A lazy day tubing or laying around the beach or hanging around on the boat can get ruined pretty quickly if your $300 cooler falls off your boat or gets swept out to sea by the tide.
I know I don’t have to worry about my Tundra, because Yeti hard coolers float, but what about Yeti soft coolers?
Yeti soft-sided bag coolers are able to float, even when packed full, because they’re watertight and made of super buoyant closed-cell foam — the same stuff a lot of pool floatation devices are made of, including most life jackets.
But just because they can float, doesn’t mean you should make a habit of it. While Yeti Hoppers are watertight and buoyant, their exteriors aren’t really intended to be exposed to water for extended periods.
It can still come in handy if your kayak capsizes or your kid knocks your cooler overboard, but dragging your Hopper along behind your raft by a tow rope isn’t recommended.
Do Yeti Soft-Sided Coolers Float?
Yes. Yeti’s Hopper soft coolers, Day Trip Lunch Boxes, and Day Trip Lunch Bags are all able to float, even when full, because they’re made of very buoyant materials.
Just keep in mind, regularly floating your soft cooler isn’t the intended use and will likely shorten your coolers lifespan.
While DryHide is water-resistant, mildew-resistant, and pretty tough overall, consistent, extended exposure to water will eventually lead to water getting trapped beneath your cooler’s outer shell.
If you want to take your Yeti soft cooler out for a day on the water, no problem. Just be sure to keep it on your tube, kayak, or boat — and not floating along beside.
Yeti Soft Coolers Are Made Of Very Buoyant Materials
The walls of Yeti soft-sided bag coolers are made from a thick layer of dense, closed-cell foam, which works great as an insulator to keep your ice cold all day long.
But insulation isn’t all that it’s good for — it also happens to be incredibly buoyant.
It’s so buoyant, in fact, that most pool floaties and many life preservers are actually made of essentially the same material.
If a similar amount of closed-cell foam in a life jacket can make a fully grown adult float with ease, a filled cooler should be no problem.
Are Yeti Bag Coolers Watertight?
Aside from being incredibly buoyant, Yeti Hoppers are also completely watertight, thanks to a 100% leak-proof, high-performance zipper.
So if your cooler goes overboard, you won’t have to worry about sea water getting inside.
But the same can’t be said for Yeti’s Day Trip Lunch Box and Lunch Bag — which are water-resistant but not waterproof.
They’ll still both float because they’re also insulated with closed-cell foam, but neither will necessarily keep the contents of your bag safe.
The zipper on the Day Trip Lunch Box will keep most water out, but it isn’t the same waterproof zipper found on Hopper Coolers.
The Day Trip Lunch Bag only has a fold-over flap, which tends to take on water pretty quickly.
