So I Inquired with Yeti about the NRA issue.

[beeenbag]

I have never understood the concept of spending $400 on a box to stretch the limits of my $1 bag of ice anyways. I don't get it.

 

[ugaarguy]

I don't recall that Yeti ever had to provide anything to the NRA. If what Yeti was doing was benevolent to the NRA programs, then the attempt at shaming is pretty stupid. That would be an indicator of being very ungrateful for all of the help Yeti provided in the past. When a group like the NRA resorts to logical fallacies such as appeals to emotion (Big bad Yeti not longer supports the poor children of the world) then you know that the NRA isn't really dealing with the actual issue any more. I am glad you agree that their statement doesn't make sense. You think maybe they are trying to hide some critical shortcomings on their part by attacking in such a manner?

I think there's more to this than either side is saying. I think Yeti's statement sounds like damage control for a reason. I think you're attacking the NRA when there's probably much more to this.

 

[SharpDog]

YETI Competitors Swarm On NRA Controversy:

But while the two exchanged fire, RTIC quietly but conspicuously chimed in. The Houston-based rival to YETI posted an image of the Second Amendment – complete with old-timey script – on its Facebook page.

The image quickly received thousands of reactions, many of which proclaimed users would be purchasing from RTIC going forward. In the days between Hammer’s letter and YETI’s response, numerous headlines proclaimed YETI no longer supported the NRA.

And RTIC wasn’t the only company that noticed. Hours before YETI issued a statement, Pelican Coolers announced its own commitment to gun owners.

https://gearjunkie.com/rtic-pelican-orca-coolers-yeti-nra?utm_medium=napi&utm_source=gearjunkie

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I'm glad to hear that Yeti isn't turning its back on us.

However, I'm still not paying $400 for a cooler. You know why? Because it's a cooler.

 

[BSA1]

It’s the new normal. Many companies don’t want to get involved in controversial political issues if their products have a widespread appeal.

In this case Yeti market is to yuppies and young people with lot of disposable income so they can show off wearing high priced name brand products.

Since these groups typically support strong gun-control laws they do not want to be associated with pro-gun organizations.

It is discouraging to keep reading on THR of many members think the NRA is a bad organization.

 

[pert near]

For once, I'd like to see some of these NRA/2A supporting vendors double-down. Instead of PO'ing gun owners, accidentally or otherwise, offer a show of good faith. Like a discount for new or extending NRA memberships (or any other pro-2A organizations). There is an ad on the outdoor channel para-phrased sort of like this "..if you are not already an NRA member, please join. I'll pay $10 towards your membership. It's that important!" I'm sure this is just a discount code but it makes the point.

 

[Steve S.]

The NRA or Yeti or any other business is not good or bad, right or wrong; they say what they are paid to say and do what they are paid to do. If they smell that the cashflow is changing direction, they will change with it. Like Dick’s, AA, BOA, etc, they are smelling a shifting of cashflow and they are shifting with it - it is just what a business will do to maximise profit and stay alive. Businesses are a very simple animal.

 

[Doc7]

For once, I'd like to see some of these NRA/2A supporting vendors double-down. Instead of PO'ing gun owners, accidentally or otherwise, offer a show of good faith. Like a discount for new or extending NRA memberships (or any other pro-2A organizations). There is an ad on the outdoor channel para-phrased sort of like this "..if you are not already an NRA member, please join. I'll pay $10 towards your membership. It's that important!" I'm sure this is just a discount code but it makes the point.

Look at Pelicans Facebook page. They are donating 10 dollars to the NRA for every cooler purchased this month. See attached image.

!!!! amen!!!!

 

[CoalTrain49]

The market is flooded with knock-off brands that perform incrementally well and are overpriced; Yeti is waaaaaaay overpriced for the incremental benefit. Yeti is a profit center and like any other business, will follow the money. In turn, if the NRA thought it could have more paying memberships as an anti-gun organization, then that is the direction it would go. Businesses do not have any principles other than profit - that is the sole purpose of their existence.

The NRA will never become anti-gun but they are becoming anti-2A. They have to survive as an organization just like a business even though they are non-profit. It's apparent to me that the NRA is no longer advocating a pure 2A agenda when they do things like support HR-38. Enhancing carry permits by federal code is anti-2A. The NRA should be advocating constitutional carry instead of nat'l reciprocity.

All of this is a capitulation on their part to stay relevant. The NRA has become a training/insurance organization because that's where the money is. If the NRA could get a bill in congress to mandate training to get a permit they would be very happy. That's their ultimate goal by supporting HR-38, it's a foot in the door. More permits equals more training. More training and selling carry insurance during that training is more money for them.

