Yeti/Pelican/RTIC/etc Coolers

[Danny Tanner]

My sh*t Coleman cooler has seen its last camping season, so it's time to Old Yeller her. I'm looking at the RTIC 65-quart which is a direct competition to the Yeti 65, yet at half the price. Reviews seem awesome, company seems to have decent customer service, they offer free shipping, and the 65-quart truly is 65 quarts, versus Yeti's 57-58 quarts.

My scenario is this. I only camp. I'm not a deep sea fisherman, despite what you all might assume what with being in central OK and all, so I only need it for keeping my beer and hot dogs cold. My main goal is to not need ice every day/day and a half. Realizing you need ice when you've had one too many to drive sort of puts a damper on the summer festivities. I know these coolers out perform what I currently have by miles, but this is usually when they're packed, chilled, and left alone for a few days. I'll be opening mine frequently (lets say once per hour average) to retrieve beer, food, water, whatever. Cost aside, will I benefit from one of these coolers or should I just stick with the average wheeled Coleman/Igloo? If I could make my ice last even twice as long, I'd consider that a success. Like I said, I'm just trying to cut down on ice runs, not factor in a cost-per analysis.

If you have one of these, have you noticed extended survival time of ice despite opening and closing the lid "constantly"?

 

[RidgeHunter]

carb hole!

I inherited my dad's Yeti because his buddy up and gave him another one. Nice buddy. Anyways.

They do hold ice longest when not opened frequently. However they will certainly more than double a cheapie even when opened frequently. Especially if you throw a few blocks in. I like to freeze ziplocs full of water. They last quite a while and are flat. Line the bottom in those, add (chilled) beer, cover in cubed ice...get drunk. Done deal.

I loaded mine with dry ice in the bottom on a Friday night in Tulsa when it was hotter than the proverbial two rats in a wool sock, drive it to New Mejico on Saturday, 11 days later it was still cold. Granted it was cool in the mountains and I had it in the shade. Suckers work, yo.

 

[bigfug]

Use my Engel on the boat, goes on Sat morning, warm drinks and a bag of ice. I'll refill with warm drinks on Sun and Mon mornings, everything is still ice cold, and still has some ice left Monday afternoon. Cooler stays on the boat, outside, the whole time. Gets opened multiple times per hour between 4+ kids and 4+ adults.

 

[Shadowrider]

RTIC is probably the best for the dollars, but don't overlook Pelican. They are a good bit cheaper than Yeti on Amazon. All of those brands are good.

 

[Danny Tanner]

carb hole!

I inherited my dad's Yeti because his buddy up and gave him another one. Nice buddy. Anyways.

They do hold ice longest when not opened frequently. However they will certainly more than double a cheapie even when opened frequently. Especially if you throw a few blocks in. I like to freeze ziplocs full of water. They last quite a while and are flat. Line the bottom in those, add (chilled) beer, cover in cubed ice...get drunk. Done deal.

I loaded mine with dry ice in the bottom on a Friday night in Tulsa when it was hotter than the proverbial two rats in a wool sock, drive it to New Mejico on Saturday, 11 days later it was still cold. Granted it was cool in the mountains and I had it in the shade. Suckers work, yo.

Thanks. I sometimes use a loaf pan to freeze my own blocks. My current cooler is a 50-quart and I've learned to pack it with enough to get me by over a couple of days, though by the end of the second day it's mostly water. I initially pack it with chilled items, but once you're out at the campground, it's not possible to keep everything cold before going in, obviously, so after that I'm good for about a day, a day and a half maybe. Mine usually stays under a tree in the shade.

Use my Engel on the boat, goes on Sat morning, warm drinks and a bag of ice. I'll refill with warm drinks on Sun and Mon mornings, everything is still ice cold, and still has some ice left Monday afternoon. Cooler stays on the boat, outside, the whole time. Gets opened multiple times per hour between 4+ kids and 4+ adults.

Engels are nice and if I were out fishing, especially for extended trips, it's what I'd use. It's just over kill for 7-11 beer and Crest Hot Links.

RTIC is probably the best for the dollars, but don't overlook Pelican. They are a good bit cheaper than Yeti on Amazon. All of those brands are good.

For general use Pelican is my top choice, actually. I've played with them and they seem super nice. I know I said "cost aside", but I was just referring to the costs of an RTIC versus another Coleman from Academy. If costs truly were aside, it'd be Pelican for me.

 

[gregb21]

I bought a Pelican 65 qt last year before we went to the river. Loaded it up full on Friday afternoon and still had ice in it when we got home on Monday afternoon. That was with 6-8 people in it all weekend. One thing to think about is to pre-cool one before use, people forget that you have to cool the chest itself before it can stay cold. using ziplock bags work and I have seen some use pvc pipe with a home made mixture like they use in a re-useable ice pack. If the chest is cold from the beginning, the ice will keep much longer.

 

[Hawgman]

Last year I got the itch. Did the research and bought an Igloo Sportsman 55. Cost way less than a Yeti and is way better at holding ice than conventional non-rotary molded coolers. Now, I don't go camping when it's 100 out. But compared to the couple conventional colemans I've used over the years it most definately uses less ice. I like the design better too. Better handles, drain, latches, etc. than the Yeti. If you do get a Yeti, know they are a high theft item. Always lock them to a tree, vehicle or whatever.

 

[doctorjj]

I did a lot of research before I bought and I ended up going with a Grizzly. They seemed to have "one-upped" Yeti on most aspects, or at least they tried to. They are true to size, hence the 75 actually holds 75, instead of being a few shy like the Yeti is. The thickness of the outer plastic is just a bit thicker. They have a better hinge design. On the 75, they have 3 buckles where the Yeti has 2. They have bigger drains. And it was about $100 cheaper than the Yeti. Don't get me wrong, Yeti's are great. But for the money, I chose Grizzly. It's ice retention is amazing compared to your typical ice chest. In fact that was another thing, somewhere I found a direct comparison and it held its temp a little bit longer than the comparable Yeti too.

 

[dennishoddy]

Buddy just bought a RTIC. Looks just like a Yeti. He said Yeti's patent ran out, so now you're seeing the new variants of that design.

 

[crazyfish]

Buddy just bought a RTIC. Looks just like a Yeti. He said Yeti's patent ran out, so now you're seeing the new variants of that design.

How long did it take him to get it?? Was looking at ordering one but it has a delivery date of 6/26/2016.