Pelican Elite 45 Quart Wheeled Cooler (USA)

This works very well for us. The capacity is sufficient for most trips that we take. The only downside to this cooler is its weight. However, the wheels make it easy to move around. I would not want to buy a cooler of this capacity that didn't have wheels. One other positive are the latches. They are very easy to operate and have the Yeti latches beat hands down.

I am very satisfied with how long it keeps things cold. It keeps a full cooler cold enough all day with only a couple of mid-size freezer packs. I did use it once with a 20 pound bag of ice and a couple of dozen drinks. It kept things ice cold for at least 3 days as we used up the contents. Again, the latches work great and in my opinion are much better than the rubber latches used on the Yeti coolers. Although it takes both me and my wife to lift the full cooler up into the back of the car, we are able to move it around by ourselves due to the wheels which make pulling it easy.

I wanted to buy a cooler made in USA. This cooler is crap. I've always held Pelican in high regard since I've seen the abuse their cases can take in the military. I had a 65qt from the other guys and wanted something that I could carry by myself so I thought the wheeled 45qt would be perfect. The cooler I got however was not an upgrade, it's not very stable and creaks if I stand on it, the drain plug is made of the cheapest plastic imaginable, and mine shouldn't have passed QC. There was some exposed foam in the latch pin hole, plastic flashing in several places, and when I pushed on a discolored area inside of the cooler the wall flexed indicating a possible void.