Why Are Yeti Coolers So Expensive?
Table of Contents
Yeti coolers are designed to be rugged enough to stand up to bears while also keeping your ice and food cold enough for week long trips. Yeti coolers are definitely on the higher end of the cooler spectrum, you should expect to pay a premium price compared to typical cooler brands. This guide is put together to answer the question of why are Yeti coolers so expensive?
Ice Retention
The main reason Yeti coolers are so expensive and why you would want to buy a Yeti cooler is it’s superior ice retention capabilities. Yeti advertises that their Tundra coolers should be able to retain ice within them for at least 5 days.
There are people online that have tested a Yeti Tundra 45 for 10 days and it still retained ice within it even after 10 days. This is the main reason to go with a Yeti cooler as it’s going to be able to hold ice over a week-long trip instead of needing to be continually filled with ice.
In these tests, the person doing the test was only opening up the cooler to film the test video so if you are continuously opening and closing the cooler you may not be able to get the same performance.
10 Day Ice Test Demonstration
Insulation
One of the reasons that Yeti coolers are so expensive is because of the amount of insulation used in the construction of their coolers. With Yeti coolers they will have up to 3 inches of insulation around the base of the cooler as well as on the lid of the cooler to help keep whatever you have inside it as cold as possible. With normal coolers, they will typically have 1 or 2 inches of insulation but they may not have insulation in the lid of the cooler.
I’ve included a link to the popular youtube series called what’s inside where a father and son cut open objects to find out what is inside of them. In the video, they compare a Yeti Tundra 50 cooler with a normal Coleman cooler by cutting them in half to see how they are made. With the Yeti cooler, there is thick insulation all around the base of the cooler as well as in the lid of the Yeti cooler.
When they cut open the Coleman cooler there is insulation around the base of the cooler but it is not as thick in certain sections of the cooler, it also does not have any insulation in the lid of the cooler which would be another reason why the Coleman cooler would not be able to retain ice for as long as a Yeti cooler.
Capacity
Yeti coolers are designed to have different ice storage capacities based on the size of the cooler. The Larger Yeti Tundra 110 will be able to hold up to 90 pounds of ice where the Yeti Tundra 35 can only hold 26 pounds of ice.
One thing to note about the capacity of Yeti coolers is that the model number next to the cooler is not a direct indication of how many quarts the cooler can hold like it is with most other models of coolers. With RTIC coolers the model number next to the cooler is how many quarts of liquid the cooler could hold.
With Yeti coolers their model numbers are typically higher than the actual amount of quarts that the cooler can hold. So with comparable Yeti and RTIC model numbers the RTIC cooler will actually have a higher quart capacity and will be physically larger than the Yeti cooler.
I’ve included a link below that shows you the different Yeti models and their respective capacity in quarts from another website.
Construction
Yeti hard shell coolers are made using rotomolded cooler shells which is the process of using pressure injected foam to create a hard shell around the cooler. They are also designed as a single piece plastic shell which also helps its cooling properties as well as it’s endurance properties.
They also mention that the rotomolded shell is pressure injected with military grade polyurethane foam to help the insulation properties of the cooler. This will add to the overall cost of the cooler and explain why Yeti coolers are so expensive.
On the Yeti Tundra, 45 Yeti says that their rotomolded cooler shell is up to 3 inches thick which would definitely help keep ice in the cooler last longer than a standard cooler that only has a 1-inch thick cooler shell. Having a 3-inch thick shell will also help with the durability of the cooler.
Size
Yeti coolers come in many different shapes and sizes to accommodate their customers. If you are looking for a personal cooler they offer the Yeti Roadie 20 which is on the smaller side but would be fine for personal use.
If you are looking for a cooler for you and a few buddies they offer the Yeti Tundra 45 which is 25 inches long and should be able to hold enough food for a few people.
If you are looking for a cooler for a large group Yeti offers the Yeti Tundra 110 which is currently their largest cooler that they manufacture.
Security
Yeti coolers also have holes on the corner of the cooler as well as on the top of the cooler in order for you to be able to put a padlock on the cooler to keep it closed if you want extra security.
They also have holes designed to be able to use a security cable and bracket on them to allow them to be secured to a tree or a truck bed for extra security.
Price
A Yeti cooler is a bit of an investment at the price point that they sell them so it’s nice that they offer a 5-year warranty on their most popular products. They are definitely not the cheapest rotomolded coolers on the market though as Yeti coolers are going to be at a premium price compared to other rotomolded coolers on the market. You should definitely look at other cooler brands before you decide on going with a Yeti cooler.
