Orca Vs Yeti – The Coolers Debate Is Heating Up

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orca vs yeti

Orca vs YETI sounds like two animals duking it out, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see that a duking out is indeed happening, however, it’s to claim the top spot when it comes to coolers.

If the topic on your mind as you searched for more information online was Orca coolers vs YETI, then you have come to the right place.

We’ll be taking a closer look at the coolers in each lineup to see which ones will suit you best. Here’s a closer look.


YETI vs Orca – Things To Know About Both Brands

YETI and Orca are two premium, American ice chest brands built by true outdoor enthusiasts – the Seiders brothers in case of the former and the Cliff Walker in case of the latter.

The two companies have been going pretty much head to head, iterating on cooler designs and investing in rotational molding technology with one goal in mind: to make their products the best rotomolded coolers on the market.

To help you choose a winner in the YETI vs Orca battle, first, let's go through a brief overview of each brand and their respective lineups.


Orca Coolers

orca cooler vs yetiWith the Orca cooler line-up you’ll get numerous sizes to choose from, which means that your next party, outing or event will be able to handle crowds of most sizes.

What kinds of sizes? Glad you asked. You’ll be able to find Orca coolers in sizes of 20, 26, 40, 58, 75 and 140 quarts.

UPDATE: Orca recently released their new soft coolers: Orca Backpack Pod and Backpack Podster. Check our full review here.

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item-titleORCA 20ORCA 26ORCA 40ORCA 58ORCA 75ORCA 140
to-topCapacity:
20-quart
Capacity:
26-quart
Capacity:
40-quart
Capacity:
58-quart
Capacity:
75-quart
Capacity:
140-quart
to-topDimensions:
• Inside:
14" x 10" x 11"
• Outside:
19" x 13.75" x 15"
Dimensions:
• Inside:
16.5" x 12.25" x 10"
• Outside:
23.75" x 17.5" x 14.75"
Dimensions:
• Inside:
19" X 11.75" X 11"
• Outside:
26" X 17.5" X 17.5"
Dimensions:
• Inside:
18.5" x 12.3" x 13.375"
• Outside:
27.2" x 19.57" x 18.75"
Dimensions:
• Inside:
27.5" x 12.375" x 12.625"
• Outside:
35" x 18" x 18"
Dimensions:
• Inside:
31" x 15.5" x 15.6"
• Outside:
40" x 23.5" x 20.875"
to-topWeight:
17lbs
Weight:
19lbs
Weight:
24lbs
Weight:
32lbs
Weight:
35lbs
Weight:
50lbs
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at Amazon
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at Amazon
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at Amazon
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at Amazon

Each and every cooler that Orca produces is one hundred percent American made.

With a lifetime warranty, you can be sure that you are only getting quality products. And finally, a truth in sizes can be found. When Orca states a specific cooler size, then you can bank on it being that size.

Unlike other brands where the stated quart size is actually much less. In Orca, you will find a cooler with massive ice retention times.

Orca manufacturers have stated that ice can last up to 10 days when properly prepped for use.

orca coolers

Want to learn more about other big cooler brands competing against each other? Then check out our Pelican vs YETI, or Engel vs YETI article.


YETI Coolers

yeti coolers vs orcaThe YETI Tundra series also comes in a wide variety of sizes.

Sizes small enough to hold 20 cans, and sizes large enough to hold 25 times as much or 268 cans. In 2019, they even added a wheeled Tundra Haul to their lineup. 

You can also find a smaller personal sized cooler in the Roadie 20, if you fly solo a lot.

A rotomolded design, strong latches and a field test unlike any other – Grizzly Bear approved, you will find a YETI very much to your liking.

to-middleyeti tundra 65 cooleryeti roadie 24yeti hopper soft sided cooleryeti tank Bucket Ice Chest
item-titleYeti TundraYeti Roadie 24Yeti HopperYeti Tank
to-topSize
29 - 330 QT
Size
23.6 QT Only
Size
20 or 30 QT
Size
42 or 82 QT
RotomoldedRotomoldedSoftRotomolded
to-topBottom line
One of the best ice chests our there. A truly versatile cooler to meet all your needs.
Bottom line
A solo adventurer’s best friend when it comes to cooling needs. One size, so many possibilities.
Bottom line
An ultra-portable cooler bag. Not only it keeps stuff cool but looks cool too.
Bottom line
A party tub like no other. Keeps all your drinks iced till the next morning.
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Close to 3″ of PermaFrost insulation on the walls (and just slightly less on the lid) means that you will be getting top of the line ice retention when you decide to chill your food or beverages with the YETI Tundra.

