Yeti - are they that good?

Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Or do they just have one helluva marketing and promotion division? I just got an email from West Marine with the subject "Yeti, Better-than-ever". I was at the Hospice center last night and even saw Yeti there for some of their cold storage.
Everyone seems to carry Yeti mugs, bags etc. Even Yeti shirts. Is it the cool thing now (no pun intended) or will if fade out if/when people decide it's just overpriced hype.
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I can't speak to the YETI brand, however, I bought a similar product from REI last spring.


Expensive, yes. An impulse buy, yes. Does it keep beer colder than a cheap neoprene cozy? Yes. Worth the money? Depends on how fast you drink a bottle of beer and how hot it is. :biggrin: Would I buy another? I dunno. (BTW, it only fits bottles, not 12 oz cans.)

Cheers, :beer:
 
Jun 29, 2010
1,287
Beneteau First 235 Lake Minnetonka, MN
Check out RTIC instead.

EDIT ADD: I know people who have RTIC coolers and have read side by side tests with Yeti. Basically, a Yeti is for the people who want to be seen with one. RTIC does just as good if not better in testing. I have yet to buy one for Seeker, but, I am planning on it. Know people that have owned both. They go RTIC but, if ya wanna spend a bunch of money anyway, have at it.
 

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,037
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
They have impressive cold capability in the hard sided coolers. I considered one for the O'Day 25 for our day trips, but then my wife won a Orca cooler so my problem was instantly solved. The Orca is impressive and has maintained ice for 2 days and cool enough water for drinks for 3 days.

The bad to me are:
Heavy and awkward to carry
Not as much capacity since the insulation takes up a lot of space.
 
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Bob S

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Sep 27, 2007
1,771
Beneteau 393 New Bedford, MA
My daughter two grandsons and son-in-law spent 3 days with us this past summer. They brought their 35QT Yeti and I was quite impressed with it. It held ice and kept everything inside cold for the whole time. I looked into one but they are very expensive so I passed. Then, shopping at a local BJ's Wholesale Club, I saw this and it was 89.00 bucks.
nICE 38-Qt. Cooler - Beige - BJs WholeSale Club
I bought it and have had it through September. It will hold ice for three days but the temps in Sept. are a bit cooler. There are a bunch of Yeti knock offs and there is plenty of YouTube videos comparing them. It's nice keeping our beer and wine in it not having to go below when entertaining.
 
Sep 24, 2018
2,549
O'Day 25 Chicago
I've overheard other boaters raving about them. I also know a couple traveling down the Mississippi right now that has one on their O'Day 25. They're quite happy with it as their only means of refrigeration. I did see a knockoff brand at Walmart recently.
 

Sailm8

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Feb 21, 2008
1,746
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
We have two Yeti old fashion size tumblers. They will hold ice for 3 nice glasses of scotch. We have the large tumblers from Sam's Club, knock offs, that work great too. For what the yeti cooler costs I would move up to an Engel 12v cooler/freezer.
 
Mar 20, 2011
623
Hunter 31_83-87 New Orleans
ARtic is similar to yeti for less price. Shop around and u can find deals or seasonal specials. I found mine on sale at a local Buckees in December. Weight is a problem. The larger ones are heavy. I’ve had ice and frozen foods stay cold for 5 days while out.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,724
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
They. make good products, AND they have a hell of a marketing team,
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
When they first come out they were ahead of the competition in performance. Right now there other manufacturers producing competitive quality products for half the price. Your money your choice.
 
Sep 30, 2016
339
Island Packet IP 44 Ventura, CA
Their products do the job well, but other competitors do it just as well for a lot less.

I just about lost it when I saw them selling plastic 5 gal buckets- just like regular 5 gal buckets at Lowes hardware-for $25!!!! For a $2.99 bucket. There was no difference in the two. Except the grey color with a huge YETI logo. Incredible marketing.
 
Jan 19, 2010
12,362
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
I've overheard other boaters raving about them. I also know a couple traveling down the Mississippi right now that has one on their O'Day 25. They're quite happy with it as their only means of refrigeration. I did see a knockoff brand at Walmart recently.
My son has one of those and he is very happy with it.
 
Nov 23, 2011
2,023
MacGregor 26D London Ontario Canada
I have a 20L Roto Molded Yeti cooler. It works but it's not anything super fabulous. One 4L frozen jug of water. Still has ice floating in it for up to 7 days. BUT: I can keep ice for 5 days easily in my 30L Coleman. It's pimped out.
There is a trick (Or many) to keep ice that long in your Roto Molded cooler.
Pre-chill the cooler. I dump our ice maker bucket into the cooler the day before. This alone will give you about an extra day of ice! Think in sections. Frozen and cold.
Plan on what you are going to eat and when. (I take steak for 7 days.)
They are not still frozen after day 4.* But I've still got ice in the jug.
Package things together. IE: I put 3 steaks in Zip bags loose in the cooler. The rest I package in together. *That package stays froze in the middle up to day 4 when I bust it open. Then things slowly thaw like in a fridge.
Yoga! Yoga mat or some other foam barrier makes a huge difference. I put the mat over the frozen section and have the cold section on top. Fruit and fresh veg.
I take things from the frozen section and put them in the cold section the day before I need them.
Don't look for things in the cooler! Know where you put things. The longer the time that the cooler is open the shorter the life of the ice. (Yoga mat as cold barrier...)
Keep it out of the sun.

There is YouTube channel called Coolers on Sale. They do a bunch of testing of all kinds of coolers in the Florida sun.
Check it out.
Marty
 

WayneH

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Jan 22, 2008
1,039
Tartan 37 287 Pensacola, FL
West of Katy, TX there is a billboard facing the eastbound lanes that shows a Yeti carrying a cooler. The sign says 9 out of 10 Yetis prefer Igloo coolers. Yes, the billboard is at Igloo Road across the freeway from the Igloo factory.
 
Oct 2, 2008
3,807
Pearson/ 530 Strafford, NH
We bought a 12 volt cooler for our first boat and have used it traveling by car also. Several of our friends have borrowed it and were happy with the performance. It keeps the contents 30 degrees or so cooler than the air around it. Since there is no need for ice the contents stay dry (hate a soggy sandwich on the road). Maybe we should store it aboard so we can use it during our winter trip south.
 
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