Warranty
If you are looking for a cooler that offers a warranty Yeti coolers offer a warranty on most of the products that they sell. The products that carry this 5-year warranty are the Yeti Tundra, Yeti Tank, Yeti Ice, Yeti Rambler, and Yeti Roadie. The other products in the Yeti lineup are covered under a limited 3-year warranty.
Additional Features
Yeti coolers also have additional premium features that make them stand out from the rest of the market as well. They use heavy duty rubber latches that are made with patented technology that is in part what will keep those bears out of your cooler.
Yeti coolers also feature tie-down slots so that you can easily mount them to your boat, truck bed, or trailer.
Yeti coolers also feature high-quality gaskets to keep cold air from escaping the cooler and hot air from getting inside. They state on their website that their gaskets are freezer grade gaskets.
They also say that their handles are made from a military-grade polyester rope for extra durability to ensure they won’t break when you are carrying their coolers. Yeti coolers also include non-slip feet on the bottom of them so that it will keep the cooler from sliding around in your truck bed or boat if you choose not to tie it down.
Another nice feature with Yeti Tundra coolers is that their drainage systems are designed to allow easy drainage of built-up water so that your ice doesn’t melt faster from the water being heated up. The rotomolded design also keeps condensation from building up which is nice if you need to transport the cooler inside of a vehicle.
Yeti Cooler comparisons
If you would like some real world comparisons of Yeti coolers vs other brand coolers there are videos on youtube that show you in real-world scenarios how they stack up to other cooler brands. I’d recommend checking them out as well so that you can see for yourself how Yeti brand coolers stack up to other cooler brands.
Yeti Roadie 20
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 13 5/8” × 14 1/4” × 19 1/8”
• INSIDE 8 3/8” × 9 7/8” × 13”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 15 LBS
16 CANS OF BEER
20 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Roadie 20 still has the features of the Tundra lineup and is the cheapest and smallest Yeti Tundra cooler in the lineup. This Yeti cooler can hold 16 cans of beer, just know that this cooler is going to be small and you may be able to find a comparable cooler for way cheaper.
A lot of the reviews on Amazon also mention that the cooler drain hole leaks so this may be one that you will want to stay away from. It doesn’t sound like the Yeti Roadie 20 has the same Yeti build quality as the other Yeti coolers in the Tundra lineup.
If you are interested in buying the Yeti Roadie 20 on Amazon click the link here.
Yeti Tundra 35
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 16 1/8” × 15 3/4” × 21 3/8”
• INSIDE 9 3/8” × 10 5/8” × 13 7/8”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 20 LBS
21 CANS OF BEER
26 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Tundra 35 is somewhat small, cheap, and affordable. It can hold almost a case of beer so if your requirements are to hold a full case of beer you would want to look at the Yeti Tundra 45 for another 50 bucks. If you just need a small cooler that is rugged and designed to hold ice for a long time look no further.
I would bet that the Yeti Tundra 35 and Yeti Tundra 45 are going to be the most popular selling Yeti coolers because they are in the Goldilocks zone of price versus storage capacity. If you are interested in purchasing the Yeti Tundra 35 on Amazon click this link.
Yeti Tundra 45
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 16 1/8” × 15 3/8” × 25 3/4”
• INSIDE 9 3/8” × 10 5/8” × 18 3/8”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 23 LBS
28 CANS OF BEER
34 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Tundra 45 is the middle of the pack Tundra cooler. It features all of the features within the Tundra lineup while also being able to hold up to 28 cans of beer or 34 pounds of ice.
The Yeti Tundra 45 is able to hold a bit over a full case of beer so if you require a cooler to hold at least a case of beer look no further. The Yeti Tundra 45 is a step up from the Yeti Tundra 35 and I would bet that is one of the higher selling Yeti coolers because of its storage capacity and price point.
If you are interested in buying the Yeti Tundra 45 on Amazon click this link.
Yeti Tundra 65
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 17 1/4” × 16” × 30 5/8”
• INSIDE 10 5/8” × 11 1/8” × 23 1/8”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 29 LBS
42 CANS OF BEER
52 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Tundra 65 cooler is where things start to get more expensive. You are able to hold almost 2 cases of beer (6 short) so it should have plenty of space for two or three people using the cooler.
The Yeti Tundra 65 starts to hit the point where I’d consider looking at other cooler options, however, this cooler should last a long time so that’s something to take into consideration. Just know that there are cheaper options to choose from.
