GolfSpy Dave

I think that you will have fun messing around with the Max when it releases. I was surprised how much moving the weights changed the feel of the putter. Both up front or all the way back and I'm not putting this in the bag. Messing around more in the middle made the putter feel like my beloved Spider Tour. People talking trash need to roll it.

Lots going on there Oddly compelled to get one now.

So as it happens I just bought the flip up straw cap for my wife. She loves it. So far so good on durability. Here's the link at Yeti but I bet you can get it at Amazon and etc. https://www.yeti.com/accessories/rambler-bottle-straw-cap/21070160004.html

I need one of those in a size 8. Literally just spent time searching on Amazon for big melon sun hats...

Good one

So far I'd put it on par with the Flip 12 for ice retention. I took it to a winery last Sunday with a 4 pound Yeti ice block and a couple layers of cube ice. By the time we got home in the evening, the cube ice was still frozen to the Yeti block. You've piqued my curiosity though. I'm going to buy a block of ice tomorrow and see how long it takes to melt. I'll let you know how it works out.

Dave's Take: Yeti's Hopper M20 Backpack Cooler How was your 4th? Welcome to the fifth of July. For those of you who couldn’t get today off, I feel your pain. July 5th is the second worst day of the year to work, surpassed only by Super Bowl Monday. Today one must focus on survival, not gains in the workplace. Speaking of survival, how did your beverage transporting go this past weekend? Did your cooler keep its cool, or are you spending the morning at work searching for a new ice chest? If you have no cooler needs, I appreciate you reading this recreationally. Should you need a new cooler though, I have a good one to share with you today. Yeti Hopper M20 Backpack Soft Cooler It’s been a while since anything Yeti has come my way. In fact, it was almost a year ago when I ran the Yeti Rambler bottles through their paces. I thought the bottles were solid, and I’m still using them a year later. Truth be told I felt quite validated when the Rambler bottles finished near the top of the 2021 Water Bottle Buyers Guide a few months later. Nice to know my takes are shared. Anyway, what I have for you today is Yeti’s latest version of their backpack soft cooler, the Hopper M20 Backpack soft cooler. I reviewed the previous model, the Yeti Backflip 24 back in 2018. Crazy to think that 2018 was four years ago... The Yeti Backflip 24 was a taller, and narrower version of the popular Hopper line of coolers. It looked like the other coolers in the line, even sharing the large zipper at the top its boxy body. Overall, it worked well, with its capacity and backpack straps placing the Backflip into its own niche. Since 2018, Yeti has moved away from the zipper closure in their larger soft coolers. In 2019, they released the new Hopper M30 cooler. This new cooler sealed with magnets instead of a zipper. The crazy thing was that the magnets sealed the cooler like the zipper did in the Hopper Two 40 and were way less likely to take arm hair when you reached in for a beer. I bring up these other coolers because the Hopper M20 Backpack cooler I have for you today is a marriage of the original Backflip and the M30. The backpack straps are still there, but the closure is now magnetic. Has Yeti combined the best of both worlds? MagShield Access The opening for the Hopper M20 Backpack cooler is probably the best part of the design. Not only do we lose the yard of zipper, but this magnetic top does one thing better than the one found on the original M30. This opening stays open. When you separate the magnetic edges, they stay apart. This makes loading and unloading much less of a bear trap experience. Overall, the top works like a dry bag. The magnets seal the airspace in the cooler, and then you fold over the top to secure the magnets. Add a couple of buckles and you have a top that is essentially air tight. I can attest to this as I saw the empty cooler swell up when I left it sealed in the back of my car. When the top is sealed, it is sealed. Should the Hopper M20 Backpack cooler top over in your trunk on your way to the course, it won’t get a single drop of water on your Cameron. I pressed on the sealed cooler, somewhat vigorously even, and I was not able to pop that seal. Reduced Capacity? The Hopper M20 Backpack cooler carries eighteen beers and ice at the standard Yeti 2:1 ice to can ratio. This means it holds a sixpack less than the Backflip 24. Typically, I am not supportive of less beer. Like ever. However, dropping the capacity drops the size of the cooler, and the weight of a full load. My back has welcomed