Cooler Talk-Coleman, Yeti and Rtic

[ryand]

While its in the 20's here I wanted to try to get why it would be worth buying a Yeti Cooler at a huge, ridiculous cost. Reason I ask is that i have been seeing what appears to be a copy or improvement of the yeti design by a new company called Rtic. They claim they are better and at 1/2 the cost. I like my (What I thought was expensive) Coleman xtreme cooler. I can see why they would be popular with fisherman and hunters due to the construction but I dont see any reason it would be a must have for a RVer. Any comments?

BTW Yeti 65Qt is roughly 400.00 and the Rtic is 199. My Coleman was I think 50 bucks...and i have two of them

[daveclark]

I have a Yeti 45 that I use for food while tent camping and beer/soda for RV camping. It's great if camping in the heat but for RVs it's overkill IMO.
They also keep things warm very well, like breakfast tacos when the scout troop has taco sales fund raisers at the church.

[Kevin & Judy]

I can go almost 1 1/2 - 2 weeks with ice in the Yeti. Thats in 70-80 deg temps, This is providing its not opened to many times a day, I would say we open it maybe 2 time per day. Same with the Yeti tumblers. i can keep it in a closed car with ice water in it and still have ice the next day. And it does not sweat.

Keep the cooler shaded and covered with a reflective cover.

[Loraura]

I have a Yeti 65 and we generally load it with just ice if we are planning to mountain bike or race. This provides enough ice to fill everyone's camel backs for several days in the hot Texas sun.

Love my Yeti.

[pjnlorrie]

This is a previous post from popupportal.com:

Three seems to be a revolution in coolers right now. Yeti, Pelican, etc. demonstrated that we will pay more for a better cooler. Not arguing that Yeti type coolers are presently the best, but a bit expensive for many. Hey, I'm a teacher and only use a cooler about one month's worth a year. In the current "middle ground" of coolers I offer this;
We just "tested" one of Coleman's new line of coolers, the Xtreme Marine 6 day series. These have thicker walls (more insulation) than typical coolers. The difference in thickness is obvious, however, the walls are not as thick as a Pelican or Yeti. On the plus side, it does not weigh 50 lbs empty. We used it for a month from FL to Utah. Carried it in the back of our FJ when traveling (read 80F environment), it spent 4 days on the Green river in a canoe, and the rest of the time in camp with temps often 90+. Bottom line, these things work! We only bought ice 5 times during the trip.
Coleman only recently debuted this line (9/2014). What you will (mostly) find in stores is their Xtreme Series 5 coolers. Series 6 can be ordered directly from Coleman. To get special pricing, go to Coleman - Outdoor Gear for Camping, Hiking and Tailgating / US and navigate to the Sitemap link. Under the heading Buy Coleman Products click on Coleman Family Store. Enter "Family" in the promo code box and you will see special pricing on any item you select from that point on. They have various sizes available.

[Myrle]

I priced on 500+ I decided I could buy a lot of ice. Now we.don't need one with rv but we do have an ice maker we take in certain parts of the country.

[Waldog]

Word of caution about the RTIC coolers. I "reserved" one on Aug 17, 2015. I paid for it on Sept 1, 2015 and was told delivery would be within 90 days. I then received notification that it would be delivered by Dec, 30, 2015. My most recent notification shows that it is still backordered with a delivery of Jan 29, 2016. It looks like a great cooler, just don't expect rapid delivery.

[Dave Lyon]

I've read positive reviews of the Yeti, and obviously some supporters here. For me it would be overkill.

I use the Coleman Extreme, 58 quart cooler and have been quite happy with it's performance.

I freeze a 10 litre (2.5 Gallon) jug of spring water, cut it out of the container and drop it into the cooler, it fits perfect. it will last 8 days with bags of cubes added every two or three days. I also bought a "cooler cover" from Pop Up Gizmos to help.

[Oaklevel]

Personally no need for a high dollar cooler for an RV at a campground......... I can stand to loose a $50 cooler but a $200-$500 dollar cooler is likely to grow legs.......

[PenJoe]

Several years ago, we found a 120 qt Igloo cooler at a garage sale for $1.00. It was a great cooler until we forgot to close the tailgate. You can guess the rest.Well, this cooler worked so well that we bought a 120 qt. Igloo Polar on Amazon for $56. Both of these coolers have kept fresh frozen fish, meat, and veggies rock solid for 4 days and 1,700 miles. Absolutely no thawing. Why pay more when you can get these results for less?

[Loraura]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Personally no need for a high dollar cooler for an RV at a campground......... I can stand to loose a $50 cooler but a $200-$500 dollar cooler is likely to grow legs.......

Our Yeti gets locked down if we leave the site and are at a public camp ground.

[hankpac]

I use a Yeti, and whatever Coleman was promoting as it's top of the line in 2013. I guess it was a 5.
The difference between the two is astounding. Elk Camp starts at the end of August, when it is still 70-90 degrees, usually warmer. I put both units under the table under the awning, under a silver tarp. The Coleman does not compare.
We freeze juice bottles or square milk bottles (from costco) and they can last well into the next week in the Yeti. About 5 days max in the Coleman. We are way too far to be running to town every 3-5 days for ice, os we have to max our results.
The new companies will be using the same or improved technology: thicker, closed cell foam, and heavier plastic, with well sealed insulated lids, and far better prices.
Worth waiting for, since Yeti and Pelican while wonderful are expensive.
I saw a video on a hack for making your own "yeti" Use spray foam, into the bottom of a large chest, then press a smaller chest into it, and foam around the sides. put it deep enough to leave the lid on the small one, and still shut the larger one. Trim excess to fit.

