Yeti Coolers = 4 Blade Razors?

[joeD]

Kind of a semi-serious question. Passing time. If I sound apathetic, well, I don't really care...

Anyway, $300 coolers? Wow. Anybody have one?

My thought process in asking this question is...never mind. We don't have time.

So, getting back to me (where was I?) ..Oh yes.. COOLERS!

It was hot this weekend, and Monday. I was fishing in Arkansas. My choice of cooler(s) was, unfortunately, made out of convenience, not performance. So, therefore, the magical spectre of the Yeti arises. Me being a simple chimp easily swayed by advertising, I am somewhat intrigued by the siren song of an expensive, "performance," cooler. Or ice chest. And fishing platform(?!).

So, what say you, dear rabble, experts in all things fishing? Me? I have many conundrums that puzzle my pumpkin.

1. Waste of money?

2, Because, just get a bigger cooler and add more ice?

3. Does the ice matter? Hotel vs bag? Block vs cube? Dry ice? Frozen water jugs?

4. What about cocktail ice?

5. Two small coolers vs one large?

6. How many coolers have you bought in the last 5 years? Does it equal $200?

See, I think we, as anglers, have no problem spending money. Rods, reels, clothes, trucks, boats. You get it. So, why do I (we) blanch at the thought of spending boo coo bucks on a, dare I say, important part of our equipment? Because, I really do think keeping things cold is important when you're out all day on the water.

So, Yeti coolers.

PS: I can remember a comedian making a joke on Johnny Carson about the new "twin-edged" razor. He said "What's next, a razor with FOUR blades?" General laughter ensued, accompanied by the comedian's incredulous facial expression.

Yeah, well, you had to be there.

Michael: I don't know anyone who could get through the day without two or three juicy rationalizations. They're more important than sex.

Sam Weber: Ah, come on. Nothing's more important than sex.

Michael: Oh yeah? Ever gone a week without a rationalization?

[Gavin]

Funny!...No need for a Yeti, or a 4 blade razor...Do they have a 5 blade now?. How did we all survive without that stuff:>)!

[joeD]

Ahhh. Surviving is one thing, living is another. Remember, regression analysis is a dead end. But, you go on ahead, don't let me stop ya. Drive to work in your unairconditioned Ford Pinto, peanut butter and jelly sandwich safely tucked in your brown lunch sack, already becoming a gooey mess, while your wife diligently goes to the creek and washes your clothes by pounding it with rocks, all the while defending herself against unwanted male suitors, with a newborn babe at her chest. Don't forget, you must preserve your homegrown vegetables in your garden for the coming winter. Forget about that new fangled "thang" you have your heart set on.

Four blades indeed!

Still, question still stands.

[jeb]

My son recently went old school to the old clam shell razors with the single blade in them. Seems it's a bit of a trend these days.

I think the Yeti style coolers are great, but really overkill for a day of fishing. Just get a decent cooler with a tight fitting, insulated lid and you'll be good to go. Now, if you're taking a canoe trip through the BWCA for a week, hell yes, get a Yeti and keep it closed as much as you can. And type of ice does matter. I've done a ton of camping over the years and the hotel type ice is the worst. Melts fast. I usually use a mix of block ice (usually frozen gallon jugs of water from our chest freezer) and ice maker ice (which I bag up and store in bulk in the freezer before a trip). If it's going to be several days, I'll even fill my best cooler up only with ice (Okay, a few beers on the bottom) to distribute to the other cooler(s) as they need it.

[Feathers and Fins]

Four blade here but it was a gift

I do not buy a product to fit in with the "in crowd" I laugh at all these people who have to have the "name brand" to feel like they are a sportsmen.

1. Camo Patterns. I cannot even begin to guess how many times I have crawled in a deer stand after work in my work clothes and knocked down a nice deer. You have to have hunter orange on so why would you spend hundreds on Camo when jeans and a t-shirt works just as well?

2. Scent control. Same as above but my biggest Buck was shot while I was smoking a nice Ghurka and sipping steaming hot coffee. If you play the wind you don't need the scent control.

3. Face paint and Beards for duck hunting. I don't paint my face and don't ever wear a beard. Movement is the killer. Again same as number 1 on clothing though I do put on the Camo late season or in heavily pressured areas. But its movement that bust the birds more than anything. I have shot them wearing blue jeans and a blue Columbia shirt and even sitting on a rock in the middle of a lake in jeans and a t-shirt.

4. Decoys. Why buy the hottest most expensive name brand on gods green ( brown in hunting season) earth when there are others out there for much less that work fine? If the birds are close enough to ready the manufactures name I better be shooting and not admiring the decoys!

5. Guns. I still have my grandfathers 1953 870 wingmaster and it has killed game since day 1 and never had a problem. Yes I have others I use but truthfully its because I wanted them not because I needed them. That old 870 is all the gun anyone ever needs.

