Are Yeti or similar “high end” cooler brands worth the money?

[cantdrv55]

My cousin bought an Orca cooler. It seems to be a Yeti knockoff from the price down to the lid rubber straps. She swears by it even though it’s over 5x what I paid for my Igloo that’s larger. Both of our ice chests kept ice melting from too fast but it was a cool day at the coast so not a good test. I’m not opposed to spending more for a quality product so I’d like to know what you all think of Yeti and the like. I know I can go to YouTube for reviews. I just can’t tell who’s being compensated by Yeti there.

[berettafan]

If you intend to use it as a seat/step or need it to slide around less in a truck or boat then Rtic is a decent value.

[Seahawk]

My kids swear by them...perhaps because they ponied up the coin and really use them a lot.

My needs are a lot more simple.

[legion]

If you need to keep a deer fresh while you are out in the field for six days before you can butcher it, I could see a Yeti (or similar) being useful.

If you need to keep some beer cold for six hours, it is massive overkill.

If you need to stroke your ego and appear cool while keeping some beer cold for six hours, this product was designed for you.

Yeti is a "lifestyle brand". That means that the function of its products are secondary to how they make you feel about yourself.

[1990C4S]

I had a pretty expensive Swell water bottle that 'disappeared' from my office.

I spent $1.50 on a replacement at Goodwill and I seriously can't tell the difference.

I don't think a cooler would be any different. Maybe if you use it extensively....

[vash]

i'm on the fence.

i have lost count on how many times i have changed out the hinges or latch on my Igloo. for the record, they always break right before a trip.

now having said that, i once went elk hunting with my Brother, and Lowryder933. my brother had a Grizzly, and a Engel. Lowryder933 had a Yeti. i brought my Igloo. all the ice chest kept ice as ice exactly the same duration. my igloo actually kept it the longest because i cheated. i chilled the box with sacrificial bags of ice, and i got all the contents cold or frozen. i came in with a head-start. Lowride was dumping in beers at camp.

i think the distinguishing feature is the durability of the high end boxes. it does bum me out how thick the walls are..you get this huge icechest with a tiny cavern inside. and they are heavy as hell empty.

[rusnak]

I have both Pelican and Yeti coolers. There is no difference in ability to keep things cold.

I like the latches on the Pelican a bit more. Are they worth it? If you put them to a lot of hard use, then yes. The Pelican has had years of torture testing and is doing fine. The tether for the little drain cap broke off, but that's it.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

With YETI, you can put a cool sticker on your car.
I don't think Igloo has the cool car stickers.

[sammyg2]

Are Yeti or similar “high end” cooler brands worth the money?

not to me.

[tcar]

Yeti just opened a large, expensive exclusive store here in our most exclusive shopping area in the city.... our Rodeo Drive.

That's why they are so expensive.

[ckelly78z]

I have been using my Igloo lunchmate box for 20 years every day that I go to work. The only damage came from setting on a hot stove top burner one day. It keeps my lunch cool for 6 hours, that's all I need.

My BIL is all about the Yeti lifestyle, and touts his quart drink cup, and his 64 quart cooler every time I see him, rather irritating to me !

[Roswell]

Are Yeti or similar “high end” cooler brands worth the money?

Is a Porsche worth the extra money?

[IROC]

I just got back from spending the weekend at Indianapolis (raced at the speedway - yee haw!). I took my knock-off Yeti (I think it is a "N ICE" brand?) and my cheapo igloo. I just cleaned out the 4Runner today at lunch and the cheapo Igloo was still cold. Most of the ice was melted, but the last time I put ice in it was Saturday morning at about 7:00. The N ICE cooler works well, but like Legion said - unless you absolutely positively need to keep stuff cool for many days, I don't think the expensive coolers are worth it.

To me, the best thing to do is to "condition" the cooler. Get it cold with some ice, then dump that out, load your stuff and re-fill with ice. Throwing warm stuff into a warm cooler and then putting ice on seems to lead to a bunch of melting right off the bat.

[masraum]

I got an RTIC here in Houston which is Yeti competition at a fraction of the price. (They were actually sued by Yeti, who won, and had to change their designs) It was previously purchased and returned so was 20% off or something like that. It works remarkably well, and fits in the frunk of the boxster really nicely.

[asphaltgambler]

We have the Yeti coffee mugs. Love them, very well made, looks great, great in your hand and keeps stuff either hit or cold longer than anything I've ever used. It also fits my BMW cup holder, which oddly enough a BMW logo'd cup did not
.
Another upside is they come with a redneck learner's permit application....

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by ckelly78z

My BIL is all about the Yeti lifestyle, and touts his quart drink cup, and his 64 quart cooler every time I see him, rather irritating to me !

A few years ago I was given one of those large yeti tumblers at a company function.
It's sitting in my closet, still unused.
One of these days I'll probably re-gift it.

[911boost]

I have a big Otterbox one because i got 40% off during a promotion. Like Vash said, it is heavy as hell empty and hevier than hell when fully loaded. I also have a big white Igloo that has had everything replaced on it at least once (I keep one of the parts kits handy). I have lost count the number of tasty dead game that have been stored in it at one point or another.

If I HAD to keep something cold, i'd probably just get the big huge Igloo and use dry ice.

For me bags of ice do not cost very much so I do not mind adding ice to the cooler.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by Roswell

Is a Porsche worth the extra money?

Do you plan to use your cooler for ten years then flip it for a profit? They two items aren't comparable.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I have a Yeti hard mounted in one of my boat compartments, it replaced an Igloo that came with the boat. Where the Igloo would maybe keep ice for two hours, the Yeti is two days easy. I basically just keep adding beer to it, especially if we keep it latched. So you definitely get something for your money.

[cassisrot]

Yes