder. After 2 days without refilling the iced bricks, the food was at room temperature.
A word about ice retention claims:
Claims that refer to the length of time a cooler “holds ice” are typically based on a testing protocol where the coolers are filled 100% with cubed ice and are not opened during testing. The test is complete when all the ice has fully melted. No ice retention claim – IMO – can be an accurate reflection of real life usage.
One use is not an accurate indicator of a product’s value. I will continue wringing out the cooler this summer.
There are several aspects of the cooler I like a lot.
Easy clean leak proof liner: This is a great amenity. When you’re done using the cooler, pop out the liner and hose it down and scrub it in the backyard. This is an easy cooler to keep clean. When fishing, I frequently throw fish in a cooler to keep them from spoiling. This, of course, can leave a smelly mess. This easy-to-clean liner is going to attract a lot of hunters and anglers.
Compact size: As mentioned, I have a lot of larger coolers. My 65-gallon Patriot is too big, bulky and heavy for most day trips. Same thing with my Anker EverFrost Portable Cooler. The 24 or 36-can sizes can carry a 12-pack, lunch and ice. It doesn’t take up too much room in the vehicle, and the cooler fits that “Just Right” category very well. This cooler will get used a lot because it is so handy and just the right size for a day trip or overnighter.
Insulation: The jury is still out on this one. The cooler needs to get used on some really hot days to really test the ice retention claims. So far, the cooler appears to be performing to specs.
The interior of the cooler has built-in Microban® to help protect against bacterial odors and stains. Microban® protection is guaranteed to last the lifetime of the product.
The cooler’s welded, waterproof exterior is resistant to punctures and UV rays and features YKK® water repellent, easy glide zippers. The exterior also includes a zippered mesh pocket on the front; heavy-duty, waterproof, molded base; accessory pockets; side carry handles and a removable, adjustable shoulder strap with anti-slip shoulder pad.
But there’s this:
The handles need to be bigger. The tips of my fingers were pinched by the latches on the side. The handles were not comfortable for me to use. My fingers got pinched when I was carrying the cooler, and I would not want to carry it any great distance. This made toting the cooler up the Shaniko Hotel stairs very uncomfortable.
The front pocket is too tight to put anything in other than a drivers license and credit card (and then try to get that out with trouble!) It looks like it was put there as a cosmetic accessory.
Shoulder straps make it easy to haul around.
The mesh pockets on the side were also too tight for much more than a bandana.
Pockets are great, but these weren’t usable for me and my stuff.
For more survival information, check out my book “Bushcraft Basics.”
Do you need a Titan Leak Proof Welded Cooler?
Personally, I think a quality cooler has a place in any preparedness/survival setup. If you or your family needs to keep medications cool, it’s not an option to improvise.
Also, when the freezer goes out and you can’t expect power for hours, you’ve got to cook up the meat. You need a spot to keep it cold, so dumping your ice into the Titan will get you through a few days.
When an emergency hits, you don’t want to improvise. The Titan may be the best choice for you!
Leave a Reply