Yeti Cooler Review -- Bear Tested

K

Koabean

New member
There have been a million cooler reviews, but I haven't seen one about this issue. My wife and I just returned from several days camping outside of Aspen, Colorado, and our Yeti cooler passed muster when tested by a hungry black bear. Here is what happened.

We planned to camp somewhere in the forest off Highway 82 between Aspen and Independence Pass, and found a great campsite along Lincoln Creek a few miles up Lincoln Gulch Road. Rangers had posted bear activity notices along the way, and one stopped by as we were setting up camp to make sure we knew to lock up food in the car. The problem is, we were driving my Jeep Wrangler soft top.

You can't really bear-bag a cooler, and the lodge pole pine forest around there doesn't really work for bagging. The trees are packed together really tight and the branches aren't big/long enough to hang anything effectively. So at night we locked the cooler in the Jeep and hoped for the best. We made it to Thursday.

At about 6:00 a.m., we woke to the unmistakable sound of a Jeep top being ripped open (kind of like a rattlesnake -- even if you have never heard it before, you recognize it pretty quickly). Crap. Find glasses, grab flashlight, oh -- it's already light out, anyway, where the hell are my flipflops and where did they hide the zipper on this this damn (new) tent, nope -- that one just opens the screen, here it is, and stumble out to see what's happening. :Wow1::

IMG_2498.JPG

Yelled at the bear. Nothing. Banged a pot and a pan together until the bottom of both stove in. Bear wandered around, looked annoyed, went back to breaking into the Jeep. Threw some rocks toward it. That's the ticket. Bear finally ran off, but left this behind:

IMG_2500.JPG

(I never realized how hard it is to sew convertible top fabric with a corkscrew, guy line, and sharpened stick.)

Now where do we keep the food? Aspen has a great outdoor gear store, Ute Mountaineer, and I happened to notice they carry Yeti coolers. So we drove into town and grabbed one, locked it up tight, and left it outside next the Jeep at night.

Friday, nothing. Saturday, hmmm, that sounds like a Jeep being shaken rather harshly at 4:00 am. This time my bellowing apparently did the trick and he was gone before I got out of the tent. Sunday, now at 2:30 in the morning (how rude), and the bear ran off again but the Yeti is flipped on its side.

I waited until morning to investigate further:

IMG_0451.JPG

Success! The cooler made it through with just a few scratches. The bear went away without getting anything to further encourage it. And our food stayed cold and tasty. :chef:

Anyway, it appears to be a great cooler. It kept everything cold and was an effective barrier between the bear and the food, just as advertized. It is also pretty light for its size.
 
C

calicamper

Expedition Leader
Not a YETI trained BEAR apparently. Won't be long before they sort out how to open them unless you pad lock it some how. We wouldn't have these issues or vehicle damage if folks kept food cleaned up and stashed away. A Bear that determined and breaking into a vehicle knows they can get food in a campground and also sounds like hes only a few months from getting the game warden's toe tag anyway.
 
GregSplett

GregSplett

Adventurer
Nothing like waiting all night for THE bear to show up not wondering if one will.

I have only had one bear ever hang around after yelling at it.Rocks did the trick that time also.I hit it harder than I realy wanted to.it ran for the forest skirting a meadow in.The speed it ran scared me.
 
GregSplett

GregSplett

Adventurer
calicamper said:
Not a YETI trained BEAR apparently. Won't be long before they sort out how to open them unless you pad lock it some how. We wouldn't have these issues or vehicle damage if folks kept food cleaned up and stashed away. A Bear that determined and breaking into a vehicle knows they can get food in a campground and also sounds like hes only a few months from getting the game warden's toe tag anyway.
Click to expand...

That is gospel.I hang everything in a tree when in the back country.They are all about that food and have a damn efficient sniffer.

I just met a couple who thought it was cute to feed one in there back yard.They think they are helping the bear and that its cute.I told them you are only killing the bear by feeding it.I ran into a neighbor on the way out and told him his neighbor is feeding a bear.He was not happy to hear it.
 
C

calicamper

Expedition Leader
GregSplett said:
That is gospel.I hang everything in a tree when in the back country.They are all about that food and have a damn efficient sniffer.

I just met a couple who thought it was cute to feed one in there back yard.They think they are helping the bear and that its cute.I told them you are only killing the bear by feeding it.I ran into a neighbor on the way out and told him his neighbor is feeding a bear.He was not happy to hear it.
Click to expand...

Good friend had his new custom high end house trashed by a bear last month in Truckee. They were actually up there at the time but out running errands middle of the day their dog was even home. They got home and the dog was sitting out side on the driveway looking at the house wouldn't go in. Bear was long gone but the damage was done. Bear wiped out an outside door to the kitchen and made a massive mess tore up the Subzero. He said the house stunk something bad too. He was pretty ticked off. People who feed bears off their back porch create this situation bears are not stupid they know your keeping food in there if you keep coming out and feeding them. I think you can face serious fines and even criminal charges if your caught feeding bear like that.

I was in Yosemite valley several years ago when 4 rangers packing bean bag shells were chasing a young bear across the valley floor in the middle of the day firing bag rounds at it. I was impressed with one ranger he made contact on the hind end all three shots I saw him take with about 50-60ft of running on foot after the bear between shots. The younger ranger took two shots and missed by a long way off LOL probably a good thing he stopped at two shots given with his aim he would have taken out a tourist riding by on bicycle. LOL
 
MotoDave

MotoDave

Explorer
Nice test, mine's only been Brown Bear tested
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K

Koabean

New member
calicamper said:
Not a YETI trained BEAR apparently. Won't be long before they sort out how to open them unless you pad lock it some how. We wouldn't have these issues or vehicle damage if folks kept food cleaned up and stashed away. A Bear that determined and breaking into a vehicle knows they can get food in a campground and also sounds like hes only a few months from getting the game warden's toe tag anyway.
Click to expand...

The cooler is set up to use padlocks, bolts, etc. to secure things. Once locked up, it is certified bear-resistant, meaning a bear is likely to get bored before it can tear it open. We used two padlocks.

Sad but true about the likely ultimate outcome. The bear was not hostile, but not particularly afraid.
 
K

Koabean

New member
As the original poster, I should have mentioned that we padlocked the cooler per Yeti's and the IGBC's requirements. I should have posted a picture that shows the locks. Without them, the lid is just held down by a couple of rubber straps.
 
C

ChadHahn

Adventurer
I guess I miss read. I thought the OP said that the Yeti was bear proof and the locks were only for securing the cooler.

Chad
 
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