YETI Daytrip® "Lunch Box" 5 l Cool Box 1 piece

Still cold at lunchtime while the car bakes in the sun

What is the YETI Daytrip Lunch Box 5 l? The rigid cool box for a long day by the car: ten cans, solid base, wipe-clean outer shell. It doesn't chill anything down, it keeps things cold. And it isn't leakproof, because the inner liner is sealed but the zip isn't.

The YETI Daytrip Lunch Box in 5 litres is YETI's rigid cool box for anyone who packs their food at home in the morning and still wants to take it out cold by the car at lunchtime. It stands upright in the footwell, opens right out like a small suitcase for packing, and on arrival it stays put on the folding table at the open tailgate, even when someone walks past.

• Ten cans or lunch for two. In practice, five litres means two portions, a few drinks and the ice sheet underneath. A normal food container lies flat inside; you don't have to stand it on its end. It's not enough for a whole weekend, but just right for a long day on site.
• One large ice sheet covers the whole floor. The large YETI ICE Sheet fits in flat, and one is enough for the 5 l box. The lid opens all the way, so you see everything at once while packing instead of rummaging around in a bag. Cutlery, salt and a lighter go in the inside pocket in the lid.
• 0.64 kilograms empty, eleven colours, three-year warranty. Empty, it weighs just over half a kilo and carries easily by the webbing handle even with the camera hanging from your other hand. You wipe the outer shell with a damp cloth instead of washing it. YETI gives a three-year warranty on the Daytrip line.

Detailing1's tip from the shop: The most common mistake is reaching for the bag of ice cubes, because that's what you did with the old cool bag. The inner liner holds, the zip doesn't, and meltwater always finds a way out. Use a large ice sheet instead: at least eight hours flat in the freezer, then flat on the floor of the box in the morning. Everything inside stays dry, and in the evening you wipe the box out instead of emptying it.

The ice sheet goes in the freezer the evening before

The Daytrip Lunch Box doesn't chill anything down; it only keeps what you put in cold. That's why the crucial part happens at the freezer the evening before, not in the car park in the morning.

Ten to six, the kitchen still half dark. Ice sheet out, flat on the bottom, two portions and the drinks on top, cutlery in the lid pocket, zip all the way round. The lid lies fully open while you pack, so you load from above instead of feeling your way through an opening. Two minutes, then the box is in the passenger footwell and you're off while the roads are still empty.

On the road it belongs upright in the footwell, not sideways in the boot between the toolbox and the jack. Not because of the cold, but because of how it sits. On arrival it stands on the folding table at the open tailgate, and because the base and lid are rigid moulded parts, it doesn't tip over when someone comes past the table wanting to talk coilovers.

On site, it becomes the calm part of the morning. At half ten the car is in the second row, tailgate open, someone's asking about the suspension. Around one you open the box and take out something that's still cold, without anyone having to drive off in search of food. That's this product's whole job, and it's done quietly precisely when nobody's talking about it.

At our showroom in Nordhorn it usually sits on the boot sill of the demo car in summer, and that's exactly where the ice sheet shows its advantage over loose ice. On a painted boot sill, a dripping cool bag leaves a mark you're wiping off in the evening. This box you put down, open, close, and the paint underneath stays exactly as it was.

Five litres are enough for two. Not for a weekend.

Five litres hold ten 330 ml cans or lunch for two people plus the ice sheet. For a whole day with four people and refills, the box is too small, and it's meant to be.

On sealing, YETI itself is clear: the inner liner is sealed, the zip isn't. It travels upright, it doesn't belong on its side and it's never submerged. The outside is water-repellent, not waterproof. And in real heat with high humidity the outer shell can get damp, which the manufacturer explicitly doesn't rule out.

The second honest limit is the shape. The box doesn't fold; empty, it takes up the same space in the boot as full. If you're after a bag that disappears into your rucksack's side pocket after lunch, this isn't it. Then there's the care: hand wash only, no dishwasher, no washing machine, no tumble dryer, no bleach. YETI doesn't give a cold-retention time in hours for this model anywhere, by the way, so we don't claim one either.

Where reviews part ways is the price. A lunch box in this price bracket doesn't justify itself through lunch, but through the years after. If you take it on an outing twice a year, you're missing the point. If you're by the car every other weekend from March to October, you'll have answered the question for yourself after three seasons.

