Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more here.
Yeti is already well known for being able to make anything cool (pun intended). Before they came along, the cooler was something very functional, and the brands that were there made it into the kind of product you buy simply because you need it; not because you actually want to have one and have pride in it.
Another issue with coolers was the quality. These products weren’t made to be able to withstand any of the harsh environments that the people who needed them most thrived in. The market needed a revolution but didn’t know it.
Quick Menu
Yeti Silo 6G Review
-
Yeti Takes on Water Coolers
-
Yeti Silo Review
-
Yeti Silo Competitors
-
Where to Buy the Yeti Silo
When Yeti blitzed onto the scene in the mid-2000s, they changed all this. They started by making the rotomolded cooler go mainstream. The superior technology that is rotomolding means your cooler not only keeps things cool for longer but also that your cooler is tougher and more durable.
But they did even more than that. They made coolers cool. They came on the market with some pretty good design, worked on building a strong brand, and even made it possible for a whole market of third-party products to exist for those who wanted to go the extra mile in customizing their coolers.
What Yeti did for the cooler industry is a lot like what Apple did for the smartphone industry. They didn’t just make a product among products; they created products that spawned an entire lifestyle and culture that hadn’t been there before. Buying a Yeti product is a lot like buying an Apple product; it’s buying an entire experience.
Yeti started with hard coolers (Tundra series reviewed here) but began branching out to other products in the same space, such as the soft Yeti Hopper line, drinkware and wheeled coolers. Their line of drinkware is just as good.
The Yeti Silo 6G is their latest foray into new territory. They are now trying out the water cooler industry. We have reviewed water coolers before, but Yeti hadn’t launched the Silo by then. Now that they have, let's do the Yeti Silo review.
Yeti Takes on Water Coolers – A Smart Move
Water coolers are certainly an interesting niche inside the cooler industry.
You probably already know water coolers as the regular water dispenser you use at home. That, however, is a water cooler that uses electricity and tends to be confined in one place. The kind made by Yeti and other cooler companies tries to do for water coolers what coolers do for electrical fridges.
A fridge is pretty immobile. It just sits there in the house. You can put your food and drinks inside it so they remain cool, but you have to go to it. It never comes to you, and you certainly can’t take it with you when you go out on trips. That’s why a cooler makes so much sense. It’s basically a portable fridge that works without electrical power.
A water cooler is basically a reservoir for water or some other liquid, and it has a dispenser through which you can pour the liquid out into a mug or other drinkware. That dispenser is known as a spigot.
It’s basically a small tap. The typical water cooler is quite immobile. You can’t take it with you on an adventure. On the other hand, there is the portable water cooler made with the same technology as a hard cooler. You can carry it with you for parties and to events.
You’re probably wondering at this point what makes a water cooler so unique from a regular hard cooler. To start with, hard coolers aren’t made to dispense liquid. They don’t have spigots which can dispense whatever’s inside so people can drink. They’re really specialized storage containers that are meant to hold your food and drinks.
Moreover, the drinks should be in containers. You don’t pour your beer into a cooler, do you? The only liquid you expect to find in a cooler is water from all the melted ice. Hard coolers also have separate compartments for food.
A water cooler has none of these. It is made so that you can pour water inside, which is then kept cool and dispensed via the spigot. The water can be drunk by anyone without having to open the cooler.
Water coolers certainly fulfill a need in the market. They make it possible to have cold drinking water at gatherings like picnics and tailgaters for everyone. The water cooler niche is also fairly small with very little competition in the space.
Actually, most of the water coolers currently on the market aren’t even rotomolded, which means there is a chance for those who manufacture rotomolded water coolers to take the market by storm.
With all that considered, it makes sense that Yeti would launch a water cooler. It’s the perfect market to get into, and Yeti has the massive advantage of being an already well-known brand in the industry. That makes it easier for Yeti to get brand recognition and loyalty in the water cooler niche.
We believe that the Yeti Silo is simply Yeti testing the waters with a single product to see how well it will do. If people like it and buy it in large numbers, Yeti is likely to add more sizes to ride on the success.
Another reason why it makes sense for Yeti to get into this space is the fact that Yeti is now a public company. It has investors to please and results to deliver. That means it can’t be narrow anymore. It has to explore new areas and try to diversify its product offering if it’s going to grow.
Yeti Silo Review
The build on Yeti Silo 6G (6G comes from the capacity in gallons) is as good as the build on just about any other cooler out there. This water cooler is rotomolded and strong. If you’ve used a rotomolded cooler in the past, then you know how strong these things are.
The outside of the Silo is distinctively Yeti. It comes in the same pristine white color with the rugged yet sophisticated design for the outside of the cooler.
The Fatwall design means that the walls are at least 2 inches thick, which is extra thick for any cooler. That will retain your ice at a much better rate than the average cooler. The lid has a great quality gasket that circles its length.
That means no cold will escape, and no heat will infiltrate the cooler. The hinge system doesn’t fail or block, giving the lid the support it needs to be extra strong and maintain the temperature inside the water cooler.
