Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/04/16/how-does-a-40-yeti-bucket-sta.html
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That is some impressive brand-driven conspicuous consumption right there! It looks like the “fully loaded” version runs about $130 on the website. At this point, I want a browser plug-in that converts the price of these products to the number of generic equivalents you could buy. So instead of a $40 dollar bucket, Yeti has a bucket that costs 20 other buckets.
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“We’re going to dive into each bucket” got a real laugh out of me. Brilliant.
EDIT: Should have finished watching before commenting, the whole thing is an amazing bit of deadpan humor.
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The second trip around the table was (chef’s kiss).
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I’m curious as to who actually buys Yeti stuff. Pretty much every single offering i’ve seen from them regardless of what it is it’s priced at unbelievably expensive ranges that i can’t imagine someone impulse buying one. Its competitors often make stuff that’s of equal functionality and quality at a greatly diminished cost.
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For another $12 or so, pair an ordinary hardware store bucket with a Gamma lid. These things are ridiculously easy to spin on and off, and make it practical to access the contents on a daily (or hourly) basis.
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That was some lovely dry humor.
To be (somewhat) fair, the Yeti bucket is designed for outdoor sports, like fishing. I’ve had the plastic handles on hardware-store buckets fail on me, pretty catastrophically. Once, I had a full bucket of water with shellfish I was carrying back to the car, and the handle broke, spilling the contents all over the beach. If you’ve been clam digging before, you know how much fun it is to try to catch furiously-digging clams in loose sand. Now try digging them twice, and all at once!
The lid is definitely not your standard hardware-store lid, either. It has a gasket for an air-tight seal and the honeycomb makes it strong enough that you can stand on it.
Even factoring all that in, I would never buy one. It is still WAY overpriced for what it is. Orchard Supply Hardware (RIP) had some great buckets that were $5 with reinforced handles, heavier-duty walls and stronger lids. I wouldn’t want to stand on one, but they were a big step up from the standard hardware store bucket while being a fraction of the cost of the Yeti buckets.
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I bought one of these recently at Home Depot and it was about 8 bucks for the lid 
money well spent.
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I see a lot of people around me (New England coast) with Yeti coolers, mugs, hats, duffels, etc. It seems to be a signifier of “I like outdoor stuff and I have a lot of disposable income” - so goes perfectly with that 28 foot center console rocking 3 350hp Honda outboards.
I own two Yeti mugs - both of which were given to me. They are nicely made and the lids fit better than any other insulated mug I have owned (and that’s a lot!). But I wouldn’t see myself paying $30-50 for an insulated beaker.
The bucket struck me as almost meta in its overpricedness. It occurs to me that the Yeti bucket is the men’s equivalent of the Hermès beach towel (a snap at $580-1175 each)
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This explains my frequent sightings of ski-rack-equipped pseudo-SUVs and German cars with Yeti bumper stickers that tell everyone else these people are legit outdoorsmen, not gapers.
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I see a bunch of Yeti stuff here in Austin (and Texas in general too). I’m still mystified who is buying their stuff, but i’m not really in the market for coolers an tumblers.
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As far as I can tell, the Yeti could appeal to two different market segments, both with too much money:
“I’m too stupid to buy buckets at an affordable price.”
“I’ve had generic products fail on me, and I want something I can rely on.”
So-- load up buckets with bricks or sand, or completely full with ater. Stack them three high. Do the lids or handles fail? Are they easy to carry around with 50 pounds?
That’s asking quite a bit. And the yeti might still fail-- in which case, it’s absolutely not worth the price, to anyone.
I’ve had generic buckets fail-- usually the plastic handle sleeve cracks-- or the handle distorts from all that weight. Can I afford to see if a $40 bucket does any better? Not on your life.
(I do have a less than generic mop bucket, but the “killer feature” is that it has space for the mophead. And it was shaped a little more thoughtfully—and priced about the same.)
A better review would have tested the buckets to failure. A person who buys a Yeti might not have the common sense to stay within what’s sane. (And I would hope that a person who buys a yeti would just fix their roof.)
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I bought a Yeti cooler last year and used it in three camping trips in the summer & fall. The ice lasted all week in the coolers, saving about $5 a day in ice.
But I’ll be damned if I buy their bucket.
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This video was way more entertaining than I expected. This could be a whole new genre: bucket testing videos.
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I’m no rafter but if I was, I might own a bucket like this.
Shop around a little for a waterproof, crush resistant container for a little perspective.
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From all the marketing on the thing it’s designed for school sports teams. Apparently to be filled with ice and drinks as an alternative to a cooler or wash tub. The big sporting good stores near me don’t even stock them with the outdoors stuff or other coolers. They’re over with the baseball and lacrosse shit, displayed full of baseballs and sunflower seeds.
Which seems appropriate as middle class soccer moms appear to be their core market.
Larger point being this isn’t a bucket meant to be used as a bucket, it’s a extra pricey bin meant to emulate a bucket.
Can be had in the form of a 5 gallon bucket with the proper lid for less than $20 bucks at about 1/3 the weight. These things are made of the same plastic as the shells on the Yeti coolers, and the walls are like 1/2-3/4" thick.
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https://www.westmarine.com/buy/shurhold--5-gallon-plastic-bucket-white--17572926?recordNum=10
22 dollars.
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Austin is HQ for Yeti, so I imagine there is a lot of home-town purchasing going on, not to mention a lot of swag from Yeti-sponsored events.
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Yeah i forget exactly where their HQ is at but i think its downtown. Their prices might be insane but hey if they can separate suckers from their money i’m definitely not going to knock them for doing so successfully.
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I think you might be confusing the bucket with the big “Tank” cooler:
Yeah, no. The Yeti bucket walls are maybe 3/8” compared to hardware store’s buckets at 1/4”.
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