RTIC VS. YETI HARD COOLERS

[speeddev]

RTIC all the way. We had a RTIC 110 and a Yeti Tundra 110 side by side on the flybridge for 10 days cruising from BVI to Annapolis and the RTIC consistently performed as well or better than the Yeti, at a much better price point. Plus they are right here in Houston!

 

[Jharty47]

I am looking for those with experience with both of these hard cooler brands. Looking for plus or minus comparisons. Obviously one is price, but is the more expensive one really worth the extra money. I have heard performance is really close, if not equal. I am looking at the wheeled version. Help me make an informed decision please.

I’ve got both manufacturers, the yetis’ ( personal use,2 of them ) have done great. The Rtic I bought for work and has been tested more. It rides in the back of my large work truck, and is use by the shorter guys as a stool, and by me (300lbs) as chair at lunch time. Keeps ice well, because of price I’ll be buying these in the future.

 

[w00ht]

I am looking for those with experience with both of these hard cooler brands. Looking for plus or minus comparisons. Obviously one is price, but is the more expensive one really worth the extra money. I have heard performance is really close, if not equal. I am looking at the wheeled version. Help me make an informed decision please.

5 pages on a cooler thread, wow. I guess folks have some feelings!

I've used plenty of Yeti's over the years, but always thought they were expensive for what they were even when giving them a bit of credit for being the first brand to really market rotomolded coolers' as an "essential item" and the R&D and Marketing budget needed to achieve that level of brand presence.

In my experience the RTIC, Orca, and others work just as well as the Yeti in real world use (where people open the cooler, hunt around for what they want, then kinda close it often forgetting to latch it). To get anywhere close to the potential maximum ice retention with any of them you need to pack them correctly and minimize open time, otherwise none of them are going to perform massively better than the others of simmilar construction.

For me and my use cases, a 12V Dometic fridge makes way more sense and is a better investment than a rotomolded cooler (regardless of brand).

Edit:
There's a ton of good comparison videos on YT with ice melt tests that show you how the various brands stack up, but often leave one thing out. If you want the best ice retention performance possible, you only get one color option - white.

 

[DTX2023Tremor]

This thread has been very informative... Decided that I already have massive cooler that does a decent job of keeping ice for a few days so for my uses a better cooler wouldn't be worth the cost. Decided instead to go the electric direction and landed on this:

https://www.bougerv.com/products/12v-30-quart-28l-portable-refrigerator-black?variant=44679109837016

Figure this will fit nicely behind my seat and I can plug it into the power port on the back of the center console and use a power supply to run it when the truck is off. The added cover should also help it maintain temperature.

 

[Parksoffroad]

We did a few cooler reviews, link to the last one below. We focused more on ice retention as that was what we all were most concerned about. We found that the Coleman coolers performed very similar to the substantially higher priced Yeti and Engel coolers. We still have most of the coolers and they are doing just fine to this day 10 years on.

http://www.parksoffroad.com/prodreview/CoolerReview2014/CoolerReview.htm

 

[Alpoba]

Thanks to this thread i sold my Yeti Tundra 65 tonight. Time to pick something better off the list above. I’m leaning towards Kong.

Funny thing, i never liked the “ice blue” color way, got it on sale, and wanted to switch it ever since. Well, now no longer sold, it became a hot commodity, so i made some $$$ on it to apply towards a quality US made item.

 

[thatdood]

I’ve got a ton of Yeti stuff… that being said, they are all the same for the most part, especially RTIC. Yeti is more a brand than a product to be honest

 

[Lunch Box]

I didn't anticipate this thread would turn into such a detailed and informative piece! More about coolers I didn't know, that's what is so awesome about this forum!

I decieded on a 52qt wheeled cooler from RTIC! Yes, made overseas, but based in Katy, Texas. At my age will definitely be my last cooler along with my Tremor. With that said I decieded to continue and further exploit the black and white theme! Had some extra stickers, why not!! I definitely have too much time on my hands as I have been told by many friends.

 

[Lunch Box]

I didn't anticipate this thread would turn into such a detailed and informative piece! More about coolers I didn't know, that's what is so awesome about this forum!