[CaptnJohn]

In 1993bI bought 2 Igloo Marine 120 qt and 1 64 qt coolers. I gave 1 of the big ones away the other has been used as a step getting in / out of a boat ever since. It will still keep ice more than 2 1/2 days fish frozen. ~~ never needed ice longer to keep fish frozen.

Originally Posted by PenJoe

Several years ago, we found a 120 qt Igloo cooler at a garage sale for $1.00. It was a great cooler until we forgot to close the tailgate. You can guess the rest.Well, this cooler worked so well that we bought a 120 qt. Igloo Polar on Amazon for $56. Both of these coolers have kept fresh frozen fish, meat, and veggies rock solid for 4 days and 1,700 miles. Absolutely no thawing. Why pay more when you can get these results for less?

[twojump36]

I live in Oregon... from June to the end of September you can see fairly warm temps... not like in the southwest but 90+ and some day's up to 100 or so.
I hunt, and in the fall during my hunting season it is common to have 85 degree days even at high altitudes.
I used to take a couple of regular Colemans and I'd put 10 lbs of dry ice in the middle and pack 10lb bags of ice around it.... I'd put the coolers in the shade if I could find it and cover them with an old sleeping bag and a tarp. I could get the ice to last about 5 days of my hunt. Then I'd drive 18 miles down a rough gravel road at about 5 miles an hour to get more. It basically cost me a day of hunting.
Now I take a Yeti 65. I put ice in it and I go hunt.... 9 days later you still have ice. They are an amazing cooler. They are heavy, very expensive, and they are built incredibly tough, but they do work and if you take hunting as serious as I do, it is worth it to me. I might add that I do not leave my Yeti just sitting around camp while I'm out backpack hunting for 6 days or more.... it get's locked up in my truck or my trailer.... I don't trust most people and it's never happened, but I'm not taking a chance with a $400 plus cooler.
Last year we went to Moab Ut for some Jeep trails... I was tempted to buy a smaller Yeti but opted for a regular small cooler instead.... hotels have free ice so it wasn't a big deal. We did take the Yeti tumblers and they of course worked flawlessly in 105 degree temps.
I do not use my Yeti for regular camping in the motorhome... I feel the freezer does a good enough job but If I were to be on an extended "dry-camp" type situation, I may take it... most anywhere I can take my motorhome will have ice I can buy.
Worth the money for hunting....

[rmoore0852]

Originally Posted by Waldog

Word of caution about the RTIC coolers. I "reserved" one on Aug 17, 2015. I paid for it on Sept 1, 2015 and was told delivery would be within 90 days. I then received notification that it would be delivered by Dec, 30, 2015. My most recent notification shows that it is still backordered with a delivery of Jan 29, 2016. It looks like a great cooler, just don't expect rapid delivery.

Same story for me. Delivery now showing January 29th, but not holding my breath. At least I should be able to start a claim with VISA if when I ask for a refund they give me trouble. I keep hoping that it will show as shipped.

As for the YETI's, they are worth every penny. Yes, you can't leave them in the back of the truck or outside the camper without locking them, but they have molded slots for locks. We have a big one that we keep in the back of the toyhauler. Works awesome for everyone to put drinks in. Great for boondocking where going to get ice is a pain. Also they are safe for dry ice, which we use for freezing fish on the 10+ hour drive home from the coast. I agree, they are a large investment, but I have never talked to a YETI owner who said he'd never buy another one, they were too expensive. If you can or choose to afford them, they are incredible coolers. BTW, the tumblers and coozies are great too!!!!

[uhduh camping]

The Ultimate High-End Cooler Shootout

Here is something worth reading. It will save you some cash.

[latner]

Check out Engel coolers also. Rated as good if not better than Yeti, but at a lower cost.

[bob caldwell]

I have a Yeti tumbler that holds 4 cups of coffee....10 hrs and still not cold...

[keeprr]

I bought the large ice maker for the trailer. I keep it running and empty it into my trusty "old technology" coleman. The ice maker makes up to 22 lbs a day, more than enough for the two of us. The additional cost for a "state of the art" technology cooler will more than pay for the ice maker.

[Gleaner]

Originally Posted by keeprr

I bought the large ice maker for the trailer. I keep it running and empty it into my trusty "old technology" coleman. The ice maker makes up to 22 lbs a day, more than enough for the two of us. The additional cost for a "state of the art" technology cooler will more than pay for the ice maker.

I have a Yeti65.
It's heavy, thick and won't store as much as competitors "65" with those thick, not square sides.
That said it is an outstanding "multi-day" camp cooler.
It's "bear-proof", a great table or step stool and worry free.
Sadly, I now do not normally go off the grid for a week or more, so for me it has become overkill.
A Coleman or equivalent will work just fine for a few days around camp with a town trip close by.
So it depends on your needs.........