The Yeti phenomenon...

[Soldier's*Sweeties]

We camp alot and I have thought about getting one but just can't pull the trigger because of the price. I was looking at the RTIC brand cooler as an alternative.
I love the idea that the ice will keep in the cooler for days, and that my food won't end up sitting in inches of ice cold water when the ice melts.

That's why we've been looking at them too, for camping trips.

 

[ksjayhawks]

We have Magellan coolers and really like them.

I have contigo and stanley brand continers for my coffee/cold drinks. They work as good as the yeti and cost a lot less!

 

[Cadiewampus]

Here's my problem with the Yeti cooler. I have the roadie 20 model. You can not get squat in them. They make the walls so thick it cuts down on actual usable space. On top of that I am not impressed with the length of time they keep ice. Mine I pretty much have to add ice probably after a day and a half. The other one I have I got at Walmart a number of years ago. Its a Gott ( I think, it maybe igloo) Artic cooler. It will keep ice for about 3 days. I am cheap so I know I paid less than $100.00 for it.

 

[brooke789]

I've looked at the bags at the store b/c we buy the bulk of our groceries out of town (45ish minutes from home). It would be useful for storing our cold/frozen items in until we get home but the bag is so so stiff IDK how you get anything into it.

 

[pryncess527]

I do not own one of these coolers, have no personal use to keep ice cold for days (barring emergency prep), and can't really help.

But Phenomenon is totally the right word. I have started seeing Yeti bumper stickers on cars. Cars that otherwise have little to no decoration. I can't fathom being so excited about a cooler I put its logo as a sticker on my car.

 

[cvjw]

We have the Yeti 35 and my Dad has the Yeti 65. They are fantastic coolers - they keep stuff cold for days.

My problem with the 35 is that it is very bulky to try and carry anywhere and it hardly has any space inside for items to be cooled. You need 2 people to carry it to the beach and it doesn't hold much inside.

If I were to buy another one, we would get the Hopper 30. Easier to transport - just more versatile.

Our whole family drinks out of the Yeti tumblers and water bottles. We swear by them

 

[10MoreMinutes]

My parents have one and they LOVE it. We live in south GA and spend a lot of time in their pool in the summer, so they set it up on the back patio full of drinks. They add ice once every three or four days. It seems to keep ice frozen pretty well in the shade of the patio, but it was no match for the heat of the trunk of my car last weekend...I had food to bring to a bridal shower four hours from my house and the ice was already half melted by the time I got there. My parents probably couldn't recommend it highly enough...but for me, I just can't justify spending that much money on a cooler.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you don't want to pay the really high-end prices for brands like Yeti or Orca, your best bet is to stick to the more common brands' "marine" products. Those are designed for fishing, and generally give you the best bang for the buck. (The Igloo Glide Marine Ultra with the pull-out handle is excellent (this is the most common one I see in people's hurricane kits; it runs about $175 for the 110 size. The lever handle makes it much easier to move.)

Note that performance in a cooler ("ice chest" where I come from) is always directly related to how it has been packed. If there is no seal and latch mechanism on the lid, you really MUST add a solid insulating layer such as a towel or a bundle of newspaper below the lid to keep outside air incursion to a minimum. Air is your enemy in a cooler; you want to use crushed ice, not cubed, so that there is no air between the cubes, and it should be filled completely. Again, an insulating layer inside under the lid makes a big difference if the cooler is no longer filled completely to the top.

The first time I encountered Yeti products was on a visit to Charleston, SC. I wandered into a location of Palmetto Moon, and was amused to see these high-end hunting chests in a store that is mostly devoted to collegiate logo items. I guess that stylish Carolinas' tailgating requires serious equipment.

 

[JaxDad]

If you don't want to pay the really high-end prices for brands like Yeti or Orca, your best bet is to stick to the more common brands' "marine" products. Those are designed for fishing, and generally give you the best bang for the buck. (The Igloo Glide Marine Ultra with the pull-out handle is excellent (this is the most common one I see in people's hurricane kits; it runs about $175 for the 110 size. The lever handle makes it much easier to move.)

I have had a white Igloo "marine" cooler for many, many years (definitely more than ten). I recently used it for a day trip to the Ichetucknee River. It sat outside or in my hot, black van all day. I got home late and put it in my hot garage all the next day. When I finally emptied it that next evening, it still had lots of ice. I'm sure the Yetis are very good, and they may be worth it for long trips or for natural disaster recovery situations, but I have been very happy with the performance of my old Igloo.

 

[mom2rb]

My dad and brothers are big hunters and fishers, as are their friends. They all love Yeti and Rtic coolers. They also told me that there is no way that I need one, too expensive for what I would use it for.

 

[Domo]

Since this is a Disney board, I thought maybe this was the subject:

Funny thing, I thought that too!

 

[nene0182]

It really is a phenomenon and people are obsessed. I powder coat stainless steel tumblers. I offer Yeti, RTIC and Ozark Trail and sell 3x more Yeti brand ones then the others, eventhough I can assure that they are function the same at least when it comes to the tumblers. I've seen tears that the coolers are the same. I suppose it's like anything else and people are willing to pay for the name.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Do some googling as there are numerous brands making these now - all comparable in performance, most of them cheaper than Yeti (I did find some MUCH MORE expensive than Yeti, believe it or not).