If you are interested in purchasing the Yeti Tundra 65 from Amazon click this link.
Yeti Tundra Haul
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 28 1/4” × 19 1/2” × 18 5/8”
• INSIDE 19” × 13 5/8” × 11 1/4”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 37 LBS
45 CANS OF BEER
55 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Tundra Haul is the only Yeti cooler in the Tundra lineup that has wheels on it, this makes it the most portable Tundra cooler in the lineup. The Yeti Tundra Haul features durable wheels and an aluminum handle to help you to be able to move around your cooler easily.
If you are looking for a wheeled cooler in the Tundra lineup look no further. If you are interested in reading more about the Tundra Haul and checking out the price on Amazon click this link.
Yeti Tundra 75
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 17 7/8” × 17 1/2” × 33 1/2”
• INSIDE 10 3/4” × 12 7/8” × 25 5/8”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 34 LBS
57 CANS OF BEER
70 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Tundra 75 can hold over 50 cans of beer or 70 pounds of ice so that should be plenty for 4-5 people. The Yeti Tundra 75 reviews state that it’s a pretty heavy cooler at 34 pounds and that seems to be the main complaint about it.
The Yeti Tundra 75 is getting outside of the price range of most people that are looking for a cooler. If you want the best of the best cooler though look no further. If you are interested in buying the Yeti Tundra 75 on Amazon click here.
Yeti Tundra 110
Product info:
• OUTSIDE 18 1/8” × 20” × 37 1/2”
• INSIDE 10 7/8” × 14 3/4” × 29 3/8”
• EMPTY WEIGHT 39 LBS
74 CANS OF BEER
90 POUNDS OF ICE (ONLY)
Using a 2:1 ice-to-can ratio by volume
The Yeti Tundra 110 is a pretty large cooler at over 3 feet long. Yeti says that on the Yeti Tundra 110 it has 3 inches of insulation and an extra thick rotomolded design. With how big this cooler is you have to start looking at the weight of the cooler. The main complaint on the reviews on Amazon seems to be how much this cooler weighs.
This is going to be the largest cooler offering that Yeti makes so if you need to get a larger cooler than this you are going to have to look at other cooler brands. If you are interested in purchasing the Yeti Tundra 110 on Amazon click this link here.
What Alternatives Are There To A Yeti Cooler?
When speaking broadly about coolers there are three different types of coolers, premium coolers such as Yeti, standard coolers such as Coleman, and soft shell coolers. With premium coolers, you are going to pay more for the cooler up front but it’s expected that the construction and features of the premium cooler are going to be better than a standard cooler.
A standard cooler will do just fine on a weekend camping trip but if you really need your ice to last longer than a couple of days you would want to go with a premium cooler. A soft shell cooler is typically lighter than a premium or standard cooler but a soft shell cooler will not be able to provide the same ice retention properties of a premium cooler.
Other premium cooler brands on the market are Pelican, Grizzly, and Orca. Coolers offered by these brands will be similar in construction to a Yeti cooler but may potentially be cheaper than a Yeti cooler. I’ve purchased a Pelican soft shell cooler for my stepdad for golf trips and he’s been impressed with its ice retention, he’s said that even with the soft shell it can hold ice for a few days without needing to be refilled.
RTIC
Another direct competitor to Yeti is RTIC, they offer products that are similar in construction to Yeti coolers but at a lower price point than Yeti coolers. The RTIC 45 is very similar to the Yeti Tundra 45, on their website RTIC says that it can hold 36 cans of beer or 40 pounds of ice. RTIC also claims that the RTIC 45 can retain ice for up to 10 days. The RTIC 45 is also over $100 cheaper than the Yeti Tundra 45.
RTIC coolers are designed to look really similar in design to Yeti coolers and were actually sued by Yeti because of how similar they look and RTIC was ordered to stop manufacturing their Yeti look-alike coolers.
Because of this no one really knows how much longer their current Yeti style coolers will be around so you may want to buy one before they are all sold out. I’ve included a link to the RTIC 45 so that you can compare it with Yeti coolers construction and prices.
RTIC 45 Cooler
One thing I noted above that I wanted to drive the point home on is that the number next to the RTIC coolers is the actual capacity in quarts whereas the number next to Yeti coolers is not the actual quart capacity.
