Are Yeti coolers worth it? Yes, but there are plenty of affordable Yeti alternatives that are way cheaper. (2024)

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• If you want a cooler that can retain temperatures for several days on end, you'll appreciate a YETI.
• But their high price rightfully gives people pause — and these expensive coolers aren't intended for everyone.
• They're often heavy, offer a low size-to-storage ratio, and, yes, are as expensive as coolers get.

One of the most regular questions I get from readers, family, and friends alike is "Is Yeti actually worth it?" Invariably, I answer, in a word, "yes." But before they can get in a response edgewise, I promptly add that where most people are concerned, its coolers are absolutely unnecessary.

I've been using, misusing, repairing, and depending upon coolers for the majority of my life in every sense. From working on recreational and commercial fishing vessels to running private yachts and living out of camper vans, coolers have often been my lifeline to an extent. But while I maintain that Yeti is the indisputable best, almost any other cooler brand you've heard of is going to serve you and your purposes just as well.

Why you're (likely) better off with a simple, non-roto-molded cooler

Yeti's done an outstanding job selling the experience, and the virtue-signaling term "overbuilt," which is an oft-used phrase in the outdoors industry that has undoubtedly proven effective, as evidenced by Yeti-emblazoned bumper decals, hats, and the like.

But for the majority of the population, they're just that: overbuilt. They're also unimaginably heavier.

Case in point: My mother recently bought into the craze and borrowed my 12-year-old-and-still-going-strong Tundra 35. She loved it; right up until the day she tried to remove it from the trunk of her car while on a beach trip. There was just no way it was making it from the parking lot to the beach.

For any such day trip, it's unequivocal overkill. Short of relying on one for storing raw animal protein for long stretches, or living out of a fridge-less camper or RV, a cheap cooler is remarkably effective. They're also lighter in weight and tend to offer markedly more storage space.

And to my beer-swilling brethren, there's probably no more absurd a piece of modern technology than the vacuum-sealed, roto-molded cooler — no matter the brand. Your standard Coleman or Igloo will more than suffice. Just know that when it comes to both gettingandkeepinganything cold, you'll want to maintain a roughly 2:1 ice to beverage ratio.

What Yeti gets right

The brand has come to define itself as the Louis Vuitton of the cooler world (whoever thought such a thing could exist just over a decade ago?). But like LV, rotomolded and vac-sealed cooler technology isn't exactly rocket science and any number of knock-offs will more than suffice.

Unlike Louis Vuitton, however, Yeti earned its name early based upon quality above all else. And while it's undoubtedly the product of immaculate marketing that could easily join the ranks of the Got Milk? and Corona-bottle-on-the-beach campaigns, it does manage to sell something as well as the dream of an experience.

Take a look at any number of product recommendation sites and you'll often find data suggesting Yeti lives up to its campy slogan of "Wildly Stronger! Keeps Ice Longer!" And while other brands achieved this level of resilience, none seem to have done so with the low profile of the Yeti, save for some outright imitations, which, on occasion, have been taken to task (and court).

But some alternatives do stand somewhat toe-to-toe with Yeti.

My favorite non-Yeti

One cooler brand I turn to in lieu of a Yeti is RTIC. Apart from the logo, RTIC coolers are not only spitting images of Yetis, they work justabout every bit as well with a few minor exceptions: the handles, hardware, and accessories (particularlythe seat cushions) don't last as long.

If you're not rough on things, they'll likely survive well enough for you. But a season or two at my service and the seat cushion is well torn, and the latches are wearing thin and not sealing as well.

The bottom line

If you're storing beverages and/or sandwiches for an afternoon at the beach, the park, a kids' soccer game, or a day trip from point A to B, save your wallet and your strength and grab a Coleman Performance or an Igloo Max Cold instead.

But if you're slinging your coolers out of pickup beds, going on week-long excursions, and taking (or caching) raw meat or seafood, a Yeti will treat you well so long as you keep a 2:1 ice-to-whatever ratio.