Food Cooler?

[JFlame]

I'm curious if anybody has some good suggestions for a cooler to hold food. I am kicking around getting a rear rack for my Tiger, and if I do I'll have about a 10"x15" flat area to strap stuff to. It would be a good place to mount a cooler of some sort, since the last few outings we always end up buying stuff at our destination, and instead I could pack the evening meal and take it with me to simplify things.

I haven't gone looking yet, but does anybody make a cooler with straps integrated into it so it could be easily strapped down to a rack? I figure absolute worst case I can get a soft sided cooler and just strap over top of it, but that would make accessing it during the ride a bit clumsy if there is other stuff strapped next to it.

This idea is half-baked right now and it shows, but what the heck, that's what you guys are for. P^

[motomac]

When traveling solo, I use a collapable cooler. When I get near my destination, I stop, and get my grocerys, a few cold beverages and a bag of ice. Pop open the cooler, fill it, and strap it down using the carring strap on the cooler, with a bungee strap through it to each side.
No reason you couldn't do something like that, and carry food in it all day ...
G wizz

That works well, and there are many different sizes and price ranges for collapsable coolers.

[aysrav]

You mean something like this?

http://a.imageshack.us/img832/2278/cooler.jpg (http://img832.imageshack.us/i/cooler.jpg/)

Kuryakyn makes this one but I think there are others out there too.

[ImRubicon]

I have a small Jeep brand cooler and it has a few pockets so I can carry the spork and coffee plus spices in those pockets .
Only holds about 9 cans ,
One thing I would suggest is get one tall enough to hold the water bottles you buy most . mine is just a tad short of 7-11s waterbottle here and so I have to lean them - small thing but can get to be a pain if you are filling up for the day

[JFlame]

Something like this would be perfect if it had additional D-rings:

http://www.ebags.com/product/california-innovations/california-innovations-16-124-expandable-zipperless-hardbody-cooler/153038?productid=10025547

I could probably use the two rings that connect to the shoulder strap to lash it down, but it would be great if it had a few more tie down points.

There are a ton out there, I'll find what I'm looking for eventually.

[ImRubicon]

I use a net and that holds mine down and easy to access

[DILLIGAF61]

what about a pair of saddle bags ? you could get an insulated liner for one or even both
just a thought

[oldmanriver1951]

Polar Bear Coolers work great...site is at... http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/coolers/backpack.html

[SidecarMike]

I used to carry one of these in the saddlebag on my Valkyrie. It also lays on the luggage rack of the Goldwing nicely. http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?Prod_ID=RP091806

I have also found that this cooler and a ten pound propane tank fit on the cooler rack of my Bunkhouse. The original cooler cover even fits over both.

http://www.rubbermaid.com/Assets/images/Product/1801-modrnblue-large.jpg

[denny]

Polar Bear Coolers work great...site is at... http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/coolers/backpack.html

The ones made for Hunting have extra tie down thingies built in.

I am not sure what those are, but their coolers are excellent, they keep ice much longer than any other soft cooler I've ever had. They are nice folks and will certainly answer any questions that you have.

[Aldawg]

I use this one (http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4295458&cp=2277846.2285617&fbc=1&f=Brand%2F100965%2F&fbn=Brand%7CArtic+Zone&lmdn=Brand&parentPage=family)from Sports Authority. It holds ice for over 30 hrs, fits tall bottles, folds flat when not in use, and is perfect size for my side bag.

[Blues Traveler]

Polar Bear Coolers work great...site is at... http://www.polarbearcoolers.com/coolers/backpack.html

+1 on the Polar Bear.

P^ Have been using Polar Bear coolers for many years. Won my 1st one, a 12 can at an annual rally on the Kern River. Found it to be the best collapsable cooler i'd ever had. I now have all 3 sizes 12,24,& 48 can sizes. You keep them in the shade when possible and ice will last for days.

I have been using the 24 can size as a carry on for air travel. Fits in the overhead and gives me a decent size ice chest for the room.

[kayakinbiker]

I usually have to unpack, set up my tent, then go get food/beer/wood...I have a few crushdown coolers but have yet to use them on trips as i tend to drink warm beer,must be the welsh part of me...and i buy stuff that can be cooked pronto like a steak, or butterfly porkchop, oatmeal, granola bars and oj drink boxes...maybe next year i will challenge myself to use a packdown cooler..

It's fun challenging oneself to get the most out of the space we have on our bikes

Thanx to George, Gary Gene, and the great advice on this forum, I WILL be enjoying grilling via bikecamping!

[kdf9511]

I have been looking for a decent cooler myself. I'm intrested in those Polar Bear ones but have had bad luck with soft sided coolers in the past that leaked as the ice melted. I do like that slim line Rubbermaid and kicked myself for not picking up one a the local Family Dollar this spring when they had them. I want something that will hold ice for a day or two, hold a couple of bottles of water, beer and a day or two of food and fit on the back seat of my Wing with the back rest. I had been thinking about getting a hitch rack for my medium size Igloo one but I just picked up a nice little gas Webber grill this weekend and now want to take that along too since I can't have any sort of open fire in the places I have been camping this year.

[Jeff in Ferndale WA]

I'll have to look at the brand name when I get home,but the cooler I have has a place to attached the hook of a bungie cord.I bent the hooks so they always stay attached to the cooler.

[RCLafnjack]

I pull a HF tag-along and I have a cooler rack (built from a coleman grill, flipped on its back and attached to the tongue with a wingnut assembly to make it dual purpose).
I purchased a colapsable 48 can cooler from BassPro that folds up nicely and bungies to the cooler rack.

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-48-Can-Soft-Side-Cooler/product/10207153/74430

I don't carry a lot of food when I'm on the road (basically a 6-pack tote cooler for a couple of drinks), but when I get close to a camping spot, I open the cooler and ice down. Opened up it bungies nicely to the rack.

Here is what it looks like (its partially full in this pic).

This works very well keeping things cold and is very convienent.

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l121/bambis_darkside/120_sig.jpg