The insulation on the inside is the famous Yeti permafrost insulation, which is commercial grade polyurethane that has been pressure-injected in the walls of the cooler as well as the lid. This is the best insulation foam in the market, both for its ice retention powers and its safety for humans.
Finally, to top the lid off, we have the T-Rex lid latches that we have come to know and love Yeti for. These are very easy on your fingers and hard on the lock. They’re easy to open and close, being made of rubber, and yet they hold fast when they are finally engaged, ensuring that the lid stays locked and the gasket does its job.
Yeti Silo Specs
-
Capacity
6 Gallons -
Outside
15 5/8” × 18” × 15 1/2” -
Inside
11” × 13 3/4” × 11 1/4” -
Empty Weight
16.5 LBS
at Amazon
Features
One of our favorite features for this particular cooler is the spigot. It is located at the bottom of the cooler and is protected by a black plastic encasement. If you think about it, for a rotomolded cooler, the spigot will be a point of weakness.
In case the cooler falls to the ground, the rest of it will survive but, if the spigot isn’t well protected, it is likely to be the first part of the cooler to be damaged. It is therefore important that it be protected. For that, the spigot doesn’t protrude from the cooler but is rather inset with a surrounding black plastic wall.
To help with easy transportation of the cooler, are the LipGrip handles at the top.
Ice Retention
When it comes to ice retention, the first thing that tells you this cooler is going to hold everything together for you just right is the fact that is rotomolded. Because they have no fault lines, rotomolded coolers retain ice for much longer than non-rotomolded coolers.
This particular cooler comes with more than just a rotomolded design; it has thick insulation which ensures that the ice lasts for a few days instead of a few hours.
In case you’re going to be going out for a while, what you want to know is that your water cooler will keep your water cool for as long as you’re out there in the wild. Yeti do that for you.
There is no official data from Yeti about how long this particular cooler can retain ice, so we decided to test it ourselves. After filling it with water and ice, we noticed that the ice melted completely after 5 days. We feel it could go longer, depending on the ambient temperature of the environment. All in all, it is a fantastic cooler that we’re proud of.
Yeti Silo 6G Competitors
Kula 2.5 Cooler
Kula is a cooler making company based out of Florida. It is a relatively new player on the scene and has some of the best coolers we’ve seen in a while. In fact, while other coolers are doing their best to be bear proof, this particular manufacturer is trying really hard to be gator proof.
The Kula 2.5 is one of the only 2 models currently on Kula’s product line. The 2.5, in particular, isn’t just a hard cooler but a water cooler with dispensing capabilities. It has a capacity of 2.5 gallons, which is a far cry from the Yeti Silo’s 6 gallons, but it is rotomolded, which makes it a great cooler. In case you’re willing to try something new, this might just be the right cooler for you.
K2 Cooler Jug
The K2 cooler jug is a commercial grade polyethylene rotomolded beast with a 7-year warranty. If you’re looking for a premium water jug on the same level as the Yeti Silo, then you can’t possibly go wrong with this cooler.
It has a capacity of 5 gallons, which is 1 gallon short of what the Yeti Silo offers but still good enough for most purposes. It has a round shape, gasketed lid, tie down strap guides, stainless steel latches, integrated handles, polyethylene skids at the bottom, vacuum release plug, and a rotomolded construction. If you’re looking for proper competition for Yeti, then this awesome water jug has got to be a contender.
Coleman 5-Gallon Water Cooler
The Coleman water cooler is built for those on a budget and is priced as such. It has a secure screw top lid, strong side handles, a wide mouth lid to make filling super easy, and a capacity of 5 gallons.
The spigot at the bottom is also easy to use and can self-dispense. It certainly isn’t rotomolded, which means it won’t keep things cold for as long as you might like, but that is a compromise you’ll have to live with, considering its low price.
Verdict
the Yeti Silo is pretty much superior in terms of design and features to its competitors in the space. The only strong contender here is the K2 cooler, which happens to be really well-designed as well. However, the kind of water cooler you buy ultimately depends on your needs and your budgets, so choose carefully.
Where to Buy the Yeti Silo 6G Water Cooler?
You can buy it on Yeti’s website or a bunch of other places online.
We recommend you buy it at Amazon, however, because it is the most trusted online marketplace in the world. It comes with real buyer reviews to help you make your decision, buyer protection, free shipping in some cases, and great customer service.
Buy Yeti Silo at Amazon
Yeti Silo 6G Review – Bottom Line
- Cold Retention
- Quality
- Features
- Price
Summary
And that ends our Yeti Silo review. As you can see, Yeti never disappoints. The company makes great products. Pricey, it's true, but premium brands come with a price. And YETI have a knack for turning boring things into really exciting products. We’ve given up waiting for the day Yeti messes up!
User Review
( votes)
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Disclaimers
All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.
It is our policy to make every effort to respect the copyrights of outside parties. If you believe that your copyright has been misused, please provide us with a message stating your position and we will endeavor to correct any misuse immediately.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we may receive an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps us keep this website alive. Learn more here.
