Frequently Asked Questions

The Shop Pelican Coolers team is here to answer all your questions. Reach out to us through email or by phone or stop by our showroom if you are local to Ashland, Virginia. Our office and showroom are open Monday through Friday from 9 AM until 4 PM EST.

Email: SayHello@EliteCooler.com

Phone: 1-844-200-7354

Beam Showroom: 317 Hill Carter Parkway, Ashland VA 23005

Shop Pelican Coolers is the largest authorized online dealer of Pelican Elite Coolers and other Pelican products. We are a division of Beam, a locally owned and operated company in Ashland, Virginia. Our team is dedicated to providing the best experience for our customers, from when you find out about our products through purchasing and shipping and beyond.

Until 2019, Pelican products were only available for sale through dealers and distributors like Beam Distributing. Thanks to Beam Distributing's longstanding relationship with Pelican, PelicanCoolers.com (now EliteCooler.com) was launched in 2014 and has been the leading online dealer of Pelican Elite Coolers ever since. This long relationship is why we are able to offer custom colors available nowhere else online.

We know that for our customers to have the best experience, they need to get their items quickly and cost-effectively. Our order processing and warehouse teams work together to process and ship your order as efficiently as possible.

We are not able to ship to PO boxes. The USPS has size limits for what can be mailed to a PO box, and most of our products exceed these limits. Please provide a physical shipping address at checkout to ensure your order is processed and shipped promptly.

Orders placed after 12 PM. EST will begin processing the following business day. We do not process or ship orders during the weekend. Due to our contracts with our carriers, we are not able to offer Saturday deliveries.

During normal business, please allow 1–3 business days for processing, followed by 1–6 days for shipping depending on where you are located.

During sales, please allow 2–4 business days for processing. Shipping times will be the same during sales.

Please note: Refusal of any shipment will incur a 50% restocking fee.

Shop Pelican Coolers proudly offers free ground shipping on orders of $35 or more (after promotions, discounts, or other offers are applied) shipped to a contiguous United States address.

Due to the added cost of freight shipping, we are not able to offer free shipping to Alaska, Hawaii, or other United States territories, although we do offer expedited shipping to these areas, as well as within the contiguous United States.

Pelican 250QT Elite Coolers will ship on a pallet through LTL via Estes. The shipping company will reach out to you to coordinate delivery and someone must be present at the time of delivery.

*Updated 12/14/22

During the upcoming holiday season, our office and warehouse will be closed for several days while our team celebrates with their families. On the following dates, we will not be processing and shipping orders or available to provide customer service:

Memorial Day: May 29

Fourth of July: July 4

Labor Day: September 4

Thanksgiving: November 23–24

Christmas: December 25 & 26

New Years: January 1, 2024

All orders placed on or after 12PM EST on Friday will begin processing on the following business day.

If you believe that your order is missing or has been stolen, please check the tracking information first. Packages are occasionally mismarked as delivered during shipping—this is generally corrected by the carrier, but unfortunately not before our automated system sends out an order delivery notification email. Please reach out to the carrier to see if an error has occurred with the tracking on your order. If your order has been marked at delivered and has not arrived at your shipping address after 24 hours, please check with your neighbors. It is unfortunate, but sometimes orders are delivered to the wrong address.

If you are unable to locate your order after 24 hours, please reach out to us at SayHello@EliteCooler.com. We will review your order and determine the best way to make the situation right. In the case of a stolen package, we will require that you file a police report for the missing package. Once we have received a copy of the police report we will place and ship a new order to replace it. We will require a signature upon delivery of the replacement, so please plan accordingly.

We offer free returns on select products that are unused, and in original condition within 45 days after purchase. Items purchased during a BOGO promotion or as part of a bundle package are only eligible for return if all items are returned together, unused, and in original condition. Item condition is determined at the sole discretion of EliteCooler.com.

• Refurbished products & replacement parts are not eligible for return.
• Due to the limitations of our shopping platform, we are not able to process exchanges. You will need to initiate a return on the product that you ordered and then place a new order for the product you would like instead.

Call us at 1-844-200-PELI or email us at sayhello@elitecooler.com to receive your Return Material Authorization (RMA) number.

If you have received a refund notification email, but have not yet received your refund, please wait 24 hours. Occasionally it will take a business day, or even two, for the transaction to clear at bank. If after this period you have still not received your refund, contact your credit card company or bank. If they are not able to let you know what the status of your refund is, please reach out to us at SayHello@EliteCooler.com. 

Pelican’s products are set apart from others thanks in part to their superior warranty.

• Hard-sided Elite Coolers, drinkware and injection molded cases have a lifetime guarantee against breakage or defects in workmanship.
• Backpacks & duffels and ice packs have a lifetime guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship.
• 14QT & 8QT Personal Coolers and Elite Soft Coolers have a three-year guarantee against defects in materials and workmanship. 