6. Coolers. Had a old Coleman for 20plus years and I know it was older than that as I inherited it. Only reason I don't still have it is due to it and a Cat9 having a argument. Now I have a couple igloos. 1 for food and drink 1 for game and fish. Rule of thumb 1day trip requires 14 lbs of ice bags or 1 7lb block of ice. both are 52qt and 70.00 for both combined. In the boat I have two built ins that last all day on the water. Biggest must have is (Shipping Ice bags. Those dam things will last 24 to 48 hours and can be reused many times I love them)

I have found over the years People buy the "Name Brand" to fit in with the "in crowd" or the pretty things. Sportsmen are worse than women at a shoe or jewelry store they have to have the name brand and shiny pretty thing. This seems to be an illness in the younger generations but is not limited to them. Seems it is also found in the older generation that should know better but when they typically partake in the sport with large groups of friends find they must have the biggest name and most expensive toys to fit in for fear of being mocked.

I Believe this disease is contagious people catch from spouses in the older generation caused by to many days forced to go shopping with the wife. It is NOT Curable as the cure causes loss of half of all possessions. My suggestion is refusal to partake in shopping excursions. Musthavenamus brandus disease can be countered with the simple word NO! However it also has a determent side effect known as Lackonukky! So the cure and the 12 step programs are both counter-productive to the mans enjoyment of the outdoors. The only solution that works is for the younger generations only as the older ones are ( well to say it simply) " SCREWED"! So to the younger generations EITHER

A. Do NOT GET MARRIED

OR

B. Marry a woman who loves the outdoors.

B. is very difficult to locate but its fun weeding through the wrong ones:)

[Greasy B]

I've been using the same couple of $30.00 coolers for close to ten years, never had to suffer through a warm beer yet.

The most importaint part of a close shave is hot water. The most importaint thing with sharp razors is storing them dry.

[Mitch f]

If you were packing 400 pounds of Moose meat to get to a waiting airplane up in the Yukon, 3 times a week, it might be worth it. I kind of like the idea that someone took something and perfected it! as far as the 4 blade razors..........But are they edible?

ps. Always wear safety glasses when trying this at home!

[Bird Watcher]

How do 30$ Jerkbaits fit into this discussion?

What about 600$ reels?

Here is a Yeti cooler comparison.

There are some that perform just as good or better.

I think the only real justification is a trip where you need to keep ice for mulitple days. Day trips do not warrant the expenditure. Not to mention they are heavy as all get out and don't have that much storage inside for how big they are.

none the less, buddies who own them love them but I think it might just be a way of making themselves feel better about paying 400$ for a cooler.

But as Capt. Bill Babler said in the thread about boats, "it's only money" If you got it and want to spend it on a yeti, go for it.

[Kelroy]

My job requires daily use of coolers for sample preservation and transport; we even ship our iced samples cross-country to our lab. We only recently acquired some YETI coolers for each of our field trucks. They are definitely tough, they don't cave in under heavy loads (you know who you are). But they are very heavy for a cooler. They are thick-walled, but don't seem to be any more insulated that the average Igloo or Coleman. Important to remember, they aren't necessarily a 'better' cooler, just a tougher one. I'm not really fond of the rubber 'Jeep hood' latches, though we have yet to break one. They can be padlocked at the corners, although it requires a long-shackle lock to do so, the average padlock won't reach. They have an o-ring seal in the lid, so if you use dry ice, you will need to open it up every once in a while to allow the CO2 to escape.

Solid block ice always lasts longer than any size cubes, but it can be cumbersome depending on what you're trying to pack in there with it. Some of the lads have taken to using frozen water bottles for cooling; they last a little longer than cubes, are re-freezable, don't soak everything as they melt, and are easier to arrange vs a big solid block.

Hope this helps you decide whether or not a Yeti will fill your needs. ~K

[Al Agnew]

There's a difference between needing and wanting. There are circumstances where someone might NEED a cooler that holds ice for five days, you can stand on it, and the grizzly bears can't get into it. In those cases it's nice that there is one available if you can afford it, though if you can't you can make do with something else. But I also think a lot of people have and will buy one of these simply because they can then impress their friends that they have a $300 name brand cooler to go with all the other name brand super expensive stuff they have, because they will never be in a situation where they actually NEED a cooler like that.

To relate it to other fishing stuff...we don't NEED $200 reels and $300 rods to catch fish. We could get by with the cheapest canoes and kayaks and a 16 ft. johnboat with a 15 hp motor. But...good equipment that we actually USE all the time adds joy to our fishing experience...those high end rods and reels feel better and perform a little better, those nice bass boats are more comfortable and get us to our fishing waters faster, those better canoes and kayaks paddle easier and are better to fish from.

But a cooler is a different thing. You're not handling a cooler all the time. There is no more comfort or pleasure in having a $300 cooler sitting in the boat than there is in a $30 one, as long as both keep stuff cold for as long as you're on the water. I've got expensive rods and reels and I love using them. I don't think I'd "love" using a Yeti.