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Pelican Coolers, Beware!

31K views 50 replies 26 participants last post by  Sand Crawler 
#1 ·
I posted my initial experience in another thread, but here is the complete version.

We use Pelican cases at work. I was sort of excited when I heard they were making coolers. I measured the space inside of my expo trailer and found one that would just fit. I located a Pelican distributor and ordered one.

We wanted one to supplement our ARB fridge. The first time we used it we had it about ¾ full of drinks and ice. The next morning when I picked it up I got a small shower from it leaking around the gasket!

We opened it up to find that all of the ice had melted in less than 24 hours. The giant sticker (still on the cooler) said it would retain ice 7-10 days. The latches were shut, drain plug was secure. On closer inspection we found that the cooler was warped near the corners. The middle was sealing up, but he corners were not. The airflow in the trailer was probably circulating under the lid and sped up the melting. Since this was a week-long camping trip we had no choice but to put more ice in and keep going.

Up in the mountains with cooler weather we were able to get the ice to last about two days.

So basically if we had spent 10X less at a big box store, we could have gotten a better performing cooler. We were literally not happy campers.

I tried to contact the vendor, Atlas Industrial Supply (a certified Pelican dealer), several times with no reply. I tried Pelican a few times. They eventually said I could ship it back at my cost, they would inspect it, then if it is deemed defective, ship me a new one at my cost. So shipping x2 to fix a defective product I already paid shipping on. This would be in the $100 range. Nice.

I said no thanks and cancelled the credit card charge due to false advertising. I told Pelican I would hold the cooler for 30 days & return it if they or the vendor sent me a paid shipping label.

I suppose when these work people are happy with them, but if you get a defective one it will cost $$ in shipping to maybe get it straightened out.
 
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#3 ·
Wow that's nuts! I understand a good product can be defective from time to time, but the fact that the company wasn't willing to take the blame is just absurd. Once again it goes to show that customer service goes a long (or short) way!
 
#4 ·
Agreed, that is poor customer service. For the price of those coolers they should pamper customers.
We just "tested" one of Coleman's new line of coolers, the Xtreme Marine 6 day series. These have thicker walls (more insulation) than typical coolers. We used it for a month from FL to Utah. Carried it in the back of the FJ when traveling (read 80F environment), spent 4 days on the Green river in a canoe, and the rest of the time in camp with temps often 90+. Bottom line, these things work! We only bought ice 5 times during the trip.
Coleman only recently debuted this line. What you will find in stores is their Xtreme Series 5 coolers. Series 6 can be ordered directly from Coleman. To get special pricing, go to Coleman - Outdoor Gear for Camping, Hiking and Tailgating / US and navigate to the Sitemap. Under the heading Buy Coleman Products click on Coleman Family Store. Enter "Family" in the promo code box and you will see special pricing on any item you select. Here is the link for the cooler we purchased:
Coleman - 50 Quart Wheeled Xtreme® 6 Marine
 
#5 ·
So are you thinking the ice melted prematurely because the lid wasn't sealing completely due to the warping?

I don't believe all the manufacturer's hype about 'keeps ice for X days', because that's never how it works out for me in the real world. But I do still believe that a thicker-walled cooler with a sealing gasket and insulated lid should be better performing than a cheap cooler. I just wish they weren't all so d@mn expensive.
 
#8 ·
That would be my hypothesis.

We were looking for a better piece of gear than a standard cooler.

I run a materials testing lab. If they don’t want this cooler back I can throw it in an environmental chamber at work & figure out what ambient conditions give the advertised 7-10 days.
 
#9 ·
Sorry to hear about your experience with Pelican. Nothing is worse than poor customer service, get enough of that from the TV companies. If you claim to make a good product stand behind it, period! Great customer service is the main reason I will always continue to buy from companies such as All Pro and Ricochet.

I bought my Pelican 65qt from costco and have never got near their 10 day ice retention, nor did I expect to. I purchased mine mainly for the durability and view it as a step up from the Coleman I had. It is still producing cold drinks left over from my camping trip on the 4th...ice was gone after about 6 days but the water is still cool enough to give me a cold drink in a warm garage.

