Yeti vs 12v fridge?

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gofast

gofast

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Hi All,

I'm debating on whether I really want to deal with a fridge or get a yeti cooler. Longest I need to keep food fresh for is about four days.

Since I sometimes sleep in the back in bear country, I like the idea of quickly popping a cooler out.

Are yeti's as good as they say and would it be suitable for the use I've described above?

The other thing is I can easily load the yeti in the back of my m101.

Thoughts? Experiences?

Cheers,

John
 
you might perhaps have more responses in the camping section?
 
Been on this site for years and didn't know about the camping forum. Imagine that! Now I'll even burn more hours here.


ARB's are on sale and my buddy convinced me to get one after saying you never have to eat another soggy sandwich that's been siting in melt/blood water.

Eeeewww. It was enough for me
 
Definitely go with the fridge. It's a bit more upfront along with needing a second battery but the soggy bread argument is truth.
 
Fridge is the way to go, IMHO.
Coleman used to offer a refrigerator that used a stirling cycle compressor and helium for the coolant. They are extremely low power. Unfortunately, they were discontinued. They do pop up occasionally on Ebay and Amazon, but its pretty infrequent.

Next best thing is the ARB freezer/fridge.

The National Luna fridges are SWEET, but BLING!
 
Tigerstripe40 said:
Fridge is the way to go, IMHO.
Coleman used to offer a refrigerator that used a stirling cycle compressor and helium for the coolant. They are extremely low power. Unfortunately, they were discontinued. They do pop up occasionally on Ebay and Amazon, but its pretty infrequent.

Next best thing is the ARB freezer/fridge.

The National Luna fridges are SWEET, but BLING!
Click to expand...

VERY happy with BOTH of my ARB fridges....One in the truck and one in the trailer.
 
I use and sell the Dometic brand AC/DC which is sold in Australia under a different name. I like them just fine. I carry a CF40 in my 77Fj40 or in my trailer. I have read a lot of reviews recently about ICE sustainability vs cost and, if you can afford the extra dollars, go with the 12 volt AC/DC of your choice. They have an internal regulator that shuts down at 11.4 volts, which I think is a little high but, that is how it works because they are defending the cranking power of your primary battery. I have run my personal Dometic refrigerator for 48 hours, off the house battery, without problems and that particular time was because I forgot to bring the portable ZAMP solar panel. I set my frig at at 32 Ds F.

So, the question comes down to how much space does your ice have to displace, how long are you planning to keep your fish fresh, and, of course, how much can your budget sustain.

ARB puts out a good product, way over priced in my opinion, but they are selling the name more than the product. I sell and install after market Dometic appliances and they are found on nearly every domestic RV, trailer and motor home, in the United States. No more problemas than for anything in it's class.

www.coastlineRVandOffRoad.com
 
My two cents. And it seems I may be out numbered here. But I have been using my Yeti for years in the SE US. And I mean the true tropics in Southern Fl. I have been on 9 day long camps in the Everglades. I mean way back camping on chickees. Hunting for tarpon and snook. I think 4 days you will be fine with a Yeti. Especially if the temps are not pushing 100 degrees. There are few tricks that I have learned over the years with all coolers. Unless I am chillin beer for the day. I never use loose ice. That's how you end up with soggy bread and such. I freeze half gallon or gallon water/milk jugs. This ice is solid and contained. So air cannot get to it and melt it quickly. It will last for a week in the heat in a Yeti. And it serves dual purpose when on a backcountry expo in salt water. As a source of drinking water. When it does start to melt. Also all of these new super insulated coolers. Need to be precooled for longer trips to get max cooling affect. This is simply putting ice in it a day or so before you pack it for the trip. Of course this isn't needed for 3 day trips. But if you really need the most out of em. Precooling is the way to go. That way you don't waste your ice on cooling the cooler. My bud has a large freezer for game. And he throws his Yeti in it. I have to do the ice thing. If you were going high country camping/hunting for just 4 days. Two half gallon frozen jugs laid on the bottom. Will do just fine. It you are worried about condensation. Just lay a towel over the jug. So there is no direct contact. As far as Yeti's performance. I have been buying coolers for nearly 30 years. What I thought were good ones. Many I paid well over a $100 for. The Yeti is the only on I have owned. That will actually refreeze the ice. The first time I used on a day trip. We couldn't get our beverages out of the frozen ice. I had to use a screwdriver for a ice pick. This was a new problem. Plus the versatility of Yeti verse a fridge is a factor. The Yeti is **** near bullet proof. And it is bear proof. I use for a casting platform and extra seat on my flats skiff. A step stool. Like when I pulled the valve covers on my F250 7.3. Take it tailgating and to my kids soccer games and BMX races. A seat around the camp fire. I could go on and on. Fridges cant be beat for long travel. But for week/weekend warriors a Yeti gets you more for your dime. The best $276 I ever spent.
I don't go camping or fishing without mine

913 023.webp
 
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I've never owned a high end cooler beyond the nicer Colmans. But I could not image life without the Engel fridge. I think you made the right decision.