A ColdLock Gasket ensures that hot air stays out and cold air stays in the cooler as much as possible.

The YETI Tundra series also offers a hinge system that they say will never fail.

Throw in non-marking rubber feet, and this version of the Tundra is ready to go from the back of the truck to the boat and back home without slipping and sliding all over the place.

Oh, and did you know you can easily customize it with wraps, stickers and plenty of decals?

yeti cooler features

Here's a full YETI Tundra review in case you need more information. You may also want to check what are the other coolers similar to it.


Orca Vs YETI – How Do You Choose a Cooler

In some cases, you may want to flip a coin when it comes down to choosing between these two big names in the cooler and outdoor niche.

If only it were that easy. Here is a look at these two a little closer to help you decide – Orca Coolers vs YETI Coolers.

Available Sizes

When it comes to coolers, size does play an important role. While some demand and call for larger sizes for events, outings, and adventures, there may be times when a smaller, more convenient cooler is in order.

In the case of the Orca line, you will be able to find coolers as small as 20 quarts, and as large as 140 quarts.

What some users have mentioned is that the size you are shown is the actual size that you receive. Meaning, when Orca says 20 quarts, then your actual usable and measurable space in that given cooler is 20 quarts.

orca vs yeti - sizes

In the case of size, as it pertains to the YETI, you could go as small as a Roadie, which holds 14 cans of your favorite beverage or choose from an even larger variety of sizes in the Tundra line (pictures below).

As mentioned above, coolers here have a starting capacity as small as 20 cans and sizes large enough to hold a much larger size at a shade over 11 cases of cans.

orca vs yeti cooler sizes


yeti vs orca coolers

Reported Real World Ice Retention Times

What someone says is one thing, what you can come to find is another. For this section, let’s not take a look at what the manufacturer says ice retention times are. Instead, let’s have a look at what actual real-world users are reporting.

After four days of use, and placing ice in the smallest Orca, one user took its actual temperature. No, not with any normal device but rather with an IR handheld thermometer. You can’t get accuracy any better than that.

Results?

The sidewall and contents stayed at just above and just below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Given that most refrigerators fall close to that temperature, holding temperature that low over the course of a few days really speaks to the ice retention times and the type of the ice  – whether it's ice cubes, big ice blocks, dry ice, or any extra chill packs used, just to name a few.

Now let’s look at the YETI. After three days one YETI Roadie user reported still having ice in the cooler, however, most of the ice had melted. The user reported an expectancy that on day four there would still be ice to be found.

Another user reported the ability of the YETI to hold cold temperatures, mentioning that the cooler works great at holding contents cold for several days at a time.

And What Do We Think?

The two above reviews from actual users we talked to were in line with our own tests, and boy, we did a lot of them over the last couple of years.

Generally speaking, both Orca and YETI perform well above the average and we'd say they perform equally well

That said, there are some things to keep in mind here. First of all, whether this is the YETI or the ORCA, the ice retention times will depend on the cooler size and many external factors as well. 

As for the former, the bigger the cooler, the longer it's capable of keeping ice ice-cold. Therefore, don't expect the small YETI Roadie 20 to keep the ice frozen for the same amount of days as the 110-quart version. That just won't happen. The same goes for Orca, of course, and all the other cooler brands out there too.

Need specifics? No problem. If you get the smallest 20-quart or so version, from either of these two brands, you should expect ice retention to be in the 4 to 5 day range.

The mid-sized coolers, between 35 to 65 quarts, should be able to keep ice frozen for about 7 to 8 days. Both brands' large versions, above 70 quarts should be able to exceed 10 days. 

When it comes to the above-mentioned external factors, the ice retention time will depend on several things, such as the outside temperature, whether the contents in the cooler – and the cooler itself – was pre-chilled, how frequently do you open the lid, if the cooler was put in shade and so on. You get the point. 

To wrap up this part, you really can't go wrong with either brand. Both are excellent, premium coolers. It all comes down to how you use the cooler, and what size do you decide on. 