It is what it is. Not trying to run down the NRA, they have to stay relevant to survive.

I belong to the NRA and have thought about becoming an instructor. I've trained some folks at my range on my dime. I do it because I think it's important.

 

[Wisco]

Maybe Yeti has declined to continue to support the NRA at the level the NRA wants. Well, so have I, so Yeti isn’t alone and I’ll be keeping my Yeti cooler.

 

[Doc7]

I have written emails to my two sporting good stores and also publically tweeted at them to let them know I won’t shop there as long as they distribute Yeti products.

 

[Walkalong]

I think the prudent thing to do is to wait for more information.

Great advice.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Look at Pelicans Facebook page. They are donating 10 dollars to the NRA for every cooler purchased this month. See attached image.

!!!! amen!!!!

Pelican is good stuff. I've been using their products for about 15 years. Not cheap, but top of the line.

 

[MosinT53Hunter]

Most of my coolers are ones I found either in the second hand stores/yard sales, or people gave to me because the hinges were broken or cracked. (small metal door hinges work better then the original)

 

[hdwhit]

Fine Figure of a Man wrote:
Selling coolers for $300+ is one thing, bestowing a feeling of status on the buyer is simply amazing.

I believe P.T. Barnum already summed it up when he said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

 

[George P]

No matter on their little tete a tete, it doesn't change the fact that Yetis are made in China while there are a half dozen or so makers who make the equal here in the US

 

[hdwhit]

I own coolers from Coleman and Igloo and since they have always met or exceeded my expectations, I have no need to spend a lot of money on something marketed as "premium" to do the same job.

 

[Zendude]

In this case Yeti market is to yuppies and young people with lot of disposable income so they can show off wearing high priced name brand products.

Since these groups typically support strong gun-control laws they do not want to be associated with pro-gun organizations.

It is discouraging to keep reading on THR of many members think the NRA is a bad organization.

I think Yeti sells to young people on both sides of the issue. My local gun range sells alot of Yeti products. I haven’t found that wealth makes young people tend to be anti-gun. But this is Texas, so demographics here are often counter to overall trends across the country. I just think Yeti does not want to be involved in 2A politics because if they do, they will lose more customers than they will gain.

 

[jdh]

I think it's pretty simple. Yeti wanted to give a smaller or no more discount and the NRA wouldn't accept the deal. Yeti is seriously overpriced compared to the rest of the market and doesn't have a better product than many of their competitors. I received one of the Yeti cups as a Christmas present. I bought an Ozark Trail cup for one fourth the cost and did a side by side comparison of how well they held ice just out of curiosity. No difference at all in the performance of the two. This year I received an Rtic brand cup of the same size. It's priced considerably less than the YETI and gives the same performance. It does have one thing over both the others. It will hold an entire 32 oz. drink while the other two won't.

Ozark Trail makes a 40, nobody else does that, that will hold a 32 ounce drink with a little room left for some ice.

 

[boom boom]

Some reports are that REI has demanded that all suppliers cut off any relationship with the firearms industry. That might be what neither side is mentioning.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

I received one of the Yeti cups as a Christmas present. I bought an Ozark Trail cup for one fourth the cost and did a side by side comparison of how well they held ice just out of curiosity. No difference at all in the performance of the two.

I LOVE Ozark Trail stuff, especially their flashlights, of which I have several. Their three C-cell aluminum light is probably the best I've ever had, while their 2-AA OT 250L and OT 300L are definitely the handiest, and I have 4 of them, 2 in coat pockets, one in my snowmobile backpack, and one in my chair.

 

[SamT1]

I have never understood the concept of spending $400 on a box to stretch the limits of my $1 bag of ice anyways. I don't get it.

If you carry a cooler in the back of a pickup daily you’ll use a bag of ice daily for half the year. 2-4 days the rest. Ice runs $1.49 here. So that is say
1.49x150days $223.50
1.49x 54 days for the rest. 80.46
With a yeti. You’ll go 2-3 all summer and 7 in the winter.
1.49x75=111.75
1.49x31= 46.19

So basically $150 a year in ice savings and no heart ache when your drinks are hot.

Then we get into cooler life. I have a yeti 45 that’s 5 years old, the lid is now warped so I retired it after 4.5 years. So 4.5X150=$675 in ice savings over the life of the cooler. (The new ones can be warranty replaced, but I doubt they want to swap one I branded.)

