"extreme" or high end coolers

Same here, 99% of my Yeti products I got for free. Don’t think I have the stones to actually drop that amount of coin on one lol. The nice thing too, is once you own a Yeti everyone gets you accessories and swag for birthdays and Christmas

 

Check out FatBoy coolers, I replaced all my coolers with these and have been very happy with them.

 

I don't understand why anybody would pay the exorbitant cost of a Yeti? But if you do, or did, put a big "I STAND WITH THE NRA" on it.

 

I paid $90 for this Coleman 150 twenty years ago, and despite the fact it was $300 less than a Yeti, it still keeps ice as ice for a long while.

 

Just got this pelican 20qt off gander mountain website this week.10% off and free shipping paid about $116

 

Contrarywise, if you told me it would cost only $15 a year to have a yeti vs a Coleman, it would be an easy decision for me to buy a yeti.

 

Meaning... you would finance a cooler??

 

Lol, nope. Meaning that would be the difference in cost, per year, over the life of your cooler.

 

15 versus 4.50, still like Coleman math, that's an extra 6 pack or 4 pack of good beer.

 

If you paid $90 for a cooler in 1998 then you bought a high end cooler. With inflation you realistically only paid about $50-$100 less than a Yeti.

No, I won't pay $400 for a Yeti, but they are a significant improvement over a typical $35-$50 cooler. There are several very good options today that do the same thing. I have an Igloo that I paid about $200 for at a Sams Club that does exactly the same thing as a $400 Yeti of the same size. I have a smaller version from Walmart that is of similar construction.

I've used the typical $35-$50 coolers made by Igloo and Coleman in the past. Not only do the high end coolers keep ice longer, but the hinges and other hardware are much more rugged. They do last longer, a couple of years is pretty typical lifespan for the cheap ones for me. The downside is that the high end coolers are HEAVY.

And it isn't just about the ice. It is about the time and money used purchasing new ice. Four summers ago, before buying a high end cooler we camped most of the July 4th week. Altogether I used 200 lbs of ice that week. Not only did I have to pay for the ice, I had to get in the truck every day and drive 10 miles round trip to get it. I'd have cut my ice usage in half, and my trips to the store in half if I'd been using the coolers i now own.

 

I think I like the deep/slim design of these more than my Yeti 20qt. That thing is just big enough that it sucks to carry around. Does make a good permanent locked in the trick bed beer cooler though. A blue ice pack rotated out every 3 days is enough to keep beer cool permanently (I don’t do that, because I’m lazy and don’t drink beer every day, but I could).

 

Coleman 3000001526 150Qt Marine Cooler, White

Coleman 3000001526 150Qt Marine Cooler, White
by Coleman
$115.06$ 115 06 Prime
VS

$600 YETI Tundra 125 Cooler, White

YETI Tundra 125 Cooler White
$549.99$ 549 99
Inflation???
I think not.

 

If you're fine with a $100 150qt cooler, you're probably not using them like some of us are. This thread may not be for you.

 

I am definitely not using my cooler as you use yours, no question. I have no doubt they (Yeti) perform as advertised, just not something I need.

 

I bought all of my Yetis in the Philippines when I was on deployment. There is no way I would pay retail for one. Yes, they are nice and do hold ice a long time if you keep it closed, but honestly the reason most people buy them is because it's become a redneck status symbol. If you are buying a cooler to hold beer in, any Coleman or Igloo will perform almost the same because the lid gets opened and closed so much. If you are using it on a multi-day expedition and use it as perishable food storage, then they are worth it.

 

I mostly agree with this. My 20 qt yeti doesn’t hold enough beer to last long enough to matter, so what’s the point? But my 40 and 65 qt yetis have been everywhere - fishing the salt, hunting out of spike camp, up in the CO mountains on vacation - places where it makes a difference between having cold food and not having cold food, or between getting game home safely and wasting it. I get they’re not for everyone.

 

It seems that most miss the point of this thread, it always becomes an argument of Yeti versus a cheap cooler. There are other brands out there, and I’d like to see other’s experiences with them. If you need a cooler for beer, that’s not really the point. Even Yeti admits if you open the cooler all the time it’s pretty much useless. I’ll openly admit that had I forked out my own cash, I wouldn’t have probably gotten a Yeti 65 & roadie. But I got them for free from work. But now I’m looking at some other options and hope that maybe we’ll get some more useful information instead of a constant argument. Cheers

 

What's the general consensus on Yeti vs. RTIC? I've seen several comments on TW and other forums stating that they perform the same as the RTIC and are half the price. However, over Memorial Day weekend I discussed the topic with my aunt and uncle, she was adamant that their Yeti out-performed the RTIC for holding ice over a long weekend. I purchased an RTIC 65 during their sale for $180 and couldn't be happier!

 

I think RTIC coolers are probably very close in performance to Yeti. To me it comes down to whether or not you want to support a company that blantantly ripped off the designs of another and continues to do so. At least other competitors like Orca are taking cooler concepts and trying to do their own thing and improve. RTIC is just copying every product Yeti makes.