Hard Coolers Buying Guide

Buying guide

Hard Coolers

Legendary Toughness

The Tundra® Cooler is the original YETI Cooler. Frustrated by coolers that would break, leak, and do a poor job keeping ice, we created the Tundra® and Roadie® Coolers to be tough enough to stand up to the harshest conditions and retain temperatures for exceptional lengths of time, ensuring your cooler isn't what stands in the way of your most epic adventures and the best days out.
Choosing the right hard cooler

Knowing how to choose the right hard cooler is a key part of planning your adventure. Our hard coolers come in multiple sizes to meet any adventure's needs. To narrow it down, we'll go through some of our most popular and expert-recommended sizes here in this hard cooler guide.

view cooler size and capacity chart

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Here are a few questions to consider

WHERE ARE YOU GOING?

Will your cooler be on the skiff with you? Staying at the cabin for a season? Will it live in the back of your truck, or will it be parked at the campsite for a long weekend? Are you in bear country? These are all important things to consider when choosing a hard cooler.

WHAT ARE YOU KEEPING COLD?

Food and drinks for a small group for a weekend camp requires a much different capacity than someone who will be using their hard cooler to pack out meat from a hunt out west. More space isn't always better. Having a cooler that's too large can leave too much air space which then leads to decreased performance.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING?

Below, we'll guide you through our top recommended hard coolers for outdoor adventures and pursuits, from the casual camp weekend to remote flats fishing, from seasonal hunting, to serious BBQ.

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"My first YETI was my Tundra 65. That thing has been a permanent fixture in the back of my truck. The Truck has changed three times, but the YETI never will.”

Jeff Simpson

YETI Ambassador | Fishing

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Size up your adventures

The Tundra® Hard Cooler comes in 12 sizes - varying in width as well as depth - and is designed to meet any adventure's need. Whether you need a hard coolers for a beach day, a small group camping, a day fishing offshore, or extended time on the road, this guide will help you know which hard cooler is right for you.
camping coolers

Camping coolers have a big job to do: keep your drinks, meat, veggies, and other perishables nice and fresh while far from home.
These built-for-the-wild hard coolers are essential on any hard-working camp pack list. Their strengths lie in their durability, thermal performance, and versatility, serving as camp kitchens, watering holes, extra seating, a foot rest, and a cocktail bar if you do it right.
For the road trip:

The Roadie® 24 Hard Cooler is perfect for a road trip with an overnight camp with 2-3 people. Its size and format is perfect for throwing behind the front seat. It fits a bottle of wine standing up, and keeps your dinner and the next morning's eggs and bacon nice and fresh.

Capacity:

- Holds 30+ cans

- Fits a bottle wine upright

shop roadie® 24
For the weekend getaway:

Taking the family out for a camping weekend? The Roadie® 48 Hard Cooler is the perfect size for a weekend compound. It fits easily into the trunk, serves as an extra seat around the fire, and it’s tall enough to fit a wine bottle. Plus, when it’s time for dinner on the second night, you’ll have some fresh food and ice left over for drinks.

Capacity:

- Holds 76 cans of beer or soda.

shop roadie® 48
For the multi-day camp out:

If you're going off the grid with 4-6 people for a few nights, you'll need something a little bigger. Both the Tundra® 65 and the Tundra® Haul are bear-proof with locks and will take care of your business. Consider the Tundra® Haul to help get you farther down the trail, even if the terrain is rugged. When loaded up with food, drinks, and ice, the Tundra® 65 Hard Cooler will require two people to carry it.

Capacity:

- Tundra® 65 holds 70+ cans
- Tundra® Haul holds 80+ cans

shop tundra® haul

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"I live and work in bear country. There's a certain peace of mind when you can trust that your food and beverages are going to stay cold and safe"

- Rachel Ahtila, YETI Ambassador | British Columbia Hunting Guide

fishing coolers

Our first hard coolers were built to meet the demands of anglers in the Texas heat on the Gulf coast. They're designed to keep ice, bear the weight of a casting angler, and endure grueling seasons in the sun, again and again.

When your cooler keeps ice, your drinks stay nice and cold, your sandwiches don't get soggy, and you can enjoy spending more time on the water. Here are a few of our top recommended hard coolers for fishing.
FOR THE FLATS ANGLER:

Our Tundra® 35 Hard Cooler is compact enough to fit on a skiff and keep drinks and food on ice throughout hot days on the water. Non-slip feet prevent it from sliding around, making it a great casting platform for smaller boats.

Capacity:

- Holds 35+ cans of beer or soda

shop tundra® 35
For the weekend river angler:

Our Tundra® 45 Hard Cooler is compact enough to fit on a skiff, staying organized with less bulk, and keeps drinks and food on ice throughout hot days on the water. Non-slip feet prevent it from sliding around, making it a great casting platform for smaller boats.

Capacity:

- Holds 50+ cans of beer or soda

shop tundra® 45
For the offshore angler:

Look to the Tundra® 250 for an offshore boat or for having permanently on the dock. It's perfect for a limit of snapper or for a couple of larger fish like Tuna and Wahoo.