On top of that a Coleman or anything else you’ll go through maybe 2 a year. They cannot survive in the sunshine. So what’s a Coleman? $30?X9= $270 for the same 4.5 year period. Not to mention that the lids blow off cheap coolers if you face them wrong. They blow out of the back if they are emptie and won’t survive a fall at 75.

I can’t say a yeti is better than its direct competition, some of them are very good also, a few are not good for daily use though. I’m a lot more scared of buying a $200 knock off and it falling apart than a $300 yeti I know is going to last 4 years or so.

In this case Yeti market is to yuppies and young people with lot of disposable income so they can show off wearing high priced name brand products.

Since these groups typically support strong gun-control laws they do not want to

I’d argue yeti’s base is folks who carry a cooler daily in the back of their truck. If you go to a farm sale 50% of pickups have a yeti in the back. 25% have something else. You won’t see many cheap coolers since they don’t survive.

 

[beeenbag]

If you carry a cooler in the back of a pickup daily you’ll use a bag of ice daily for half the year. 2-4 days the rest. Ice runs $1.49 here. So that is say
1.49x150days $223.50
1.49x 54 days for the rest. 80.46
With a yeti. You’ll go 2-3 all summer and 7 in the winter.
1.49x75=111.75
1.49x31= 46.19

So basically $150 a year in ice savings and no heart ache when your drinks are hot.

Then we get into cooler life. I have a yeti 45 that’s 5 years old, the lid is now warped so I retired it after 4.5 years. So 4.5X150=$675 in ice savings over the life of the cooler. (The new ones can be warranty replaced, but I doubt they want to swap one I branded.)

On top of that a Coleman or anything else you’ll go through maybe 2 a year. They cannot survive in the sunshine. So what’s a Coleman? $30?X9= $270 for the same 4.5 year period. Not to mention that the lids blow off cheap coolers if you face them wrong. They blow out of the back if they are emptie and won’t survive a fall at 75.

I can’t say a yeti is better than its direct competition, some of them are very good also, a few are not good for daily use though. I’m a lot more scared of buying a $200 knock off and it falling apart than a $300 yeti I know is going to last 4 years or so.


I’d argue yeti’s base is folks who carry a cooler daily in the back of their truck. If you go to a farm sale 50% of pickups have a yeti in the back. 25% have something else. You won’t see many cheap coolers since they don’t survive.

To be honest, I have never had the need for a cooler other than occasionally and why would one carry a cooler in the back of their truck with ice in it in the winter time? Unless you are restricting your statement to those that live fairly south, that would seem like there would be zero ice savings in the winter. I'd just leave my drinks in the cab of my truck in the cooler weather

 

[ugaarguy]

UPDATE from NRA:

DATE: April 24, 2018
TO: USF & NRA Member and Friends
FROM: Marion P. Hammer
USF Executive Director
NRA Past President

If it wasn’t bad enough that YETI dropped The NRA Foundation as a client, now they’re calling us liars because we informed our members and friends of their actions.

The NRA Foundation has over 1,100 “Friends of NRA Committees” around the country. These committees host banquets and auctions that are attended by hundreds of thousands of guests each year. These events raise funds to support charitable causes and programs. The NRA Foundation supports the needs of youth programs for education, safety and training, as well as law enforcement needs, shooting ranges and conservation programs.

For many years we have purchased coolers from YETI for our auctions. We have auctioned off many thousands of YETI coolers each year. YETI recently dropped The NRA Foundation as a client. Not only would they not take our orders for more coolers, they forced us to cancel orders already in the system that they said they would not fill.

Three days after we notified you of YETI’s decision to drop The NRA Foundation, YETI issued their prepared statement in which they admit they dropped us but claim they simply eliminated the discount program and dropped other (unnamed) organizations as well. That’s news to us.

Perhaps the people writing YETI’s damage control statements are not talking to the people who enforced YETI’s decisions and refused our orders. We had even offered the YETI Roadie in one of our sponsorship levels for 2018 – which we’ve had to cancel.

We told you the truth.

YETI’s attempts at damage control is to say our statement is not accurate. Shame on you again YETI. You know you made a mistake. A big one. Now you must live with your mistake.

 

[ugaarguy]

More from Breitbart: "NRA President and current Unified Sportsmen of Florida (USF) Executive Director Marion Hammer says Yeti coolers demanded the NRA cease using the cooler company’s logo after the Parkland school shooting..."

http://www.breitbart.com/big-govern...demanded-nra-cease-using-cooler-company-logo/