Okay I get it how the high dollar coolers may hold ice longer, but is it really worth it? A $40 cooler vs a $450 cooler (some refrigerators cost that much). That is a big difference and the extra money you save would buy a lot of ice over the life of the cooler also the cheaper coolers weigh a lot less which makes them easier to tote around. A good quality cheaper cooler will hold ice for 3 days. Unless you spend 24/7 camping and fishing outdoors I do not see spending that kind of money for a high dollar cooler. I think most people go out for a couple of days once in a great while and the rest of the time the cooler sits in the garage waiting for a thief to steal it. Hope I am not the only one who feels like saving money for the important stuff, like more fishing equipment.

The high$$$ coolers probably have their place with the offshore guys who spend the entire day in the heat or even on an overnighter and need to keep ice and food for a long time. For the day fisherman, I think they were a solution looking for a problem. On the fresh water bodies, I think they are more of a status symbol than anything. I work in the marinas all the time and you can walk the docks and constantly see Yetis sitting on the back of boats just waiting to be stolen. My igloo works fine,

got to be cool man

I'll stick with my ceapo coolers, I would come unglued if I had a Yeti and it was stolen....

1. Don't buy a Yeti.

2. Buy a RTIC, Coleman Extreme, or Canyon Cooler.

3. Precool the cooler if at all possible.

I don't get it either. thanks for the post.

Every cooler stays cold for up to 8 hours. If you are going in the backwoods on some moose hunt and need to keep something cold for 5-7 days, then choose a Yeti.

My $20 cooler holds ice for 2 days without pre cooling. Now I just use the built in cooler on the boat. One bag a day. If you want to save money, you'd be better served buying an ice maker. There is a place for them but not for the average fisherman except for a status symbol

Its all about the name.

I finally broke down and bought a Igloo sportsman because I was tired of losing cooler lids on the way to the lake and back. If I had to pick the best roto molded cooler for the money it would be an RTIC. I have a 65 qt that I add ice to once a week and there is not a cheaper roto molded cooler on the market. I will never own a Yeti unless it was given to me. They are horribly overpriced. It is a big expense, but it is a one time cost and will last forever unless it is stolen. I have bought multiple $70-80 large coolers for deer hunting and they wear out quick or become water logged and weigh as much as a roto molded cooler.

Well after my original post, today I got a Yeti for my birthday. LOL. I tried to make my friend take it back, but he said no. So I got the small Yeti Tundra 35, which is not real heavy like the bigger ones. If it does not get stolen I should get a lot of use out of it. Still though I would of never bought one for myself.