Yeti type coolers

Steve has a BIG yeti....i think at least a Tundra 250. When we go on long our long upland hunts, we're gone for ten days or so and we've never once had to add ice to that cooler. GREAT at keeping things cold. I'd love a yeti of my own. I've never used one down here in the heat of summer so don't know how long it'll keep ice but i've heard that as long as the cooler is cold to start with, it'll hold ice down here for a couple days. Never seen it so don't know.

One of the fishing stores in Jacksonville that sells Yeti and Engel says they don't notice a big difference between the two other than price.
 
I have an ORCA (Yeti knock-off, made in TN) that I really like. The only true con for me is weight. Like Dani said, once they are cold they stay cold. For trips when things need to stay frozen for extended periods (3+ days) plan on sacrificing a 7lb bag of ice to "prep" the cooler. I've made it a week on the second 7lb bag and my meat was still frozen solid.

It's like anyting else...

Could I live life without it? YES!
Am I glad I bought it? YES!
 
Cons: Expensive & heavy
Pros: keep stuff cold forever. Tough.
The question you have to ask is are you going to be off the grid for the length of time that justifies spending that much money on a cooler? If you plan to be off the grid for 4,5, 10 days. yes.
If going fishing for the day, then no.
I personally will stick with my $30-$50 Coleman or Igloo.
 
To me its like waders......the cost part.....I can buy a pair of high end breathable waders that have a lifetime guarantee that cost several times more up front than the cheaper ones and never spend another penny on waders......by the time a half dozen years are gone the once a year purchase of the cheap ones equals the one time price of the cheap ones...
Coolers are the same to me.....buy something more expensive that will not only actually keep my stuff cold past the first couple of hours and that will last or continue to throw good money after bad for the poorly insulated cheaply made Walmart, Sam's Club coolers.....I can't count the number of Igloo/Coleman crap that I've thrown away, or am currently using for dry storage or junk drawers because the cheap lid strap broke and let the lid fall back which broke the hinges....or the ones with no handles....or locks...or drain caps.....or that have split vinyl outer....
Buy a premium cooler once....or the other stuff several times over.....in the end you'll find you're paying less for the premium....not to mention you'll save money on ice....
Can't help you on the wt issue....work out....get a strong partner....carry less stuff....


Steve
 
I saw a review of high end coolers. They also tested the Coleman Extreme as a low cost alternative. The Coleman did pretty good, better than standard coolers for maybe 1/5th the price. I'm waiting to find one marked down at the end of the season. I don't use coolers near as often as I used to.

The Yeti types got the best rating for the most extreme conditions and longest times.

Tom
 
Now this is a cooler.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ryangrepper/coolest-cooler-21st-century-cooler-thats-actually

Only thing I can add about a yeti is that you have to make sure its locked down in the bed of your truck... or it will come up missing... that's just to much effort for me to put into a cooler... :)
 
They are great coolers, almost bullet proof on construction. Like any cooler to work correctly you have to throw some ice in them a day before you are going to start using them to start cooling down the core. Some cons, they are expensive and heavy. Have had a smaller one for three years now and use it fishing, hunting and camping. I also have a Marine grade Igloo cooler. When it comes to both cooling capacities they are the same. I get roughly 5 days of cooling the in the Texas heat. The igloo capacity is twice as much as the Yeti for a 1/3 the cost. One condition I have had to replace hinges on the Igloo last year because they broke ($3.95). Cost wise I paid near $300 for the yet and only $89 for the Igloo. If you are rough on coolers they are worth it but the price tag does limit you on the purchase. The Yeti will last a lifetime but I still have not had the guts to spend $500 on a Yeti the same size as my Marine Igloo.

Regards,
Kristan
 
Saw the post on coolers and remembered a YouTube film I saw. Check out Boss Of The Swamp on YT. He has a post about ramping up your regular cooler with foil insulation and saltwater freezer bottles.

This guy is a pretty crafty individual. You'll enjoy all of his films!

Art
 
For me the big difference is how it's being used. On my boat the cooler is a multi-purpose piece of gear. Cooler, seat, cutting board, dry box, bait well, casting platform... I got 10 years out of a marine Igloo and it still works as a cooler but its ROUGH after all the abuse. My Yeti has been in use for two years and shows virtually no wear other than a few surface scratches.
When using it as a piece of gear such as making a semi-permanent spot on the boat for it, I'll go with the Yeti. if I just need a cooler to bring meat home in then an Igloo or kill bag is the way to go.


