Coolers are awesome, letting you keep food and drinks cold for extended periods without a fridge anywhere in sight. And while many coolers are perfectly portable, their boxy dimensions are hardly discreet, paving the way for more fashionable, bag-like thermal containers, which, while they worked, don’t exactly perform to the same standards of ice preservation as full-fledged cooler boxes. The upcoming YETI Hopper could change that.
Styled to look like a zippered tote bag, it boasts “superior ice retention” that can keep ice frozen for days just like a traditional cooler that’s flanked by hard insulating walls. That way, you can keep cold beer close at hand for extended periods on the road, all while looking like you’re just walking around with a regular bag like everybody else.
The YETI Hopper can hold 5.2 gallons of content behind its 840 denier DryHide fabric construction, which is the same waterproof material they use in building whitewater rafts. Underneath the fabric is ColdCell Insulation, an inch of which flanks the sides of the chamber with an inch and a half preserving temperature at the bottom, so it can retain cold even when set down on a warm surface. It uses the same waterproof, airtight HydroLok zipper used in HazMat suits for closure, which YETI claims will keep leaks from happening even when the bag is turned upside down. Other features include an EVA foam bottom, RF-welded seams, and a detachable shoulder strap.
Slated to debut in October, the YETI Hopper will retail for $299.99.