YETI might be best known for its coolers that could survive a bear attack and tumblers that spawned a thousand copycats, but the company’s latest appearance at the Morgan Stanley Global Consumer & Retail Conference quietly revealed something bigger brewing.
The brand sees 2025 as a warm-up lap rather than a victory sprint, and says the real acceleration begins in 2026. For anyone who follows outdoor tech, everyday carry gear or the growing world of premium travel and fitness accessories, that is a pretty loud signal.
YETI’s CEO Matt Reintjes described 2025 as a set-up year, a period where the company completes major groundwork and then hits the throttle.
That foundation includes a sweeping shift of manufacturing out of China, new product development hubs in Thailand and Vietnam, and a rapid broadening of the brand beyond drinkware and coolers.
These moves have been complicated and occasionally slowed launches this year, but they are deliberately positioning YETI for what Reintjes calls its next long-term growth phase, which kicks in from 2026 onwards.
Signals in the snowdrift
One of the biggest clues to what comes next is YETI’s renewed obsession with bags. Not just soft coolers, but everyday backpacks, like the excellent Ranchero backpack, travel pieces and purpose-built pursuit bags for outdoor activities.
Reintjes called bags one of the brand’s largest global opportunities and hinted that future international markets might actually know YETI first as a bags and drinkware company rather than a cooler company.
This shows just how seriously they’re taking the category and suggests we’re going to see more technical packs, more premium travel gear and maybe even totally new formats of soft storage in the coming product cycles.
Then there is drinkware, which is no longer just about bottles, tumblers or mugs. The category is evolving into a complete food and beverage ecosystem.
The company talked about expanding into food storage, food prep and cooking solutions, alongside larger group formats and specialised products for sport and the sidelines.
Ten years ago, YETI launched its first cup. Ten years from now, it might be offering everything you need to feed, hydrate and organise an entire day outside.
Another sleeper hit in YETI’s world is its protective storage range. These rugged, hard-wearing organisation cases barely make headlines compared to neon-coloured cups, but the brand is extremely bullish on them.
They embody YETI’s original ethos of durability, performance and clean industrial design – like Pelican-style cases, but the kind you actually want to carry.
As this range grows, expect more modular systems and more crossover pieces that bridge outdoor, photography, road trips and everyday storage.
A quiet shift beneath the surface
The move into sport is also becoming impossible to ignore. YETI’s partnerships with the National Women’s Soccer League and League One Volleyball show the brand is stepping deeper into athletic culture.
Combine that with its recent acquisition of shaker bottle technology, which it relaunched under the YETI banner, and you suddenly see a brand preparing to live in gyms, studios and training fields as naturally as it does in fishing boats and campsites.
Reintjes repeatedly circled back to one idea: everything YETI is doing in 2025 is laying the tracks for a dramatic expansion in 2026. That includes broader product lines, better global availability, stronger presence in sport and travel, and a more modern digital experience.
In YETI’s words, this year is about setting the table. Next year is when the feast arrives.
