Yeah, I’m no expert but I can’t see how Yeti justifies the price. I’ve seen the ones at Costco and they look nice enough!
We got the Costco version and it works great. Keeps stuff cold for days when we do a road trip. Takes up a lot of space tho
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Yup. What makes it all that great?
Does it keeps things colder longer? Are there studies on this?
Will it last three times as long as an Igloo?
OK, I’m reading this to understand, but I already have three different-sized coolers and I’m not in the market.
eh. Seems more like an advertisement than a critical review and comparison.
This seems to be a reasonable review. It does seem the more expensive ones keep things cold longer, and I believe that something like a Yeti would be more durable than a cheapo Igloo. If you’re someone who camps and needs to keep food cold for a week, maybe a high-end cooler is a good buy. For my needs, if it can keep things cold for one day I’m good. I think they include an Igloo that is similar or identical to the one DP got, it kept food cold for four days.
I guess if you camp a LOT, it’s worth it to save on buying ice. YMMV and all that.
It’s not the buying of the ice. It is the driving wherever TF the ice is and buying it. If you have to restock, that would suck.
I don’t even like the semi-glamping (in an RV with hookups) that I do once a year for Super Bowl.
Now, if we’re talking about survival in a post-apocalyptic (non-nuclear) Hell, OK, maybe the Yeti.
One-day tailgating or picnic in the park for a cover band, Igloo will be fine. Mine even has wheels.
This review represents over 600 combined hours spent using, abusing, and meticulously testing over 40 different ice chests since 2016 — not including the time spent researching hundreds of new and promising models to find the ones worthy of inclusion. We ran and re-ran insulation tests under controlled but harsh laboratory conditions. We dragged our test subjects through the gravel, sand, mud, and grass while road-tripping, tailgating, camping, and hanging out on the beach. We asked our friends and family, who span three generations, to help us dive into these coolers (sometimes literally) and identify the top performers. From being thrown into vehicles, dropped onto concrete from waist height, jumped on by a 200 lb tester, submerged in water, dragged across hot surfaces, yanked on, jerked around, and otherwise abused, these chests have seen it all.
Our testing of coolers is divided across five rating metrics :
Insulation (50% of total score weighting)
Durability (20% weighting)
Ease of Use (15% weighting)
Portability (10% weighting)
Additional Features (5% weighting)
Damn, they really GAF about their testing!
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600 hours on 40 chests? so 15 hours per chest? Is that really a lot of time?
A fleece hoodie.
My go to winter jacket on most days is a fleece hoodie. The one I’ve worn in recent years is starting to get a little ratty. I can still wear it around the house, but it needed replacing for wearing out and about.
probably should buy new running shoes before the current ones start to break down.
also I need new pens. I ran out a couple of days ago and don’t have a spare. (i’m kind of particular about a specific pen i use for a specific purpose)
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IKWYM
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On the PBS TV cooking show “America’s Test Kitchen” they frequently perform comparison tests of kitchen equipment categories of all types. When they tested coolers, the YETI won for performance, but they noted the exorbitant price.
But one of the reason, I think, that the YETI won was because it is actually created in a different fashion than cheaper models (roto-molding) but the cheaper brands have upped their game with better quality models that perform as well or better, now at a cheaper price.
Also, top end coolers are bear proof and lockable. If those features are meaningful, and you need a cooler that will last 4 or 5 days instead of 2 or 3, then the price might be worth it. So yeah, there are some people for which the features are worth the price. My brother just wants to own “the coolest thing” (no pun intended)
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Nice work there.
Does Yeti make a pen?
My igloos will lose the plug quick for some reason. I keep the broke off plug inside the cooler. I am pretty annoyed with that.
YETI is one of a number of comparable brands and due to branding is among the most expensive of those. It is a good cooler, but cheaper coolers are equally as good. Other cheaper coolers are not as good. It’s all brand, like Stanley cups.
I inherently distrust a product that touts that it’s designed to last for a lifetime but has a limited warranty. If you’re a premium-priced product touting your lifetime product, your warranty should match.
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So if I was in the market for a cooler, what would you recommend that’s higher quality than Igloo but cheaper than Yeti?
RTIC and Pelican seem to be good brands that might be 10-20% cheaper than YETI but from what I can tell are equivalent quality. ORCA is another comparable which might be cheaper, but I’m less certain about the price comparisons, might be just as pricey.
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Styrofoam box. Don’t have to store them.
I wouldn’t quite go with the styrofoam box, but…it is just a cooler. How often do you need one that will keep things cold for more than a couple of days where you could not conveniently buy a bag of ice?
Well, in my mind YETI-type coolers are ideal for people who might be driving to camp out in the middle of the mountains and need a cooler that keeps ice for several days and is bear-proof. Or at least they’re rated as taking 60+ minutes for a bear to break into.
If you’re just taking it to a picnic it’s a huge waste.
Right… and the insulation on something like that usually means a bigger cooler that holds less stuff. It’s one of those things where spending more doesn’t make it universally better.
I have a big cheapish cooler with wheels that holds ice for a couple of days. It works for a weekend camping trip and family road trips where we might have an overnight stay to break up a long drive. A pricey Yeti would likely be worse for either of those uses.