Ice Chests

Joker

Joker

Adventurist
Founding Member
Ok let’s talk Ice Chests. Whatcha got. I just picked up this 65qt Pelican from Costco but it’s broken out of the box; it’s the filler cap where they sprayed in the foam. Before I return it to Costco I called Pelican to see if they can send me a new cap but I haven’t heard back from them yet.

Pelican 1.jpg



Broken Plug.

Pelican 2.jpg
 
I'm sure pelican will make it right. I was looking at high end ice chests before I got a deal on a fridge that I couldn't pass up... now I can't imagine being without it. That being said, I am now looking at nicer coolers to supplement fridge for family camping, and pelican is on the list.. along with yeti.
 
I too am looking at coolers, even though I have an Engel 45. My reasoning is to build a decent swamp cooler for the camper when I need to leave Bayleaf in when I go hiking or kayaking. I don't wanna use styrofoam and whatever cooler I get can double as storage when not in use. The pelicans and yeti's are pricey and cannot see myself cutting a hole in one. What do you suppose the linear measuring guide on the lid is for, measuring fresh caught fish?
 
100acrehuphalump said:
The pelicans and yeti's are pricey and cannot see myself cutting a hole in one.
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My Pelican was about $120 cheaper than the Yeti, I did a lot of shoping around online and this was the cheapest i could find of all the brands; yea and i definitely wouldn't be cutting a hole in it.

100acrehuphalump said:
What do you suppose the linear measuring guide on the lid is for, measuring fresh caught fish?
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Yes I would assume for measuring fresh caught fish, there's not much of a market for measuring store bought fish, you know...just saying.
 
Scott said:
I'm sure pelican will make it right. I was looking at high end ice chests before I got a deal on a fridge that I couldn't pass up... now I can't imagine being without it. That being said, I am now looking at nicer coolers to supplement fridge for family camping, and pelican is on the list.. along with yeti.
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x2

Pelican will make it right, but Costco should as well. I'll be getting a Yeti soon since I left my Engel back in the states. There just isn't enough need for me to carry a fridge around here in Japan for occasional camping that isn't far from civilization.
 
Trump said:
Pelican will make it right, but Costco should as well.
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I ended up returning it to Costco's and the new one should arrive tomorrow; I did hear back from Pelican but it wasnt until after I had returned it to Costco.


Trump said:
There just isn't enough need for me to carry a fridge around here in Japan for occasional camping that isn't far from civilization.
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Yea that's kind of why I went with the cooler instead of the fridge I just don't get out as much as I want and when I do its usually just a couple day trips so I just couldn't justify the additional cost. Plus something Al said on another thread about just not wanting to deal with the wires and that sold me on it because I know nothing about wiring and do not have a single hot plug in the truck so the cooler just made sense for me.


Anybody do any modifications to the exterior or interior like section it off with dividers, I was thinking of sealing off a section inside to create a dry area and use one of those Arctic Ice packs in there?
 
Joker said:
Yea that's kind of why I went with the cooler instead of the fridge I just don't get out as much as I want and when I do its usually just a couple day trips so I just couldn't justify the additional cost. Plus something Al said on another thread about just not wanting to deal with the wires and that sold me on it because I know nothing about wiring and do not have a single hot plug in the truck so the cooler just made sense for me.
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Wiring up the fridge is easy enough work. It's the additional vehicle support systems for running it. A second battery, charging system, solar, etc... it's a can of worms. I wouldn't even buy the Yeti if it weren't for the ridiculous deal I'm getting on it. Yeti does have a divider system available for it; however, it does not make it a dry section. With a little food safe sealant that could be changed, but I'm not sure the result would meet your expectations.
 
A fridge won't run down your battery unless you're stationary for multiple days. That isn't the type of camping and traveling that we do so my dual battery setup was complete overkill.
 
fireball said:
A fridge won't run down your battery unless you're stationary for multiple days.
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Not sure I would agree with you on that one. Many factors to consider, and in my experience (and math) not a true statement.
 
Scott said:
I'm sure pelican will make it right. I was looking at high end ice chests before I got a deal on a fridge that I couldn't pass up... now I can't imagine being without it. That being said, I am now looking at nicer coolers to supplement fridge for family camping, and pelican is on the list.. along with yeti.
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If you check out the local Walmarts, they have the 65 qt's on markdown for $184. They are white if you care. I bought mine last week. You have to go to the Walmarts that don't show they have them in stock. Once they are on markdown, they are removed from inventory.
 
Trump said:
Wiring up the fridge is easy enough work.
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Says you; I'd probably end up setting the truck on fire. Not from the bad wiring just because I couldn't figure it out and just set the truck on fire.

Trump said:
Yeti does have a divider system available for it; however, it does not make it a dry section. With a little food safe sealant that could be changed, but I'm not sure the result would meet your expectations.
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Yep that's one of the reasons I liked the Yeti and the Engel, both had the divider and the Pelican doesn't and that's exactly what I was thinking with the food grade silicon to seal the edges.

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hidesertwheelin said:
If you check out the local Walmarts, they have the 65 qt's on markdown for $184. They are white if you care. I bought mine last week. You have to go to the Walmarts that don't show they have them in stock. Once they are on markdown, they are removed from inventory.
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Yep I tried that first but no luck. I would rather not have a white one but for $184 I would have taken one.
 
bvanderberg said:
Wow, they're 299 here in south San Diego. I didn't want one, but now I must have one. Which store please?
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Just check all your local walmarts. Most stores don't have more than one in stock (How many walmart shoppers are willing to spend $300 on a ice chest), and once it's sold it's gone. Hopefully you can find one.

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Joker said:
Yep I tried that first but no luck. I would rather not have a white one but for $184 I would have taken one.
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I hear you on the white, but it's the only color they had and for the price, who am I to complain.
 
We did an article on Ice Chests in Issue 5 of OutdoorX4 Magazine. You can view it at http://issue5.outdoorx4.com.

The Pelican is a fine American-made ice chest but we found it to be way too bulky. We actually preferred the Outfitter cooler from Canyon Coolers over all of the ones we tested (which included Yeti, Engel, and Pelican), also American-made.
 
OutdoorX4 said:
The Pelican is a fine American-made ice chest but we found it to be way too bulky.
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Yea so far that's about my only complaint, so far we have only used it around the house but filled with ice and drinks its absolutely a two man lift; I think I am going to name it the Ice Beast.

I looked at a couple of others like the Canyon and the no name one from Gander Mountain but they were only 50qt for the same price as my 65qt.
 
Several months ago we picked up a nice cooler for camping. We usually are only out for 2 nights with the kids, 3 max. So an electric fridge just wasn't really for me. Plus I didn't want to add a second battery and all that mess right now.

We picked up a Kong Coolers 70


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I've been really happy with how it handles ice and it's overall features. Better handle design and latch than some of the others. Drains on both sides. Came with a cutting board/divider. And I really liked they were American made over in Washington state. And the price point was at the time of purchase, very attractive. A lot more affordable than some of the other Rotomolded coolers on the market. (Directly comparable to RTIC pricing)

Then.... shortly after my purchase they went and jacked up their prices. And not just by a little, but by a lot. I'd like to recommend these, but I paid $274.00 for mine on Aug 9th and now the same cooler is $379.00 ($105 price increase) and they raised the prices on the whole line, so I don't think I'll be purchasing a smaller one which I had intended to do. Especially now that the smallest one is over $200 when it was much closer to RTIC's 20.

So my next purchase might be a different brand.
 
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