YETI COOLERS?

foxtrapper1972

foxtrapper1972

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Joined
Feb 16, 2012
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Who the hell needs a $300.00 cooler? I can buy a lot of ice for that price. Those things weigh a ton. I don't get it. My Coleman (made in USA) cooler holds ice just fine and cost less than fifty bucks.
And why are flyfishing dudes wearing YETI hats? Whats it got to do with fishing? Oh yeah....promoting expensive gear....Now I get it.
 
Lifestyle.... Use the Yeti cooler to keep your PBRs warm. Make sure you're wearing a trucker hat when you fish. Might help to have a dog along too.

My wife came home from a business trip last week with a Yeti travel mug. I claimed it and now own something with Yeti on it. I'm going to look so cool sipping beverages out of it, especially when people see IBM Business Partner etched in the side. lol
 
Most of us don't need a high end cooler. But if you were hauling food that needed to be kept cool and ice was at a premium it might be worth the price. Especially for outfitters who do that a lot. They are very popular in real bush country such as Alaska, northern Canada, or out west.
 
A buddy of mine and my neighbor are big Yeti guys. Both have boats in NJ and are big salt guys. Yeti's even bigger amongst salt guys than it is FFers.

FWIW, I've been on fishing trips with them and their Yeti's wayyyy outperform my old hand me down Coleman. In warm weather I have to top off with ice daily...they're every 2 or 3 days. Whether its worth the extra $500 bucks is up to the buyer I guess. They're good coolers, but you gotta use em' a lot to recoup back $500 worth of ice IMO. Convenient if you don't have a close place to buy ice when on a trip though.

And yes, they both have the hats and stickers on their trucks.
 
Swattie87 wrote:
A buddy of mine and my neighbor are big Yeti guys. Both have boats in NJ and are big salt guys. Yeti's even bigger amongst salt guys than it is FFers.

FWIW, I've been on fishing trips with them and their Yeti's wayyyy outperform my old hand me down Coleman. In warm weather I have to top off with ice daily...they're every 2 or 3 days. Whether its worth the extra $500 bucks is up to the buyer I guess. They're good coolers, but you gotta use em' a lot to recoup back $500 worth of ice IMO. Convenient if you don't have a close place to buy ice when on a trip though.

And yes, they both have the hats and stickers on their trucks.
Click to expand...

Agree. Salt guides really love 'em.

It seems to me that I read a report in some magazine recently where they did a "test drive" sort of study of high end coolers and Yeti did very well, but wasn't the overall winner. To me, spending the sort of money on a cooler that I could build 3 or 4 fly rods with for the same cost, is nuts. Nevertheless, I can see how a serious boater or camper might want something so efficient.

I'm going to pull this thread over to Gear Talk shortly.
DW
 
First place I had seen them was at an outfitters camp in Bob Marshal WA. Ice had to be hauled in 30 miles on horseback. So over the course of a summer fishing season and fall hunting season I'm sure it paid for itself very quickly.
 
I found cooler ratings here.

The price range for all the top rated coolers is $250 - $450. Yeti is in the middle of the pack in price.

Most consumers of these type of coolers are serious campers that spend time in secluded areas as well as guides and outfitters that camp for a living.
 
I have Gott 50 and 60 qt. coolers and a Rubbermaid 80 qt. cooler that have served me well on canoe trips. I'm only on the river for three days but they have worked well for a lot less money.

I bought them back in the '80's. I don't even know if Gott still manufactures coolers.

If I have to really keep something cold(like beer) for an extended period of time, I cool the cooler over night with a bag of ice. The beer is already cold when it goes in the cooler followed by the ice, and then newspaper on top of the ice. I don't open that cooler until I've used up everything in the other coolers. That method works good enough.

I am sure that Yeti makes a good cooler but they are expensive. I haven't measured the Yeti's to see which ones would fit in my canoes.

I obviously don't take all three coolers at once on a canoe trip. Otherwise, I couldn't fit my waterproof bags in my canoe. One of the coolers is in a friends canoe.

I don't want to risk getting a DUI in my canoe, so what I have now for cooler is good enough.
 
I can get by with my Igloos and lots of ice. Even here in Florida at the height of summer we fish and store the catch in a 100 and bait in a 45. Just have frozen milk jugs and lots of loose ice to chill fish. My boat has a built in cooler in the console for lunch and drinks. Again no problem if I use the milk jugs and loose ice . One trick is not to drain the cooler. FWIW. GG
 
Why even rant about it? People can spend their money how they see fit. Fwiw, I have two yeti tumblers (with the clear lids) and they are magic with keeping drinks cold. They are lackluster with keeping drinks hot though.
 
SteveG wrote:
Why even rant about it? People can spend their money how they see fit. Fwiw, I have two yeti tumblers (with the clear lids) and they are magic with keeping drinks cold. They are lackluster with keeping drinks hot though.
Click to expand...

I rather enjoy rants and am offended when people discourage others from doing so :)
 
I never got the Yeti cooler thing... then I talked myself into buying a 60 quart to replace an old Igloo I had.
It keeps ice for 4 days in 95* weather in the bed of my truck. I use it for PSU tailgates, weeklong deer camp (no electric or water), harvest season, saltwater fishing, etc.

No I don't have the hat or any stickers.



 
I am totally indifferent on them and hope that my position doesn't offend anyone...yet offends everyone.
 
krayfish2 wrote:
I am totally indifferent on them and hope that my position doesn't offend anyone...yet offends everyone.
Click to expand...

No offense taken, except where intended.
 
It's one of those products where, if I had disposable income, I'd totally get one. I am impressed with the product's black magic voodoo powers, for sure. There are a lot of stupid gimmicks on the market ($50 nippers), but a cooler that can keep ice for 4 days in 95 degree weather? That actually seems useful.
 
krayfish2 wrote:
I am totally indifferent on them and hope that my position doesn't offend anyone...yet offends everyone.
Click to expand...

I am offended that your indifferent, looks like you won this round.
 
This thread feels like it's going the way of Chappelle's "playa haters ball" .
 
I love the idea of being able to keep things hot or cold for a really long time. I hate the idea of paying a ton of money for anything because Im a cheap ***.

On that note, Id recommend looking at Rtic brand coolers. They are "knockoff" Yeti's. I have an Rtic Softpak 40 which I love. It less than half the price of the comparable Yeti cooler. https://www.rticcoolers.com/shop/coolers/softpak/RTIC-SoftPak-40-Grey

I use it for camping and itll hold ice all weekend. The last camping trip, it kept tubs of chili frozen for 3 days no issue.

I also own a 20oz and 30oz tumbler. They keep my coffee hot all day and my ice tea cold all day. They have have the can coozies too and they do the job as well. You can find the 30oz tumblers on Amazon for under 15$ https://www.rticcoolers.com/shop/coolers/softpak/RTIC-SoftPak-40-Grey

Unfortunately, they dont sell trucker hads, but I think my Patagonia trucker hat is pretty cool
 
Another Yeti alternative is the Igloo Sportsman. I've owned one for about a year and think it is well worth the money. $200 Sams Club for 55Qt. Great comparison article on Field and Stream.

I like the looks of the RTIC's also. Nice to see some Yeti alternatives that cost half.
 
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