I was recently in the market for a 100-ish quart cooler to take to the beach with the family this summer and had been eyeing up the Yeti Tundra 105 for a few weeks.
It seemed like a solid choice, at least until I realized that the “105” in Tundra 105 didn’t actually mean it had a 105 quart capacity, nor 105 liters.
But if the numbers in Yeti Coolers names aren’t the size of the cooler, what exactly are they?
The number in a Yeti Cooler’s name isn’t the actual size of the cooler in quarts, like with most other brands. While you can use the number to get a rough estimate of how big the cooler is and to compare its size relative to other Yetis, it’s not an accurate measurement by any means.
I ended up getting the Tundra 110 instead, which, at 96.4 quarts, is a lot closer to the 100 quarts I was looking for.
It’s kind of strange and way more complicated than it needs to be, but I guess it works. I do love the cooler at least.
What Do The Numbers On Yeti Coolers Mean?
While it would make sense that the number in a Yeti Cooler’s name was its size in quarts (which is how most other brands do it), that’s not usually the case.
Some are relatively close, but others are quite far off.
The Tundra 75, for example, holds 74.8 quarts — close enough to 75 for me. But the Tundra 105 only holds 87.2 quarts. Not even in the same ballpark.
The Yeti 45, which is one of the most popular Yeti cooler sizes, is only 37.6 quarts. You'd think they'd call it the Yeti 35…but no there is already a Yeti 35 and thats only 28.8 quarts in capacity.
See the full list of Yeti cooler capacities in quarts, gallons and liters.
A second common theory is that the number represents how many cans the cooler can fit, which is even further from the truth.
According to Yeti a Yeti Tundra 75 fits 131 cans (without ice in the cooler) and a Yeti 110 fits 150 cans (without ice in the cooler). So that theory is out the window as well.
So what does that number actually mean then?
Not much, really.
While the number is usually fairly close to the number of quarts the cooler can hold, it certainly shouldn’t be relied on to give an accurate measurement of a cooler’s actual size.
It works well enough as a rough guide on the size of each cooler relative to other Yeti coolers — a larger number always means a larger cooler. But it doesn’t give much insight as to how they stack up compared to coolers made by other companies or how much they can truly hold.
To get a better idea of each Yeti Cooler’s capacity, check out my complete guide.
Why Are Yeti Coolers Numbered This Way?
If you’re being generous, you could chalk the strange numbering on Yeti Coolers up to trying to simplify their cooler’s names (Tundra 96.4 doesn’t quite have the same ring).
But that doesn’t really help explain why some are so far off or why Yeti didn’t just design their coolers to be standard sizes.
If you’re not being quite as generous, it may seem like a deceptive way to make their coolers seem larger than they are. Though oddly enough, Yeti isn't always rounding up — the Hopper 12, as one example, can hold 13.6 quarts.
Ultimately, your guess is as good as mine as to why Yeti is so vague about the size of their coolers.
