our Yeti cooler was bought for a specific purpose; that being, transportation of food for periods of several months ... I'd tried other cheaper alternatives which did OK but really didn't perform to the level I was happy with .... even though the Yeti was much more expensive, we were OK with spending the money .... for a cooler that we might use a time or two a year for something like an afternoon at the lake, even though there is no doubt a Yeti would keep the ice longer, there is also no way I'd spend the money ....