The size question comes down to your own routine. If you mostly drive alone and only bring your own lunch, the smaller three-litre lunch box is the more honest choice: four cans and a lot less space in the footwell. If you carry tall items instead, bottles or a salad in a tall jar, the upright 6 l cool bag suits you better. And if you're packing for the whole crew, go straight for the 9 l box.

After three seasons in the boot it still keeps its shape

The real reason for this product isn't the cold, it's how the thing looks in its third summer after two years next to the toolbox.

The box isn't a bag that slumps in on itself. Top and bottom are rigid EVA mouldings, with a coated fabric in between that you wipe instead of wash. A blob of ketchup, a fingerprint from someone who's just been at the brake line, dust from the car park: one pass with a damp cloth, done. If you've ever smelled the inside of a fabric cool bag after two seasons, you know why that's an argument.

It's for whoever drives to a meet early on a Saturday, has downtime in the paddock or spends two days on the road in the weekend car. Not for someone commuting to the office every day who wants to fold the bag away in a drawer afterwards. In this scene, kit says the same about its owner as the paint next to it, just more quietly. If you want to bring hot food, add a food jar for hot meals, and you'll find the rest of the same thinking in the wider YETI range.

There are eleven colours to choose from, and the decision works differently than with a tumbler. Light shades show every mark from the car park; dark ones heat up faster in the sun and the handle gets warm. If the box lives in the footwell of a light interior, go for Charcoal or Classic Navy, because a dark box next to light leather stands out less than the other way round.

The trick no manufacturer writes down: put the empty box, already open, in the cool hallway the evening before instead of pulling it warm out of the cupboard in the morning. A box at room temperature steals some of your ice sheet's cold the moment you pack it, and that's exactly what you'll be missing in the afternoon. Leaving it open is the right way to store it anyway, and it'll still smell of nothing in its third season.

How long does food stay cold in the YETI Daytrip Lunch Box 5 l?

YETI doesn't give a number of hours for this model, so we don't claim one either. What's in your hands: freeze the large ice sheet overnight, put the empty box somewhere cool the evening before, and on arrival stand it in the shade rather than on a sunny boot sill.

How many people is five litres enough for?

Two. Five litres means two portions, a few drinks and the ice sheet underneath, or ten 330 ml cans with nothing else. For a whole day with four people the box is too small; that's what the 9 l box is for.

Which YETI ICE Sheet fits the 5 l lunch box?

The large one, and one is enough. It covers the whole floor and leaves room above for food and drinks. The small ice sheet belongs in the 3 l box and wastes cooling area in the 5 l box.

Can I fill it with loose ice cubes?

Better not. The inner liner is sealed, the zip isn't, and meltwater finds a way out. With an ice sheet everything inside stays dry, and in the evening you wipe the box out instead of emptying it over a drain.

Is the Daytrip Lunch Box leakproof?

The inner liner is sealed, the zip isn't, as YETI says itself. So it travels upright in the footwell and shouldn't be laid on its side or submerged. The outside is water-repellent, not waterproof.

Does the box sweat on a painted boot sill?

Normally not, and that's exactly why it sits on the boot sill of our demo car in summer. In high heat with high humidity the outer shell can get damp, though; YETI explicitly doesn't rule that out. A blanket promise would be a lie.

Can the cool box go in the dishwasher or washing machine?

No. YETI specifies hand washing: no dishwasher, no washing machine, no tumble dryer, no bleach. Wipe inside and out with a damp cloth, then leave it open until everything is dry. Stored open, it'll still smell of nothing in its third season.

Is a shoulder strap included?

No, the Daytrip shoulder strap costs extra, but the box is ready for it. At 0.64 kilograms empty, it carries well by the webbing handle. The strap is worth it when your other hand is full with the camera and folding chair.

Can the box be folded flat for storage?

No. Top and bottom are rigid mouldings, so the box keeps its shape and takes up the same space in the boot empty as full. That's the price of protecting what's inside, and the most common criticism in reviews.

The evening before: freeze the large YETI ICE Sheet flat for at least eight hours and put the empty box somewhere cool with the lid open.

In the morning: ice sheet flat on the bottom, two portions and the drinks on top, cutlery and seasoning in the lid pocket, zip closed all the way round.

On the road: upright in the footwell, not on its side, never submerged. On arrival, in the shade rather than on a sunny boot sill.

Afterwards: wipe inside and out with a damp cloth. Hand wash only, never the dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer or bleach. Dry it open and store it open.