YETI Daytrip® "Lunch Box" 3 l Cool Box (Small) 1 piece

Lunch for one that survives a day in the sun

What is the Daytrip Lunch Box 3 l? YETI's small cool box for a day out by the car: one lunch, one drink, one ice pack. It stands upright in the footwell and gets wiped out rather than washed. Not meant for loose ice cubes, and not for two people.

YETI Daytrip Lunch Box 3 l is YETI's small insulated lunch box for people who bring their food from home and want it still cold at lunchtime. Three litres, room for four cans, wraparound zip, rigid base. It rides upright in the footwell to the meet and in the afternoon sits on the folding table at the open tailgate, while next door they've been talking coilovers for twenty minutes.

• Four 330 ml cans, and the word only is YETI's own. Three litres is a sandwich, a piece of fruit, a yoghurt and a drink, plus the ice pack. For one person that's spot on. For two it doesn't work on a single day.
• Around 24 centimetres wide, so it stands where nothing else fits. Upright in front of the passenger seat, upright in a rucksack, upright on the folding table. The 5 l sister is about four and a half centimetres wider, and those four and a half centimetres are exactly what counts in the footwell of a lowered coupé.
• A rigid base instead of a pouch, wipe-clean instead of washable. There are moulded parts top and bottom with a coated fabric in between. A blob of mustard, dust from the car park, a fingerprint from someone who was just at a brake line: one wipe with a damp cloth, done. YETI gives a three-year warranty on the Daytrip line.

Detailing1's tip from the shop: The mistake we see most often across the counter here in Nordhorn is the wrong ice pack. Lots of people reach for the large ICE Sheet because they know it from the 5 l box. The 3 l takes the small or the medium, and one of those is enough for the day. The large one eats half the volume, and then there's exactly one sandwich in the box and nothing else.

It stands upright in the footwell and takes nobody's space

The small cool box is around 24 centimetres wide and just under 12 centimetres deep. That's exactly why most people buy it, not because of some number of hours on a spec sheet.

Quarter past six, still grey outside. Ice pack flat on the bottom, sandwich on top, apple, two cans. Zip it shut, box into the passenger footwell, door shut. It doesn't wander about when you swing off a roundabout, because the base is a rigid moulded part, not a soft pouch seam.

When you're packing, the lid folds right open and the box lies open like a case. At three litres you see everything at a glance instead of rummaging around in a fabric bag. Anything small that would otherwise sink to the bottom goes in the PackAttic pocket in the lid: cutlery, salt, a lighter.

Loose ice cubes don't belong in it. The inner liner is watertight, the zip isn't, and meltwater always finds a way out. We tried it once with a bag of ice on the drive to a meet and had a damp patch on the floor mat by the afternoon. With an ice pack everything stays dry inside, and you wipe the box out instead of emptying it.

The scene it's built for isn't the campsite, it's the morning around it: Cars and Coffee at half seven, two hours' drive to the meet, then hanging around in the paddock where there's either a bratwurst stand or nothing at all. During that time the box stays in the car or under the folding table and only has to do one thing: keep a low profile and not get anything wet.

YETI doesn't include a strap, the Daytrip shoulder strap costs extra. At around half a kilo empty, the box carries fine by the handle, and nobody needs a strap for the thirty steps from the car to the folding table. With a camera and a folding chair in the other hand, though, you'll think about it the second time round.

Four cans are four cans and YETI says so itself

The maker's page says room for only four cans. The word only isn't ours, it's right there, and it's the most honest buying advice for this model.

If you mostly drive to meets on your own with one lunch and one drink, the YETI Daytrip Lunch Box in 3 l is the right size. If you regularly pack for two or want something to snack on all day, go straight for the 5 l lunch box: ten cans instead of four, and it's only about four and a half centimetres wider. Overpack the 3 l twice and you'll buy the bigger one the third time anyway.

There are two things it can't do, and both come straight from the maker. First, it isn't leakproof: carry it upright, don't lay it on its side, don't submerge it. The outside is water-repellent, not waterproof, and in real heat with high humidity the outer skin can get damp. Second, it doesn't fold flat. Empty, it takes up the same space as full.