If the longest possible ice retention is something that's very important to you, make sure to read our guide on how to maximize ice retention.

yeti vs orca

Cooler Security

There may be times when you will need to leave your cooler in areas where other campers are, or out in the open where predators may be able to get into them.

In this case, you will want to be able to secure the cooler. With the Orca you’ll find drilled out corners lining up the lid with the rest of the body, allowing you enough room to place two cooler locks of your choice, one at each front corner.

The YETI Tundra line also allows you this type of locking area when it comes to security.


Orca Coolers vs YETI – And The Winner Is…

It's been a difficult decision for us to make as in fact, you really cannot go wrong with either one of these coolers.

You will be getting superior quality, longer ice retention times as well as features you won’t find on cheaper coolers.

However, If were to choose between those two today, we'd have to go with Orca Coolers.

Unlike YETI, all Orca coolers are 100% made in USA. YETI too do manufacture some of their products in the US, but it's not exactly clear which ones.

When you get the Orca, you can be sure that you're supporting the company that makes all of their products (maybe except of the stainless-steel tumblers) on the U.S. soil. 

The second reason is the pure value for money. While both brands offer the highest quality ice chests, it's the Orca who's managed to build an amazing product that is slightly less expensive than its rival (in terms of price per quart).

We also prefer Orca's approach to sizes – unlike YETI, which refer to the number of cans and pounds of ice that can be stored in their coolers, Orca uses good old quarts to describe their cooler capacities. This makes it easier to compare it to other brands.

The bottom line is that the differences between Orca and YETI are minor, and although our personal choice in this battle would be Orca, the debate of Orca vs YETI is one that you will win, either way, you choose to go.


Where Can You Get Orca Coolers Or YETI Coolers?

There are many places you can get one of these top coolers. You can go directly to the manufacturer’s website, an official dealer or Amazon.

As you may already know, Amazon is a preferred shopping destination not only for its cheaper prices on a lot of items but also the deals you can get on shipping.

Ready to get an Orca? Get it here at Amazon.

Want a YETI instead? No problem, click here now.


Orca vs. YETI – Vote Now!

Now it's time for you to take it in your hands and vote! It's a heated debate and we need your help to find the winner of this battle. Simply choose one brand and find out what others went for.


 

ps. Here's one video to watch when thinking about Orca vs YETI – Ott DeFoe Talks About His 20 Quart Orca cooler

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Greg

Greg’s a co-founder of bestcooler.reviews and author of 100+ product reviews and comparisons on this website. When not at work, Greg’s an avid sportsman who enjoys running marathons, loves snowboarding, hiking and discovering new single tracks on his bike.

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15 Comments

  1. confirmed my thoughts 😀 I would buy Orca even if was only a little worse even because its made in America.

    • ORCA IS AWSOME !!!!……… I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY NEW ORCA CHASER!!!!…… ORCA GETS 13 STARS FROM ME ANY DAY OVER yeti!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!………… THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING SUCH A WONDERFUL PRODUCT ORCA!!!……

    • The Rope handles are removable. As for Yeti Roadie, we don’t recommend removing the handle, because the handle stays in place through tension. However, if you remove it, you might want to put newspaper or a magazine between the handle and the Roadie to avoid scratching it! Hope it helps!

  2. Last October I filled our Orca cooler with frozen meat and started our winter pilgrimage to Georgia. The trip took six days due to several stops along the way and when we arrived and began loading the meat into our boat freezer, we found that 60% of the meat was still frozen and the rest was not quite thawed but less than frozen. Packing with little wasted space accounts for much of the meat being frozen but superior insulation and lid seals have proved to be a significant factor.
    Jim

  3. My son bought me a 40 quart Orca for Father’s Day and it’s GREAT ( talk about a nice present ! ) I can’t wait to use it again !

  4. I bought a Orca for a relative in Rising Star. Texas. He is a outdoorsman, and I gave him this as his choice=
    David, if you had to choose, what animal would you want?
    1. Yeti
    2. Orca
    3. Pelican
    He choose the Orca. He really appreciated it being able to handle all of the venison when the extra freezer in the house went on the Kaput. Never, ever loose the venison sausage

  5. I don’t like Orca hinge. Mine is cracked. If you let the top open beyond 90 degrees the stress on the hinge causes it to crack. There should be some sort of a stop or brake. Major design flaw.

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