Trailergating Blog

Yeti Cooler Features – Yeti Coolers is all the gossip and rage in the Tailgating world.  As an owner of a Yeti cooler myself there is good reason for the gossip.  The Yeti Cooler is one of the toughest built, thickest insulation coolers on the market.  It is always a pleasure to use a tool/product that is over built and durable.  When I saw that Yeti was making smaller products like the Rambler and Colster I was intrigued.  But really how can you improve upon the basics of an insulated Mug/Tumbler?

Skeptical of why I should spend over $30 on a new tumbler mug I had to give it a try.  I decided to do a direct Cold Liquid Test comparison to the Contigo tumbler mug.  A great mug that is well built and handles both cold/hot beverages.

Yeti and Contigo Tumblers – Before we even get into the performance.  The differences between the Yeti and the Contigo are Size and Lid design.  The Yeti comes in 20oz and 30oz, while the Contigo comes in many different sizes, shapes and designs.  Mainly Contigo comes in 16oz, 20oz and 24oz.  Contigo has several lid options, but the most commonly I see are the auto-close lid that you must depress a button to get your beverage out.  This is excellent to keep from spilling your beverage and helps maintain the Temp inside the mug.  However, I do not like the mechanics of the lid.  I never feel like I can get it clean.  I would never put a sticky or sugary beverage in it.  The Yeti lid is very simple with an opening to get to your beverage and limit the spill.  But there is not spill protection.  Guess you better just be an adult and keep the cup upright.

Notes about the Test – The cold liquid test that I performed has a few flaws but overall shows the comparison well.  To get the temp probe into the mug I had to just rest the lids on the tumblers.  So there was not a tight seal as both manufacturers intended. (watch the video for a better understanding)

Overall Results-  I don’t see much of a difference in the performance.  After 3 hours the Contigo had warmed up 3 degrees more than the Yeti but pretty much maintained that spread the remainder of the test.  The biggest temp spread was 5 degrees after 6 hours.  In reality, who is going to complain about your beverage only being 40-45 degrees after 6 hours of sitting in your cup?  If you are not going to drink it, then why did you pour it?

My conclusion is Buy the Style and Look you want in a Stainless Steel insulated mug.  When it comes to this product you can’t do much to improve the basic design.  Contigo makes a great product and it is about 30% cheaper than a Yeti.  But if you want the flash and want your mug to match your cooler then buy the Yeti (I did).    I do believe the Yeti lid is much better for drinking beer and keeping my beer cold than the Contigo products.

Thermometers start out with 1 degree difference.  The Yeti Thermometer shows 1 degree colder than the contigo.  The liquid all came from the same refrigerator and bottle.