If you have any type of Yeti cooler, you have probably heard of Yeti Ice.
Yeti Ice is not just your average ice pack – like all Yeti products, it has been over-engineered to perform better than other ice packs out there, and it can keep your drinks cold for many more hours than regular ice could.
In this article, we review Yeti Ice. We take a look at what makes it so special, answer some of the frequently asked questions surrounding it, and look at some alternatives that might be a better match for some people.
Yeti Ice Brick Review: Is It Better Than Other Ice Packs?
A Yeti Ice pack is a reusable ice brick that has been designed to help keep the inside of your cooler cold for longer.
Yeti Ice is made to be tough and it does a great job of keeping your drinks cold for up to 24 hours longer than a regular ice pack could.
If you use your cooler on a regular basis, then Yeti Ice can be ideal as they freeze quicker than other packs so they are very practical and convenient for regular use.
As with all Yeti products, this high level of design, manufacture, and performance does come at a relatively high price. With that in mind, these awesome ice bricks might be too pricey if you only use a cooler from time to time.
- Increases ice retention - freezes quicker than regular ice packs and helps keep your regular ice frozen for longer
- Tough and durable. Yeti Ice is impact-resistant so it is comfortable in any outdoor environment
- No watery mess to clean up like you would have as regular ice melts
How Yeti Ice Bricks Work
First things first, Yeti Ice melts quicker than regular ice – but that’s actually a good thing!
To understand why this is actually a benefit to Yeti Ice, you need to understand that as ice melts, it needs to absorb energy to allow its molecules to come apart and turn back into liquid water.
This energy is drawn in from the area surrounding the ice, normally in the form of heat, which reduces the temperature of the area the ice is in.
As Yeti Ice melts faster (at a higher temperature) than water ice, it draws heat out of the traditional ice inside your cooler, keeping it frozen for longer.
Yeti Ice works as an additional ice brick to be added to your cooler along with normal water ice. The Yeti Ice brick increases the ice retention time meaning your cooler is colder for longer, so your drinks will be ice cold for as long as you need them to be.
Benefits of Yeti Ice Packs vs Regular Ice
Better Ice Retention
If you want your regular loose ice to last up to 24 hours longer, adding Yeti Ice to your cooler can be a simple solution.
Depending on the size of your cooler, how much ice you have in there, and how many Yeti Ice bricks you have – your cooler can stay cold for somewhere between half a day and a full day longer than it would without Yeti Ice.
Reusable
Your Yeti Ice pack can be stored in your freezer when not in use. When you are ready to pack your cooler for your next outdoor adventure, you can remove it from the freezer, and it’s immediately ready to go.
Reusable ice packs help keep costs down as well as the time needed to prepare for heading out into the wild.
Once you return home, simply put your Yeti Ice back in the freezer, and it will be out of the way until you need to use it on your next outing.
Anything that you can reuse is always a bonus when it comes to outdoor kits.
No Melted Water
When regular ice melts, your lunch box or cooler ends up with pools of water inside.
While this might not be too much of an issue if you are carrying cans with you, it can be disastrous if you have food in your cooler.
Using a Yeti Ice brick, everything is contained inside it, so there is nothing to melt and make your cooler and all its contents wet.
Although some condensation is created, making a small amount of water as Yeti Ice melts, the inside of your cooler will be much dryer and much more food-friendly than a cooler filled with melting ice.
Designed to Freeze Quickly and Be Easy to Hold
Yeti wants their ice packs to be practical and convenient, so they have designed Yeti Ice to freeze quickly.
Normally if you want ice at short notice, buying ice from your local store is the quickest option. As Yeti Ice packs are stored in your freezer, you will always have an ice pack ready to go whenever you need it.
Even if you don’t have one in your freezer, within a few hours of putting it in the freezer, it will be fully frozen and ready to use. Standard ice packs usually require much more time in the freezer before being usable.
Yeti Ice packs are also designed to be easy to hold, thanks to the cut-out area in the center of the packs.
These “handles” make putting them in and removing them from your cooler very easy and comfortable.
Fits Perfectly in Yeti Coolers
Finding an ice pack that perfectly fits your cooler can be challenging.
