Here's How Long A Yeti Cooler Will Keep Ice

Summer means mornings at the beach, afternoons in the park, and nights around the fire, sometimes all in one day. Having a solid cooler that keeps up with your adventures is the key to a good time so if you spend lots of time outside, it's worth investing in a high-quality cooler that keeps your drinks ice cold, such as a Yeti. This is one of the most well-known cooler brands out there, but before buying a new cooler, it's important to consider just how long it keeps ice.

Yeti offers a wide range of coolers, from small soft coolers to extra-large hard ones. Its Tundra cooler is most similar to other hard coolers on the market in both shape, size, and material, but it's definitely not your average cooler. It features up to three inches of polyurethane foam insulation, along with a freezer-style sealing gasket.

According to Yeti's website, it's tough to lock in an exact amount of time the coolers can keep ice frozen because there are lots of factors that can affect ice retention, including ice quality and quantity, type of ice, type of outside environment, and amount of exposure to direct sunlight. However, some Yeti fans have shared that their coolers have kept ice frozen for about four days. Depending on the weather, some have even said that their coolers have kept ice frozen for up to seven days, so it depends entirely on the situation.

Although Yeti doesn't advertise a specific amount of time its coolers can retain ice, the brand does offer tips for making ice last as long as possible. The simplest way to keep the ice in your cooler from melting too fast is pre-chilling it — especially if you've been storing it somewhere hot. This technique gives your ice "a head start," according to Yeti. Add some ice or cold packs into your cooler a few hours before using it — or better, overnight — and you'll notice a world of a difference.

In addition to pre-chilling your Yeti, it's important to layer your cooler correctly. Yeti recommends starting out with a solid base layer of its ice blocks. Perishable items like fish or meat should be layered next; this will allow them to stay frozen over the ice. Lastly, the top layer is where you should stack any canned cocktails, soda, water bottles, and snacks you'll want to grab quickly. Try to avoid leaving any gaps in your cooler, as empty space can cause ice to melt.

Yeti also suggests keeping the cooler closed as much as possible. Letting warm air and sunlight in can cause your ice to melt much faster than intended, so you should only open it when necessary and always make sure it's away from direct sunlight and hot surfaces. It's a good idea to separate your food and drink coolers, too; your drink cooler will likely get more traffic, so you don't want your food to suffer because of that. Once you get the hang of using a Yeti cooler, you'll be on track to making great summer memories complete with refreshing, ice-cold drinks from your cooler.