It’s more than just a patriotic shout-out or a catchy phrase we like to throw around at parties so people will like us. Bison is proud to produce American-made coolers. Have you ever wondered what we mean by that?

To give you a better idea of the depth of our commitment to made in the USA coolers, follow us on a journey from plastic pellets to the coolers you know and love and every stage in between.

Rotomolded Coolers Made in America

Components of our hard coolers come from various vendors in the United States. Without getting too technical (or giving away any trade secrets), walk with us step by step through the process.

The tiny plastic pellets we melt and mold are purchased from a vendor on the West Coast.

The mold in which those pellets are poured at the beginning of our rotomolding process is also made in the USA (our engineering; their production).

The oven that melts the plastic and rotates the mold is located in a production plant in the Rocky Mountains.

Then we pressure inject our proprietary foam to serve as insulation in the coolers. Because the foam is injected at such a high pressure, it can bend a 3/8” steel plates so we use thicker steel to hold the cooler in place to ensure the foam reaches every nook and cranny. The foam itself is sourced from a domestic supplier, too.

Rubber for the feet, latches, and gaskets comes from the Pacific Northwest. So does the hinge rod for the lid. The drain plugs are the product of the Midwest. And our heavy-duty rope handles are made of rope from a 100-year old rope manufacturer with third-generation employees on the East Coast.

Every piece of the process, every step of the way, it’s American made.

THAT’S what we mean when we say made in America coolers.

Soft Coolers Made in America

The vendor who helps with the manufacturing of Bison SoftPaks is located in the South and was on the brink of closing when we found them. In our quest to find domestic textile companies to partner with, we came across this company and began working with them.

Doing so kept them from closing, kept them from laying off employees, and was a catalyst for their growth. Growth of that company has meant they’ve been able to add more jobs (not less), right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A., not overseas.

THAT’S what we mean when we say our coolers are made in America.

HARD CASES MADE IN AMERICA

We’re proud to say our new line of Bison Hard Cases are made with an injection-molded polypropylene copolymer in Texas. They’re assembled in the good ol’ Lone Star State, too.

Our hard cases are specially designed to protect your valuables like cameras, drones, and weapons from the elements. That’s right – you worry about protecting your Second Amendment rights. We’ll worry about protecting your firearms.

What could be more American than that?

Why It Matters to Us

Doing what we can to have every part of our cooler-making process happen in America is an intentional company value. It gives us greater control of the quality of the product so our customers get their money’s worth. We’re able to visit the facilities and meet the people working on the coolers. They take pride in what they do because we strive to overcome obstacles to ensure they’re able to do it. 

Making our coolers in America supports fellow citizens by creating more American jobs and growing the domestic economy. It’s not just a matter of our headquarters being stationed in an American city (although we are). It’s not just about appealing to the good ol’ boys’ network (although we like to).  It’s about what’s good for all of us: high quality products and American jobs.

THAT’S what we mean when we say American-made coolers.

Want to support the cause of American jobs? Shop for a cooler made in the USA today.  Next time you take your Bison Cooler hunting, fishing, camping, tailgating, or to a good ol’ fashioned backyard barbecue, we hope you’ll appreciate what goes into producing the best cooler available.