Overpriced coolers?
#1
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Overpriced coolers?
Has anyone ever bought a molded, hardshell cooler/ice chest (Yeti, Kodi, Frio, etc.) and thought it was money well spent? I realized the the last time we went camping the need to retain ice for at least 24 hours, but I don’t know if the cost is justified.
Our grocer (Texas and Mexico only) sells a Yeti competitor, but the prices are still WAY above regular ice chests. They want $160 for a 20 qt. and $250 for a 38 qt. Reviews say they are just as good or better than Yeti, so I’m not worried about quality or ice retention. But what I can’t wrap my head around is how much more I get for ~$160 over a new, top model Igloo.
Any experiences here?
Our grocer (Texas and Mexico only) sells a Yeti competitor, but the prices are still WAY above regular ice chests. They want $160 for a 20 qt. and $250 for a 38 qt. Reviews say they are just as good or better than Yeti, so I’m not worried about quality or ice retention. But what I can’t wrap my head around is how much more I get for ~$160 over a new, top model Igloo.
Any experiences here?
#2
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I watched a youtube where they cut apart a Yeti and a cheap Coleman cooler, and the Yeti did have more insulation, but I just can't bring myself to spend 3-400 bucks on a cooler. I have 2 pretty high end Coleman coolers that I've taken camping and never had an issue keeping my food and beer cold. I've left my coolers on the back deck after a party for 2-3 days and the ice has still been intact and cold with my regular coolers. My main issue with the Yetis other than the cost is the lack of internal space. Even the big ones are almost twice as big sizewise as to what you can actually fit in the thing. I know people that swear by them but I just won't spend that much on a cooler when I have cheaper ones that work just as good.
#3
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This is the video I mentioned if anyone is interested
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oo7spy (07-17-2018)
#5
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My Coleman cooler has served me well over the past decade. It's just a regular ol' large size camping cooler, with nothing fancy about it. But like Ack said, it gets the job done. If anything, I'd just drain out the melted ice and add a bit more, after a couple days. I didn't even know expensive coolers was a thing. The cheap ones seem to work nicely.
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oo7spy (07-17-2018)
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It seems pretty obvious in that video to me why the Yeti would work better than the othe cooler they cut open. For one the Yeti has insulation on all sides including the lid. The lid on the other cooler is hollow. You also get a better seal with the Yeti with the rubber latches vs just the pressure fit of most regular coolers. I don't think you need a cooler as expensive as the Yeti collers but I have thought of picking up an RTIC 30 or 38 for a while now.
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oo7spy (07-17-2018)
#7
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^The lid is one thing, but you also have to take into consideration how often you're opening the cooler, and how the cooler is packed. All those things affect how long the ice keeps as well
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#9
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Amazon has a 45 qt RTIC for $190 if you're willing to live with Sea Foam Green or Brown.
#10
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#11
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These are the KODI coolers that HEB makes and sells. https://www.heb.com/static-page/kodi
They say it took three years to design and rumor has it they had the YETI CEO consult them on it.
They say it took three years to design and rumor has it they had the YETI CEO consult them on it.
#13
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Yeti are supposed to be great. Also, aren’t they ones all the bumpkins were boycotting and filming themselves destroying them because of something they said they put in the “libtard” camp? They’d get my vote just for that
#14
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And Pelican makes coolers, too. But don’t get them. I’ve known a couple people who say they are terrible.
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That is honestly a heck of a deal and I wouldn't have an issue with either color. They do have some cool new colors though like grey with neon green.
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97BlackAckCL (07-18-2018)
#17
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Yep, $50 cooler, and with all the money you save from the $200 cooler, you can buy enough ice to last you the next 4 years of camping!
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97BlackAckCL (07-18-2018)
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#19
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I have a RTIC soft cooler, it's worth it. I wouldn't bother with the hard sided unless you're using it for fishing or something that will take abuse. The soft sided ones are cheaper and lighter and work nearly the same. Mine will keep ice for a whole weekend.
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97BlackAckCL (07-18-2018)
#20
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I ended up with a Coleman Xtreme 70 qt on Amazon for $51. I spent $93 at Specs to fill it up, and I’m still ahead.
One thing I noticed as I researched is that the most common metric was ice retention at 90 degrees. I have a feeling that temps above that drop the ice lifetime quickly. About half the days in Texas are 90 or more. It’s 102 now and supposed to be 105 and 108 the next two days as we leave for the beach, when I need my cooler most in the year. Maybe the extra efficiency of the overpriced coolers covers an extra 10+ degrees that could really matter in certain climates. When I said I need ice for 24 hours, that was because it was 101 the last time we went camping, and my ice wasn’t lasting a day. (The only reason we signed up was because it was a resort style with a pool, splash pad, and electrical hookups for some box fans. Jellystone FTW.)
One thing I do know is that some people were writing reviews of their cooler sitting indoors, probably close to 70 degrees. “My ice lasted 5 days! Coleman rules! Forget Yeti!”