For the details of your product’s warranty, please visit this page: https://www.pelicancoolers.com/pages/warranty. 

To file a warranty claim, you will need to visit Pelican’s online warranty center at https://www.pelican.com/claim. It does not matter where you purchased your Pelican product from, all warranty-related issues will be redirected to the online warranty center. Please see below for more information on how to file a warranty claim.

You can start the warranty process at https://www.pelican.com/claim. Please fill out the claim form as fully and accurately as possible to ensure a speedy resolution for your warranty claim.

When you file the claim, you'll be asked to attach a copy of the receipt for your cooler. Don’t worry if you do not have your receipt, either because you’ve misplaced it over the course of a lifetime or because your cooler was a gift or prize. You can attach a picture of the cooler (or other product) in place of the receipt. We recommend including a picture of the issue the claim in regarding to help Pelican assess your claim.

Pelican will collect your credit card information to cover any shipping costs. During the filing process, it may sound like Pelican wants you to send in the whole cooler, however, they will review your claim and then determine the best course of action. Then they will let you know how they are going to proceed before charging you for any applicable shipping costs.

Once you have filed your claim online you can contact the warranty department by calling 1-800-473-5422 [ext. 5] or emailing csr.warranty@Pelican.com. Please have your claim number available for the warranty department to reference when you call in.

We are one of Pelican’s top dealers and have been given special permission to sell select replacement parts on our site, including latches, drain plug assemblies, gaskets, bottle openers, and feet. We also have replacement traveler tumbler lids available (these do not fit on the new Dayventure Tumblers). Visit our Replacement Parts collection to shop for the parts you need. And don’t forget that all of our orders ship for free!

To get replacement parts that we do not carry, including wheels, handles, hinge pins, and bottle lids, you will need to file a warranty claim through Pelican’s online warranty center at https://www.pelican.com/claim. You can also file a warranty claim to get the replacement parts that we do carry.

Please see the instructions below for more detailed information on how to file a warranty claim.

The warranty department will be able to help you with many issues that you may experience with your cooler and other products. These issues include, but are not limited to:

• Decrease in ice retention
• Signs of warping or bowing
• Missing insulation
• Cooler replacement parts: latches, drain plug assemblies, gaskets, feet, bottle openers, handles, wheels, hinge pins, and screws
• Broken zippers
• Tumblers and tumbler lids
• Bottles and bottle lids
• Leaking ice packs
• Manufacturing defects

Please be aware that all warranty claims of any nature are barred if the product has been altered, damaged or in any way physically changed, or subjected to abuse, negligence or accident.

Pelican's engineers have crafted the toughest mobile cold storage unit possible with no detail overlooked. Reinforced corners and thick walls insulate better for longer ice retention while protecting from impact. Superior stainless steel hardware and built-in UV resistance protect for a lifetime. And that's not even getting into the specifics. Test one for a lifetime to see why you'll never need another cooler.

The world-class chill factor of Pelican Elite Coolers is the result of a two-inch thick, continuous layer of polyurethane insulation*. No thin-wall sections, no cut-outs. Just one solid, molded, thermal protective layer that’s sealed tight with a freezer-grade, 360-degree rubber gasket. Tough Press and Pull Latches are easier to use and longer lasting than other rubber latches. The strength of stainless steel hardware stands up to corrosion better than aluminum. This hardware will be able to fight off salt, sand, and sun exposure for the life of your cooler.

*20QT, 14QT & 8QT Elite Coolers have one-inch thick, continuous layer of polyurethane insulation.

We are proud to say that all hard-sided Elite Pelican Elite Coolers are designed and made in the USA. These coolers are manufactured in South Deerfield, MA.

Pelican 1050 and 1060 Micro cases are designed and made in the USA. These cases are manufactured in Torrance, CA.

Pelican 14QT & 8QT Personal Coolers are designed in the USA and manufactured overseas.
Pelican soft-sided coolers are designed in the USA and manufactured overseas.
Pelican drinkware is designed in the USA and manufactured overseas.
Pelican backpacks and duffels are designed in the USA and manufactured overseas.
Pelican Personal Utility Cases (PUC) are designed in the USA and manufactured overseas.

Pelican performs a visual inspection of all coolers at the end of the manufacturing process to ensure the coolers are of the highest quality. Unfortunately, a visual inspection is not always able to catch something like a drain plug that isn’t tight enough. The good news is that tightening your drain plug is pretty simple.

You'll need a T20 Torx screwdriver, a flathead screwdriver, and a hammer.

