YETI Coolers

Yeti Coolers are the Cadillac’s if ice chests. They are an investment for any outdoor enthusiast or tailgater. A Yeti Cooler is meant to last – so while there is a steep up-front cost, it will pay off over the long run. The good folks at Yeti were kind enough to sit down and give us a look behind the curtains…

What is the story behind Yeti?

YETI Coolers was founded in 2006 by serial entrepreneur Roy Seiders. After working for several years with other products in the outdoors market, Seiders saw an unmet need and an opportunity to develop a premium cooler brand. He joined forces with his brother Ryan, also a veteran of the outdoor products space, and YETI Coolers was born. The driving forces have always been to provide best-in-class products and customer service.

From the humble beginnings in Seiders’ garage, the YETI Coolers sales network has grown to over 1700 dealers nationwide, international distributors and hundreds of brand partners with their Custom Logo program. YETI products have garnered numerous awards, become the preferred choice of outdoors professionals and developed a dedicated following, dubbed the “YETI Nation”.

What kind of person is a Yeti customer?

The YETI Nation is comprised of people who are passionate about being in the outdoors. Whether it’s fishing, hunting, camping or tailgating, our cooler helps make their favorite hobby better. They’re people who are tired of buying a new cooler every summer and they’re looking to invest in a better product with a better warranty.

Awesome coolers, but why should I make that kind of investment?

YETI Coolers designs and manufactures the highest quality coolers available. Its coolers are designed to outlast and outperform any other, providing the ultimate in ice retention, durability and design across a wide range of uses, including hunting, fishing, camping, boating, tailgating, rafting, catering, and commercial cooking.

Would you rather use your Yeti in the woods or on the water?

That’s a tough one. If you asked that question out loud in our office, half of the people would say woods and the other half would say water. It really just depends on what you love to do. We have coolers designed for both sports. They’re strong enough to hold big game or big tuna.

Your coolers are ‘Certified Bear Proof’. How did you go about testing for that?

It’s definitely not your everyday product durability test. YETI Tundra ice chests have been thoroughly tested by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) in both controlled simulations and with wild grizzly bears. We basically packed a YETI Tundra Cooler full of peanut butter and salmon and let the big guy go to town. After multiple attempts to break into the cooler, the bear eventually gave up and moved on. The IGBC officially approved the YETI® Tundra™ coolers for use on public lands occupied by grizzlies. Here’s what the organization has to say about our cooler, “The YETI Tundra Coolers withstand smashing, prying, scratching, biting, and tossing by hungry bears.”