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Getting a sticker or decal to adhere to a Yeti cooler can be challenging. Especially if you are trying to get it to stick to the lid.
In general, your best bet is to get a professional wrap with commercial-grade adhesive on the back or to purchase one of Yeti’s special vinyl decals. Though if you want to stick an ordinary sticker to your Yeti cooler’s side or lid, and trust that it will stay there for the long haul, you’ll need to apply some extra adhesive.
I’ve found that the best method is to thoroughly clean the cooler’s exterior surface, to remove any oils and grime. Once it is thoroughly dry, peel the backer off the sticker, and apply some construction-grade spray adhesive.
How Do You Get a Sticker to Stay on a Cooler?
A lot of coolers have a semi-rough exterior that makes it very hard to get a sticker or decal to adhere to. While you might be able to alter the exterior with power tools to smooth it out, your best bet is to try to use a heavy-duty spray adhesive.
Your best bet for getting an ordinary sticker to stay on a cooler is with the following steps
Step One: Thoroughly clean the cooler with dish soap and/or a baking soda paste to remove any surface oils or dirt.
Step Two: Lay down a piece of cardboard as a protective work surface for preparing the sticker.
Step Three: Apply a small piece of double-sided masking tape or make a small, flat tape loop. Place it on the face of the sticker.
Step Four: Flip your decal or sticker over and press it to the cardboard so the double-sided tape sticks and holds it in place. Then carefully peel away the backer to expose the adhesive layer.
Step Five: Spray a light layer of heavy-duty construction-grade adhesive on the back of the sticker. Then wait for 2 to 5 minutes or however long the instructions recommend for the adhesive to get tacky.
Step Six: Carefully lift up the sticker from the cardboard work surface and apply it to the cooler in a sweeping motion from one side to the next. Be careful to avoid trapping any air bubbles.
Step Seven: Use a hair dryer to lightly warm the face of the decal for 10 to 20 seconds and lightly press on it to help saturate the adhesive into the textured surface of the cooler.
The more textured the surface of the cooler is, the shorter the life of the decal will be.
Can You Put Stickers on Yeti Soft Coolers?
The soft surface and general pliability make it very hard to get a sticker to adhere for long on a Yeti Soft Cooler. Using a semi-pliable vinyl sticker or applying a light amount of spray adhesive to the back of an ordinary sticker or decal might help it stick for more than a few weeks before sliding off.
A high-quality vinyl sticker with a substrate layer is your best bet for getting the decal to stick onto the surface of a soft cooler. With proper application, you might even be able to get two to three years out of one!
How Do You Stick Vinyl to Yeti?
Vinyl is perhaps the most forgiving type of decal to get to adhere to a Yeti or any other type of cooler. Vinyl stickers use a special substrate that might cost more, but they offer a superior longevity of up to five to six years.
To apply them you peel off the protective backer, and then carefully apply the vinyl decal to the cleaned, dry surface of the cooler. You then peel the substrate layer off to stick the decal to the cooler.
Final Thoughts
Yeti offers their own brand of high-quality vinyl stickers with a special substate designed to stick to their coolers. If you want some other type of sticker other than their brand=specific ones, then it’s best to look for a similar high-quality vinyl decal.
If you have an ordinary sticker that you want to decorate your Yeti cooler with, you’ll need to up the ante on the adhesive. Giving the exterior a good cleaning and then applying a layer of spray adhesive per the instructions on the can will give you your best chance of getting your sticker to adhere to a hard-sided cooler.
If you have a soft sided cooler, ordinary stickers are likely out of play. Though here again, a flexible vinyl decal with a high-quality substrate layer is still your best bet.
If you’re starting with a clean surface, and you’re using additional adhesive, or you are using a quality vinyl decal, you might be able to get a sticker to stay put on your cooler for as long as three to four years or more.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.