Review of Yeti Roadie and Tundra: The Best Coolers around!

Every now and again I come across an amazing outdoors product that I feel is “worthy” enough to recommend to all of you readers. Well, that time has come again. I’ve come across the best ice cooler out on the market and it’s known as a Yeti cooler. I’ve been using one for nearly two years and I’ve honestly not come across any other coolers that compare. 

These ice coolers are built like tanks and are able to take some of the abuse that can happen when slinging around a heavy cooler while loading/unloading/camping or you know, just in case of the occasional bear attack (seriously they are bear-proof). Point is, these are industrial-level coolers in my opinion and there’s little doubt that they can’t stand up to the usual (and even unusual) wear and tear over the years. The only drawback might be that it’s a little heavy/bulky. If you’re looking for a compact and very light cooler this isn’t what the Yeti is; however, it definitely should still be manageable for most folks.

But what most people want out of a cooler is one with great insulation that will hold its temperature for days at a time. When using the Yeti cooler for up to 2-3 days, we’ve had great success in keeping drinks, food, and anything else cold for that amount of time. And that’s with opening and closing the cooler on a pretty frequent basis. 

Of course, just how long the cooler will remain cold depends on a lot of factors and can differ on a case-by-case basis. For example, general rules of thumb are to avoid direct sunlight (if possible), pre-cool the contents and/or the cooler itself (this is a huge factor often ignored by many people), and use larger blocks of ice rather than small cubes. Yeti does sell ice blocks that can be used with the coolers and those are also quite effective at retaining the cool temperature inside the cooler. It can be a little difficult finding room for large blocks of ice in a small cooler so that’s why I’d look into the frozen blocks. 

What size cooler is right for you all depends on your purpose. The 20-quart Roadie Yeti is a good selection for daily use like taking meals and a drink to work, a picnic, a day to the beach, etc. It’s also a good size for taking it with you on activities like fishing, boating, or “floating” the river like they do down in Texas. Some people don’t care too much for the handle on the Yeti and I agree that it could be better, but it’s never been a major issue for me.

There are much larger options for Yetis (Tundra Editions) that can be used as well like the 35, 45, 55, or 65 quart. My relatives have two 55 quart Yetis and those things also come in handy for things like cookouts and hot 4th of July parties that go down in Texas. They can fit a number of cases in them and we’ve never once had a problem with anything not staying cool.  

Yeti coolers are a bit on the pricey side with the 20 quart starting at about $230 and going up from that point up. However, I can honestly say that in the long run you will probably get more than your money’s worth out of this cooler, especially if you are someone who plans on constantly taking these things out for trips, bbq’s, etc.