Yeti is known for its coolers, and their extraordinary abilities. Yeti was first on the market with a top end cooler which are now common place for hunting, fishing, camping, and pretty much any activity where you need your ice to last longer than one day. Yeti is also engineered to keep animals out if you are away from your camp. Somewhere along the line Yeti decided to expand from just the cooler market. In addition to coolers Yeti also carries: Tanks, Hoppers, Re-usable Ice, and a Rambler series.
The Tank is an open air bucket style carrier. It could be used to supply a BBQ, or some other event where you want your drinks readily available. The Hopper is a cooler bag, for the outdoorsman who can’t (or won’t) carry a fully fixed cooler where he/she is going. Think of a fisherman who may need to walk a trail for a couple of miles before he gets to his spot. Yeti’s Reusable Ice is simply a series of different sized liquid holders that can be frozen and used multiply times. Finally the Rambler series. This entails 7 different drinking containers ranging from 10oz all the way up to 64oz (Yeti also carries apparel and opening devices).
For this review we will be focusing on Yeti’s 18oz, and 64oz Rambler cups.
Yeti 64oz Rambler Specifications
- Height (to the highest point on the lid): 11.75”
- Circumference (largest portion on the bottom): 15.25”
- Radius (across the bottom): 4.75”
- Mouth opening: 2.75”
Yeti 18oz Rambler Specifications
- Height (to the highest point on the lid): 9.5”
- Circumference (largest portion on the bottom): 9.5”
- Radius (across the bottom): 3”
- Mouth opening: 2.75”
Just like Yeti coolers, the Rambler Series goal is to keep your contents cold (or hot) for a long time. All containers in this series use Yeti’s double-wall vacuum insulation, 18/8 stainless steel, large tops/mouth openings, and a no sweat design. The 18oz, 36oz, and 64oz lids are all identical so if you lose one the bottle isn’t useless.
I have been mostly working with the Yeti 64oz. I took it camping, hiking, and have used it daily at work. In all these instances it kept my water cold throughout the day, but I didn’t really feel like these were challenging environments. To test its insulation capabilities I filed the 64oz with fridge-cold water and left it outside in direct sunlight. After one, four, and six hours I sampled the water. In all instances the water was still cold (disclaimer: I live in WA so it was approximately 75f outside while exposed to direct sunlight).
Conversely, I used the 18oz mainly for hot liquid (coffee). Although this container performed better than previous ones I’ve owned it underperformed when directly compared to its cold storage abilities. After consideration I believe this is because of how frequently the container was opened for the hot liquid, compared to the cold liquid (I opened the life for every sip of coffee). So perhaps you drink a cup of coffee before you start your hike and through a full container of hot coffee in the container for later.
Practicality became an issue for the 64oz container. The capacity which makes it desirable also hinders its practical application. It will not fit into any standard cup holder, or most pre-fabricated bottle pockets on a pack. As such, you will need to store it like you would a loose piece of kit. This is fine, unless you want to use it frequently (like I was for water). However, it shined as a reusable beer growler. The 18oz container did not have any of these issues.
If your work or adventure has you in a static position then none of the above issues matter. While sitting in a blind the 64oz container is worth its weight in gold. Speaking of gold, these Yeti products (like their coolers) are at the top end of the price spectrum for similar products. The 18oz container comes in at $40, and the 64oz at $90. This may seem steep, but imagine drinking an ice-cold beverage 8 hours into whatever adventure you are on.
As with most Yeti products there were no durability issues. The lids for these containers can fit three fingers (for carry) and appear to be built well. I have dropped the 64oz at least three times (not on purpose) and there have been no issues. Yeti’s warranty explains, “Yeti Rambler stainless steel beverage containers are warranted to be free from any defect in workmanship or materials for a period of 5 years, provided they are used according to these instructions” (yeti.com).
All in all I rate these ramblers high. The only drawback I found was cost, but quality often bares this effect. Take a look at the complete Yeti product line here. Do you use a similar product? I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below.