Gene
 
I was recently given one of the smaller yeti's as a gift and it is solid. All of my other coolers are broken. It definatly keeps thigs colder longer. My dad has a large Pelican cooler but man that thing weighs a ton, nobody was moving that on there own. We recently had a lengthy discussion on these super coolers on a 5 day camping trip. The consensus was If you are hard on your gear and it is going to be abused or going where you cannot resuppley ice for 4 or 5 days and do this more than once a year-Good. For day trips and typical usage for most people they are overkill and do not justify the cost-Bad. Just like any tool you have to look at your needs and whether it is the right tool for the what you do. I personnaly would not have purchased a yeti because for what I typically do it it just isn't worth it, but I gladly accepted it as a gift! As a test it did keep my ciders cold for 4 days in 90+ degree temps probibly longer but they somehow kept disappearing and the test had to come to an end...
 
BTW, I have two Igloo coolers that I bought in 1997, a 120 marine and 48 quart sportsman, the ones with real hinges, both are still being used.
One summer, I put 50 pounds of fresh shrimp, along with ice to fill it, in the marine, taped it shut and drove from Mobile, AL to Scranton, PA. More than 48 hours later, when i opened it hardly any of the ice had melted.
 
The guy that does my pattern work for non boat related projects makes all of the patterns for Yeti coolers. I never new anything about them until I was at his shop while he was making a new pattern for them.

Tom.
 
I am fortunate to be one of Yeti's original field staffers so I am a little bias towards their "cube type" design.

I also own an Orca, Brute and Grizzly super coolers, (1) one which I won at a fishing tourney and the others were given to me for T&E.

I've also have (2) two other brands that were also provided for T&E which I prefer not to name.

First off, you get what u pay for. Quality is quality just like a gun, boat, waders or in this case a cooler.

My Yeti's all are multifunctional pieces of equipment on all my boats.

Casting Deck
Seats
Dry Storage
Cooler

Let me step back though.

I just spent (4) four days at the international ICAST convention in Orlando, which is where the fishing/boating vendors premier new products and make there orders for the following year.

There was approximately (8) eight "Super Coolers" as I call them at this years event and as far as keeping things cold, I would say due to construction, all are equal.

All are roto-molded and filled with basically the same foam material and testing which has been done by several independent org's show most keep ICE longer and around the same length of time.

All that's left is functionality and fit and here is where many differ.

I have found over the years with any product that the K.I.S.S. method works best for me, so as far as coolers having molded, extended handles and multi-hinged locks are a pain in the ass. So I would stay away from those brands.

Oh, let's not forget color!!!

Even though we all would prefer a brown or green color for our duck boat coolers, just remember that these colors run hotter and due not keep ice as long.

Thermal imaging studies on the coolers showed that the brown coolers run between (15) fifteen and (17) seventeen degrees warmer than the white and light blues. So if you spend a lot of time during the summer camping or fishing, you may wish to stick with the white or blue.

Back to functions, I will say I was very impressed with Grizzlys new cube cooler with the integrated cutting board and Arctic Ice packs, so much so that I will be T&E'ing one her shortly. I'm already of fan of the Arctic Ice packs and have been using then for about a year now. We'll worth the money!!!

Another item that I place on all my coolers is the SeaDek no slip EVA foam pads. They are not as soft as a cushion but as far as functionality, they can't be beat.

As far as prepping the cooler, a bag of ice the night before does work best but bringing the cooler into the air conditioned house the night before also works and costs nothing.

Now that I'm guiding full time, I've been spending the summer in the Keys/Flamingo/Everglades and my all my super coolers if properly prepped will keep ice for (3) three days.

Finally, for those looking for a soft sided cooler, Yeti premiered there's at ICAST and it is literally bullet proof, as in a .22 cal is only able to penetrate the first layer and doesn't even make it past the foam.

You've already gotten some great advice, I hope this helps!!!
 
I have one of the original Icey Tek coolers. It is basically bomb proof and keeps ice for days on end.

They are worth the investment
 
Icey Tec is releasing a whole new line of coolers.

Just saw last week they wereliquidating the last of their older cubes.
 
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