re: I don't understand the obsession with the Yeti ice chest.

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I've never had a problem with my cheap igloo holding "block ice" in the middle of the summer.

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Cheaper coolers with less insulation will hold ice better than more expensive ones if you don't cool the better insulated cooler first or fill it until air space is minimized. Even Yeti makes this claim.

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WHEN I THREW A BAG OF ICE IN MY YETI AND MY CHEAP COOLER, THE ICE LASTED LONGER IN MY CHEAP COOLER. WHY?

A small amount of ice is not a good indicator of how well your cooler can retain ice due to excess air space within the cooler. Excess air space hurts ice retention. To maximize ice retention, fill your cooler to the top with ice and products. In addition, if the cooler starts out warm, a small amount of ice could initially melt faster in a YETI than a thinner walled cooler such as Coleman or Igloo.

Best ice retention results are achieved by filling the cooler completely with high quality ice. In addition, maximum ice retention can be attained by pre-chilling your cooler. This will sufficiently cool the insulation and inside of the cooler, which will allow the thick polyurethane walls to work for you not against you.

YETI has over 2? of polyurethane foam in the walls and lids of its coolers, which is significantly more than most common ice chests. If you use enough ice to chill the walls, YETI will most definitely outperform the competition.

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LINK

So if you trap warmer air, or have large air spaces the cheaper one will perform as well.