I would never consider a pelican or a yeti a good investment. Best bang for your buck will probably always be Coleman. I just wanted a super durable cooler a step up from my old Coleman that looked cool, and the Pelican fit the bill perfectly. I don't regret the purchase but I'm guessing that will change if I ever have to deal with their customer service though.
 
#10 ·
This makes me happy as I was trying to bring Pelican on the business I work for. They have the WORST customer service I've ever experienced and have yet to contact me back. Now I know, it was meant to be that way.

Louisana Land Krewesers
 
#11 ·
I guess after another week of this they figured out that the credit card cancellation was for real and sent a return shipping label.

I dropped a flashlight into the cooler, closed the latches, and snapped some pictures in the dark. There was a gap that wrapped around one corner and through the front center.

Corner shot:


Center between the latches:


It pretty much shows the defect and explains why this thing looses ice so quickly.

I will let y'all know how it works out.
 
#15 ·
Block ice is crucial too. Pre-Freeze bottles of water, use old milk jugs frozen with water for free block ice as well.
 
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#19 ·
^This. We keep a generous supply of frozen 12oz-1L bottles in our garage freezer. They’re used specifically for ‘pre-cooling’ and in lieu of a ton of ice. We’ll also freeze the majority of our supplies in advance; even the dry-goods (chips, bread, spices, etc.)
 
#16 ·
If you're going for an extended stay, put some of your meat or veggies in while still frozen as that helps too. Put drinks either at one end or on top and remember which end so that you can open the cooler grab one and then close it quickly rather than digging around in it looking for a drink. You can do the same with the food too in a way. Combine the stuff that will be used for each meal in a bag or at least in the same area so you can grab what is needed for that meal and then get the cooler closed as soon as possible. You don't want to be searching on one end for the bacon and then the other for the eggs and then the middle for the onions, hash browns, and peppers, and then forgetting that you needed cheese which was back on the end on the bottom.
 
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#17 ·
x3. I like to fill my cooler with as much frozen items as possible when we're going out for several days

Yesterday I saw guys talking about water storage over Expedition Portal and one of them posted a link to these WaterBrick stackable containers that come in 1.6gal and 3.5gal sizes.

Water Containers | Water Storage | Stack, Grab, & Go | WaterBrick

I think the smaller 9"x9"x6" 1.6gal size could be frozen (with the top open to avoid expansion) and make for great block ice that doesn't end up putting meltwater in the cooler.

 
#18 ·
I use Nalgene bottles too.
 
#20 ·
I use the bricks for water...Great way to haul 3.5 g. small enough the better half can move them around and big enough for a weekend of camping.

The new "tough" Coleman we got from REI worked well at keeping ice. I put a solid frozen 1 gallon and 2 1/2 gallon milk jugs. The 1/2 gallon still had ice on day 7, and the other two were thawed for drinking water in the mountains. We did add pre ice to the cooler and a few bags of ice every other day. The plastic latch cracked so I will seek repair on it so I hope I have better luck with Coleman.

By using frozen jugs I could use a wire basket to hold water sensitive items up and out of the way of the melting ice, reduce the water in the cooler and have ice water from home as a treat.
 
#22 ·
I'm not calling anybody a liar, but we bought a 65 quart cooler from Costco about three months ago and have taken it on several trips- including one cross country trip from Denver to Washington D.C. via Chicago and then returning to Denver via St, Louis and Kansas City. The temperatures ranged from the 80's to as high as 94 and the cooler performed perfectly. By perfectly I mean it keeper all items cold and retained ice for seven days. Most of the trip we had the cooler in the rear of our FJ, but for about a third of the trip we carried the cooler on the roof. We moved the cooler inside because it reduced our mileage by about 35 percent because of the drag. I have used stainless steel Coleman coolers for years and this Pelican has Coleman beat hands down. The other advantage is the convenient handle placement and anchor hole placement which makes the cooler easy to mount. We also love the latch system which is vastly superior to the Yeti cords. We have a friend with a Yeti and they absolutely preferred out Pelican over the Yeti. If you're concerned about customer service, just buy the cooler from Costco- where you can always return anything! Anywho, at $249. bucks, the Pelican 65 quart is a steal!!
 
#31 ·
We looked at the ones at Costco, but there were two things that kept us from going that route.

