Yeti coolers - are they really worth it?

[Gilligan]

Pelican and another company are producing coolers that are every bit as good as Yetis but selling at much lower prices. Trick Trucks in Lex Park is selling one of those brands, though I can't recall the name offhand. Very nice pieces though..

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Problem with those is that they use little thermal heat pumps, and can only cool to..... I want to say 30* below ambient, maybe 40*. Little foggy on that. So if it's 90* out, the "cooler" will only be 50-60*.

I use to have a small one that I would travel with, I would put a frozen ice pack in it and the drinks on top of it. It did an excellent job even when the vehicle was not running over night (no 12V in my outlet when not running). I stopped using it when it decided to catch fire when I was on the interstate.

TO be fair it wasnt the fridge portion that caught fire but the 12V plug, it decided to have a meltdown and that plastic went up quick.

 

[PeoplesElbow]

Pelican and another company are producing coolers that are every bit as good as Yetis but selling at much lower prices. Trick Trucks in Lex Park is selling one of those brands, though I can't recall the name offhand. Very nice pieces though..

Hmm I thought the Pelicans were more than the Yetis.

BJ's has a nICE branded cooler that is pretty nice, except it only comes in this pansy pastel color.

 

[black dog]

I use to have a small one that I would travel with, I would put a frozen ice pack in it and the drinks on top of it. It did an excellent job even when the vehicle was not running over night (no 12V in my outlet when not running). I stopped using it when it decided to catch fire when I was on the interstate.

TO be fair it wasnt the fridge portion that caught fire but the 12V plug, it decided to have a meltdown and that plastic went up quick.

Glad you didn't have a can of gasoline in the car with you... Just sayin'

 

[LightRoasted]

If I may ...

Tell the truth! My Coleman said it would keep ice for 4 days - this is a lie. Maybe two days if it's filled completely with ice. If a Yeti cooler would make us happier, we'd spend the money. But I don't want to pay that fortune for something that's no better than what we have.

Just another wondrous "have-to-have" status item to separate good hard earned money from its owner. On average, most cooler usage is on weekends. Unless going deep into the back country, far from a bagged ice machine, for days on end, several time a year, not worth it. Or sailing down the intracoastal waterway then across the big pond for a months getaway. If outing for 3 or more days, get a smaller cooler, say 48 quart or smaller, dedicated to holding nothing but ice and fill to the max. Use that one to augment the main cooler. As said previously, ice is cheap. And eventually will melt, regardless if in a $700 cooler or a $45 cooler.

 

[nutz]

If I may ...



Just another wondrous "have-to-have" status item to separate good hard earned money from its owner. On average, most cooler usage is on weekends. Unless going deep into the back country, far from a bagged ice machine, for days on end, several time a year, not worth it. Or sailing down the intracoastal waterway then across the big pond for a months getaway. If outing for 3 or more days, get a smaller cooler, say 48 quart or smaller, dedicated to holding nothing but ice and fill to the max. Use that one to augment the main cooler. As said previously, ice is cheap. And eventually will melt, regardless if in a $700 cooler or a $45 cooler.

$0.10 - $0.30 per pound is not exactly cheap nor is it a "have-to-have" item. Ice is also a luxury item.

 

[vraiblonde]

Ice is also a luxury item.

Not for me. I'll do without a lot of things before I'll do without a cold drink.

The motorhome has a small fridge and tiny freezer, so a chest of ice is a must because we can't waste precious fridge space on beverages. Our cooler is a staple of our "kitchen". With that said, crunching the numbers I can't justify a Yeti.

 

[GURPS]

Why not just another multi fuel rv refrigerator if your going to do that.

I used one for yrs when I was primitive camping out of a 69 Baja Beetle .... I rigged up an extra battery, and idolator and a marine battery selector switch

the cooler had its own battery and could run all night

Problem with those is that they use little thermal heat pumps, and can only cool to..... I want to say 30* below ambient, maybe 40*. Little foggy on that. So if it's 90* out, the "cooler" will only be 50-60*.

yeah a peltier cooler in a heat sink that looks like it is for a Computer CPU

 

[nutz]

Not for me. I'll do without a lot of things before I'll do without a cold drink.

The motorhome has a small fridge and tiny freezer, so a chest of ice is a must because we can't waste precious fridge space on beverages. Our cooler is a staple of our "kitchen". With that said, crunching the numbers I can't justify a Yeti.

Give Outsunny a look. After doing the comps and math last spring, this brand topped my list. It has kept ice and beer cold for 5 days (longest trip I took last year).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Food-Rotom...hash=item44023b77b0:m:m4KKExI3KUh55srkIbXTDrg

 

[PeoplesElbow]

The light ring is kinda dumb, but the freeze packs that snap into the cooler are pretty cool.