I looked at the Yeti coolers at Bass Pro and was SHOCKED at the prices! Are they REALLYthat much better to justify that kind of $$$?

Those who have them or have used them weigh in please...

All of the better coolers that i have bought in the past apparently grew legs and walked off because no one will ever admit that they took them by "mistake." That is only reason that I hesitate to but one.

Check the brute, better and cheaper.

I have one becasue my wife wanted to be nice on our anniversary.
Would I go buy one? No.
Am I glad to have one? yes.

from what i can tell, they hold ice very very well. as a food cooler it is absolutely amazing. as a beer cooler, it is definitely better than the igloo I previoulsy had. It all depends on how much you open it. If you keep it open for a long time, then nothing would hold ice very long. All i know is that I can now go a full weekend on 2 bags of ice where i could not before. heck, sometimes 2 bags wouldn't make it to saturday morning in the summer.

Yes, all the roto-molded coolers are better: Yeti, Brute, Grizzly, Engel, etc. They are also quite a bit more expensive. Good for as long as a week hunting most places, or a long hot Texas 3-day weekend.

I really like mine. Great cooler for beer, food etc. Lots of haters out there for Yetis and other tough coolers. I don't know why a cooler is such a divisive issue.

If you can afford one, get one. It has saved me money over time. My igloo and colemans always get busted up at the ranch, not so with my yetis. Durability is just as important to me than ice holding capabilities. If they had the same ice holding capabilities (they have better) but didn't break, I would probably still get one for that reason alone.

I have several. They are very nice and have one for just about every situation.

Ditto. I wouldn't use it enough to justify the expense but received one as a gift and love it. Normally I use it every day while hunting or at the lease--but it's more in the form of a beer cooler than a meat locker. No cooler will keep ice very long when you or your kids are opening it every five minutes.

However, if you work outdoors it's a great investment. Unfortunately, my job exposes me to less sunlight than a vampire but my dad works outdoors. He probably paid for his Yeti over the course of a year through savings from buying less ice.

I too was ginen one as a gift, I never would have spent the coin before, but it has impressed me to the point I will buy another when the need arises. I have had ice last as long as 3 weeks in cooler weather and it will easily hold ice over a long summer weekend, PLUS, they were designed by a Texan and are made in Austin Texas. Good enough for me to stay with Yeti.

I'm a fan of grizzly not because of the better ice retention.. But the fact no more busted lids, cracked bottoms, delamination, broken hinges or latches.

I'm a huge supporter of the Brute Outdoors line of coolers. Their new models, in my opinion, are BETTER than Yeti. And, Brute Boxes are CHEAPER than comparable Yeti's. You can't go wrong with Brute Outdoors coolers.

No way that Brute is better than a Yeti. They are comparable but it is not better. I am not knocking Brute bc I have used one and I like it but it is no better than a Yeti. IMO, Yeti's are designed better.

Yeti is the industry standard. I have several.

If you know where to buy them, they are cheaper than the others, including Brute.

I wouldnt trade any of mine for anything.

I will agree that the real value in the high end coolers is construction. I go through at least 2 150 Qt Igloo/Coleman coolers every year, because they break. The latches and hinges are weak, but can be replaced a couple of times before the cooler is worthless. However, the delamination and cracked inside is my biggest complaint.

Out of all of the high end coolers, I like Grizzly the best due to the molded in handles. Easy to run a cable lock through, and more comfortable to carry than a rope handle.

I don't know about that. Brute Outdoors new line of coolers has all the features Yeti has, plus some. I like Brutes latches better. Of course that is personal preference. Brute Boxes have two drains, not just one like Yeti. Plus I like the handle grips better than Yeti. Again personal preference. Normal retail pricing Brute Outdoors beats Yeti hands down. Construction wise Brute Boxes are equal to Yeti, if not better. It depends a bit on your preferences for latches, handles and drains.

I would be very interested to see if Brute Boxes out perform Yeti in ice retention. I would love to see a shoot out between Brute Box and Yeti coolers of equal size. That would definitely be interesting. And could give one or the other bragging rights as to which is best.

IRP makes good products. I have an IRP Outdoors Ice Wave 120. It is rotomolded like other high end coolers. It has stainless hardware and a huge 2 inch drain. It will hold ice for a long time too. But goodness that thing is heavy. Fully loaded with meat and ice me and my wife can't hardly carry it, and niether one of us is wimpy. When its loaded I generally have to use a dolly to move it. It was pretty pricy too. So I use my Brute Boxes more.

I think they are worth it, but then again my fat butt loves some electric windows and A/C as well. Does it mean I have to have it to live...........no! It's all about what you value and like.

I bought my Yeti's before they were as cool as kakis and crookies on a FRAT RAT! Kind of makes me want to sell them now that it seems to be the fad and kool!

My main reason for buying was for durability. If you use your coolers for hunting and fishing like I do, the large chain retail cooler will not hold up to the abuse. The Yeti will hold up and then some as I’m sure will the rest of the roto molded coolers. I have friends with 10+ year old Engles. I’ve yet to tear a handle or lid off one. I’ve given them as gifts to farmer’s for a thank you to hunt their property. Of all the gifts I’ve given, the yeti gets the most repeated thanks back. I even had one tell me it was his most prized piece of farm equipment while I was watching them service 8-9500 combines. Made me laugh. Ice retention is just a bonus. Like others have said, if you use it as a beer cooler it won’t keep ice any better than the rest of them. I think I paid 1/2 of MSRP of the news ones now when I bought mine. Even as much as I like them, I don’t think I’d pay the inflated prices now.

I've been looking at them for a while too and just can't bring myself to drop the money on a cooler. I know that they'll last much longer but $300+ on an ice chest is hard to do.

Any ever go on sale? FoxTrot mind sharing your Yeti spot with a broke recent grad?

I like mine and they are better than the walmart coolers. Worth $300+? Not sure but I used a bunch of gift cards so it didn't hurt as bad.

Durability is outstanding and ice retention is better.

I think any of the high end, rotomolded, coolers will last a whole lot better than any of the Igloo, or colemans you can get. I was spending a fortune on latches, hinges, plastic straps, and drains for the ones I had. Plus, the interior and exterior plastic was always cracking. So, I went on a hunt for something tougher. If you're tough on your coolers, the high end models are where it's at.

I enjoy well made things and the Yetis really seem like a winner.

I say Yes. Have a 50 w/ sea deck top that I use as a casting platform on boat, it has been beaten to death and never a problem. Will keep ice for a week this time of year.

Does anyone know if the yeti ever go on sale? I live in west Fort Worth is there a place to buy them cheaper than others? Iam looking for a 35qt 45qt cause I like the dry food rack.

Thanks

I'd say Yeti's are that good...as are the other high end coolers. The price...yeah ridiculousness but it's like a good shotgun...buy a good one and you could have it for life. Ice retention and toughness really do count when you use a cooler regularly. I take a cooler anytime I go to my duck/goose lease, camping, or any overnight trip. I've also hosted a few parties where I've filled them up with beer and not all the beer was consumed (a sign we are getting old) and I'll put the yeti in my garage...add ice to it once during the week and it's still good to go the following weekend. Almost every weekend at least one of my coolers is used..a cheap o cooler would not stand up and the additional cost of extra ice would make that cheap cooler not as cheap in the long run.

^^^thats what I'm talkin bout! their molded to after all