Pelican Elite Wheeled Review
Cons: Heavy, not enough clearance, expensive, awkward shape
Manufacturer: Pelican
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Pelican Elite Wheeled | |||||
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| Awards |  | ||||
| Price | $514.95 at Amazon | Check Price at REI Compare at 3 sellers | $340 List | $279.99 at Amazon | $249.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Excellent insulation, easy to use latches, large capacity | Excellent insulation, super durable, easy to use, great size | Excellent insulation, great drainage, durable, compact design | Pretty good insulation, convenient size, comparatively lightweight, good price | Very durable, good insulation, comfortable handle grips |
| Cons | Heavy, not enough clearance, expensive, awkward shape | Expensive, no leash for plug, smaller than claimed | Tall narrow shape is hard to dig through, expensive, not our favorite handles | Handles uncomfortable, not our favorite latches | A bit large for one person, no leash for plug, latches are scarily stretchy |
| Bottom Line | A bulky, large cooler that doesn't live up to the hype | If you want the best insulation and the longest lasting cooler, look no further than this simple yet effective model | Excellent insulation in a compact, durable cooler | An above-average performer that comes in funky colors offers a good value | A high-performing and durable cooler with solid usability features |
| Rating Categories | Pelican Elite Wheeled | Yeti Tundra 65 | ORCA 58 Quart | Engel 65 | RTIC 65 |
| Insulation (50%) | |||||
| Durability (20%) | |||||
| Ease Of Use (15%) | |||||
| Portability (10%) | |||||
| Features (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Pelican Elite Wheeled | Yeti Tundra 65 | ORCA 58 Quart | Engel 65 | RTIC 65 |
| Shelf Life of Food (Measured Days Below 40ºF) | 6 days | 6.5 days | 6.5 days | 5.6 days | 6 days |
| Weight (lbs) | 54.3 lb | 31.9 lb | 30.6 lb | 25.5 lb | 34.9 lb |
| Measured Capacity (quarts) | 82 qt | 56 qt | 56 qt | 54 qt | 67 qt |
| Advertised Capacity (quarts) | 80 qt | 65 qt | 58 qt | 65 qt | 65 qt |
| Days of Cold Beverages (Measured Days Below 50º F) | 6.9 days | 7.4 days | 7.3 days | 6 days | 6.8 days |
| Internal Maximum Body Height (inches) | 12.25" | 10.5" | 13" | 10.75" | 12" |
| Does it Fit a Wine or 2L Bottle Standing Upright? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Exterior Dimensions (L x W x H) | 43"/53.5" x 20.5" x 20" | 30.75" x 17.5" x 16" | 26.75" x 20" x 19.4" | 29.5" x 17" x 16.6" | 32" x 18.5" x 17" |
| Construction | Rotomolded polypropylene | Rotomolded polyethylene | Rotomolded | Rotomolded | Rotomolded |
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Insulation
The Pelican performed quite well in our insulation testing that angled toward the torture end of the spectrum. It managed to maintain internal safe food temperatures of 40º F or less for a full six days, compared to a 4.5 day average. It also kept beers at their recommended temperature of 50º F or less for an impressive 6.8 days. With rotomolded construction and a rubber gasket around the lid, the Pelican offers a good level of insulation.
Durability
One of many coolers we reviewed rated as having a grizzly bear-resistant design and construction by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, the Pelican is pretty tough even just to look at. We noticed there's a rather sizeable gap in the rubber gasket, which both makes the cooler not airtight but also leaves edges to be picked and pulled at over time. And as much as we enjoyed using the very easy latches, we worry that their plastic construction may not last as long as the rest of the cooler. We found the Pelican to be fairly durable, though some of its details didn't blow us away.
Ease of Use
The Pelican was voted "easiest to open" by our four-year-old tester, who spent a good chunk of time pressing them open and closed over and over again. We aren't in love with the usability of the trolley handle, which is thick, cumbersome, and needs to be pulled up and pushed down into position. We also think the asymmetrical handles (round in the front and square in the back) are a bit awkward. In general, the large size of this cooler makes it difficult for a single person to lift in and out of a car alone - and if it's full of food, you can forget about it.
Portability
The one metric where you'd expect a wheeled cooler to excel, we, unfortunately, have to report the opposite. Though certainly, having wheels makes this behemoth easier to get from point A to point B than not having wheels, that's about the only thing we like about the Pelican's wheels - their existence. Their hard plastic design and low clearance make rolling this monstrous chest over bumps a pain. Picnic on the soft, sandy beach? Plan to drag this beast along with nearly as much effort as if it didn't have wheels.
Along with its dry weight of over 54 pounds and a trolley handle that's so short we were constantly smacking our heels on the edge of the cooler body, we really weren't big fans of bringing this Gigantor anywhere. It even gave one of our testers blisters on her palm from dragging it a measly two blocks down the road to the park! In a world that now includes coolers with its air-filled tires and high clearance that give you a smooth ride over just about any surface, just having wheels is no longer enough.
It's possible that one of the smaller versions of this cooler may be more pleasant to roll, but when we ordered the 55-quart version, we were so unimpressed that we sent it back. The extendable handle was far from user-friendly, and barely usable. Like the 80-quart model, it wasn't easy to pull without hitting our heels. There were also quality control issues, like holes plugged with foam on the exterior. For a wheeled cooler, we really expected to like this line from Pelican more.
Features
The Pelican comes with a leash plug to keep your drain always functioning correctly, as well as a handy bottle opener tucked under the front of the lid. It also doesn't sit on its wheels when not being rolled (one of its advertised features, though also one of the contributing factors to its low clearance) and instead rests on non-skid feet, making it a more reliable seat than other wheeled coolers we tested. For those fishermen out there, this cooler will also help you measure your catch and can hold some surprisingly long fish. It makes a nice, large table surface for filleting if needed.
Value
Far and away the most expensive cooler we tested, the Pelican offers good insulation and a large capacity that can be more easily moved than a version without wheels. However, for the performance we witnessed while rolling this surprisingly heavy cooler with a too-short handle, we really can't justify spending that much on this cooler unless it suits your needs swimmingly. If you're really after a pleasant, less frustrating rolling experience, we encourage you to consider a different rolling cooler, which will also cost you less than this one.
Conclusion
Though initial inspections and our intensive insulation testing made us excited about this big roller from Pelican, we were let down by the performance of its wheels. It's a fairly durable and reasonably easy to use cooler, but its low clearance, handle, and overall heaviness made it not one of our favorites.
— Maggie Brandenburg