If you're in the market for a Yeti cooler and don't mind the color burgundy...

Many here will not buy from yeti

That is interesting, I didn't realize that about Yeti wish I had known it sooner. I remember when Yeti was the only game in town and we got one doing field work in the NV/CA deserts, it was game changing back then, probably 15 years ago now. I bought one to back country hunt because then it was basically the only game in town you could keep things cold for several days.

Now basically every cooler company has a cooler that would probably work great for 99% of users. Also I know the Hide is the poster child of the buy once cry once mantra of financial stupidity, but Yeti's prices are insane on a lot of their goods. $40 for a 5 gallon bucket (another $30 for a lid), $150 tote bags (not a cooler by the way, just a shopping bag), $300 duffle bags, $200 blankets, $300 camp chairs, $200 skillet pan, $50 dog bowls, not to mention a lot of it now is made in China. Honestly the hard molded coolers are probably some of the more realistic priced things they sell now, as crazy as that sounds. If you look at Yeti's factory disclosure, only about 10-20% of their finished goods factories/employees are in the USA (from 2022). The vast majority are China.


I had a larger thermos of theirs and a cup that must be 10-12 years old, both have been through the dishwasher 1000 times, still look great. However a couple years ago we tried one of their limited colors and it faded in about 10 washes in the dishwasher, seems to be a common complaint now. My guess is they have cheapened up the process.

Not really surprising, I've always noticed that when companies branch out too much into other product areas/lines, their quality almost always falls as a whole, especially in the limited things they used to do really really well that earned them their reputation. There's so many companies out there that are making these things now that perform well, no reason to buy from Yeti anymore. A lot of times if these products get popular socially they go downhill as well, demand becomes overwhelming and quality tanks. Sadly it looks like Carhartt might be the next on that list. It seems to be becoming the next popular "fashion" wear.

I should have bought 5 more igloo's when they were $175. Now they're $300.


Yeti is the worst cooler with the best marketing. Walmart coolers do everything better except seal in water. For 1/4 the price.


I have one of these I got as a gift also: https://rticoutdoors.com/Ultra-Ligh...Tr_OTP88Uw6Fw4H05nLBDDWLufFzXMrBoC1TIQAvD_BwE

It works well, especially for the price. It gets drug all over full of beer (it will hold 60 beers and 25 lbs of ice) and they're always cold for the 3-4 days we go camping at a time.

These coolers are cool. Extremely lightweight and durable. Held ice for several days.

Rugged Road Coolers

Most people aren’t dragging their rotomold coolers more than a few miles past a convenience store.

“Man, this thing is great! Saw a vid that it’ll keep ice for like, 7 days.” Opens cooler to show most of a 12 pack floating in 3/4 water with some ice. “‘Nuther beer?”

Buying a $300+ cooler to protect a $2 bag of ice is false economy for most people. If you need a “beer cooler” for “parties, tailgates, fairs, or festivals” pretty much anything will suffice. The ice isn’t going to last anyway, because the cooler is being accessed frequently and probably being topped up with new containers occasionally as well.

But…

If you need “cold storage” for several days, where the contents will only be accessed sporadically, and ready access to ice is not available (multi day saltwater fishing trip, for example), then the benefits of rotomolded coolers come into their own.

But, the vast majority of yetis sold are fashion accessories. Heavy fashion accessories.

I mean, who could blame them for cutting ties with the NRA? Most of us here did!

(This is a joke (sorta), and not an endorsement of Yeti)

Fuck their overpriced coolers, but their cups and tumblers...

I've tried a dozen knock offs, and nothing works as well or has the longevity of the Yetis. I think most of them loose their vacuum seal and loose their insulating ability. I have a Yeti 30oz that's years old and still going strong. That makes life better!

I landed on Canyon coolers, have both a 35 and a 55. I camp for pretty much all my rifle matches and they do great keeping things cold even on 100+ degree weekends. I also like that they are very space efficient, square shape and no funky exterior handles to take up room when you're packing things into a full truck bed.

Much better price than the Yeti, and lifetime warranty.

@Sheldon N

Do you know if the Canyon coolers go on sale occasionally?

If you don't care about the name on the outside check out catergator. I have a 110qt and have zero complaints. I believe they went on sale last fall for something like $190 with free shipping.

DIBBS said:

Do you know if the Canyon coolers go on sale occasionally?

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I think they might. Last spring I bought the Outfitter 55 quart with the added basket for $230 with free shipping/no tax, direct from Canyon.

LuckyDuck said:

Well this took an unexpected bounce from the original intentions of the post (it's all good too). Perhaps there's enough interest for a separate thread here on Yeti's and their alternatives?

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-LD

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There are others already. This was a good one.

Holliday said:

You should be able to edit this thread title…..”yeti alternatives” or something along those lines…..

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Or just bump the old one. That is a worthy resurrection.

F Yeti and their overpriced products. Everybody and their brother makes a good rotomoulded cooler and double wall tumbler today.

There’s basically nothing yeti could do that would make me stop using the Hopper Flip 12 and Daytrip Lunchbag, because they fit my preferred tupperware perfectly (Rubbermaid Brilliance). I meal prep basically every meal; I’m far too invested in my method to buy something else.

HaydenLane said:

There’s basically nothing yeti could do that would make me stop using the Hopper Flip 12 and Daytrip Lunchbag, because they fit my preferred tupperware perfectly (Rubbermaid Brilliance). I meal prep basically every meal; I’m far too invested in my method to buy something else.

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The Brilliance stuff is great! We've been using the plastic ones since 2017 and a couple have cracked, but it's worth it since they don't absorb odors, stain etc. and most importantly the seal really well and reheating is great with the vent lid. Glass ones are really nice too.

ToddM said:

The Brilliance stuff is great! We've been using the plastic ones since 2017 and a couple have cracked, but it's worth it since they don't absorb odors, stain etc. and most importantly the seal really well and reheating is great with the vent lid. Glass ones are really nice too.

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I’ve had a few crack, too, but it’s absolutely worth it to keep buying more. I’m on the road a lot for work, often through every meal. Even if I spent $400 on a cooler and containers every year I’d save 10x that.