When it comes to accessories, the 3 l box is fussier than its bigger siblings. According to YETI, the small and medium ice packs fit, plus the small and medium food storage containers. Anything bigger is meant for the 5 l. Grab the large accessories in the shop because they happen to be on the next shelf and you'll be repacking twice at home.

And YETI doesn't give a cold-holding time in hours for this model anywhere. So we don't either. If you want to carry hot food rather than cold, you're barking up the wrong tree anyway, that's what the food jar for hot meals is for. For context: Germany's consumer advice centre recommends a cool bag from around eight degrees outside, and a car in the sun easily hits 30 to 40 degrees inside.

In its third summer it doesn't look like its third summer

If you look after your car instead of using it up, you buy kit by the same yardstick. The question isn't day one, it's what it looks like after three seasons in the boot.

It doesn't collapse in on itself and it doesn't pick up smells, because you wipe it out instead of washing it. If you've ever smelled the inside of a fabric cool bag after two seasons, you know why that matters. The colour of the outer skin is still where it was on day one in year three, as long as the box doesn't live permanently in the sun on the parcel shelf.

Hand washing is a must, and a real deciding factor against some alternatives: no dishwasher, no washing machine, no tumble dryer, no bleach. According to YETI you can also hose off stubborn marks with the garden hose. Then let it dry open and store it open, not squashed behind the spare wheel well.

Who it isn't for: the weekend shop, the barbecue crowd, anything that feeds more than one person. If you're planning for the whole group, a proper cool bag suits you better. Same if you're after a box you can fold down small in between. The rest of the range is in the overview of YETI coolers and drinks bottles.

The YETI Daytrip Lunch Box in 3 l is usually bought by someone spending money for the first time on a box they'd otherwise have grabbed as a throwaway at the DIY store. The difference doesn't show on day one, it shows the moment the cheap version starts to smell after two seasons and the seam on the base splits. Packing it the first time takes two minutes longer, after that it's routine.

The move no manufacturer writes down costs you two minutes the night before: freeze the ice pack, stand the empty box open in the cool hallway, and in the morning pack pre-chilled food instead of warm. A box that starts cold and spends the day in the shade of the open tailgate is a different product in the afternoon from the same box that came out of the cupboard warm in the morning. The same care as the paint next to it, just quieter.

How long do the contents stay cold in the YETI Daytrip Lunch Box 3 l?

YETI doesn't give a number of hours for this model, so we don't claim one either. What you can control: freeze the ice pack overnight, put the box somewhere cool the evening before, and keep it in the shade rather than the sun while you're out.

Are three litres enough for my lunch?

For one person, yes. Three litres is a sandwich, some fruit, a yoghurt and a drink plus the ice pack. YETI itself says room for only four cans. If you regularly pack for two, go straight for the 5 l lunch box with ten cans.

Which YETI ICE Sheet fits the 3 l box?

A small or a medium, and one of them is enough. The large one belongs in the 5 l box, in the small one it eats half the volume. That's the most common accessory mistake with this model.

Can I fill it with loose ice cubes?

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

Is the box leakproof?

The inner liner is watertight, the zip isn't. That's why it rides upright in the footwell and shouldn't be laid on its side. Don't submerge it, the outside is water-repellent, not waterproof.

Can the cool box go in the dishwasher?

No. YETI specifies hand washing: no dishwasher, no washing machine, no tumble dryer, no bleach. Wipe out the inside, then leave it open until everything is dry. Then it won't smell even in its third season.

Is a strap included?

No, the Daytrip shoulder strap costs extra. The box is ready for it. At around half a kilo empty, it carries fine by the handle, and the strap is mainly worth it when you've got a camera and folding chair in the other hand.

Does the 3 l box fit in a rucksack?

Yes, it stands upright in one. At around 24 by 21 by 12 centimetres it's much slimmer than the 5 l box. It doesn't fold down, though, so empty it takes up the same space as full.

The evening before: freeze a small or medium YETI ICE Sheet, and stand the empty box open somewhere cool.

In the morning: ice pack flat on the bottom, food and drink on top, cutlery in the lid pocket, zip shut.

On the road: upright in the footwell, in the shade once you arrive.

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