LITTLE ROCK — Field and clinical tests prove Yeti coolers are as good as advertised. For what they cost, they’d better be.
Yeti is worth the money if you use a cooler often, and under taxing conditions. If you use a cooler infrequently, or just for day trips or short overnighters, you’re better off buying something cheaper.
During Spring Break, I took my children on a threeday, two-night float on the Buffalo River. The weather was sunny and hot. We packed fruits, drinks, lunch meats and cheeses in a 54-quart, Coleman Stainless Steel cooler. The ice melted midway through the second day, but the interior was still cool at nightfall. By the end of the trip, the interior was an oven. The remaining food, about $20 worth, spoiled. We were famished, so we had to stop for sandwiches at Subway, which cost another $20.The total reversal was about $40. You can also include the cost of ice, which was about $6, since it was basically money wasted. A 50-quart Yeti Tundra costs about $150 more than a new Coleman Stainless. About four such reversals cover the difference.
I obtained a 50-quart Yeti Tundra in time for last week’sthree-day, two night trip on the Buffalo. Again, it was hot and sunny, but the Yeti still held plenty of ice at the end.
This prompted me to compare the coolers under identical conditions. I also tested a 65-quart Igloo Island Breeze, which I have often used for overnight floats and day trips.
Physically, the Yeti (about $320) is built as solid as a small refrigerator. Its walls are very hard and thick and packed with insulation. It also has a refrigerator grade, rubber seal that holds in cold and seals out heat. Mine is white, which reflects sunlight and stays cooler than darker colors.
The Coleman Stainless Steel (about $160) is shrouded with silver metal. It gets very hot, very fast. It has no lid seal, and though it is almost as heavy as the Tundra, it has only a fraction of theinsulation.
The Igloo Island Breeze (about $50) also has no seal. Its lid is white, but the sides are heat-absorbing red.
I wanted to duplicate the conditions under which most sportsmen use coolers. I exposed them to direct sunlight and heat almost all day with no special preparations.
Last Thursday at noon, I put 30 pounds of ice inside the Yeti and Coleman, and 40 pounds inside the larger Igloo, filling each to about 80 percent capacity. I did not pre-chill the coolers, nor did I cover them. I obtained the ice at a local convenience store, which was about 15 minutes from my home. After that short drive, the Coleman lid was already too hot to touch. I opened them three times a day at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m., for 20 seconds, which is about the time it takes to reach in for cold drinks and sandwich fixin’s. I skewedthe test slightly against the Yeti, though. I visited an old friend from Missouri who was camping in the Ouachita National Forest. We opened the cooler repeatedly Saturday night to access the cold drinks inside.
After 24 hours, in full sun from 8 a.m. to noon, the Yetiretained almost 100 percent of its ice volume. The interior walls were very cold. The Igloo retained about 70 percent. The walls were cool. The Coleman retained about 65 percent. Its walls were cool.
After 48 hours, the Yeti retained 50 percent of its ice volume. The Coleman and Igloo retained 10 percent, and the walls above the ice were about room temperature. They remained stable at 5 p.m., but the Yeti was down to 40 percent.
After 72 hours, the Yeti retained 20 percent of its ice. The other coolers had ice water, with a few small ice chunks afloat. When I moved the Coleman into the shade - 86 degrees - water sloshed from beneath the unsealed lid. By 5 p.m., the Yeti still had 20 percent of its ice. The other coolers had zero ice. The test was over for them.
After 96 hours (Day 5), the Yeti retained 5 percent of its ice. The ambient temperature was 82 degrees. The interior walls were still cold. At 115 hours, the last of its ice finally melted, but the interior walls were still cold.
Results: The Yeti kept ice 38 hours longer than the Igloo and Coleman.
Sports, Pages 24 on 05/31/2012