Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

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5moreminutes
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by 5moreminutes »

JPChavez wrote:
saltykat wrote:Love that pic......if that's all she left you after the divorce you did all right :lol:
All a man needs to be happy. 8)
Um JP......son you have some growin to do. Lol
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by hipshot »

Okay, so I go to Matagorda for a week. With my Coleman or my Igloo, I need ice every day in the summer. Problem? I get up way before sunup and go launch. I take the truck, leaving the bride without transportation. I come home after dark. I'm tired and hungry. I want to take a shower, eat, and have a snort or two of bourbon. I don't really feel like making an ice run. Now, I figure the Yeti will eventually pay for itself in ice expenses, and in the cheaper coolers I'd be replacing every few years. But the biggest factor for me is the convenience. And I still get to do occasional tent trips for several days, where I can't just run for ice any time. So for me, it's a viable expense. Perhaps not for everyone.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Blindcasting »

I was going to get one last year until I saw one next to a Coleman extreme side by side for several days.

May still get one for the boat to stand on though.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by moondog »

Copperspoonfly wrote:I love my Yeti. Instead of spending 400$ on a new one, you could visit the factory in Austin and get a scratch & dent Yeti for half the price. I could not tell the difference between those and the 400$ ones at Cabelas.
So do you just roll up to the factory and ask for their throw away coolers?
Sounds like a deal to me :mrgreen:
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Facehook
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Facehook »

I've got one for the boat that I use to stand and cast from. I wouldn't think about standing on one of my igloo coolers though.

As with most Yeti owners, I think we fit into both categories. It's the closest to man jewelry that I'll ever get.
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lsu1975
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by lsu1975 »

My question is how often do people need to store ice in a cooler for 4 or 5 days? If not often, then spend that much money on a cooler that you really don't need that kind of capability?
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by RedWolf »

lsu1975 wrote:My question is how often do people need to store ice in a cooler for 4 or 5 days? If not often, then spend that much money on a cooler that you really don't need that kind of capability?
For me, it would be 1-3 times a year for family camping trips. Ice is generally one of our biggest expenses, running about 8-10$ a day with 7 adults, 2-5 teens, and whoever else happens to show up at the campsites.
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THE RT
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by THE RT »

lsu1975 wrote:My question is how often do people need to store ice in a cooler for 4 or 5 days? If not often, then spend that much money on a cooler that you really don't need that kind of capability?
You may not need it all the time but why not have a cooler for when you do need to have that capability. We usually take a couple long fishing trips every summer where we fish 4-5 days in a row. we used to have to buy $10-20 in ice a day. Now we have two yetis and buy ice on the first day and thats it. Worth it in my opinion. My family buys the imperfect ones from the warehouse, really good deal imo.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by FishingSETX »

I cant bring myself to buy a $400 cooler, but if i was going to, it would be an engle. Just the fact they come up in conversations with little to no advertising (that i have seen) is a testament to their quality. After watching the video, it looks like the coleman held ice just as well as the engle and the yeti didnt even come close. Not saying yeti is bad, but for the money, you can get better. Me, ill stick to my colemans and igloos. I had a coleman extreeme hold ice for 7 days in the direct sunlight in july which is plenty for me! We used a small cooler to keep food/drinks an the coleman got opened once a day to refill the small cooler. Here's how I look at it:

Yeti/engle: extremely durable. heavy! Good ice retention. Probably last 10 years. Cost $400

Coleman/igloo: not as durable. Much lighter, same (or close) ice retention, probably last 2 years. Cost $40

So for half the cost over a 10 year period, i can get a cooler that holds ice just as well,weighs less, and im not heartbroken if it gets stolen, lost, or breaks!

Ice retention/cooler performance has more to do with cooler prep and temperature regulation than price. For extended trips, chill your cooler ahead of time, chill or freeze the items you are placing in the cooler ahead of time and keep the lid tightly closed as much as possible and just about any quality cooler will keep ice 5+ days! On extended trips, i fill the cooler with ice and the items i cant freeze that i plan to take 2 days before the trip, the day of the trip, i drain the water, add the frozen items, and refill te cooler with ice. This gives me 5-6 days of ice retention on a coleman extreme and another 1-2 days of cold items (little to no ice) in our texas summers.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by picaroon »

Yes I have owned Yeti's and of course I have owned Igloo's..............Just buy the Igloo's and be done with it..........
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by aggie182 »

Simms vs. Hodgman? Loomis vs. Ugly Stik? Pelican vs. Hobie? Igloo vs. Yeti?

What's the difference?
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by kneekap »

Most of us make do with what we can get. Guess it all depends upon
our level of disposable income.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Papa Behr »

Great debate that reminds me of the cheap vs. expensive sunglasses debate.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by larry long shadows »

Simple answer for me...can't afford one ..done :lol:
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by FishingSETX »

Flies & Photos wrote:Great debate that reminds me of the cheap vs. expensive sunglasses debate.
Now i think there is a huge difference in cheap vs expensive sunglasses!

Some cheap brands of gear work just a good as the expensive ones and some dont. Which ones may be different for each person and how much they use the item.

