Are Yeti Coolers Worth The Money?

[Efishin]

3 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

We use a big Yeti on our week long trip to Michigan.  No cooler is going to perform if you are constantly opening it up to get drinks or whatever.  The Yeti is used to hold our bulk bags of ice.  Other coolers are used to hold drinks and drink ice.  The Yeti will keep ice for the entire week and we don't have to restock it but then again, it is getting opened very sparingly.  For that purpose, yes it is worth the $$.  

I agree with TOXIC. A quality cooler is definitely worth it to me. However, worth is an individual opinion on the value/utility of a product. So because it is worth it to us may not make it worth it to someone else. But they are great products.

[K1500]

I have a pair of Coleman extreme coolers that do very well. Most importantly, I can leave them in my boat or truck bed or campsite with little worry about them being stolen. They also weigh quite a bit less than a rotomolded cooler. I stand on the smaller one (45 quart I think) and I am a big guy. I like the rubber feet on the yeti, so I crazy glued four rubber feet from the hardware store on the one I keep in the boat. $8 tops and no more sliding around in the boat. 

 

Youtube is full of cooler tests. The Yeti always does well, but others are close. 

[FordsnFishin]

I have a yeti 45.

 

While they do hold ice very well.  I think the thing people don't pay enough attention to is their durability. These coolers are stout! Mine gets stood on,  thrown around, kicked,  dropped, ect. While expensive,  I do think this cooler could last me 25+years. (I'm at 5 years now and still looks essentially new). So I do think it was worth it. 

 

All that said, spending that much on a cooler isn't for everyone. An wouldn't blame anyone not wanting to drop the coin on it.  But hasn't been a regret for me.

[Junger]

I got the Yeti tank 85, and I think it's a great product and worth the price. We had a 4th of July weekend crabfeast/BBQ and I put a keg in it at 1PM in the shade on a hot and humid day, uncovered. Guests arrived at 4PM and the keg was frigid. The next day at 11AM when I got around to cleaning up, it still had a good amount of ice in it.

[NHBull]

There are a few other coolers that perform as good at half the price..Rtic to name just one.  Most of the guys that I know with yeti's have gotten them as pro-deals or special pricing. The knock-offs are getting better because patent protection fades

[RAMBLER]

I got a kick out of the ad that said they were grizzly proof.  That's real important here in Florida.  A cheaper cooler is fine for me.  I seldom need anything kept cool/cold longer than a day.  

[Boomstick]

I camp a lot and got sick of buying ice every day when it's 85+ out and every other day otherwise. I was told to look at the Ozark trails at Walmart by many people, which are overall fairly comparable to Yetis in performance. I ended up grabbing a 70 something quart Lifetime model, which had similar insulation but I liked the clamps better as it was easier to open and close (and is Grizzly bear proof as well). It definitely holds ice much better than my Coleman. If you add a few ice blocks instead of cubes, I can see it not needing ice for a good 5 or 6 days of 89+ degree weather (after three days, they barely melted for me).

 

As someone who camps a lot, it was worth it. But $450 for a similar Yeti? I''ll keep going out and buying ice at least for the time being. There are many similar models that you can buy for much cheaper. Just make sure it has thick sides that are not hollow and being grizzly proof is a nice bonus. I see no reason why any of these should not last me for the next 30 years -- they're certainly better made than the Coleman that my father probably had for 30 years before giving to me and is still intact today

On 7/19/2019 at 2:43 PM, NHBull said:

There are a few other coolers that perform as good at half the price..Rtic to name just one.  Most of the guys that I know with yeti's have gotten them as pro-deals or special pricing. The knock-offs are getting better because patent protection fades

You don't even need to spend that much. I will note that Sportsman's Guide's Americooler is also similar to the Rtics, but the Lifetime and Ozark Trails at Walmart are about half the price and very similar.

[Barre2018]

Bought a Polaris North Star which claims 30 hours longer then yeti.  4 hours camping with 60qt in 90+ with one day heat index of 103, the large apple juice plastic bottles had only melted 1/3.   Everyone else around us went every day for ice.  We never bought any.  Yup expensive.  But I never worry about food warming or ice melting.  Never have to waste time on ice runs 

[Boomstick]

So I thought I should add, I bought 3 blocks of ice last Thursday (9 days ago) and when I got back from camping, I tasked my kids with emptying the ice chest. Today, I realized they did not drain it, so when I went to drain it, it STILL had ice in it! Not too much, but enough where the water was very cold and it's been sitting out in the hot sun.

 

 

[TripleAAA]

I ended up running across CAT coolers.  They actually have a couple of rod holders on them as well.  They did not advertise them as rod holders but my poles fit in them perfectly.  They keep as long or longer.  Also USA made.  Here is some info if you want see them.  

https://catcoolers.com/collections/55-quart-cooler/products/55-quart-cat-cooler-white

 

Adam

[the reel ess]

nm

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Ozark trail made in usa in walmart does same thing....beside  u aint drinkin enough beer and makin enough food if u need stuff to.last a week cold ....lol

Who needs grizzley proof anyway ....humans will steal a yeti quicker then  a ozark trail cause of the name ...lol grizzlies cant read anyhow