Thread: pimping the cooler, year 2

Ok so I'm down here for a couple more days. So far the cooler and mods have passed the field test very well...better than I expected, really.

The heavier axel and wheels w/pneumatic tires have taken some punishment going up and down steps, and have performed very well...including in dry sand and packed sand. I flattened the tires a little, not too much.

I ended up bolting a large magnet to the underside of the cutting board so that I could work with hooks and such and they'd stay put.

One flaw in my configuration: I have three rod holders on the front and two on the back, one on each side of the handle. However, they sit too low so when the cooler is tilted while walking the rod butts in the rear holders bind on the ground. Also a problem when going up and down stairs. When I get home, I'm moving them to the front.

Otherwise, all good. My current walk to my fishing spot is 200-300 yards. About half pavement, half sand/beach. This allows to take all essential gear, and more than I used to be able to carry between me and one partner.

When I started down this road I had been considering a big fishing backpack with rod holders but decided I needed to be able to carry more rods, and that my old, tired ass needed to spend more time fishing and less time wrestling my gear.

I think the cooler is just the right size for equipping 1-3 people in most surf or shore situations, and plan on finding a couple more of these kind to build out with/for my boys.

I like the magnet idea , Will have to remember that.

Alright so after putting the cooler through it's paces, I made a couple of changes:

1. Moved the two rear rod holders to front. Rod butts were dragging the ground when tipping the cooler to push or pull it. That was happening around here so I rigged a temp solution down there so that they wouldn't seat so far down in the holders, but that caused other inconveniences.

2. When going down steep steps, such as on a boardwalk, the rod holders on the back and the lack of skid plates made lowering it down the steps (like I used to do with hand trucks back in the day) didn't work so I had to get in front and ease it down. Not much to grab on to underneath so I thought a handle was in order. I ended up getting a hard rubber cleat and screwing that into the bottom just in case I ever need to do this again. Figured it might also be a good attachment point for a stringer when lake fishing.

Will probably fabricate rod holders from PVC going forward, making sure to rout out and smooth over reel slots with a dremel or grinder. Travels much better if the rods can't spin and twist.

Been looking around for other similar coolers cause both my boys want one and would be a good project to do with them, but can't find this model or similar, and the newer models feel too flimsy or aren't configured like I want. I had a few older coolers and picked this one cause it was just the right size and orientation.