Yeti Purchases Mystery Ranch

[jdmaxwell]

I’m far more concerned with a company seemingly as narcissistic as yeti trying to make fire packs than their hunting or EDC packs. I don’t see this as a win for R&D of MR packs in general but fear the most for the fire line.

Also agreed..
Those are great packs.

 

[Marble]

Yeti was earlier than some but far from the first. Engel beat them by decades. Yeti did a great job of marketing though and successfully cultivated their image as the OG bougie cooler brand.

Good to know!

Isn't it strange how the marketing of some companies like Yeti (think Stanley currently) creates this brand that gets a following that goes mainstream and then self perpetuates?

Good for them. They are taking advantage of the market and creating/growing a successful business. Any business that is content with where they are and does not aspire to grow in some way is really a shrinking business.

I have always liked Yeti, and I think they make great products. But it's just an ice chest....or an insulated cup. I hope the merger works well for everyone.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Scoot]

Marble, I know your are right regarding the "don't be so quick to judge" kinda thinking. However, what percentage of the time does this type of deal result in a better or more affordable product? Just about never... I know there are a few exceptions, but I'd guess the average user of any product following this kind of buy out will say it was a loss for the user 90+% of the time after a couple/few years. Take a guy who poured his heart and soul into a company and the products they make for a long time and remove him from the company and replace him with a group that is concerned most about profit margins and it's probably not going to be a net gain for the user. JMO on this, but you are definitely correct in that only time will tell...

 

[backcountry_hunter]

^^^ I get the "don't be so fast to judge" idea but my problem is I've been through enough of these in the hunting world and in wildland (think white's being bought by lacrosse) to make a general assessment based on past experience. A large percentage of these result in a negative overall product from the original, at the very best the company might maintain status quo, and almost never (if ever) do things improve.

just my $.02

 

[cuerro viejo]

Roto molded coolers(engle, Yeti etc) became a necessity on the southern coast. They where a replacement for the fiberglass and plastic coolers being used onshore and offshore. Texas Oil boom fueled boat market and roto cooler market.

Coolers in most flats and bayboats are multi purpose. Double as seats, storage, live well and casting platforms.

Your plastic igloo might make it 6 months of medium use before they crack out.

I wouldnt hate a company because they are a southern brand that became popular out of necessity.

Influx of R&D money in to MR is probably best thing that has happened to that company

 

[cuerro viejo]

Yeti was earlier than some but far from the first. Engel beat them by decades. Yeti did a great job of marketing though and successfully cultivated their image as the OG bougie cooler brand.

Distribution and some high oil prices really helped them. Before Rtic fight. Buccees’ was selling 50 mil in Yeti a year

Icy tec USA and Engel just never got the consumer distribution right, or didnt have the capital to get product out.

I had a Austrian made icy tek fiberglass on my boat for years.

 

[ODB]

Believe it or not one of the first heavy duty, ice-keeping coolers was made in….South Africa. This well before Yeti. They have changed a bit but are now Rogue Coolers - still made in South Africa.

 

[TaperPin]

I can see how MR target markets overlap with Yeti quite a bit - like them or not, many of us have Yeti coolers riding around in our overpriced SUVs. Probably just as many, if not more, are going camping and tree hugging in the latest Subaru, or Prius.

With the great military/hunting/fire/western outdoorsman type packs, it’s harder to get in Backpacker magazine. At one time the Dana/MR Terraplane was THE backpacking Cadillac.

My prediction is Yeti will leave the MR brand alone, and move outdoorsman coolers to MR and move tree hugging backpacking packs to Yeti. So expect to see carbon fiber designs on the new MR Bang Flop cooler, and the new Yeti pink Taylor Swift pack, and redesigned YetiPlane pack.

 

[TSAMP]

Marble, I know your are right regarding the "don't be so quick to judge" kinda thinking. However, what percentage of the time does this type of deal result in a better or more affordable product? Just about never... I know there are a few exceptions, but I'd guess the average user of any product following this kind of buy out will say it was a loss for the user 90+% of the time after a couple/few years. Take a guy who poured his heart and soul into a company and the products they make for a long time and remove him from the company and replace him with a group that is concerned most about profit margins and it's probably not going to be a net gain for the user. JMO on this, but you are definitely correct in that only time will tell...

