Thread: Upgrading a cheap cooler

Has anyone ever tried (or thought of) taking a cheaper cooler that has hollow wall space and drilled a few small holes to shoot in the spray insulation you can buy in a can?

I have a feeling it would expand so much that it would ruin the cooler

Originally Posted by the original pier pest

I have a feeling it would expand so much that it would ruin the cooler

That was my thought, blowing out the sides since there was nothing strong enough to hold the expansion.
My original thought was even if it did not fill the entire space, any extra insulation would be a plus.
Maybe someone tried it and can share their experience.

there is 3 different types of spray insulation??, extreme expanding,minimal expand and non expanding .....you choose which to use.....I thought all the coolers had some kind of insulation in them??

I built a fantastic cooler for my big boat (back in the day) using styrofoam sheets sandwiched between thin sheets of marine plywood. Kept ice like a freezer but was heavier than Catholic guilt. It was strong enough to hold a circus on top, and when there was enough beer, we did---you should have seen the trapeze girls.

I did this once. It was a small "12 pack" cooler. The inner walls had seperated and water had gotten in the walls. There was, in fact, insulation in there. Well, at this point it was just several sponges. My little cooler ended having an insert that was the inside of the cooler with insulation sheets inside. I sprayed the cheap foam in the bottom and let it expand before putting the insert back in. Then, filled the sides. I had to scrape the excess from the top as it expanded. Sypnopsis? I had the cans of foam and a wild hair to try it on my little cooler. Still have the cooler. It works. It ain't pretty. But, I'd probably better spend the same time in the future making leaders, wrapping jigs, respooling line, waiting for the pier cam to work...you get the picture.

The only hollow space in cheaper coolers is in their lids. Since heat rises and cold sinks, the additional insulation in a premium cooler's lid does very little to aide in keeping its contents cooler longer. Sure it may help keep sunlight from heating things up, but an umbrella or any other shade is way more efficient. The biggest advantage foam in the lid of a cooler provides is rigidity, making the cooler a more acceptable seat.