That’s why Yeti has designed their ice packs to be the perfect fit for their coolers. Whatever Yeti cooler you have, you will be able to buy a Yeti Ice pack to fit it.
Yeti Ice packs fill the base of Yeti coolers nicely, meaning you can use them as a sturdy, frozen base where additional ice can be placed on top before your drinks to help keep them ice cold.
5 Year Warranty
It can be a bit worrying to spend money on products that are quite pricey when there are other cheaper options available.
However, as every Yeti Ice brick comes with a 5-year warranty, you can feel much more confident that it is a good investment.
Yeti products are known to be tough and reliable, but it is still comforting to have peace of mind that if something does go wrong with your ice pack, Yeti will sort it out promptly for you.
Yeti Ice Packs FAQs
What Are Yeti Ice Bricks Made From?
The exterior of Yeti Ice is made from impact-resistant high-density polyethylene. This makes these ice packs tough and durable, so they can take a bit of a beating while out in the wild.u003cbru003eYeti does not say what the liquid inside the ice pack is made from, but it certainly does a good job of keeping things cold!
Are Yeti Ice Bricks Worth the Cost?
In one word – yes!u003cbru003eu003cbru003eThat being said, if you aren’t going to be using your Yeti Ice pack regularly, then one of the many cheaper ice packs out there may be a better choice for you.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eHowever, if you have the budget for it and want to invest in an ice pack that will last a long time and will keep the inside of your cooler cold for longer – you can’t really go wrong with Yeti Ice.
How Many Times Do You Need to Use a Yeti Ice Brick to Save Money?
Buying ice is not that expensive. If we say that a pound of regular ice costs around $0.20, we can work out how many uses of your Yeti Ice pack it would take to cover its cost.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYeti Ice comes in three sizes – 1lb, 2lb, and 4lb. To pay for itself, you would need to use the 1lb ice pack 75 times. The 2lb ice covers its cost in 50 uses, and the 4lb ice pack would need to be used 38 times.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYou should keep in mind that a Yeti Ice pack will last you a very long time, so using it enough to cover its cost is quite easily achieved.
Is Yeti Ice Really Better?
This ultimately depends on what you want to use it for.u003cbru003eYeti Ice packs are much tougher than standard ice packs, so they are much better suited to outdoor life.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eWhen it comes to keeping things cold, though, normal ice on its own will keep your cooler cold for longer than using just a Yeti Ice pack. However, using your Yeti Ice pack with cubed ice will considerably increase the ice retention time.u003cbru003eu003cbru003eYeti Ice is reusable and fits perfectly into Yeti coolers, so they are much more practical and convenient than standard ice packs. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eUltimately, only you can decide if Yeti Ice is better for you than other ice packs out there – all we can say is that Yeti Ice does what it has been designed to do extremely well!
Alternatives To Yeti Ice
Engel Ice blocks are similar in price to Yeti Ice packs.
They melt at lower temperatures than Yeti Ice, and you can choose packs that have different melting points such as the Engel Ice 20 which has a melting temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or you could choose the Engel Ice 32 which is made to melt at 32 degrees Fahrenheit (just like water ice).
Users have said Engel Ice performs very well when compared to Yeti Ice, so these ice packs could be a viable alternative.
Cooler Shock Packs are made from the same external materials as Yeti Ice, so they are very tough ice packs.
A big difference between these ice packs and Yeti Ice packs is that these come with powder inside them instead of liquid. Once you have purchased your Cooler Shock Ice Pack, you need to add water to this powder to make it ready to use.
These ice packs are much more budget-friendly.
If you want a simple ice pack to chuck into your cooler while you head out into the wild, then these could be a great choice for you.
TOURIT ice packs might be particularly useful if you want a cheap ice pack to put into your small lunch box that you use from time to time.
Final Thoughts on Yeti Ice
Yeti Ice packs are very good at increasing ice retention to help keep your drinks and food cold in your cooler for longer than most other ice packs.
Being reusable and extremely tough makes Yeti Ice well-suited for outdoor life.
If you have the budget, then these ice packs are well worth investing in.