I disagree. I don't know the original owner but I am sure he too was concerned with margins. I see many comments in here that scream the romanticized viewpoint of the " I had it before it was mainstream", " isn't quite like my old xxx".
I fully understand some products are ruined by commercialization. I doubt this will be one. I think in the scenario you describe above and the person below mention, I'd be more worried if yeti was already in the hunting pack game and bought MR out as competition and continued to push their products exclusively and shelved MR. I see this as a potential positive.

MR was already on camofire every week. How much worse can it get?

 

[dsotm]

Sounds like a good but already expensive product is about to get more expensive

 

[TaperPin]

I remember talking to D

Sounds like Dana Gleason hit a home run ball. Good for him, probably ready to retire. While I like Dana Design packs, I never cared for MR. When Dana sold Dana Design to K2, it was only a matter of a few years until they destroyed it. I wonder whether history will repeat itself?

I remember meeting Dana back in the 1980s to see if he had any deals for government purchases, and he must have been in his 40s then. I’m also glad to see him use an exit strategy to enjoy retirement a bit.

 

[sierracharlie338]

Up front I don’t think it will benefit the end user in anyway. I think MR quality probably won’t go anywhere but prices will and that is UP! I’m not writing them off until there is a valid reason to. I’ve been using MR since the mid 2000s and love them but time will tell.

 

[Tmcgarrigle]

Was using MR packs back in my army days circa 2008 or so. Picked up the nice and guide lite frames because of discounts and they served me well. Not sure where yeti will take them, never been a yeti fan boy but have received a solid amount of free yeti swag over the years their stuff seems solid over priced for sure, which why I wasn’t buying it haha ill take a cater gator cooler for 1/3 of the cost and 3x the capacity … if I was in the market for a new hunting pack that K4 looks hard to beat though

The K4 is very hard to beat. I haven't found one that beats it yet.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Bet we start seeing alot more influencers tell us the new MR/Yeti packs are the best.
Practically filled with helium.
Pack loaded with elk meat will practically meet ya at the truck.

 

[ODB]

The K4 is very hard to beat. I haven't found one that beats it yet.

My K2 still kicks ass!

The elitification of gear these days is incredible. “Do YOU have what it takes to buy the BEST XYZ on the market?” Was looking at the Hoyt site and $2000 for a bow? Holy hell man.

There seems to be a strange cult-like mindset among the average guy buying very expensive gear and then back-filling the justification with buy-once-cry-once or I’m-hard-on-my-gear etc. And worst all many manufacturers take great pleasure in taking their money.

The Pecos table is an example: a 38 x 20 x 34 table for $700.

 

[Scoot]

I disagree. I don't know the original owner but I am sure he too was concerned with margins.

I have no doubt he was concerned about margins! But was he more concerned about them than the product and customer service? That's the pattern I've seen with this sort of thing in the past. At least that was my interpretation of it.

I hope you're right and it continues to be a great product. I'm skeptical, but hell... I'm always skeptical! Only time will tell!

 

[nosajnh]

Is MR the first company Yeti has acquired?

 

[Tmcgarrigle]

Guys, take it easy, they just wanted a YETI office in Bozeman and this was the cheapest way

 

[pirogue]

I wouldnt hate a company because they are a southern brand that became popular out of necessity.

Or hate a company (Yeti) just because you can’t afford it.
Or hate a company because one’s style of hunting doesn’t justify the need. It’s probably safe to say that most Yeti bashers take an overnight or weekend trip, and therefore, any cooler will do. They’ve probably never been in remote areas for a week, in warmer temperatures, and it’s a 3 hour, or more, drive to the nearest available ice.

 

[MikeDeltaFoxtrot]

Glad I just bought a new MR pack before the buy out. Getting bought by a larger company never makes a product better,