Our coolers are over 20 years old and still in good shape. Coleman and Igloo brands, they have lasted because we took care of them. If any of them were to meet their maker and had to be replaced, I would probably make do with another Coleman since they are cheap.

we haul gear in the Coolers. I've had sportsmans lockers and igloo's fall off the trailer going up a trail and they are done. the extra insurance of putting fragile stuff in a Yeti is invaluable out in the sticks.

I'm hard on my gear, and initially the thought of paying $400 for an ice chest made me recoil. I was given a couple smaller ones and after using them I can't believe I ever lived without them. for a weekend deer hunter or fisherman, no, they are not necessary.

but for the little more hard core crowd, If your not using a rotomolded cooler, do yourself a favor and check them out.

I bought scratch and dents from IceHole coolers out of Kerrville. Paid about 1/3 cost of new ones at the time. One stays in the back of my truck 365 days per year now and it has been there for 5 yrs.

I just looked up the price of those coolers and oh my, there is some sticker shock there.

Neither. I like my RTIC. I do think roto mold is the way to go for the long term. Don't like the weight but far superior holding ice for several days.

Don't remember which brand of roto mold cooler it was but said it was a certain size but the capacity was much smaller.

I forget what I have. Think it's a $60-70 Coleman from Academy. Big enough to fit a quartered deer in. For my uses when I bought it, I just needed something to keep the deer on ice from the lease to my house which was roughly 3 hours away. Now that my lease is only 45 minutes away with a processor that will take it without field dressing or skinned for $70, I wont use that cooler much. But, at the time, that cooler worked perfectly for me. Growing up, we had cheap Igloos. It was a daily ritual while camping to go get a bag or two of ice and dump the water. Never once bothered us.

All that said, for those who need performance or don't have easy access to ice, Yeti's (or Rtic's since Yeti is anti NRA) have their place. Heck, my favorite cup is an Rtic Tumbler! But, for me and I think most users, they don't serve a practical purpose other than convenience, which is hard to put a price tag on for some people, which I respect.

Jeffbird, you are correct. I am not sure if they still do it or not though. I picked up a 75 tundra about 5 years ago doing this. The inside was yellowed and a little off color but it was brand new. Got it for 150 bucks. It didnt come with the warranty but oh well. Its going strong to this day.

I have several Igloo Marine 90 qt. and they work very well for me.

It's Yeti. Most cooler models list the number by quart size. A Yeti 45 doesn't mean it's 45 quarts like every other brand. It's a model number. I believe the Yeti 45 is actually a 37 quart cooler.

But you didn't factor in the value, monetary and cool factor, of the Yeti sticker! <kidding>

I agree, mattyg06. That's been my stance since the beginning.

Got a Yeti for xmas keeps ice a lot longer than my igloo.......

In the end it comes down to what you need and what you are using your cooler for. No different than plenty of other things. If you don't need or want a Yeti, don't buy one. There also isn't a point in knocking those that do. You don't see people getting called out for spending 5k+ on a rifle or 50k+ on a bass boat. Does a $400 rifle or a jon boat work? Sure, but not for every circumstance or for every person. No different than people that have a yeti and those that don't.

I have an Igloo Maxcold that I like, however, when I was cleaning it one day, the lid slammed shut and broke one of the cheap plastic-hinge latches off.

That will never happen with my Yeti (which I bought for 60% off). Is it heavy? Hell yes, but it’s also well-built and keeps ice very well. I have no worries about its durability or function. I still use the Igloo when we throw parries, but mostly because of its size (its huge). I still use the Yeti for holding ice at the same parties, but the Igloo because it holds more beer for everyone.

Camping, hunting or when my ice maker broke this winter, I went go with the Yeti.

I think the "cool factor" is really the bottom line with Yeti's. A guy has to find some way to show it off when it's being transported for it to "shine". Maybe take your tailgate off your pickup so folks can see the name on your cooler and be assured you are cool and affluent.
Sorta like Timex or Rolex...they will both tell you the time of day....but the "cool factor" is missing with the Timex.

Yes, because performance never comes into play when choosing a product....

That may be true for some, but there are many like myself that don't care about "being cool" LOL. We need heavy use/heavy duty coolers, especially in boats. There is no comparison between a cheap cooler and a roto molded one. I have been through tons of Igloos & Colemans in my life between hunting, fishing, and people sitting on them at get together's etc. I've only broke one Yeti and that was their first model that got discontinued. I'm personally done with Yeti, but no way done with roto molded coolers. I still keep 8-10 Igloo Coolers along with my good coolers for light use. Use them for holding boiled seafood, drinks, transferring meat products & food etc. If I'm donating fresh killed meat to someone I may pack a 48 qt Igloo or two and let them have the whole thing. They're $16 at China-Mart, so I don't care. As said before, if you don't have the need for a heavy duty expensive cooler don't buy one. My good coolers paid for themselves a long time ago.

I bet the people that hate yeti’s also hate costa sunglasses, danner boots and kuiu clothing

Did you ignore every reason in this thread (and others) that listed why people own Yeti's vs other coolers?

Kinda a label dropper, aren't you?

#hatethegamenottheplayer

How long do you typically need to keep things cold? If you buy a yeti to transport one deer a year from your lease to your house then I agree you most likely don’t need it. But if you are using it frequently (and maybe abusing it) or need to keep something cold for extended times then rotos are nice

Not ignoring others reasons for adhering to the cool factor. We can all find a way to justify most of what we do, I just don't think we have to buy things just to impress others. I'm not a fan of folks that tattoo themselves from top to bottom, put rings in their noses or whatever to impress others...but to each their own.

I have a 7 cubic feet freezer similar to this one. https://www.amazon.com/Igloo-FRF472-Chest-Freezer-Cubic/dp/B00NNWGHBI

It fits in the back of the pickup, it is has been to North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado New Mexico, Oklahoma and a few other states. We have plugged it on at a quite a few motels on our hunting trips. Offer a few bucks and get a ground floor. Easily ran off of a small generator. Insulated well enough that a few hours without power everything is still safe. I bought this back in the late 1980's or maybe early 1990's. When it was not on hunting trips it was being used in the garage. It cost me a lot less, but todays price is around $200, and as a bonus it makes ice.