If you’re a frequent camper or adventurer, you might want to invest in some sort of a cooler. There are quite a few options on the market, but one of the more well-known coolers is Yeti.
ROADIE® 60 WHEELED COOLER
A massive cooler built to easily wheel wine, watermelon, and wild game.
During the last few years, it grew in popularity exponentially, and that might be due to its performance. It keeps ice intact for quite some time. But if you’re planning to invest in a Yeti cooler or you already have one, how long can you expect the ice to last before melting?
The time that ice lasts in the cooler might depend on the cooler type.
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How Much Time Before The Ice Melts? – YETI Coolers
Surprisingly enough, ice might take a while to melt in YETI coolers. Now, some cheap plastic coolers can only keep ice cool for hours, but in the case of YETI coolers, it might be days.
For reference, a small YETI 160 will keep ice lasting for at least 2 to 4 days. Whereas larger YETI 160 coolers will keep ice cool for a whopping two weeks. A YETI 45 can keep the ice for at least 3 to 5 days. SO, all in all, pretty impressive performance when compared to other brands.
We compared the YETI coolers with RTIC and Pelican as well.
But this doesn’t mean that ice is guaranteed to last that long. It all depends on how cool the cooler is beforehand, whether it is exposed to the sun, and how packed it is. But you can expect to get those numbers if you pack your YETI cooler properly.
So, how do you optimize the YETI cooler to hold ice longer and pack it properly?
Keeping Ice Cool As Long As Possible – YETI
There are things you can do to increase the longevity of ice in your YETI cooler, like I said before. Most of the things are trivial.
Here’s what is important:
Keep Your Cooler Cool
When you store your YETI cooler, always store it in a dry and cool area. Avoid leaving it outside on hot temperatures because when you need to pack it, it’s ideal for the cooler to be a tad bit cool, and not scorching hot.
How Much Ice To Use
I recommend putting about double amount of ice compared to your contents. It doesn’t have to be on point, just make sure there is more ice than beers in the cooler.
Use A Different Type of Ice
Block ice usually tends to melt slower. But it isn’t very easy to fill smaller gaps with it. So, I recommend putting blocks at the bottom of the YETI cooler, then filling up the rest with cube ice.
Make Sure Your Ice Is Very Cold
You will need to make sure that your cooler is set to a very cold temperature.
Set it as cold as possible, if you can. It gives you a lot more time before the ice reaches a melting temperature which is 32°F or 0°C. Meaning, the lower the temperature, the better.
Avoid Opening The Cooler Multiple Times
So long as the YETI cooler stays closed and insolated, it will hold the ice for as long as possible. Opening it, lets warm air in the cooler, and the ice will melt until it reaches a stable temperature again.
This means that unnecessary opening to it might make the ice melt faster. So, whatever you do, keep the YETI cooler closed and open it as little as possible.
Keep Account Of Where You Leave Your Cooler
Similar to the first thing in this list, just keep in mind where you put the cooler when it’s already packed. Sunlight is a big no-no! Find cool areas like under a tree in the shade, or in the river.
This will ensure that the cooler doesn’t get the outer shell too hot to a point where it will transfer that to inside the cooler.
Don’t Drain The Melted Ice
Even if you do follow all of these tips, ice might still find a way to melt. As a result, you will have some water in the cooler. I recommend leaving it in (if possible). It will act as an insulator, and it is still relatively cold even though it’s melted.
But do not leave any contents in water like meat or other foods.
Now, these things are the best-case scenario for you cooler. Like I said before, there is no need to be that rigorous with these because it is still an ice cooler, but at least keep them in mind.
If the weather is also colder, the YETI cooler will perform a lot better. Nevertheless, you can get those higher numbers in hot conditions by following the tips from above.
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