I can see benefits of the cooler for its simplicity, especially on the water. But its hard to beat a fridge for keeping your beer cold and in constant supply:beer: I use the rule of 3. Keep 3 beverages per person in the fridge. Each time you remove one replace it. Unless your consuming like college student on spring break you should always have a cold one waiting for you.

The bear country thing is another issue. I keep my fridge in the truck. I can't imagine you'd want to eat much after a bear played soccer with any cooler even if it never opened up. The inner contents would probably look like soup.
 
Another vote for the fridge. Of all the mods to my truck and trailer, by far one I use and like the most is the ARB fridge sitting in the back of the truck.
 
It sounds like it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If your cooler will primarily be needed where there is not 12v power, then a Yeti would be more appropriate. If you will have 12v power, I'd definitely go for the fridge.

Has anyone tried the Yukon igloo coolers? The Yeti's are nice and all, but $500 for a decent size ice cooler seems high to me. Then again, my 165qt igloo, I've already had to replace latches, hinges, and bottom is wearing out from sliding it around. And all the ice it eats.
 
TXLX100 said:
It sounds like it depends on what you are trying to accomplish. If your cooler will primarily be needed where there is not 12v power, then a Yeti would be more appropriate. If you will have 12v power, I'd definitely go for the fridge.

Has anyone tried the Yukon igloo coolers? The Yeti's are nice and all, but $500 for a decent size ice cooler seems high to me. Then again, my 165qt igloo, I've already had to replace latches, hinges, and bottom is wearing out from sliding it around. And all the ice it eats.
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Agreed. The down side, on the short end, of a 12 volt is where do you get your 12 volts from. The Dometic CF40 that I use has done well on the truck battery and has a built in regulator that shuts the fridge down at 10.4 volts so that it doesn't kill the battery. I have run the fridge off of my 40's battery for about 14 hours with no shut down. I suppose that the motor could be run for a half hour to fully recharge once or twice a day. Beyond that, save up for a good portable solar system.
 
One thing I would consider is that if you are going to get a 12v fridge, make sure it's a good one. I purchased a bad Edgestar and wish I would have spent the money on a Yeti instead. The big benefit to a cooler is that it won't fail where there is plenty that can go wrong with a 12volt fridge, sometimes simplicity wins.
 
I have both. I bought the yeti first and the the 12v fridge. After getting the fridge I am pissed I spent $300 on the yeti. Both have pros and cons but at the end of the day the yeti still uses ice (just less than some ice chests) the 12v is the way to go.
 
like preacherman, I have both. the fridge is good for longer trips, we use the yeti on shorter trips (1-2 days) and taking it to the beach. most of the time the ARB just sits inside unused. I will most likely be selling the ARB once I get an RV that has a fridge in it.
 
I have a 12 volt fridge (waeco), been running constantly for almost 1 year. I do however also have an 85 watt solar panel on drawer slides that slide out from under my roof rack that then charges my 3rd. battery. Will have the switch to switch from 2nd. battery (when driving) to the 3rd. when parked wired soon. The panel will also remove from slides and with an extension cable I can set in sun 30 feet from truck.
 
tag3 said:
I have a 12 volt fridge (waeco), been running constantly for almost 1 year. I do however also have an 85 watt solar panel on drawer slides that slide out from under my roof rack that then charges my 3rd. battery. Will have the switch to switch from 2nd. battery (when driving) to the 3rd. when parked wired soon. The panel will also remove from slides and with an extension cable I can set in sun 30 feet from truck.
Click to expand...

Yup! Set it away from the trees n leaves.
 
I'm with swampfox.
Weighed out both plusses.
Went with a Yeti. Half the price of a good fridge.
Like he said, i freeze some gallon jugs if water is a problem.
Went 5 days last summer in july with temps in the 90's and lost half the ice to water.
Went over week during hurricane Sandy on frozen gallon jugs from before the power went out to keep milk and food from going bad.

If i were in the outback or some foreign land where i couldn't grab a bag of ice once in a while, i would of chose the fridge no doubt.
 
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