1. Unscrew the free-spinning drain cap. Remove the anti-rotation screw using the T20 Torx screwdriver. Set the drain cap and anti-rotation screw to the side.
2. Tighten drain plug assembly:

• Insert a flathead screwdriver into one of the notches in the drain collar. Tap the screwdriver with a hammer to turn the drain collar in a clockwise direction.

3. Test drain plug assembly:

• Screw the free-spinning drain cap onto the drain collar. Fill the cooler with enough water to cover the entire drain plug assembly. Tilt the cooler up and leave for fifteen minutes. If a leak occurs, tighten the drain plug assembly and retest.

4. Install a free-spinning drain cap

• Remove the free-spinning drain cap from the drain collar. Align the washer at the end of the tether with the anti-rotation screw hole in the drain collar; be sure to face the flat side of the washer toward the drain collar. Install the anti-rotation screw; it may not be possible to align the anti-rotation screw directly where it was installed in the previous drain plug assembly. Do not overtighten—over-tightening the screw will reduce retention.
• Be aware: due to the design of the free-spinning cap, the cap will not sit flush with the drain collar. As long as the drain cap is fully tightened and the drain cap washer is in place correctly, the drain cap will not leak.

If this does not help with your drain plug's leak or you have other concerns about the leak, please reach out to us at sayhello@elitecooler.com.

Cleaning your cooler before and after every use will help you get the best performance from your cooler. Warm water and regular dish detergent are all you need to clean your cooler, and thanks to the built-in drain on most Elite Coolers (the 20QT Elite Cooler does not feature a drain) it is easy to empty your cooler while you are cleaning it. In an extreme case, you can use a solution of bleach and water to clean out your cooler, but we don't recommend you exceed a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. If you are concerned about lingering odors, put a few drops of vanilla extract on a paper towel and give your cooler a quick wipe. Now that your cooler is clean, don't forget to let it fully dry before storing it away until the next time you need it.

The replacement bottle openers we sell on our site are not intended to be used on first-generation rotomolded coolers. Please bear in mind that the warranty on your cooler will be voided if your cooler is altered, damaged, or in any way physically changed.

Dealing with a broken latch on your cooler is frustrating, and it’s not always easy to find the right latch to replace it with. Fortunately, you can use the chart below to find the latch your cooler will need.

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can find replacement latches for your cooler in our Replacement Parts collection. Don't forget that all of our orders ship for free!

You can also get replacement latches by filing a warranty claim for your cooler. To start this process, head over to https://www.pelican.com/claim. For more detailed instructions on how to file a warranty claim, refer to the Warranty section of our FAQ.

Still not sure which latch is the right one? Send a picture of your cooler’s latches to sayhello@elitecooler.com and we can help you figure it out.

Pelican Elite Coolers are designed with a freezer-grade gasket to keep the cold in your cooler for as long as possible. However, these gaskets are not designed to be airtight or watertight, which is why your cooler will leak if it is tipped over.

It is easy to fix a fold in your cooler’s gasket. Uninstall the gasket by pulling it out of the groove that it sits in. Leave the gasket in a warm spot, like a sunny windowsill or by a heat register, for an hour or two. This will allow the rubber to relax back into the shape it was originally molded into without any folds. Reinstall the gasket by pushing it back into the groove in the lid, and voila! No more folded gasket.

Pelican Elite Coolers are designed with a small gap in the gasket. This gap is usually between 1/8″ and 1/4″ and will not effect the performance of your cooler. When Pelican redesigned their coolers in 2016, they introduced this feature to act as a pressure release due to customer feedback that the coolers were difficult to open during use. In addition to making your cooler easier to open, the gap also makes it safe for you to use dry ice in your cooler.

If the gap in your cooler’s gasket is larger than 1/4″, you can uninstall your gasket and then reinstall it to make the gap smaller. The gasket sits in a groove in the lid and can easily be pulled out and then pushed back in. Leaving the uninstalled gasket in a warm spot (like a sunny windowsill or by a heat register) will relax the rubber and make it easier to reinstall.

You can absolutely use your cooler to keep food hot! The two inches of insulation that do such an amazing job retaining ice will do just as good a job at retaining heat. We’ve seen Pelican Elite Coolers used to hold boiled peanuts or to rest large cuts of barbeque. We’ve even seen someone set up their immersion circulator in their cooler in order to sous vide a huge tomahawk ribeye.

Just exercise care that the contents in your cooler don’t exceed 250°F. You don’t want to accidentally melt your cooler.
  

Yes, you can use dry ice to turn your cooler into the ultimate deep freeze. All of the hard-sided Pelican Elite Coolers are designed with a gap in the gasket that acts as a pressure release. This makes your cooler easier to open, and also allows the carbon dioxide gas to escape the cooler as the dry ice sublimates. It is important to keep the dry ice from direct contact with the cooler in order to prevent damage to the cooler itself. A folded towel, layer of cardboard, or even a few paper grocery bags should be enough to protect your cooler and give you the best performance! 

