The YETI Daytrip Insulated Backpack is the perfect addition to your daytrip. Photo: Alex Haro//The Inertia
I like to be outside. I like to spend my time in the mountains or in the ocean. Full days filled with fun things. Coming home at night sunburned, exhausted, and with a head full of experiences that will become great memories. In order to do those things, fuel is necessary. Food, water, or beers, depending on what you’re doing. But fuel isn’t easy to pack in — unless you’ve got something made to make packing food, water, or beers as easy as carrying a backpack. The YETI Daytrip 20L Insulated Backpack is, as the name implies, perfect for the daytrip.
I’ve spent a lot of time lugging coolers around, and if there’s one thing I’ve found, the best places to bring a cooler are often the worst places to drag one in. Wheels or not, a big old cooler full of stuff is a drag unless you’re dragging down a paved road. But a backpack? That’s not a drag.
Bottom Line: The YETI Daytrip 20L Insulated Backpack is a great solution. Made of lightweight material with padded shoulder straps, a front stash pocket for the small things, and a quick-access zipper that opens up wide, it keeps drinks and food cold for the day. Whether you’re paddleboarding down a river, hiking up a mountain, or just having a day on the beach, the YETI Daytrip 20L Insulated Backpack will make your life just a little easier.
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The YETI Daytrip backpack will keep your provisions cold for the day while making carrying them a breeze. Do you need to know anything else? Photo: Yeti
YETI Daytrip 20L Insulated Backpack ($225)
Capacity: 20 L
Exterior Dimensions: 11.8″W x 18.6″D x 18.6″H
Weight: 3.2 lbs
Features: Padded shoulder straps, stash pocket, quick access opening
Pros: Easy to carry, long-lasting ice retention, super comfortable on the shoulders
Cons: Zipper enclosure isn’t leak-proof, no inside pockets
YETI consistently makes products that stand out above the rest, and the Daytrip does just that. Over the course of the last few months of use, I’ve put it through the wringer, throwing it into the box of the truck, throwing it onto rocky beaches, throwing it into the water, throwing it into the bushes, and even subjecting it to a dog (my dog) who mistook it for something to drag around. It should have at least one snag in it by now, but, much to my surprise, it does not. A few light scuffs, but considering what it’s been through, there should be more. YETI has somehow balanced that ruggedness with lightness, and at just a hair over three pounds (unloaded), it is both easy to carry and exceptionally hardy.
Like all YETI soft coolers, the Daytrip is made with ColdCell Flex Insulation, which, in the case of the Daytrip, is meant to keep your provisions, whatever they may be, cool for the day. In my experience (forgetting your half-empty cooler in the yard), the Daytrip keeps provisions (beers) cold for up to three days (depending on where in the yard you’ve left it). I might not trust ground beef in there for more than a day, but if you’re eating three-day-old ground beef out of a cooler called the Daytrip, you might have other issues.
It’s surprisingly roomy, considering how small it feels on your back. If you were to fill it with 355 ml cans (standard beer can), you’d be able to squeeze 33 in there. That, however, isn’t with a pile of ice. Instead, YETI recommends that you use ice packs rather than wet ice, because the zippered enclosure isn’t leak-proof.
While it is weather-resistant and tough as nails, it’s not fully waterproof, so if you (hypothetically, of course) drop it off the side of a paddleboard, it will float for a while before taking on water.
With a top stash pouch and a side pocket separate from the cooler, the YETI Daytrip has ample room for keys, wallets, phones, and water bottles. YETI has designed the Daytrip with an easy-open zipper and a lid that opens up out of the way to provide top-down access to your provisions. Its sturdy construction is made to stand up when it’s on the ground, much like a hard cooler.
All in all, the YETI Daytrip 20L Insulated Backpack is a perfect addition to your outing, whether it’s to the beach, an overnight camping trip, or just a day in the park. It is designed perfectly for what it’s made for: the daytrip. And is there a better way to spend the day than on a trip?
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