I'm a big fan of the Pelican coolers, so I decided I'd get one of the smaller sized ones for pool/beach trips. The Yeti closest in size to this one is the Roadie. We took the cooler out to the lake for the 4th. On the inside, it has room for right at 20 canned drinks and a similar amount of bottled beers. My wife packaged the cooler and put 20 cans on the bottom layer and laid several others on top for a 2nd layer and filled with ice.
Throughout the day, the cooler was opened up many times and more drinks were added through the day without adding additional ice. All the drinks stayed cold all day long, but the next day all the ice was gone with the water still being quite cold.
The Good:
I like having things that are overbuilt and this fits the bill. My impressions are also only based upon a single outing. In the future, I'd recommend not putting more than a single layer of contents to allow for more ice. As you consume half of the contents, there is a lot of hot air that gets in to fill the void. If you overfill it, you're not allowing for enough ice to really get great ice retention. Also, if you're opening it several times an hour, ice is just going to melt.
For day-type trips, I think it's great and should last a lifetime. Would a cheaper Igloo work just as well? Perhaps, but sometimes you just buy things because they are "cool".
Here's a stock photo, and a link if you want more specs. B&H is a great place to buy from by the way, and they'll usually price match if you chat with them:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1080924-REG/pelican_20q_mc_tan_20_quart_elite_cooler_tan.html
Throughout the day, the cooler was opened up many times and more drinks were added through the day without adding additional ice. All the drinks stayed cold all day long, but the next day all the ice was gone with the water still being quite cold.
The Good:
- Holds a good amount for a day-type trip. 20 drinks is a lot for one person or a small family.
- It's built very solidly. It should last forever.
- Good ice retention, though the walls are not as think on this smaller model.
- Built-in bottle opener. My wife loves that feature.
- Cup-holders on top. Kind of cool, but not all that useful if you're opening the cooler a bunch.
- They make a bunch of cool colors, but generally only white and outdoor tan are available without a wait.
- The latches are awesome. They're easy to open and are very positive. I like them better than the Yeti rubber latches.
- Sturdy handle for carrying.
- It's quite heavy, even more than a Yeti. The handle is beefy, but I kept alternating hands with the handle on the long walk down to the dock.
- It's expensive, right around the $200 mark.
- No drain. Not a big deal in my opinion.
- No matter how cold beer is it gets hot too fast when not in the cooler. I threw a bone out to Yeti and bought a couple of their Colsters to see if they will really keep your beer cold after it comes out of the cooler.
I like having things that are overbuilt and this fits the bill. My impressions are also only based upon a single outing. In the future, I'd recommend not putting more than a single layer of contents to allow for more ice. As you consume half of the contents, there is a lot of hot air that gets in to fill the void. If you overfill it, you're not allowing for enough ice to really get great ice retention. Also, if you're opening it several times an hour, ice is just going to melt.
For day-type trips, I think it's great and should last a lifetime. Would a cheaper Igloo work just as well? Perhaps, but sometimes you just buy things because they are "cool".
Here's a stock photo, and a link if you want more specs. B&H is a great place to buy from by the way, and they'll usually price match if you chat with them:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1080924-REG/pelican_20q_mc_tan_20_quart_elite_cooler_tan.html
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