My experiences with innovative insulation

I’ve always been suspicious of innovation, especially when it comes with a high price tag.

When my wife paid $40 a few years ago for an insulated cup I was aghast. But when I found the cup sitting on the kitchen counter the next morning still full of ice I was sold. Soon I had my own pricey, well-insulated Yeti drinking cup.

However, I can’t yet bring myself to spring for a Yeti cooler. It’s not that I can’t afford one, but $400 for an insulated box to put ice in seems a little silly considering I already have a collection of old coolers in the garage that still work.

I have no doubt Yeti’s insulated plastic boxes are better than most others, though they still remain just that: insulated plastic boxes.

Since offering its first cooler in 2006, Yeti has branched out, the product line now includes backpacks, luggage and even dog bowls, all at prices I find appalling, but I find the price of most everything appalling.

Especially dog crates. Yeti-like dog crates made by Gunner start at around $500. Collapsable aluminum crates run about the same price. The new crates are said to last a lifetime, be indestructible and escape-proof, neither of which I have ever worried about.

Like ice chests, dog boxes don’t do much. I have two in the back of my pickup and two in the back of my side-by-side. That’s where the dogs ride. They’ve never escaped, the crates have yet to fall apart, and I suspect even the cheapest of the four will last my lifetime.

The oldest crate I own even has saw marks across the top from the time I used it as a workbench, and it continues to serve its purpose. There’s not much to go wrong.

I don’t think any of them cost more than $100.

But they probably weren’t made in the USA like Gunner dog crates.

So if you’re feeling patriotic and have at least $500 in your pocket, consider Gunner kennels. They’re made here, but like most things made here, they cost a bit more.

Yeti products may or may not be made in the USA. Some are. Some aren’t, although the prices don’t reflect that.

I’m at that age where lifetime guarantees don’t mean much anymore. None of the coolers or dog crates I’ve had for years came with such a promise and I’ve still got them all.

I probably paid too much.

Parker Heinlein is at [email protected]