Gear Test: YETI Rambler one-gallon jug

It’s hard to keep up with all the new widgets for keeping stuff cool (or hot) YETI is cranking out these days, but this one really caught my eye, and it’s probably already my favorite of anything YETI has ever made.
A simple one-gallon jug, but it has amazing temperature-holding power. I filled it with ice and sent my son off to his high school baseball game. Five days later, after riding around on the back seat of his car, what was left inside was still a slushy mix of ice and water. I take it on my drift boat, and I don’t need to carry any more little plastic bottles, and I don’t need to stick my water supply on ice in a cooler (so I can carry a smaller cooler, and balance my boat better).
It isn’t cheap (the one-gallon version is $130, and the half-gallon jug will run you $100), but it works better than advertised. I’d buy this for the eco-friendliness factor alone, as I am strong behind the “Kick Plastic” effort. One other neat thing to mention: You can unscrew the cap to fill it (naturally) but to drink (or pour) right from it, you can also unscrew a small spout, and the cap for that sits on a special magnetic holder, which is pretty slick. This is a really smart, effective product that deserves some attention.
—Kirk Deeter

By Chris Hunt.