The first was that they did not have the size we were looking for.

The second was that if you read Costco's fine print (shipping and terms tab on the website) they state that they are not an official Pelican dealer & we would not be able to go to Pelican if we had any issues. It said you could always return it to Costco, but who knows if they will still be selling these a year or two down the road.

We did get some good news. After sharing the "flashlight test" pictures with Pelican they admitted the product was defective.
 
#23 ·
We've had our Pelican 65 quart for a little over two months. It has performed as advertised. It's been on wheeling and camping trips, and just made the trek with us to Summit and back (and was wheeled on all the trails in CO, UT, and NV).

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

YMMV.
 
#24 · (Edited)
I feel the same way abou my Yeti. I had two coolers in my room in Ouray. One was a $35 Marine Igloo and the other a $290 (now $350) Yeti 45 and they both had room temp beer that needed to be cooled. As it was, due to the Yetis floor, the bottles wouldnt stack well so it had less bottles in it that the Igloo.

Each had 3 bags of ice from town added to start. By that evening- almost all the ice in the Yeti was gone yet the Igloo was still 1/3 full - even with it having to cool more beer.

This isnt my 1st post on this and wont be my last. You can buy a lot of cheap Marine Coolers from Igloo for what one Yeti costs and in the end- you and your beer/ food will be better off.

Before I get lectured on the pre-cooling- Ive tried even dry ice and it still made no difference. The coolers are basically the same with one charging a lot more for being made of Kayak material which doesnt make it hold ice any better than a cardboard box
 
#26 ·
@ Texas TT

Thanks for the heads up. I just cancelled my order for the Pelican 20qt. that I placed this week. I love my Pelican case and I love the idea of a lifetime warranty on their coolers. But if I am responsible for shipping both ways for warranty work then that kills the deal.

I did send my local Pelican case distributor this thread link and he forwarded it onto the Pelican Reps.

Hopefully, they will make this good for all of you that have problems.

Brett
 
#27 ·
OC just resold me on my opinion. A 5 day igloo does the job just fine, and they are a lot less bulky for the volume they hold, and less than 1/10th of the price. My older 5 day cooler keeps block ice for 4 solid days in 95 degree heat following precooling procedures for drinks, beers, etc!
 
#28 ·
Oh man......now you're going to have to turn in your "Overlanding Man Card" since you won't have the latest, greatest, most expensive gear around on your trips..... >:D
 
#30 ·
 
#34 ·
Is that goat?
 
#33 ·
Still love my Pelican 65 quart and it's true, it is "bear resistant"- which means if you're in national park you don't have to schlep your heavy cooler to those metal storage units. We also put a combo lock on ours and have placed a locking metal leash on it occasionally when we were concerned about possible theft. The great hole placement on the Pelican makes this and mounting easy. And finally, one of the times I loaded a half full Pelican 65 to the roof of my FJ, I dropped it. I was certain I was going to be taking it back to Costco (which by the way has no time limit on the return of stuff- I know 'cause I brought something back after three years once). Alas, the latches, the hinges, the body of the cooler were all PERFECT. That's durability! The things are bulletproof and you'll never get that from Igloo or Coleman. I've used them all.
 
#37 ·
Update:
Pelican had us ship the cooler back to them. We did so and got a confirmation number that it had been delivered. 30 days passed with no word from Pelican customer service, so we went ahead with cancelling the CC charge. We sent the defective product back & got a refund. I figured everything was over.

A few weeks after that both the vendor and Pelican responded (I guess the CC charge reversal came through on their end). The vendor stated that the email we used to contact them had issues (we actually tried a few email addresses). Pelican then asked us to ship the cooler back to them again. We informed them that it had already been shipped back.

Pelican told us twice they were shipping a replacement, but we never saw it. Each time they would ask for the shipping address and info that was previously provided.

We responded by telling them that the ‘lifetime warranty’ seems to just be a sticker on the box. It does not mean much if a defective product gets shipped back and they forget about the issue. We also told them (again) about the credit card cancellation and that we consider the matter closed.

Most of the time Pelican makes nice products, but their customer service really needs to be overhauled.

We just wanted to buy a piece of gear to take camping in bear country. Instead we got swept into this multi-month odyssey.
 
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