Elk NetworkGear 101 – YETI Coolers…A Look Inside

Gear 101 | September 23, 2020

As the official drinkware, cooler and cargo partner of RMEF, Yeti makes coolers to withstand just about anything. Drop them, toss them, abuse them—they can take it. But can they hold up to this?

Enter the 50 horsepower, 55,000 psi industrial waterjet. It cuts through engine blocks, granite and on occasion…coolers.

We’re going to use this beast of a waterjet to dissect a Tundra 45, then we’ll see how a Hopper M30 holds up to a table saw. It’s heartbreaking to sacrifice a perfectly good cooler, but we want to show you what makes YETI the best cooler in town. Let’s get started. 

As you can see, it wasn’t quite like a hot knife through butter. The Tundra just wouldn’t let go. But finally, after about an hour, we got to take a look inside.

The walls of the Tundra are formed by a process called rotational molding, which is the same way whitewater kayaks are made. The process delivers consistent wall thickness, strong outside corners and one-piece construction for incredible toughness.

Inside the fortress-like mold of the walls and lid is up to 2 inches of permafrost insulation—a pressure-injected, commercial-grade polyurethane foam.

The INTERLOCK LID SYSTEM with COLDLOCK GASKET create a form-fitting barrier to keep the elements out and the cool in.

We took the Hopper M30 to the warehouse next door where the guys build yurts for a living. Vince put a brand new blade on his table saw for us.

Inside the Hopper M30 is more than an inch of closed-cell rubber foam sandwiched between a LEAKPROOF LINER with welded seams. The Dryhide outer shell is a high-density fabric that’s waterproof, resistant to mildew, punctures and UV rays.

The HYDROSHIELD CLOSURE uses powerful magnets to create a leak-resistant seal—unless, of course, you cut it in half with a table saw.

All-in-all, if you don’t plan to destroy your Yeti at an industrial park, then it should hold up to whatever you throw at it in elk country.

Learn More at: YETI Coolers