One thing I noticed as I researched is that the most common metric was ice retention at 90 degrees. I have a feeling that temps above that drop the ice lifetime quickly. About half the days in Texas are 90 or more. It’s 102 now and supposed to be 105 and 108 the next two days as we leave for the beach, when I need my cooler most in the year. Maybe the extra efficiency of the overpriced coolers covers an extra 10+ degrees that could really matter in certain climates. When I said I need ice for 24 hours, that was because it was 101 the last time we went camping, and my ice wasn’t lasting a day. (The only reason we signed up was because it was a resort style with a pool, splash pad, and electrical hookups for some box fans. Jellystone FTW.)
One thing I do know is that some people were writing reviews of their cooler sitting indoors, probably close to 70 degrees. “My ice lasted 5 days! Coleman rules! Forget Yeti!”
Last edited by oo7spy; 07-21-2018 at 04:55 PM.
#21
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Made me laugh
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Legend2TL (07-26-2018)
#22
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My brother is an avid fisherman. He has multiple Yetis. They are the best. Period. He can keep ice for over a week in one of them. It's so big I can fit in it.
#23
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^ Cold boner storage, who knew?
#24
Drifting
I have an engle.
On a 7 hour trip to mexico when it's 110 in the desert I would usually start to see food start to thaw by the time I got to where I was going and most of the ice turned to water.
With the fancy new cooler I probably have 80 percent of the ice and the food is still frozen when I get there.
That isn't to say you can't get a normal cooler to last the trip. when I've done 12 hour journeys and brought mexican food to my family up north I've gone with blocks of dry ice, newspaper for insulation, and a taped up top on a old coleman. The new style cooler is just way more convenient.
Oh and if I were going to the beach I would pick a igloo every time. The engle is way to heavy to be carrying through the sand. Also igloo's have he built in hinge alarm to you can tell when people are getting at your beer.
On a 7 hour trip to mexico when it's 110 in the desert I would usually start to see food start to thaw by the time I got to where I was going and most of the ice turned to water.
With the fancy new cooler I probably have 80 percent of the ice and the food is still frozen when I get there.
That isn't to say you can't get a normal cooler to last the trip. when I've done 12 hour journeys and brought mexican food to my family up north I've gone with blocks of dry ice, newspaper for insulation, and a taped up top on a old coleman. The new style cooler is just way more convenient.
Oh and if I were going to the beach I would pick a igloo every time. The engle is way to heavy to be carrying through the sand. Also igloo's have he built in hinge alarm to you can tell when people are getting at your beer.
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#25
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If by that you mean the annoying squeak they come with or develope almost immediately then yes.
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oo7spy (08-01-2018)
#26
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For camping we just normally put dry ice in our coolers from Publix for a few dollars and it keeps everything frozen well into the weekend with the large coolers
#27
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https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/01/healt...ath/index.html
#28
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Plot Twist!
Long story short, I ended up with a Lifetime 55qt High Performance cooler. It's water proof and keeps your shit cold while designed similar to a YETI for $100 at Walmart. In other words, it does what I need at a price I can afford.
Long story long... Our Amazon Prime account is setup under my wife's profile and the default payment is an Amazon CC with stupid low credit limit ($300). When I ordered the Coleman 70 qt for $51, the payment was rejected due to the credit limit, but I didn't receive the email. Once I discovered the snafu, it was too late to get the cooler in time for our beach trip. No big deal, Walmart.com says they carry the Coleman 70 qt in stores for less than $50. That's great until you get to the store and see the cooler shelves decimated and nearly empty.
BUT! Walmart has these Lifetime HP coolers on display with a 55 qt going for $97. Add in tax, and you're out the door with your cooler same day for $105. It has all the features of the other HP coolers, bear proof, tethered drain plug, sealed lid with rubber straps, and heavy duty rope handles. Given that there wasn't a cheap version there I wanted, I "splurged" for the Lifetime.
Long story short, I ended up with a Lifetime 55qt High Performance cooler. It's water proof and keeps your shit cold while designed similar to a YETI for $100 at Walmart. In other words, it does what I need at a price I can afford.
Long story long... Our Amazon Prime account is setup under my wife's profile and the default payment is an Amazon CC with stupid low credit limit ($300). When I ordered the Coleman 70 qt for $51, the payment was rejected due to the credit limit, but I didn't receive the email. Once I discovered the snafu, it was too late to get the cooler in time for our beach trip. No big deal, Walmart.com says they carry the Coleman 70 qt in stores for less than $50. That's great until you get to the store and see the cooler shelves decimated and nearly empty.
BUT! Walmart has these Lifetime HP coolers on display with a 55 qt going for $97. Add in tax, and you're out the door with your cooler same day for $105. It has all the features of the other HP coolers, bear proof, tethered drain plug, sealed lid with rubber straps, and heavy duty rope handles. Given that there wasn't a cheap version there I wanted, I "splurged" for the Lifetime.
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97BlackAckCL (08-08-2018)
#29
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Regarding performance, who the hell knows. There are so many variables to how you can (and will) use the cooler, that trying to quantify cooler performance is nearly pointless.