the change. Plus, at eighteen beers, it's still beer-a-hole golf ready. The Hopper M20 Backpack cooler is still on the bulky side of things but is so much more streamlined than the Backflip. When full, it still packs a bit of a wallop on your back, but it feels more ergonomic than the Backflip. That cooler’s rectangular profile always made me think I was a 1960’s astronaut. The Hopper M20 Backpack cooler feels like a backpack. Straps The backpack straps are wide and padded enough to be comfortable. They are still simple in construction compared to most golf bag straps. Your bag’s straps are likely a bit more cushioned. The Hopper M20 Backpack cooler includes a removable chest strap to cinch up the system a bit up top. Missing though is the waist strap. This is too bad as one of the best ways to take the weight of a pack off your shoulders is to belt it at the waist. Perhaps the smaller profile of the Hopper M20 Backpack cooler didn’t allow a waist belt to properly hit the waist, so it was not included. Yeti did include a top handle and side handles though, and these are so helpful when transporting the bag. I could also see this bag as a shoulder bag like the M30, ditching the backpack straps all together. That said, it is nice to have the backpack straps in situations where you need your hands free. One of my favorite features of Yeti soft coolers in general is their HitchPoint Grid. You can attach all kinds of stuff to be outside of the cooler. My favorite thing to attach is the SideKick Dry. The Sidekick Dry gives you a waterproof pocket for storing your gear that you can access without opening the cooler to the elements. I seem to buy a new Sidekick every time I get a new Yeti. On The Course So how does the Hopper M20 Backpack cooler work on the course? In a power cart, it’s perfect. The cooler slides easily into the rear basket. The magnetic top is significantly easier to access in the cart than the long zipper of the Backflip 24. My other go to Yeti cooler, the Hopper Flip 12 also fits in the basket, but not all the way to the bottom. The Hopper M20 Backpack cooler goes to the bottom of the basket and won’t bounce out unless you are driving the cart like a maniac. Even then, you’ll likely lose your golf bag before the Hopper M20 Backpack bounces out. What’s with all the yellow? So, you may have noticed that the Hopper M20 Backpack cooler is yellow. It’s Alpine Yellow to be exact. Every now and then, Yeti rolls out their coolers and tumblers in limited edition colors. Alpine Yellow was released earlier this spring. The two current limited run colors are Nordic Blue and Nordic Purple. It has taken all my restraint not to pick up a Nordic Purple Roadie 24 hard cooler... Anyway, I love the yellow color, so I upgraded my Hopper Flip 12 to Alpine Yellow. Naturally, I needed a color coordinated Sidekick Dry as well. How could I not grab matching Rambler 20 and Lowball 10 tumblers? Impulse control issues aside, the Lowball 10 is my favorite insulated tumbler. It has a great weight and can hold twelve ounces without the lid. It’s my summer workhorse tumbler. By the way, there may be some room for speculation with the limited run colors. I noticed that some of the previous colors show up on eBay and Amazon for close to $500. If you have room to store a few coolers for a spell, you could likely turn a profit flipping coolers. How crazy is that? Dave’s Take on the Hopper M20 Backpack Cooler Overall, I think that Yeti did a great job with the Hopper M20 Backpack. It is a huge upgrade over the Backflip 24. Sure, it’s smaller than the Backflip, but I think that the size is ultimately more manageable. I’ve taken to the golf course, backyard barbeques, a winery, and on my back while riding my bike. It will be heading with me to the lake when I go camping and kayaking later this month. All in all, it is a great out-for-the-day cooler. No, it’s not cheap. Yeti products never are. A Hopper M20 Backpack cooler will set you back $325. Obviously, that’s quite an investment for a cooler. Investment is probably the way I look at Yeti products. I’ve had Yeti coolers and tumblers for years now and have yet to have one of them fail. Yeti construction is amazing. For their hard coolers, maybe this is not that big of a deal as those coolers can be thick and heavy. Basically indestructible. For the soft coolers, ultimately the construction comes down to fabric and flexible plastics. Both textiles seem way more prone to failure than hard rotomolded plastic, and yet they have yet to do so for me. Did the yellow color of these Yeti products catch my eye? Of course, but the reason that I ultimately bought them is that I know the quality that comes with the Yeti name.