This means that with a comparable RTIC and Yeti cooler the RTIC cooler will actually be a bit larger in size. Some people have noted in their comparison videos that they thought that the larger size of the RTIC cooler actually had an effect on the performance of the RTIC cooler and made it perform better than the Yeti cooler. If you are interested in checking out the current prices of the RTIC 45 on Amazon click here.
I’ll include a link to the RTIC vs Yeti comparison video that I am referencing below if you are interested in checking that out.
I personally think that the RTIC coolers offer the best bang for the buck when we are talking about rotomolded coolers. RTIC coolers look almost the same as Yeti coolers, they have the same style latches and features but are sold at a much cheaper price point.
RTIC coolers are all made in China whereas Yeti coolers are made in the USA and the Philippines. RTIC coolers also have a lifetime warranty to protect them against defects and issues with workmanship during the construction process.
Grizzly
When talking about other alternatives to Yeti coolers Grizzly is another rotomolded cooler manufacturer that makes coolers comparable to Yeti coolers. Grizzly coolers are going to cost a bit more than RTIC coolers but still less than a comparable Yeti cooler. Grizzly coolers will typically offer a center divider whereas most other coolers may not offer such a feature which can be useful if you need to divide items inside of your cooler.
One thing that is nice about Grizzly coolers that separates them from the other coolers on this list is the number of colors that they offer on their coolers. They offer the traditional colors of red, tan, white, and grey; but they also offer more non-traditional colors such as teal, orange, lime, and sandstone. My personal favorite is the sandstone color, it looks like it is made out of sand from a beach.
Grizzly 40 Quart
Grizzly coolers are made in the USA. Like I mentioned above some Yeti Tundra coolers are made in the Philippines so if you want to make sure that you are buying an American made product you may want to go with another cooler brand besides Yeti that you know makes all of their products in the USA.
Grizzly coolers also offer a limited lifetime warranty against defects and workmanship of their products. If you are interested in checking out the current prices of the Grizzly 40 Quart cooler on Amazon click here.
Pelican
Pelican coolers are also a direct competitor to Yeti coolers and offer their own line of rotomolded coolers called Pelican Elite coolers. Pelican coolers prices are typically going to be a bit more costly than RTIC coolers and even Grizzly coolers depending on which model or capacity you plan on going with. Pelican coolers are going to be designed a bit differently than the other coolers on this list and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
One thing that makes Pelican coolers stand out from the rest of the rotomolded coolers on this list is the handles and the number of features that they pack into their coolers. With Pelicans larger coolers their handles are molded into the shell of the cooler which I think is a better design than the ropes used in the Yeti. Pelican Elite coolers also offer a stainless steel bottle opener built into the cooler as well as four self-draining cupholders integrated into the lid of the cooler.
Pelican Elite 30 Quart Cooler
Like RTIC and Grizzly coolers, Pelican coolers are all going to be made in the USA and offer a limited lifetime warranty on their products.
If you are interested in a comparison video of a Pelican cooler vs a Yeti cooler I’ve included a link to a Youtube video below that shows a father and daughter that test out both coolers.
They start by doing simple ice retention tests and then progress to dropping both coolers out of the bed of a truck to eventually shooting both coolers with a shotgun to see if they could stand up to the test. I’ll let you check out the video for the results.
If you are interested in learning more about the Pelican Elite 30 Quart cooler I’ve included a link to Amazon here.
Why Are Yeti Coolers So Expensive? – Conclusion
This Yeti cooler guide was designed to provide you with all the information about Yeti coolers and to answer the question of why are Yeti coolers so expensive? This article also outlined other Yeti cooler alternatives to let you make an informed decision about whether or not a Yeti cooler would be a good fit for you or if you would be better off just getting a standard cooler.
Yeti has definitely cornered the premium cooler market and is the most popular premium cooler brand, however, it’s ultimately up to you to determine if spending more for a cooler would be worth it to you.
I’d say that if you are only taking weekend trips of a couple of days that you would be fine with going with a standard cooler. If you are planning on taking trips of longer than a few days frequently or you just want a really nice cooler then I’d say that a Yeti cooler may be worth buying.
In choosing a Yeti Tundra cooler the real question is how much do you need to carry on a trip? The more your storage needs or space requirements the larger of a cooler you would be looking to get. If you don’t need a very large cooler you would be fine with the Tundra 35 or Tundra 45 coolers. If you need a large cooler the Tundra 110 should fit that bill.
If you are interested in checking out some other alternatives to Yeti coolers I’ve included a link to another article where I recommend Yeti alternatives Coolers Like Yeti but Cheaper.
