What makes the Yetti worth the money is the ability to use dry ice...and yes they're worth the money if you really need to keep cold items for a few days or longer.

 

I have the smallest one and like it. A 7 lb bag of ice last 3 days if you don't open the lid a lot. Big and heavy to carry but built to last.

 

Take a look at Pelican. They have been the workhorse of high end coolers for a long time. The major difference between Pelican and Yeti is the warranty. Most Yeti are guaranteed for five years, Pelican for life. There are comparisons you can view online to see how they perform side by side.

 

engel make a high end cooler too. I'd love to have one but choke at the price.

 

I would never pay over $200 for a VERY small yeti! We go on week long hunting and fishing trips and use the 100-120 qt. colemans and usually only have to go for ice once during the week, have used dry ice in them also bringing meat home from our west.

 

Keep your eye on your local craigslist. I picked up a brand new in the box Yeti 65 (retails for $390) for $150. A guy won it at a beef and beer event and had no use for it. It really does keep ice for days. I got lucky finding mine so cheap, but I'm sure there are others out there.

 

No way i would pay that much for a cooler either. As much as i use a cooler for, i doubt the extra bags of ice it would save me would ever pay for the cooler in my lifetime.

 

No way i would pay that much for a cooler either. As much as i use a cooler for, i doubt the extra bags of ice it would save me would ever pay for the cooler in my lifetime.

Sometimes you just cant run down to the quick stop and get a couple bags of ice. That is where the high end coolers shine.

 

I've been using Coleman extreme coolers with excellent results.
Packing right and with proper storage and use I still have ice after 6 days.

 

I looked at Yeti for 390$...
I simply added it up @ $1.25 a bag of ice
I'd need to buy 312 +/- of ice....
Can't make math work in my mind.. Especially when I freeze
My own bottles bags ice on my own a fair amount of the time...