Best Stainless Steel Insulated Tumbler – Yeti vs RTIC vs Orca vs Ozark Trail

I have seen ridiculous numbers of people purchase stainless steel insulated tumblers. I have seen even more people trying to compare Yeti vs. RTIC and Orca vs. Yeti or Ozark Trail vs. every other tumbler on the market.

These fantastic cups are great for keeping your coffee hot or your sweet tea cold.  There have even been videos on keeping ice in one of these magic mugs for 24 hours and still having some ice leftover.

I am not a coffee drinker, but I do like my drink to stay ice cold, so the concept of these vacuum-sealed, stainless steel insulated tumblers was very intriguing to me.

The Contenders – Yeti vs. RTIC vs. Orca vs. Ozark Trail

These tumblers are so popular that they are showing up under different brand names everywhere.  Once you do a few searches, you will find four that stand out.

Since I wanted to be fair to each company, I decided to compare the 30 oz stainless steel tumbler from each company (or closest size). The top four are:

Yeti

Yeti was the trailblazer when it comes to high-quality insulating storage.  Their coolers are some of the best around, and their stainless steel tumblers are the reason that people are enamored with these products.

When it comes to coolers and insulated cups, Yeti is the Cadillac of the industry.  The only downside is that you are going to be paying Cadillac prices. 

The cheapest I could find a new Yeti Rambler was $37.50, and you had to wait at least a week to get it.

Pros:

• Yeti name
• 5-year limited warranty.  If there is a defect, it will be replaced.
• Made of kitchen-grade 18/8 stainless steel
• Available through local retailers like Ace Hardware

Cons:

The only real downside to this product is the price.  The top-level pricing is why people are considering the other products on this list.

Orca

Orca came out as a major competitor to Yeti and significantly cut the price across all its products.

The Orca Chaser will cost you $19.99 on Amazon with free shipping but is slightly more if you want it in two days with your Amazon Prime membership.

Pros:

• Lifetime limited warranty (covers defects)
• Made of kitchen-grade 18/8 stainless steel
• Available through local retailers

Cons:

Orca is the only tumbler in the group that is not offered in the 30 oz size.  Why take away that 10 oz Orca? Other than that, it’s a much better price when comparing Yeti vs. Orca.

RTIC

RTIC is the third name-brand player in the insulated cooler industry and is the most affordable of the three so far.  RTIC started as a direct to consumer company, only selling their products through their website.

They are now available through multiple retailers. I found the RTIC 30 oz Tumbler on Amazon for $13.99 and free shipping. The price was through Amazon prime, giving us free two-day shipping.

Pros:

• Direct to consumer model cuts down on dramatically on price
• Made of kitchen-grade 18/8 stainless steel
• 7-year limited warranty

Cons:

You will still have to go to their site to get the full run of products, but many are available through Amazon and other retailers.  I would buy this one from Amazon since I know the return process is really easy.

Ozark Trail

Ozark Trail, the least expensive of the four, is another 30 oz size distributed by Wal-Mart. These tumblers are so popular they are back-ordered a ton of the time.

Their popularity is because they are only $8.97, but I recommend buying them off the Wal-Mart website and then picking them up in-store (no shipping charge) because finding them right by walking is not very likely.

You can also buy them on Amazon.com for $13.99, but that is the same price as RTIC, so if you are going the Amazon route you can a slightly nicer lid with RTIC.

Pros:

• PRICE!!
• Wal-Mart distribution makes for easy returns
• Made of kitchen-grade 18/8 stainless steel
• Lifetime limited warranty

Cons:

The product is excellent, and I have held in my hands and compared Ozark Trail vs. Yeti tumblers.  The only down side is that they have become tough to find. 

If you need a tumbler in the next couple of days and Wal-Mart is out, you will have to pay the extra $5 for the RTIC.

The Secret of the Best Insulated Tumbler

So now we get down to comparing these four wonderful products.  They are similar in size and shape, and all make claims to keep your drink cold or hot for hours.  So functionally, there is NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEM.

That’s right, nothing, nada, zero.  Ozark Trail doesn’t even have a website, so, like man of the off-brand Wal-Mart products, they are probably manufactured by one of the other three. I haven’t been able to find which one it is, but that is how Wally World works.

So if you are comparing Yeti vs. RTIC or RTIC vs. Ozark Trail, you are looking at what equates to the same tumbler.

That means we are only looking at two things, price and where the item is manufactured. Ozark Trail wins on price, and RTIC wins on price with availability.

While Yeti and Orca manufacture their coolers in the United States, Yeti manufactures these tumblers in China, and Orca doesn’t tell us where their tumblers are made.  RTIC and Ozark Trail both tell us that they produce all their products in China.

Judging by that information, I will go out on a limb and say that all the best insulated stainless steel tumblers are manufactured in China, but you can buy American if you want to switch over to the top coolers by Yeti and Orca.

Summary of the Best Insulated Tumblers

Whether you are looking to keep your coffee hot or your summer drink cold, these insulated stainless steel tumblers will do the trick.

For my money, I am going to buy one of the RTIC ones right away for my wife and then wait to get the $9.97 Ozark Trail tumbler when I see it in stock at my local Wal-Mart Neighborhood market.  If you are going to go the American made route, then the only one that has a chance is the Orca.

What it comes down to is whether you are comparing Yeti vs. RTIC, RTIC vs. Orca, or Orca vs. Ozark Trail tumblers, you are pretty much looking at the same product.