![]() The Yeti got the absolute coldest at the start (0:00), down to 29 degrees Fahrenheit, while the RTIC hit 32.9 degrees, but by Saturday morning (12:00), they'd evened out within a half degree. (One way to avoid that is to make a map of the content locations and duct tape it to the lid of the cooler that way, you can open, grab, and shut.) Meanwhile, outside, each day blazed above 90.Įvery four hours (save in the middle of the night), we opened the lids of each cooler and pulled out a can or two, always taking the same number from each cooler and rapidly closing the lids - rooting around in a cooler and leaving it open introduces a lot more warm air. At that point, nearly all the ice had melted to water. We packed the coolers at 8 pm on a Friday (0:00) and monitored the internal temperatures of each for the next three days and nights until 8 pm Monday (72:00). We didn't follow that towel formula for the test, mainly because we wanted to see which cooler performed best under a decent amount of duress and, let's be real, because not everyone is bringing spare towels for the cooler on weekend camping trips. Ideally with ice, but even as that melts, they suggest adding towels or anything to eliminate that layer. ![]() Yeti makes clear that the enemy of a cold cooler is air, so proper packing demands that any gap at the top of the interior space has to be filled. Lastly, we filled each cooler to the very top with yet more loose ice. So, yeah, invariably something you add, whether it's food or refreshment, won't be pre-chilled. (That person might even proceed to drink one on the ride, even though it's 5:30 am). Why? Because there's always that person in your crew who piles into the car last and comes with a room temperature sixer just purchased from the minimart. Yes, this part required a bit of eye-balling to get a fair battle (since the RTIC holds more than the Yeti), but the goal was a two-can mid-layer of liquid refreshment in each cooler.Īlso, for a wild card, we pre-chilled all but six of the cans in each. On top of that, we added a layer of loose ice, followed by 21 beers and non-boozy soda in the Yeti, and 24 in the RTIC, with a mixture of tallboys and 12-ouncers. Nope, we didn't spring for either Yeti or RTIC's flavors (both sell their own recipe of pack) but instead went with Rubbermaid's Blue Ice since we didn't want to bias either cooler product (and the additional packs from each brand are pretty expensive). We then dumped out that first load of ice, and as Yeti suggests, lined the floor of each with chemical ice packs. ![]() Within a few hours, each was reading about 34 degrees nice and chilly. To monitor the temperature of each unit, we used a ThermoWorks sensor, with readouts from the front, inside wall of each cooler. Then, as Yeti recommends, we added a "sacrificial" ten-pound bag of ice to each cooler and waited. First, we put both coolers into storage in a basement where the ambient temperature was about 60 degrees. For our 72-hour test, we followed Yeti's approach, with a few mods. Yeti lists a comprehensive game plan for packing its coolers. That's awesome it means that if you've got a power failure at home when it's not hot, you could rely on either model to prevent food rot. Packed as detailed below, both models held steady at just above freezing. Incidentally, the first week that we ran our test, we had relentlessly cool temperatures in the 50s and low 60s. Both coolers performed impressively and are worth your cash, but the cold truth is, for ease of use, comfort of carry and temperature retention, we've gotta give the nod to Yeti. We'll get into all the details below, including a head to head test of each brand's ability to keep your stuff cool over an extended period. But here we wanted to compare like with like, to see which is better, once and for all. ![]() We've tested both brands' wares in the past and know that each makes a quality product. RTIC came along a bit later (and got sued by Yeti for copying its process a bit too closely), but both brands are working along similar, scientifically proven lines. It walls off all of the air permeability and adds a thick blanket that prevents heat from penetrating, maintaining the cold ecosystem inside the cooler, no matter what's happening beyond its walls. To prevent that possibility, Yeti pioneered "rotomolding" by using a manufacturing process first seen in the automotive industry to form a seamless plastic shell with the insulation fused inside. ![]()
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