Yeti Hopper Knuckle Saver

I was thrilled when my wife bought me a Yeti Hopper 20 for Christmas last year. Its performance is amazing, it never leaks, and it's the perfect size to take to a friend's house, a party, a sporting event, etc. However, the first couple of times I used it I noticed a major design flaw. The stinking thing destroys your knuckles when loading it. It literally drew blood. It became a two person job to load the cooler: my wife to hold it open and me to load it. I knew I needed to come up with a solution if I was going to use it long-term.

So, I present to you, the best $4 / 5 minute upgrade you can do for a Yeti Hopper.

The simple concept is to hold open the zipper to enable easy loading. At first, I considered a big piece of PVC. However, after looking around at Home Depot for a bit, I found a better solution: a 3.3 gallon Sterilite trash can that is shaped like a funnel.

So, If you haven't already, buy yourself a Hopper. Here's an Amazon link: http://amzn.to/1YBfabh

Next, you need to buy the trash can. Like I mentioned, I found it at my local Home Depot. It is a clear Sterilite 3.3 gallon can. You can also buy it online here.

This is pretty self explanatory. You can use a blade, but the can is pretty thick. I just used a rotary tool and cutting wheel and it was done in a couple of minutes. I filed it down to remove sharp edges and I was done. Do leave a little of the bottom around the edges for structural support. You don't want the can to fold under the pressure from the cooler.

That's it. Just insert the can and you're ready to load it up solo, knuckles intact.