Yeti Hopper Flip 8 Review

Imagine yourself packing in a 6-pack of cold beers, the beautiful summer sun above your head, and the sound of the waves roaring in front of you.

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Now imagine being able to pack in three more 6-packs over your two-day beach camping trip and having them stay cold throughout the weekend.

This is the Hopper Flip 8, one of YETI’s smallest soft-shell coolers in their lineup.

Don’t be fooled though, as this bad boy is still just as rugged as its older brothers.

In our YETI Hopper Flip 8 Review, we’ll be tackling this semi-new addition to the lineup of beautiful YETI coolers on the market to give you the who’s, what’s, why’s, when’s and where’s.

The Review

Specifications

Outside Dimensions: 8” x 10.5” x 11.5”
Inside Dimensions: 6.2” x 7.5” x 9.6”
Empty Weight: 2.8lbs
Capacity: 8 cans of beer or 10lbs of ice
High-Density DryHide Shell
Cold Cell Insulation

Pro's

Easy to transport body design
100% leak-proof hydrolok zipper
Wide mouth opening for easy access to contents
Tough, puncture-resistant dry hide shell
Amazing ice retention for small size
HitchPoint Grid to attach accessories

Con's

Pricey for the size

Why Is the Price So High?

Yeti is well known for making soft-shell coolers that can withstand serious abuse, making them more of a long-term investment than anything. They also keep contents cold better than any other coolers on the market, and even warm if you’re just looking to insulate. Not only that, they have a great warranty for their coolers, giving your peace of mind if anything were to happen to all that cash you just blew.

Insulation Performance

The Hopper Flip 8, along with its brothers and sisters, share the same build qualities in terms of materials. The Dry Hide shell is one of the things that is very unique to YETI products and is incredibly durable. Not only is it puncture-proof, but also resistant to UV rays, helping to keep your items cooler for much longer. The Cold Cell insulation on the inside keeps everything nice and cold as well. Lastly, you have the Hydrolok Zipper, which not only keeps water and air out, but also helps keep the cool in.

For a reference, if you’re dealing with summer temperatures that around 80-100 degrees, there’s no reason that your drinks shouldn’t stay cold for a period of 48 hours or more.

>> View the Product Page & Current Pricing <<

Who is the YETI Hopper Flip 8 Best For?

The YETI Hopper Flip 8 is best suited for the solo adventurer, especially when you just need something to help you get up and go. For many of those people, lugging around a massive cooler is just not in the cards. If you’re hiking, kayaking, or walking down to the beach, there’s no reason to have some 20lb cooler by your side.

The cube body of the YETI Hopper Flip 8 gives it tons of room in a small design, giving you the most bang for your buck. We really recommend it overall for the avid outdoorsman or woman, as the features built-in, like the waterproof design and HitchPoint grid, suit themselves best to someone who is facing the elements or has tons of accessories/tools to carry.

>> View the Product Page & Current Pricing <<

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can the Yeti Hopper Flip 8 carry?

As you’ve probably already guessed, this cooler is definitely on the small side and perfect for something like a short trip to the beach or a day on the golf course with your buddy. The Yeti 8 holds 8 standard sized beer cans, hence the name, and has room for ice to be poured over it as well. If you don’t pack it till the day’s end, you can even save enough room to store yourself a few little bites to eat.

That being said, don’t plan on trying to pack any bottles of beer in this thing, as you’ll be lucky to hold even 4 of them if you try.

How Can I prolong the coolness with my YETI Hopper Flip 8?

While you should definitely keep a bag of regular ice within your Hopper Flip 8, you should also get one of YETI’s little ice blocks to give it that extra Mr. Freeze-style cool. YETI ice is a strange thing to see at first, because it basically looks like one of those little blue icepacks you used to have in your lunchbox when you were a child. While those could also work fine, YETI has taken it a step further and upped the game.

YETI Ice packs are built with very low freezing points that are lower than that of water. This means that even when your regular ice that you stored inside begins to melt away, the YETI Ice pack can help to re-freeze it. Crazy right? These YETI ice packs come in an array of sizes too so you can find the perfect one to fit in your cooler. We would highly recommend going for the 2lb YETI Ice, as it will cover the majority of your contents inside the Flipper 8.

Is the YETI Hopper Flip 8 easy to carry around?

Absolutely! Not only is it very easy to carry around, it’s also probably one of the stealthiest coolers on the market because of it’s small, low-profile build. It comes with multiple handles so that you can carry it around or strap it to a cart if you’re rolling down to the beach.

What Accessories would you recommend for the Hopper Flip 8?

Because of the Hopper Flip 8’s small size, we would highly recommend getting a hold of their Sidekick Dry. It is made to hook onto the Hitchpoint Grid and provide you with a bit of extra storage separate from the cold section of your cooler. It is perfect for carrying around keys, wallets, phones, fishing licenses, etc., and is made with the same RF-Welded Seams and puncture-proof shell that the soft cooler is made out of.

We would also recommend checking out the MOLLE Bottle Opener. It’s a low-profile, corrosion-resistant, stainless steel bottle opener that is perfect for popping open the frothy brews that you’ll no doubt be carrying around with you in your Hopper Flip 8.

What is the Warranty for the Hopper Flip 8?

The Hopper Flip 8 has the same warranty as all of the other soft-shell coolers on YETI’s lineup, which is a three-year limited warranty period. If you’ve used your Hopper Flip 8 and notice a defect of any sort that is the fault of the manufacturer, you can return it for a brand new cooler. There are more conditions however, which you can read about here

How Do I Clean My Hopper Flip 8?

Cleaning your Hopper Flip cooler should be a breeze. All you need is a simple little mixture of soap and water to get it done. Rinse and scrub the inside of your cooler and then wipe it dry with a clean cloth or paper towel. After you’ve finished, make sure to leave the cooler open for a day or two so that it dries out completely, otherwise you may end up getting a bit of mold on the inside.

Yeti Hopper Flip 8 vs. Hopper Flip 12

While similar in many ways to the Hopper flip 12, the Hopper Flip 8 has one noticeably different feature built on: The Topside Carrying Handle. This makes carrying this thing around an absolute dream, and it kind of begs the question of why YETI didn’t do this on the larger Flip models. Obviously you still have the shoulder strap if you need, it, though it gives you a few solid transport options.

For the ultimate beach cooler comparisons, make sure to check out our best beach coolers guide.

Overall Rating

If your goal is to get a cooler that you can take with you to the beach, golf course, or lake, the YETI Hopper Flip 8 is your best bet. Not only does it keep your stuff extremely cold for long periods of time, it’s also very easy to carry around. While there are definitely other cooler manufacturers on the market trying to undercut the YETI brand, no one has matched up yet.

Overall, we have to give the YETI Hopper Flip 8 an A+. Yes, it is definitely an investment that you have to consider, though if you’re looking for a cooler that will still work years down the line, don’t look any further.