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I would be in that market share...i dont buy Yetis because they hold ice longer...I buy them because they will last longer. Its a cooler I can use for a very long time. I was talking to a marine the other day and he said that in Iraq he watched a Yeti get hit by a IED and the Yeti sustained no damage. By the way I just reserved one of the RTICs.

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Sounds like the next generation of .mil vehicles will be Yeti based then.

I can see it now - tracked Yeti personnel carriers, Yeti assault vehicles, Yeti amphibious assault vehicles, helicopter based Yeti systems....the options are just endless!

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If everything is Yeti, the army would need yet another camo change!

I bit....went ahead & reserved one

i'll be mildly surprised if yeti sits idly by while these guys get online and start moving things out the door. i don't know anything about existing patents, etc and maybe they don't have a leg to stand on, but these coolers seem like a part-for-part replication of a yeti. if everything goes off without a hitch, I'm definitely down with spending half the $ for a durable cooler, though.

...but i had just talked myself into getting a 35 instead of a 45...and these guys fired right around that gap, dammit.

Sorry, small tangent from OP. Direct consumer sales...cool idea, but snuffing out all the small-town shop owners that actually know anything about their products. See Kuiu, Maven Optics, etc. Big companies are also consolidating reps...My newest Sitka, Bowtech, Simms rep is an earth muffin who doesn't even hunt. I asked about the specs on the new Bowtechs he was selling me and all I got was a blank stare.

Back on topic. Those Rtic coolers look nice, but I'm gonna buy a Yeti.

I'd be shocked if Yeti lets it happen as well. I got to think they've got the whole thing patented, and as a poster above said, these are pretty much a 100% copy, minus the slightly larger size.

I like quality, and value. Just reserved a 65 qt.

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Sorry, small tangent from OP. Direct consumer sales...cool idea, but snuffing out all the small-town shop owners that actually know anything about their products. See Kuiu, Maven Optics, etc. Big companies are also consolidating reps...My newest Sitka, Bowtech, Simms rep is an earth muffin who doesn't even hunt. I asked about the specs on the new Bowtechs he was selling me and all I got was a blank stare.

Back on topic. Those Rtic coolers look nice, but I'm gonna buy a Yeti.

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This makes no sense. You ***** because sales reps these days don't know what they are selling, but you'll go with a Yeti because you can talk with a salesman instead of buying from the people who actually make them?

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Again, sorry for thread derail. Coolers may be a bad example. Coolers should be pretty straight forward. Put cold stuff and stuff you want cold in and shut lid. My issue is the glut of new items on the market with no track record that tout direct to consumer sales. Small shop owners might be middle men but they are not "just" middle men...their expertise is worth something in my opinion. These new products will eventually narrow margins to the point that the only stores left are the walmarts of the outdoor industry represented by people located where the consumer is not. I'm sure this is an inevitability, but it's not a future I look forward to. I do not know the ins and outs of Rtic's business model (and perhaps I am pessimistic), but I would be (pleasantly) surprised to find they actually manufacture these coolers. I suspect they slap a sticker on them and count their money...

Orion coolers ftw. They're about $100 more than a Yeti and nobody's making knock offs so people will really know you're a Boss

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I'd be shocked if Yeti lets it happen as well. I got to think they've got the whole thing patented, and as a poster above said, these are pretty much a 100% copy, minus the slightly larger size.

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Was interested so I checked, they hold a patent on the latching tech specific to an insulated container. Still, the RTIC appears to blatantly copy that as well, so we'll see.

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How do y'all know the quality from looking at a picture online?

Some buddies and I went to the coast recently and a lot of the coolers were just left in the living room. Several yetis and one knock off, don't remember the brand. The design of the cooler looked good and he said it was $100 cheaper than a yeti, no brainer. By day 3 not only was his ice water, but it was leaking through the drain plugs. So he may have saved $100 but in turn bought a $300 piece of crap.

Not saying these are or are not quality coolers. But these haven't even hit the market so how are posters claiming they match in quality?

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This bolded part was my question from page 1, I guess I just didn't clarify very well. I was just wondering where this strong following for a new cooler was coming from...