I may use a cooler once or twice a month but use my sunglasses all day every day. I never leave home without them. I have no problem spending $200+ on a pair and they last several years. The cheap ones may only last a month or two. I also think the lens clarity is much much better on a good pair of sunglasses.

Everybody is different and use their stuff differenty. What works for one may not work for another.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by kenmorrow »

larry long shadows wrote:Simple answer for me...can't afford one ..done :lol:
I cannot justify spending as much on a cooler as most people spend on a kayak. If I was doing remote fish/hunting camps where I had no or very limited electricity and had to preserve game for days, you betcha. Then they would become a necessary piece of gear. But I am not in to status symbols or conspicuous consumption.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Harthcock »

Yeti's are decent but like some others are saying, credit their marketing department for most of their success. For the price, I would go with a Pelican cooler.

1. They are not as expensive, still quite a bit but less than a Yeti.
2. Lifetime warranty. Yeti - 5 yr warranty.
3. Pelican is manufactured in the U.S. - Yeti - Phillipines.

http://www.pelicancases.com/progear-coolers-s/138.htm
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Ms addicted »

Harthcock wrote:Yeti's are decent but like some others are saying, credit their marketing department for most of their success. For the price, I would go with a Pelican cooler.

1. They are not as expensive, still quite a bit but less than a Yeti.
2. Lifetime warranty. Yeti - 5 yr warranty.
3. Pelican is manufactured in the U.S. - Yeti - Phillipines.
Yetis are made in Iowa and Illinois also.

Pelican coolers have some foreign parts and pieces.

Its 6 of one, half dozen of the other on the "buy US" argument so thats pretty much a non-consideration.

Not saying Yeti's are the best of the hard-core durable coolers but we certainly love ours for boat stuff anyway. I dont use them for kayaking though. Has nothing to do with this:
kenmorrow wrote:But I am not in to status symbols or conspicuous consumption.
but rather to do with this: We have to have durable coolers on the boat for heavy use, longevity, sitting on, standing on, taking on and off the boat, etc. My husband (and me soon) guides out of our boats and the Yeti's are absolutely proving to be well worth the money. If that is what you are looking for then spend the bucks, if you just want a cooler then you can certainly get by with much cheaper.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by billy bobba »

Ice -- it's over rated.
I can't remember the last time I put any on the boat or kayak (unless taking out pampered guests).
I don't drink beer while fishing and boating. I find I do both better when not drunk.
I get so into the fishing - I barely remember to drink the water I carry.
If I'm keeping a few fish to cook that evening - I keep a few right before I get back to the PB and a live well.
If I'm staying out a few nights on the boat or camping, I take food that does not require ice and Tequila, salt, and lime.
I'm good after that.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by manuelvrockport »

I own the roadie. Nice lil ice chest but when loaded with ice and drinks... is quite heavy. Ice will melt in the summer... I don't care what anybody tells you. Would not invest in a larger Yeti until they make one with a strong handle and wheels... they are just too heavy. OK ice chest.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by navytxn »

yetis were devised by DPS to keep rednecks like me from running and grabbing a beer out the back of the truck! when that lid gets a good vacuum buddy you better find your inner man to get it open again!
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Absolut »

I have a Yeti, and while it's decent I don't think I'll buy another one. First, they only have a 5 yr warranty, second not made in USA. The coolers from Grizzly and Pelican are just as good, priced less, hold ice longer (advertised anyway), MADE IN THE USA, AND HAVE A LIFETIME WARRANTY.

I have a 60 qt Grizzly that I bought, and it is just about perfect. My next one more then likely will be a Pelican though...if you look at them in detail they are very well thought out.

Size rating wise I think that both Grizzly and Pelican are actually bigger then the Yeti as well...seems strange to me how they do it, but they are not precise when they give the size.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by Cosmo333_Tx »

navytxn wrote:yetis were devised by DPS to keep rednecks like me from running and grabbing a beer out the back of the truck! when that lid gets a good vacuum buddy you better find your inner man to get it open again!
Haha. Got fooled by that one once, then I figured out you just have to open up the drain plug for a second to equalize the pressure. You can keep giving it the good fight though!
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by smellyhands »

Dry ice is way under-utilized. Dry ice turns any cooler into an ice-keeping beast. Marketing by Yeti leads people to believe a cooler has to be "dry ice rated" to hold dry ice. As far as I can tell, "dry ice rated" is made up marketing mumbo jumbo. Any cooler can be used with dry ice.

Pre-cool your cooler and dry completely. Add a single layer of cubes of hard frozen regular ice. Using gloves, lay the dry ice on top. Then, add the remainder of your regular ice. It will keep for days and days in a plain Jane cooler. I promise.

I believe someone mentioned it before, but two coolers used with dry ice on a long trip are ideal. Use one cooler to hold your items, which we will be opened regularly. Use the other to store bags of ice, to be opened rarely.

This is an abosolute alternative to $400 coolers. In my mind, $400 coolers are for people who can afford 40 ft boats.
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Re: Yeti coolers: Love them or hate them?

Post by billy bobba »

---- or can afford $40,000 - 16 foot boats
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