I didn't actually take this cooler to the sand on the beach. A drive to the coast is 4+ hours no matter how you slice it, so I used my cooler to transport all of the drinks and food from our house to the rental house. I put maybe 4 lbs of ice from the freezer in for the first leg of the trip. Once there, all the food was taken out, and the cooler was used to store drinks in the kitchen. Obvious that means it was opened up a lot but was sitting around 75 degrees for 5 days. On day two I added 10 lbs of ice. On day four, I added about 16 lbs, and on day six I added 10 lbs. That ice lasted well into day 8. At no point was the entire ice chest filled with a majority of ice, and ~40 lbs got me through the week.
It weighs 25 lbs empty, the latches for the rubber handles are very helpful, and the rope handles seem very robust. The lid has a hole for a padlock, and the hole for that in the base doubles as a bottle opener. The only thing it appears to be missing is a ruler for your fish...
I didn't actually take this cooler to the sand on the beach. A drive to the coast is 4+ hours no matter how you slice it, so I used my cooler to transport all of the drinks and food from our house to the rental house. I put maybe 4 lbs of ice from the freezer in for the first leg of the trip. Once there, all the food was taken out, and the cooler was used to store drinks in the kitchen. Obvious that means it was opened up a lot but was sitting around 75 degrees for 5 days. On day two I added 10 lbs of ice. On day four, I added about 16 lbs, and on day six I added 10 lbs. That ice lasted well into day 8. At no point was the entire ice chest filled with a majority of ice, and ~40 lbs got me through the week.
It weighs 25 lbs empty, the latches for the rubber handles are very helpful, and the rope handles seem very robust. The lid has a hole for a padlock, and the hole for that in the base doubles as a bottle opener. The only thing it appears to be missing is a ruler for your fish...
#30
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Man, I watched that Yeti vs. Coleman cutapart video and there isn't a huge difference. The plastic shell thickness likely matters very little. The insulation is where it counts. And the lack of insulation on the lid seems like an obvious shortcoming. Which is interesting because guess which side of the cooler is almost always facing the sun?
I bet a couple pilot holes and a can of expanding foam would do wonders to make that cheapy Coleman perform nearly the same as the Yeti.
/CSB
I bet a couple pilot holes and a can of expanding foam would do wonders to make that cheapy Coleman perform nearly the same as the Yeti.
/CSB
#31
Team Owner
When I was saying "buy a cheap cooler!" I guess I didn't exactly take region into account. Here, a cheap Coleman can do the trick very well but it really doesn't go past 90F, here, or anywhere within a 400-500 mile radius. Those living in uber hot climates might be better off with something more heavy duty. But.. that lifetime cooler looks awesome and looks like it would do the trick.
Cul0 had a good idea with filling the lid with foam. Not sure how the Lifetime lid is, but it might be worth looking into if the cooler doesn't work as well as you hope. Either way... I hope you have many frosty beers this summer while on the beach!
Cul0 had a good idea with filling the lid with foam. Not sure how the Lifetime lid is, but it might be worth looking into if the cooler doesn't work as well as you hope. Either way... I hope you have many frosty beers this summer while on the beach!
#32
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Man, I watched that Yeti vs. Coleman cutapart video and there isn't a huge difference. The plastic shell thickness likely matters very little. The insulation is where it counts. And the lack of insulation on the lid seems like an obvious shortcoming. Which is interesting because guess which side of the cooler is almost always facing the sun?
I bet a couple pilot holes and a can of expanding foam would do wonders to make that cheapy Coleman perform nearly the same as the Yeti.
/CSB
I bet a couple pilot holes and a can of expanding foam would do wonders to make that cheapy Coleman perform nearly the same as the Yeti.
/CSB
#33
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Other tidbits:
- Made in the USA. I read online the KODI coolers made by HEB are made in China, but I haven’t confirmed in person.
- Five year warranty. I was under the impression that all Lifetime products had a lifetime warranty, and that was the point of the name, but I guess not. Five years is still long enough to misplace the receipt though.
- The pamphlet attached to the cooler had the results of a head-to-head ice retention test Lifetime conducted versus the top competitors including YETI and RTIC. The had Orca in first place and theirs in second.
- Made in the USA. I read online the KODI coolers made by HEB are made in China, but I haven’t confirmed in person.
- Five year warranty. I was under the impression that all Lifetime products had a lifetime warranty, and that was the point of the name, but I guess not. Five years is still long enough to misplace the receipt though.
- The pamphlet attached to the cooler had the results of a head-to-head ice retention test Lifetime conducted versus the top competitors including YETI and RTIC. The had Orca in first place and theirs in second.
#34
Needs a 930
Ive got Yeti 20, 65, 20 hopper, 8 flip, 85 tank, and then like 16-20? cups of various sizes. I'd do it again and am looking for an excuse to buy a charcoal 45, but I'm out of excuses to buy more.
#35
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Interesting, we use Lifetime tables all the time which are very rugged, didn't even know that they made coolers, but it looks pretty rugged
#36
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