What is the best size/brand cooler to use for a mash tun?

[Brew_Dude41]

I will be make the move to all grain later this year and I would like to know what everyone's thoughts are on the best cooler for the job. Right now I am only doing 5 gal batches but I plan moving up to 10 gal batches once I get a few AG under my belt and have figured out the process.
Are there any advantages to a taller cooler over a wider cooler? (Are efficiencies gained or lost due to the greater surface area of the manifold? )
What is a good size to do 5 gal batches but is also able to move up to 10 when I am ready?
What brand seems to hold the heat best?

 

[ncbrewer]

I just started doing all-grain a few months ago. I got a Coleman Xtreme 36Qt rectangular cooler. Their Xtreme line is supposed to be better insulated than the others. It also has a trough running from about the middle of the cooler bottom to the outlet, so it should drain better than a flat-bottom cooler. I laid the stainless braid in the trough. I think you would need a bigger cooler than this for 10 gallon batches.

For some good info, you could try the dennybrew website.

 

[jigtwins]

I've been using a 28 qt igloo island breeze cooler for 1.5 years. Great for 5 gallon batches. I recently built a Coleman extreme 70 qt with cpvc manifold for larger batches.

 

[Grannyknot]

I have 2 of the orange circular water coolers. One 5 gallon & one 10 gallon, both with false bottoms.
I'm not sure why, but I get about 87% efficiency on the 5 gallon tun, and closer to 80% efficiency with the 10 gallon version. That being said, I use the smaller one whenever I can get by with it.

 

[JonM]

I have a 5-Gal and a 10-gal (Long story why, but I have false bottoms for each.) When i make session beers, (10 lbs of grain or less) I use the 5 gal as the MLT and the 10 gal the HLT.

When I do higher gravity beers, I reverse that and use the 10 gal as the MLT. I find that, with a big beer, when I mash with 1.25 qt/pound and do a mash out, I never need more than 4 gallons of sparge water, so the 5- gal works great as my HLT.

The best part is they nest together for efficient storage.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

I have 2 of the orange circular water coolers. One 5 gallon & one 10 gallon, both with false bottoms.
I'm not sure why, but I get about 87% efficiency on the 5 gallon tun, and closer to 80% efficiency with the 10 gallon version. That being said, I use the smaller one whenever I can get by with it.

Do you batch or fly sparge? I think that I have since read somewhere that the surface area vs the depth of the grain bed can affect the efficiency when fly sparging.