I DID NOT WANT TO LIKE IT BY JOHN BERRY

I have been around the fly fishing business for a long time and have seen a lot of new gear come and go. I watch the major rod manufacturers come out with new models every year accompanied with a hundred dollar increase. Over four decades of fly fishing I have seen little real improvement in the cast ability of these rods. My favorite fly rod is a Sage Light Line nine foot four weight that is well over thirty years old. I have not found a new rod that is its equal. I fished it yesterday on the Norfork. 

Therefore there is a bit of skepticism, whenever I note a new piece of gear that is going to rock my world. This happened recently, when Yeti coolers hit the market. I was amazed with how expensive they were. The least expensive one cost $249.95. Of course I already had half dozen nice coolers. It is impressive that they are bear proof containers. But do I really need that? All of my fellow guides swear by them. 

Then a couple of years ago I was guiding an angler that brought his own Yeti (a Roadie) with him to carry his soft drinks. At the end of the day he asked me if I wanted it in lieu of a tip. It didn’t take me too long to figure out that it was a great deal. He had won the cooler the previous day at a shooting clays tournament and already owned two. I gratefully accepted it and began using it on my guide trips. While I found it a bit heavy, I was amazed at how cool it would keep food and drinks. The Roadie was the smallest Yeti made and I don’t see how these guys are lugging around the bigger ones. I found out that they don’t move them. They use it as a rowing platform in their boats. 

I thought that it would be a great cooler for my wife, Lori, to use on her guide trips. It was just too heavy for her to lug around. About that time, Yeti came out with a soft side cooler, the hopper. I checked it out but did not like the way the zipper was on the top. It was hard to put things in and take them out. Then recently Yeti came out, with the Hopper Flip 12. It had a three way zipper that gave easy access to its contents and was quite a bit lighter than my Roadie. 

The problem was that it cost $279.95. I don’t know if you are aware of the fact that I am a bit cheap. It corroded my soul to pay that much. Luckily I had some Orvis reward points that I cashed in for it. Lori has really enjoyed it and uses it on her guide trips. She also takes it on road trips when she attends dog shows. 

I have since also acquired two 10 ounce tumblers and two 20 ounce tumblers for Lori and me. I have found the 20 ounce tumblers the most useful. They fit in the cup holders of my Suburban (the 10 ounce tumblers don’t) and they keep two mugs of coffee hot all day. I can enjoy the hot coffee I made that morning, when I come off the river after a long day of fishing. 

I did not want to like Yeti products but I find myself using them every day.