YETI COOLERS: are they really that cool...or is it all a bunch of hype??

Had a couple of buds at the dock talking cooler smack last week. One had a Yeti, the other a Pelican. They each put an 8 lb bag of ice in their respective coolers and left them side by side exposed. Five or six days later the Yeti was mostly water, and the Pelican was mostly ice.

 

And that lid was never washed again

 

What lid?

 

This.

 

the one on the right might as well not wear anything

 

Couldn't give 2 craps about a yeti cooler... I don't need my beer kept cold for more than a few hours... totally clicked on this thread because i saw the thumbnail of that pic...

 

Believe it was "icey-tek". My dad still has some huge ones that look almost exactly like yeti, but came out like 5-10 years before the Yeti did. Used to keep em on the boat for fishing tournaments.

 

Sherpa coolers

https://www.inc.com/magazine/201602/bill-saporito/yeti-coolers-founders-roy-ryan-seiders.html

Anyone interested in history of the bothers and how yeti tech was already in use by other company.

 

$147 52qt

 

Are those Ozark any good?

 

No idea. I have an ice machine at work and just pack my $18 Coleman full. Never bought a higher end cooler

 

Yeti are that good however I'm cheap MoFo. Canyon is equally as good or d@mn impossible to tell apart.
It is not unimportant to pre-cool the box if you require it to keep ice for days on end which most of us do not need.
My Canyon is bomber.

 

Those the ones at Walmart?

 

Yup

 

Seriously looking at Pelican Coolers. The 20qt Grey and neon green one looks cool

 

Properly prepped my Yeti was still chilling at 5 days+ last July in 80 degrees (cooler was in the shade).....Still chilling.......I had my Yeti for 8 years. Never had one issue with previous issues mentioned here and mine always got a good workout in the back of my Tundra.
Nuff said............Put the so called top 5 coolers in the back of your truck. I can guess which one would be stolen first. Starts with a "Y". Not a knock off either. The first certified Grizzly proof cooler. FIRST as in #1. I do my homework. https://www.inc.com/magazine/201305/judith-ohikuare/inc-5000-profile-yeti-coolers.html

 

Good read right there . Thanks for the post Mike

 

Griz proof

Yeti has the marketing that's for sure

 

Certified grizzly proof coolers like the Yeti are no joke. Especially if you have ever spent time camping/hunting in Grizzly country. There is a good grizzly vs cooler video on Yeti's site. It would suck losing all your food to a bear out in the middle of nowhere because of going cheap. There are a lot of coolers now certified to Interagency Grizzly Bear Commitee standards which is a good selling point for many people.

 

Definitely a good read. Those brothers got rich quick. I know rotomoulding tech was in use for years. I think those brothers were first to mass produce coolers using it.

 

I don't use my Yeti to chill beer. Most folks who buy high end coolers don't either. Most use them to preserve food/fish/etc over a period of days. So many of the previous posts on this thread are so baseless without any thermo science at all. Mostly anecdotal bs. I can set two different coolers side by side with 8 lbs of ice. Big freaking deal. Laughable even. How many times were each coolers opened during the same period of time? I can think of numerous things that can affect ice longevity. I'm searching now for a replacement to my lost Yeti. Icey-Tek is right up there. Come to think of it I do recall seeing rotomoulded Icey-Teks before Yeti's came out.

 

Mat, imo it comes down to what ya need it for. I think Yeti is a great product, and for people who need that type of high-end cooler. Me personally I have the Ozark Trail soft cooler for $ 50, it does what I need it to do, keep my beer cold. I'm looking to purchase there 52 qt Roto mold for fishing and easy laid back camping , beach style.

 

I use mine mainly for storm prep. If power is out due to sever weather like a tornado, I know I can keep foods and meds, if needed, cool for days, one less thing to worry about.

 

This. Most people spend huge $$ on these things because they want to own the brand, not because they need the capability. Honestly, just about any cooler will perform about the same if you are using it just to keep drinks cold at a party. The constant opening and closing the lid is what kills the ice. The high end coolers, or "ice boxes", are for keeping raw food cold and safe for days and are only meant to be opened when absolutely necessary. When used as they are intended, YETIs really are quite remarkable. Like I said earlier, I loaded mine with 2 bags of frozen raw chicken during the summer when I was in Okinawa and it kept that chicken cold for an entire week.

 

i think you misinterpreted my flippancy. I rarely have a need to preserve food/fish over a period of days. If and when I do, I use dry ice in a regular cooler rather than paying out large $$ for a yeti. I'd have to take exception to your comment about most folks buying them don't use them to cool beer... while it may not be what it was designed or marketed for, a trip to the lake or the beach will show that a TON of people have spent vast sums of money on a cooler, just to keep their beers cold.

 

I wonder how many of those people think the Yeti keeps their beer colder than a regular cooler?

 

I think a majority of them don't really give a crap... they're more concerned with people seeing the yeti brand on their cooler.

Maybe i'm too cynical but I'm sure half of their customers buy them because they want to be seen with the most expensive cooler on the market.... if yeti cut their prices, they'd lose half their customer base!

 

I hear you. I use my budget friendly Coleman 55 that I've had for years for chilling beers/sodas. After a few days there isn't much left but icy water. Still good enough to keep the brewkies cool.I used my Yeti chill my steaks and other food. I'd only open it up when I had to. The Coleman lid got a good work out. Heh heh.