Ozark Trail is now making soft & hard side Yeti knockoff coolers, in addition to the $10 cups. And I also think Pelican coolers are better than Yeti.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

As far as travel mugs go, I bought my dh the Yeti version earlier this month for his birthday. I have the thermos brand unspillable one. We did a test. My thermos brand works WAY better. For anyone that likes their hot beverages to stay hot all day or their cold beverages to stay cold all day, I highly recommend the thermos travel mug. Seriously. The first time I used it for coffee, I primed it (as per the directions) by first pouring in hot water and letting it sit for a minute, dumping it out, and then adding my coffee. I took a sip about an hour later and nearly burned my lips off. That coffee stayed BOILING hot for about 6 hours. I've learned that there's no need to prime the mug anymore. But my hot drinks stay hot for at least 6-8 hours. And the cold stuff? My kids and I tested it out. I put water with ice in the cup before work - so about 9:00 a.m. At 7:30 the next morning, there was still ice in that water. No kidding! I seriously love this mug!'

You can get it at Target, WalMart, Kohls, etc..

http://www.thermos.com/products/vacuum-insulated-black-trim-travel-tumbler.aspx

 

[bcla]

If you don't want to pay the really high-end prices for brands like Yeti or Orca, your best bet is to stick to the more common brands' "marine" products. Those are designed for fishing, and generally give you the best bang for the buck. (The Igloo Glide Marine Ultra with the pull-out handle is excellent (this is the most common one I see in people's hurricane kits; it runs about $175 for the 110 size. The lever handle makes it much easier to move.)

Note that performance in a cooler ("ice chest" where I come from) is always directly related to how it has been packed. If there is no seal and latch mechanism on the lid, you really MUST add a solid insulating layer such as a towel or a bundle of newspaper below the lid to keep outside air incursion to a minimum. Air is your enemy in a cooler; you want to use crushed ice, not cubed, so that there is no air between the cubes, and it should be filled completely. Again, an insulating layer inside under the lid makes a big difference if the cooler is no longer filled completely to the top.

The first time I encountered Yeti products was on a visit to Charleston, SC. I wandered into a location of Palmetto Moon, and was amused to see these high-end hunting chests in a store that is mostly devoted to collegiate logo items. I guess that stylish Carolinas' tailgating requires serious equipment.

A lot of "marine" coolers are made in white and with extra UV protection added to the plastic because they might be outside on the deck of a boat all day. They're not necessarily better sealed. I have a 28 Igloo quart roller, and there's a marine version that costs more and is functionally identical.

Now the cooler that was the tried and true standard was the steel ones from Coleman. Those were sealed with a latch with a locking cam. Once latched, it was airtight. They had a full rubber seal like a refrigerator's. My parents still have one somewhere, back when they were still made in the US.

Coleman has brought them back, but there are some criticisms that they're not as good as the original ones.

 

[Miskey]

A lot of "marine" coolers are made in white and with extra UV protection added to the plastic because they might be outside on the deck of a boat all day. They're not necessarily better sealed. I have a 28 Igloo quart roller, and there's a marine version that costs more and is functionally identical.

Now the cooler that was the tried and true standard was the steel ones from Coleman. Those were sealed with a latch with a locking cam. Once latched, it was airtight. They had a full rubber seal like a refrigerator's. My parents still have one somewhere, back when they were still made in the US.

Coleman has brought them back, but there are some criticisms that they're not as good as the original ones.

I have that exact cooler. We found it in my husband's grandparent's attic after they passed, still in the original box. Works great!!

 

[Ephany]

We bought a new car this summer and they made such a big deal of the fact you got ONE free Yeti cup with the car purchase. DH jokingly asked for 2 and he said the dealership people were appalled he even asked. It was one cup per car thank you very much. It's actually engraved with the dealership's logo so apparently it's super special.

 

[NotUrsula]

The old Coleman's were quite good; there is a huge cottage industry among collectors who restore them. (My dad once built his own steel version and mounted it amidships in his fishing boat; right in front of the engine cowling. The darn thing still kept cold. You can't beat welded steel with airtight insulation between the layers.)

I should have said that a quality marine cooler will have an airtight seal; they are supposed to be capable of floating in moderate swells without coming open. The white does help if you are going for cold over warm -- it's not an accident that all of the very high-end brands use white.

 

[BigAlsGal]

A lot of "marine" coolers are made in white and with extra UV protection added to the plastic because they might be outside on the deck of a boat all day. They're not necessarily better sealed. I have a 28 Igloo quart roller, and there's a marine version that costs more and is functionally identical.

Now the cooler that was the tried and true standard was the steel ones from Coleman. Those were sealed with a latch with a locking cam. Once latched, it was airtight. They had a full rubber seal like a refrigerator's. My parents still have one somewhere, back when they were still made in the US.

Coleman has brought them back, but there are some criticisms that they're not as good as the original ones.

That is super cool! Love the old school look!

 

[Hikergirl]

We, and everyone we knew had that Coleman cooler when I was a kid. I might see if my dad still has it.