I decieded on a 52qt wheeled cooler from RTIC! Yes, made overseas, but based in Katy, Texas. At my age will definitely be my last cooler along with my Tremor. With that said I decieded to continue and further exploit the black and white theme! Had some extra stickers, why not!! I definitely have too much time on my hands as I have been told by many friends.View attachment 167013View attachment 167014View attachment 167015View attachment 167016View attachment 167017

The APC sticker was at the request of my awesome dog, he is sporting his new collar from ATLAS pet company and wanted me to add his sticker!!

 

[Canyon Trekker]

The APC sticker was at the request of my awesome dog, he is sporting his new collar from ATLAS pet company and wanted me to add his sticker!!View attachment 167023

What service does your dog perform?

 

[stufarmer]

It appears I'm missing a couple of the smaller ones ..

 

[Lunch Box]

What service does your dog perform?

Thank you for asking, he is a diabetic alert dog. He alerts from scent, he detects an assent or decent before it reaches a critical level. It's the only time he can earn a treat, so he is always on point. The only time of day he is not working is bathroom breaks, and an occasional play time break! To be honest he is a great friend and companion but I haven't told him that!!

 

[Lunch Box]

Thank you for asking, he is a diabetic alert dog. He alerts from scent, he detects an assent or decent before it reaches a critical level. It's the only time he can earn a treat, so he is always on point. They only time of day he is not working is bathroom breaks, and an occasional play time break! To be honest he is a great friend and companion but I haven't told him that!!

Also he alerts by pawing my leg, if I don't acknowledge him promptly, the pawing becomes more aggressive!

 

[Modman]

Thank you for asking, he is a diabetic alert dog. He alerts from scent, he detects an assent or decent before it reaches a critical level. It's the only time he can earn a treat, so he is always on point. They only time of day he is not working is bathroom breaks, and an occasional play time break! To be honest he is a great friend and companion but I haven't told him that!!

Dogs are so awesome!

 

[bbrett]

I got a Wetsounds Shivr Cooler, love it! I'm pretty sure it's made by orca with the wet sounds bar.

If anyone needs one send me a PM and I'd be happy to help you on price as I'm a wet sounds dealer.

 

[runline]

I have both Grizzly and Yeti and can honestly say the Yeti seems like its just better quality. The Grizzly is nice enough but I prefer the Yeti. Is the Yeti worth the extra money? For my money I feel even though the Yeti is higher quality, the Grizzly (and it appears the RTIC is similar) is just fine. Yeti does offer first responder and medical workers a nice discount via ID.me

 

[AZsurveyor]

I didn't anticipate this thread would turn into such a detailed and informative piece! More about coolers I didn't know, that's what is so awesome about this forum!

I decieded on a 52qt wheeled cooler from RTIC! Yes, made overseas, but based in Katy, Texas. At my age will definitely be my last cooler along with my Tremor. With that said I decieded to continue and further exploit the black and white theme! Had some extra stickers, why not!! I definitely have too much time on my hands as I have been told by many friends.View attachment 167013View attachment 167014

Now you have a box for lunch!

I do like the fact that is has wheels. Big plus.

 

[Lunch Box]

Now you have a box for lunch!

I do like the fact that is has wheels. Big plus.

Somebody mention LUNCH??

 

[Canyon Trekker]

Thank you for asking, he is a diabetic alert dog. He alerts from scent, he detects an assent or decent before it reaches a critical level. It's the only time he can earn a treat, so he is always on point. The only time of day he is not working is bathroom breaks, and an occasional play time break! To be honest he is a great friend and companion but I haven't told him that!!

Amazing! What a great friend to have around.

 

[Canyon Trekker]

Found a new cooler who's name I hadn't heard of in any comparisons. It's also the only dual compartment cooler I found. Made in USA, competitive pricing, 20% military discount, built like a tank, bear certified, fits under the Diamond Back. Sorry for the late response on this, found it searching for Kong coolers as suggested by @Alpoba. Funny thing was, I couldn't find the Kong locally to look at it, so I kept looking and found the Wyld. I ordered this on a whim, got it very fast shipping, free shipping, FedEx, and so far, very impressed. This cooler has extra thick walls which makes it slightly bulkier, but the two-section idea is what sold me. Frozen goods in the smaller section, access to drinks etc. in the other. (Exactly what I needed on my last camping trip.)

Wyld Gear

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