This was from last year. No 2022 contest.

Actually three new ones came in last week...

When I learned that Byron was sick, I dropped one of his putters in my bag as a gesture of hope. Now that he has passed I play it to remember the amazing man that I was fortunate enough to meet during my golf journey. Byron was one cool cat who made putters infused with his cool vibe. I will miss him.

The vault is rad... Tiger fans would like some of the stuff in there. Cool non-putters as well. Let the photo bomb commence!

If I could find a Newport, I'd game it. Maybe the putter will go up in value in a few years, but so will stocks and crypto. If you like the feel of the Tel3 insert, then play it and have fun for a decade rather than having it in the closet. Value can be assessed in enjoyment as well as in cash. I'm going to look again today to see if I can find one around here. If so, it'll see grass for sure.

Thanks for sharing your Rambler stories guys. It's nice to have the validation that my experiences are shared by others. I may go and buy the big version now just to see how it will work camping/kayaking this week. Admittedly, hydration will be accomplished primarily in 12oz containers this trip...

I have a good attitude toward hydration. Ah summer golf. Where I live in Sacramento that either means that you pay more to play in the cooler morning or pay less and brave the afternoon heat. In either case, I learned very quickly that having an extra bottle of water may be more valuable than having an extra sleeve of balls. Covid didn’t help either. I don’t know what it was like around your course, but our courses dropped all on course water, even turning off the faucets for Covid. With this, packing in water became paramount. As with many of you, my water transport is accomplished with double insulated bottles. While companies like Hydroflask may have been the early producers, lots of companies make them these days. Some work great, some not at all. All I know is that an insulated bottle that doesn’t insulate is super annoying. As such, I tend to keep an eye out for new bottle designs. The New Yeti Rambler Bottles Yeti is one of those companies that has made insulated bottles for a while now. Through the years they have made a few different versions. You may remember that I ran a Yeti 64oz jug through its paces a few years back. With that growler, the double lid design made cleaning a breeze. Something that can’t be said for other narrow-necked containers. It is once again the top design that sparked my curiosity with these Yeti Rambler bottles. I’ve got lots of other Yeti drinkware, so I was confident that these bottles would keep drinks cold. This new top though, was a curiosity. Chug Cap Love Now I know that I am not the only one to drink from a wide mouth bottle and end up wearing some of the liquid. When I’m on the hot course, I don’t mind this. When I’m drinking from the bottle at work, this refreshing overflow is not as welcome. The new Yeti Chug Cap does an amazing job of removing the slosh that comes with wide mouths, and also still allows you to have easy access for cleaning. As you can see from the photos, the Yeti Chug Cap is a two-stage lid. The top lid has the usual handle design, that is great for carabiner clipping by the way. Under that lid, we see the Chug Cap. This clear plastic cap has a smaller aperture, dramatically reducing the flow rate. You can still chug but doing so no longer becomes a whole body experience. This cap also unscrews from the bottle, allowing you to access the wide opening for easy bottle cleaning. It drinks like a narrow bottle and cleans like a wide one. Out on the course, the bottle performed as expected. It still had plenty of ice when I refilled it with water at the turn. I think it was 103 °F that day. Insulation is not an issue. As an added bonus, even full of super cold liquid, I did not notice any condensation on the outside of the bottle. This too speaks to the amazing insulation in the bottle. BONUS COVERAGE: The Yeti Bottle Sling One of the other things that motivated me to check out the Rambler bottles was the Yeti Bottle Sling. A drawback of packing a big bottle of water to the course is that you need to pack said bottle. Smaller bottles fit well in golf bag hydration pockets, but larger bottles can be problems. Usually, they get stuffed in the big side pocket, smashing all other contents. Hello PBJ pâté. When I saw the bottle sling, I wondered if this was a way that the bottle could be attached to the bag or push cart to make carrying the bottle easier. The short answer for me was yes. I used the sleeve and its strap to secure the bottle to my push cart, and also to my usual golf bag. The best fit though was with my Ogio bag, as this bag features the same web design as the Yeti soft sided coolers. That is another place where the sling shines. You can see in the photos how the bottle sling attaches to the front of my Hopper 12. This allows you to carry the bottle with the cooler, and not sacrifice the internal space doing so. Translation: The bottle does not kick beer out of the cooler. Anyway, on the Ogio bag, the clips fit perfectly. While I wish the bag was a little stiffer at the connection, it worked quite well as a bottle holding bag accessory. If you don’t have the attachments, you could also thread straps of bungee cords through the loops on the sling as the clips can be easily removed. Worth the Price It will likely not surprise you that these bottles are more expensive than others out there. The 26 oz bottle is $40 and the 36 oz is $50. There is also a 46 oz version, but I am not sure if that one will be golf friendly as it is kind of a monster. When you compare these prices to Hydroflask, they are not that much higher though. A 32 oz Hydroflask bottle is $45 and their 40 oz bottle is $50. Chug Caps not included with those either. Of course, there are other companies out there also making similar products, but I would warn you that similar does not mean the same. I bought a cheap double walled bottle from Walmart and the insulation failed as soon as I dropped it in the parking lot. I know that Yeti gets PXG-like hate sometimes for their pricing, and I too wish their stuff was less expensive. That said, I have run a bunch of Yeti gear through the paces through the years and I am still using that gear. Such cannot be said for similar products I’ve used from other companies. You get what you pay for I suppose. I’d like to wrap this up by saying that the Yeti Rambler is my new go to bottle for golf. I’d like to, but that would be a lie. You see, my wife happened to see what I was working on and commented on how much she liked the teal color of the bottle and how well it would be for her to take tea to her classroom. “Oh, is that a carrier for the bottle too?” Needless to say, I am out one 36 oz bottle and one large sling. Her review is a positive one as well. She was concerned that her smaller hands wouldn’t fit the bottle and that the top would be too tight for her to turn. Unfortunately for me, neither one of these things was an issue, and my Rambler rambled on the to Mrs.

It's so crazy how the different bourbons show up at different levels in the states. Nearly every grocery store out here has 10+ bottles of Buffalo Trace on the shelves. No Weller at all, and Eagle Rare is rare. I would think FL would be closer to KY and have a better shot.