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.

Step 1: Buy the Supplies

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.

Step 2: Cut the Bottom Out of the Trash Can

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.