As a camper, you probably know how difficult it is to keep the ice and food cold during any outdoor trip. Portable coolers are the only options to keep things cold without any electric power. However, these coolers are expensive, especially when you buy one from a renowned brand like YETI.
YETI coolers are the perfect way to keep your food and drinks cold on your next outdoor trip. They’re built tough to withstand anything you throw at them, but it’s important to properly store them when you’re not using them. This will prevent any unwanted dirt, mold, and stains from ruining the cooler. In addition, proper cleaning and maintenance prevent any bad smells from the cooler.
Proper cleaning and maintenance are the only options to extend the lifespan of any cooler. Since YETI coolers are very expensive, nobody wants to damage them so early. Thus, you should store your YETI cooler properly in order to use it for years.
Taking care of your YETI coolers doesn’t have to be complicated. Anyone with a little bit of prep work can take good care of their cooler. In addition, there are extra steps you can take to keep your YETI in brand new condition for as long as you want.
In this article, we are going to share some tips to store your YETI cooler perfectly after any successful outdoor trip. We will share tips for both hard and soft coolers of YETI.
Why It’s Necessary to Store your YETI Cooler Properly?
YETI coolers are an expensive investment. Nobody wants to buy them every month. In order to get the best result from your cooler, it’s very essential to take proper care of them. From packing to cleaning and storing, you have to follow the proper guideline.
YETI Coolers are built to last at least a couple of years. However, this is only possible if you do proper maintenance of your cooler. if you do not take care of your YETI, it can be damaged in no time.
The Efficient Way to Store a YETI Cooler
Before storing your Yeti cooler, make sure to give it a good clean both inside and out. After that, leave it to completely dry. It’s best to store it in a cool, shady, and dry area. Never store it under direct sunlight and exposure to the elements. This will damage the cooler in the long run. When you’re ready to use the cooler again, make sure to pre-chill it before packing your items.
Remember, the purpose of storing the YETI cooler in a proper way is to prevent it from moisture, mildew, and mold. Because those are the ultimate harmful elements for your cooler. So, you should focus on taking proper steps to prevent those.
The good thing is – mold and mildew can be easily prevented with a little bit of preparation and by storing the cooler in the proper place.
We are going to discuss this in detail:
Clean the Cooler Properly
After an adventurous camping trip or other outdoor activity, the first thing you need to do is – clean your YETI properly. Not only YETI, but you should also clean any cooler after using it. This is the first step of storing your Yeti cooler for a longer period of time.
If you leave old food or drinks, or even small amounts of water, in your Yeti cooler for too long, they can all turn into virus and bacteria and make the cooler smells very bad.
You should clean your cooler thoroughly to prevent any odors or bacteria from developing. For better cleaning, you can use dish soap with water. While cleaning, make sure to clean both inside and outside of the cooler. Use fresh water for rinsing properly.
Watch the following video to learn more about cleaning a YETI cooler:
Dry the Cooler
You probably know that the worst enemy of a cooler during long-term storage is moisture. And the reality is – you can easily avoid moisture by drying your cooler thoroughly before storing. After cleaning your cooler, make sure to dry it properly and ensure that there is no moisture left inside it.
To make the process faster, you can wipe the cooler with a towel or cloth. After that, leave it under the sun for several hours. Dry both inside and outside of the cooler. This is the most important part and you must do it in the right way.
Close the Lid Properly
Closing the lid before storing your YETI is important because it will prevent getting moisture into the cooler. As you know that the lid has a rubber gasket around it. This gasket ensures a very tight seal and prevents any airflow inside the cooler. Thus, you can easily prevent the growth of moisture and mold inside your cooler.
However, you can leave the lid open if you do not plan to store the cooler for a longer time.
Wrap the Cooler
Though it is not mandatory, you should wrap the cooler before storing it. Wrapping will prevent any unwanted scratches on the cooler. Additionally, this will keep you protected from getting wet. A perfectly wrapped cooler remains neat and clean even after a year.
For wrapping your YETI, you can use a large plastic bag. If you don’t have a large plastic bag, wrap it using any clothes.
Store the Cooler In a Cool and Dry Area
After wrapping, it’s time to store your YETI in a cool and dry area. You should keep the cooler out of the elements and heat it as much as possible to maintain a dry, cool, and consistent temperature.
The consistency of temperature is necessary because the fluctuation of temperature will cause issues to your YETI cooler over the long term. Keep your Yeti out of direct sunlight to avoid deterioration of the plastic.
The ideal place to store your Yeti cooler is your basement or garage. If you have enough space, you can also store it in your house.
Another thing to consider is that when storing your YETI make sure you store it raised and off the ground. This is because, if water gets into your basement, garage, or wherever you are storing your Yeti, the floor can become moist. This can happen in the rainy season. So, make sure you keep your YETI in a safe place.
How to Store YETI’s Soft Cooler?
YETI has some great quality soft coolers and backpack coolers for travelers. Though these small portable cooler bags are used on a regular basis, you should store them properly when not in use for a long time.
Storing a soft-sided Yeti cooler is not that different from storing a hard-sided one. The main thing to pay attention to is drying it thoroughly before storing it.
Before storing your soft Yeti cooler, be sure to dry it thoroughly to prevent mold or stains. Pay special attention to folds, creases, and other areas where water and moisture can accumulate.
You can leave the cooler bag under the sun for several hours or use any dryer equipment to dry the cooler inside and outside. Make sure the zipper is completely dry because a wet zipper may become damaged over time.
After drying, you should put the cooler in a plastic bag. You can either close the zipper or leave it open. But make sure you put the cooler inside a plastic bag.
Pro Tip: If you are storing the cooler bag for a long time, you should lubricate the zipper before packing it.
How To Store Your Yeti Cooler During Camping?
In the above section, we discussed storing your YETI cooler when not in use for a long time. But how would you store your YETI during an outdoor trip?
No matter where you are, you should always keep your YETI cooler in a cool area. The best place to store your cooler when you’re camping or spending time in nature is in a shady spot where it will be in the shade for most of the day. In addition to that, make sure that the cooler is closed properly.
Final Words
We hope you enjoyed our article on how to store your Yeti cooler after camping. By following the steps that we outlined in this article, you will be able to store your Yeti properly so that you can use it for future camping trips.