Capacity:

- Holds 360+ cans of beer or soda
- Larger fish like Tuna, Amberjack, or Wahoo

shop tundra® 250

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"Instead of packing a cooler every morning with a fresh bag of ice, I can just throw my items in on day one and I am good to go for at least 48 hours."

- Casey Ashley, YETI Ambassador | Fishing Guide

hunting coolers

From whitetail to waterfowl, backcountry to local blinds, hunters have serious and varied expectations of our Tundra® Hard Coolers. It's for the hunting community that we developed our grizzly-resistant level of durability.
Our larger size Tundra® hard coolers are built to keep big game on ice on extended backcountry hunts, eliminating your need to break from your adventure to resupply ice. Our smaller sizes serve the purpose of keeping the camp provisions fresh for days. Here are a few of our top recommended hard coolers for hunting.
For the whitetail hunter:

Our Tundra® 75 Hard Cooler is the perfect size to fit a fully-quartered whitetail. And its unique geometry saves space in the back of your truck or SUV while you travel to and from camp.

Capacity:

- Holds 130+ cans of beer or soda
- Holds 78 lbs of ice
- Fits 1 whitetail deer

shop tundra® 75
For the base camp:

The Tundra® 125 Hard Cooler is the ultimate base camp companion for food and supplies for multi-day hunts when you don't want to choose between leaving your favorite beverages or breakfast foods at home.

Capacity:

- Holds 190+ cans of beer or soda
- Holds 129 lbs of ice

shop tundra® 125
For the western big game hunter:

It's no stretch to call this hard cooler 'cavernous'. Cube format offers depth in a more compact footprint. As one of our largest hard coolers, the Tundra® 210 Hard Cooler fits a quartered elk, and is a great choice for hunters who have multiple tags in their group.

Capacity:

- Holds 360+ cans of beer or soda
- Fits 1 quartered elk

shop tundra® 210

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"I can't think of a better example of multi-use capability than my YETI hard cooler. It's a workbench, extra seat at the campfire, cutting board, step stool, bear-resistant food cache and more."

- Adam Foss, YETI Ambassador | Sheep Hunter

bbq coolers

Pitmasters have been using YETI hard coolers for years - but in addition to keeping your meat properly chilled ahead of a cook, they're often using them for heat retention. Turns out, the Tundra® hard cooler is an essential element to resting meat.
Here are a few of our top recommended hard coolers for BBQ, for pit masters and backyard or tailgate grill masters alike.
For the backyard barbecue:

Maintaining a consistent temperature during the resting process makes a big difference in how your brisket turns out. Put a few towels in the dryer, drop 'em in, and your hard cooler will be primed and warm, ready to sweat the brisket. The Tundra® 65 Hard Cooler is also a great size to keep drinks ice cold at a backyard BBQ get-together.

Capacity:

- Holds 70+ cans of beer or soda
- 8 kg brisket

shop tundra® 65
For the competition cook:

The Roadie® 60 Hard Cooler is tough, convenient, and highly mobile. Made with a retractable periscope handle and heavy duty, single-piece wheels, it’s the perfect size for long competition days and celebrating your awards with cold beverages.

Capacity:

- Holds 98 cans of beer or soda

shop roadie® 60

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"Tundra coolers have changed the name in BBQ. i can keep my protein ice-cold for days or hot cold my cooked meats safely for hours on end."

- Matt Pittman, YETI Ambassador | Pitmaster

ranch coolers

Our hard coolers are built to take a beating. On the ranch, that might mean getting tossed out of a truck, kicked by a horse, or just getting good ol' fashioned banged up. But long days working in the heat are made better knowing cold drinks and fresh lunch are waiting for you back in the truck or at the barn.
Here are a few of our top recommended hard coolers for the ranch.
For the heat of summer:

Fill up the Silo® 22.7 L Water Cooler with six gallons of ice and water at the start of the day, and keep your crew and the working dogs hydrated all day.

Capacity:

- Holds 22.7L of water

shop silo®
For the flatbed:

The Tundra® 75 Hard Cooler holds enough cold beverages to hydrate the entire ranch crew through the whole day.

Capacity:

- Holds 131 cans
- Holds 35 kg of ice

shop tundra® 75
For the road:

For those long days on the road hauling cattle. The Roadie® 24 Hard Cooler is perfect for hauling summer snacks. It's designed to fit conveniently behind the driver's seat and it's easy to open with one hand, so you can quickly grab that sandwich you've been thinking about since breakfast.

Capacity:

- Holds 33 cans
- Holds 11 kg of ice

shop roadie® 24

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"There is nothing better than not having to worry about your water getting warm in the heat of the day, especially when we are out branding cattle. The water cooler is a lifesaver when you need a cool drink to keep you going."

- Rusty Wright, YETI Ambassador | Professional Saddle Bronc Rider

accessories

Our hard cooler accessories are built tough to help you get the most out of your cooler, any way you use it. Whether you're setting it up as a casting platform or securing your goods from grizzlies, with these accessories, your Tundra will do the job.