Alternatives to Yeti products

I looked at the lifetime ones. One bad thing about the lifetime is that when it's tilted upside down, it leaks water from the vids I've seen. Which in return means it isn't air tight and is going to melt ice quicker. It's also isn't the standard "High Performance" molds that the new extreme coolers use. I think you would've been happier with the Ozark for that.





On the side note, I can get a crazy discount off of Engle Coolers, may have to try one out.

 

I'm not spending more than $100 on one of these things. I have a smaller Ozark and I'm not particularly impressed with their quality.
The leaking issue with the lifetime units from what I read said it is because the gasket isn't seated correctly. They have a video up on YouTube showing how to install it correctly.

edit: because auto correct on my phone SUCKS!!

 

I feel ya on that one $300 for a cooler is dumb. The smaller Ozark is supposed to just be ok compared to the bigger say 45 court one. At a little over $100 for the 45, I think i'll give it a shot here in the future. I guess it performs better since it will hold a little more ice from what I've seen.. I've beaten my smaller Ozark to death and it's held up great. Even rolled over it climbing a hill in the Rzr.

 

Maluna 50qt -$299 ($95 off on current white color inventory)
-31 pounds empty
-52 qt actual capacity

Also comes in 40, 70, 110, and soon 22.

http://maluna.com/product/unhinged50/

I've had mine for almost a year and a half now, and it is awesome. Check out the thermal tests vs Yeti.

Mine came with a thermometer drain plug, dry goods basket. I bought a second dry goods basket and 2 cutting boards. They work as dividers inside the cooler, and are awesome to keep meats separate from drinks, etc. Plus I don't need to waste space in my kitchen box for cutting boards.

 

Looks at the build quality on the Ozarks vs my Maluna for example. There's a reason it doesn't work nearly as well. Mine has kept ice for more than a week when I forgot it was full of drinks and ice in a 90* garage.

 

So you mean you get what you pay for?

 

Ozark test:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-roto-molded-coolers-real-world-test.433570/
@dan0mite

 

https://www.orcacoolers.com/

 

Ha, I watched a test of a bunch of coolers and the igloo $40 cooler kept ice 1 day less than the $330 yeti, but the igloo was still cold, just cold water. I don't buy coolers to match flat brimmed hats and Oakley sunglasses. I spent a little more on the Lifetime just to give it a try and see what it was like. I have a Yeti tumbler that was free and it's no better than the Ozark Trail or RTIC tumbler.
Hell, my go to cooler is still a $10 walmart igloo. About the only thing the higher dollar coolers get you is that you can sit on them and not crush them.

 

I have the 26 qt and 52 qt OT coolers. I fill the 52 qt once a week with ice. I filled it last Friday 4/20, and I still have two big chunks of ice in it (maybe 8 qts worth of ice) I used it heavily last weekend and its just been sitting on my deck ever since. They are tough to beat for the price, but I've never had anything different to compare them to.

 

I have the Orion 45. Love it. Looks great and performs well. Had about a year now. The cam locks hold up great and I've had no complaints overall other than the weight when full, but that's any of them and why I didn't go bigger. Got it with a TW group buy of something like 25% off at the time.

 

Well if I would've bought a $30-$40 one, I would've been buying another $30-$40 one after running over it with the Rzr after it fell out. So my $90 cooler has paid for itself right now over buying another one is how I look at it. $300 one? No thanks

 

I'm in the same boat, I think mine's a 52qt and we used it plenty last summer and I thought it did awesome.

I haven't needed it for anything longer than a 3-4 day outing, but its usually got a good chunk of ice in it after 3 days.

 

Works great for my fishing/hunting/camping outings so I'm certainly not complaining!

Edit: Also found out the other day that OT makes wheel kits for them... at $39.99 I'm planning on looking at one closely and hitting harbor fright.

 

Good point. A set of fat tired casters would be quite useful.

 

There are carts designed specifically for the Yeti's and they go for $160+, blows my mind.

Badger Wheels - Single Axle for Yeti Tundra 35-160

https://www.amazon.com/Badger-Wheels-Single-Tundra-35-160/dp/B00O7ADTES

 

I would never presume to make such a bold statement.

 

My $150 RTIC 45 showed up today. On the initial look over it is bigger internally than the Yeti 45 we have. I’ll try to do a test tomorrow using an equal amount of ice in each chest leave closed for 5 days or so and drain the melt water. Then measure the amount of remaining ice. I also have a IR laser temp gun I’ll use to look for any thinner spots of insulation.

 

I like my Vibe cooler.
https://vibekayaks.com/collections/coolers

 

Yeti has only been around since 2006, they are relatively new to the industry. And granted, they have a extremely good marketing dept., I think you can do better. I have always used Coleman and Igloo products with a proven track record for years and would not trade any of them for "the new kid on the block" product.