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Sorry, small tangent from OP. Direct consumer sales...cool idea, but snuffing out all the small-town shop owners that actually know anything about their products. See Kuiu, Maven Optics, etc. Big companies are also consolidating reps...My newest Sitka, Bowtech, Simms rep is an earth muffin who doesn't even hunt. I asked about the specs on the new Bowtechs he was selling me and all I got was a blank stare.

Back on topic. Those Rtic coolers look nice, but I'm gonna buy a Yeti.

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This makes no sense. You ***** because sales reps these days don't know what they are selling, but you'll go with a Yeti because you can talk with a salesman instead of buying from the people who actually make them?

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Maybe he wants to pay more for the brand, or believes that the yeti brand and performance is worth twice as much.

Just got off the phone with my yeti rep and hes been getting the fb stuff too. Wont comment on specific suits but they are going after 15 lawsuits right now. Couldn't name rtic specifically though he implied it. We'll see if these actually hit market or for how long.

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Just got off the phone with my yeti rep and hes been getting the fb stuff too. Wont comment on specific suits but they are going after 15 lawsuits right now. Couldn't name rtic specifically though he implied it. We'll see if these actually hit market or for how long.

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Watchlisted.

I'm guessing these things never hit the market...at least not without a significant overhaul. If everything was above board and all their claims accurate, they'd be pumping these things out like rabbits rather than taking 0 down pre-orders.

Thanks for the info EyeGuy. If these things don't go through, are we getting the family discount on Yeti from you?

This screams of a marketing ploy to me. Get some exposure with a clone then have a "newer, better version" after they get everyone's contact info

agreed

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This screams of a marketing ploy to me. Get some exposure with a clone then have a "newer, better version" after they get everyone's contact info

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Seems likely, hopefully they pump out a first run & I get mine but if not, maybe I'll finally break down & pay for a Yeti.

Was actually going to buy one through the friends & family discount of s friend but he quit working there & then proceeded to tell me how awful they treat employees. I asked if he knew anyone there still & he said everyone he worked with has quit too. Also told me to buy any of the roto-mold type coolers, they're all the same.

That said, people don't quit a job and say it was the best place they ever worked, so who knows.

So you're saying there's never been a knockoff of anything before Yeti coolers? I'm guessing the RTIC guys have maybe checked patents.

They're not calling them NETIs.

there are plenty of knock-offs in plenty of things. there are also plenty of attempted knock-offs that get told to go pound sand.

and these may as well be called NETIs. based on what we can see on the website, it's not a similar cooler...it's the same cooler with an extra 1/2" here and 1/8" there.

maybe they get it to slide, but I'd be really surprised [assuming the durability/performance isn't total crap].

Didnt someone do a comparison of the coolers and Yeti didnt really stand out that much over the Coleman as far as ice being there for a long time.

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Didnt someone do a comparison of the coolers and Yeti didnt really stand out that much over the Coleman as far as ice being there for a long time.

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Most people are buying these coolers for the durability. The ice is moot

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This screams of a marketing ploy to me. Get some exposure with a clone then have a "newer, better version" after they get everyone's contact info

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They must've hired that guy who came to the OB a couple months back claiming he had a huge list of deer leases and told everyone to send him an e-mail and he'd get back to you.

hmm

If they do come out, I'd be interested to see how yeti/rtic/frio coolers compare to each other.

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Just got off the phone with my yeti rep and hes been getting the fb stuff too. Wont comment on specific suits but they are going after 15 lawsuits right now. Couldn't name rtic specifically though he implied it. We'll see if these actually hit market or for how long.

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I doubt your rep really knows much, but he talks a big game.

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I usually can tell when this is the case. This one i think he does know. Main payent that gets infringed upon, according to him, is their latch system. May have been blowing smoke but when i looked into things, that seems to be what they defend the most.

I noticed HEB put out own version of a yeti like cooler just ahead of July 4th. Price range of these rtics I think. Can't remember what they were calling them.

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I noticed HEB put out own version of a yeti like cooler just ahead of July 4th. Price range of these rtics I think. Can't remember what they were calling them.

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Kodi Coolers