Yeti Doesn’t Hate the NRA! Russ Chastain 04.24.18



Wow, this Yeti thing has become a bit of a roller coaster!

First, there was the (now disputed) report from NRA-ILA claiming that “YETI has declined to do business with The NRA Foundation saying they no longer wish to be an NRA vendor, and refused to say why.” I reported on this here.

This elicited a firestorm of indignation from NRA supporters, who predictably sent even more money to NRA and vowed to never again buy a Yeti product. Rival company Pelican even seized the opportunity, creating a promotion to donate $10 to NRA and include a free stainless steel tumbler with each cooler ordered this month using promo code PELICANPROUD. (You can read more about this here.)

Now, Yeti has offered an explanation. It would appear that I was incorrect in supposing there was anything political in their decision. Instead, Yeti says they were merely getting rid of an old discounting program and replacing it with another option.

A few weeks ago, YETI notified the NRA Foundation, as well as a number of other organizations, that we were eliminating a group of outdated discounting programs. When we notified the NRA Foundation and the other organizations of this change, YETI explained that we were offering them an alternative customization program broadly available to consumers and organizations, including the NRA Foundation. These facts directly contradict the inaccurate statement the NRA-ILA distributed on April 20. Further, the NRA-ILA stated in that same public communication that “{YETI has] declined to continue helping America’s young people enjoy outdoor recreational activities.” Nothing is further from the truth. YETI was founded more than 10 years ago with a passion for the outdoors, and over the course of our history we have actively and enthusiastically supported hunters, anglers and the broader outdoor community. We have been devoted to and will continue to directly support causes tied to our passion for the outdoors, including by working with many organizations that promote conservation and management of wildlife resources and habitat restoration. From our website to our film footage and from our social media posts to our ambassadors, YETI has always prominently featured hunters pursuing their passions. Moreover, YETI is unwavering in our belief in and commitment to the Constitution of the United States and its Second Amendment.

This seems pretty clear to me, and I’m included to believe it. Yeti has long been a strong presence at the SHOT Show each year, and I’ve met alligator hunter Troy Landry at their booth more than once. I do not doubt they are telling the truth here and that they will continue to support hunters.

Therefore, it’s possible that one of two things happened:

NRA-ILA misunderstood the communication from Yeti and decided to punish Yeti for cutting them loose; or NRA-ILA simply threw Yeti under the bus in order to drum up a bunch of new money and members.

Hmmmmm.

It would be nice if we could see some real clarification on this, including the communication(s) which Yeti sent to NRA-ILA. That would go a long way towards showing us where the truth actually lies. I wonder whether NRA-ILA or Yeti will be the first to produce such evidence?