In the image below, we used two layers of grocery store paper bags placed on the bottom of the cooler.  We kept the dry ice in the packaging we bought it in and then placed it on top of the paper bags. Next, we placed another two layers of paper bags on top and added a good layer of regular ice to create a deep freeze.

Remember to use dry ice safely!

• Do not handle dry ice directly. Use protective gloves or oven mitts when handling dry ice.
• Ventilation is a must! Roll down your car windows to avoid a dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide gas.
• Most importantly, DO NOT use dry ice in Pelican soft coolers. These coolers are designed to be leak-proof and the buildup of gas inside them could cause an explosion.

Pelican Elite Coolers are capable of delivering amazing feats of ice retention, but in order to get the best performance from your cooler you will need to plan ahead and do some prep work.

1. Pre-Chill Your Cooler

Before you use your cooler, bring it indoors 12–24 hours in advance and fill it with a 10 lb. bag of ice (you may need more ice if you have a larger cooler). It sounds strange, but think about it: coolers don’t make things cold; they keep things cold. Pre-chilling the cooler before you use it conditions the polyurethane insulation to retain the cold. If you skip this step, then your cooler is going to retain the temperature of the garage where you were storing it and is going to melt all the ice you added to it right before you hit the road.

2. Ice 101

You wouldn’t expect it, but the kind of ice you fill your cooler with will have a big impact on its performance. Block ice will melt at a slower rate and perform best for long-term temperature maintenance. But ice cubes will pre-chill your cooler faster and fill in the gaps between items better. So why not use both? Place a layer of block ice at the bottom of your cooler—or maybe even use Pelican Ice packs—and then use cubed ice as you fill the cooler with your goods. Now that you’ve ironed out what kind of ice to use, it’s time to think about the amount of ice to use. To get the best ice retention from your Pelican Elite Cooler you should use twice the amount of ice to the goods you’re keeping in the cooler. Last, but not least, don’t forget to fill your cooler up as much as possible. The less air you have inside the cooler, the longer your cooler will retain the cold.

3. Pack It Cold

You’ve already taken steps to prepare your cooler to hold ice as long as it can, so don’t throw a wrench in the works by tossing in warm sodas and snacks. Pack your cooler with beverages from the fridge. Better yet, freeze those water bottles before you put them in the cooler. Now you have block ice that you can drink when it thaws. You can also freeze hamburgers, hot dogs or other meat products that you aren’t intending to eat right away. Don’t forget that how you pack your cooler can have a huge impact on your ice retention.

4. Keep It Closed

The cooler is prepped and packed, and now you’re ready to hit the road. There’s just one trick to complete your Pelican ice retention strategy: keep your cooler closed. Remember that air is the enemy and will carry off all your cold if you leave the lid open. Make sure to close and latch the lid when you aren’t using the cooler to maximize your ice retention.

Following these steps will ensure that you get the best ice retention possible from your cooler. The chart below shows the top level of performance that you can expect from your cooler.

Only promo codes issued by EliteCooler.com will work on our site. If you received a promo code from another site, we are not able to honor it.

Only one promo code can be applied to your order. Promo codes must be applied to your order at checkout and cannot be applied retroactively.

Promo codes cannot be honored after they expire.

If you think that our website is malfunctioning or have questions about your promo code, please reach out to us at SayHello@EliteCooler.com.

In the event that we have a sale, we are unable to issue price adjustments. In the event that another dealer has a sale, we are unable to match their price.

While we do our best to provide the best experience to all of our customers, the truth is that we are a small business, and certain aspects of our business, particularly pricing, are mandated by Pelican. In order to maintain brand identity and prevent underpricing, Pelican enforces minimum advertised pricing (MAP) for all of their authorized dealers. We are only able to advertise sales during specific periods of time when Pelican has lifted MAP enforcement.

Pelican has a department committed to monitoring their dealers for MAP violations and will sever ties with dealers who repeatedly violate these rules. You may be able to find a Pelican Elite Cooler for a lower price on eBay or Amazon because individual sellers do not fall under MAP enforcement.

We encourage you to buy from EliteCooler.com because buying from an authorized dealer ensures quality customer care. Choosing to buy from us means that we are here to answer any questions you might have and to help with any problems you might encounter with your Pelican products. We are very knowledgeable about these products, believe in the Pelican brand, and pride ourselves on offering the best experience to all of our customers.

We are proud to now offer payment plans with Shop Pay Installments. 

Now, when you choose Shop Pay installments at checkout, you can split your purchase into 4 equal, 0% interest installment payments—with no additional, hidden, or late fees.*

How it works:

1. Add items to your cart.
2. Check out with Shop Pay.
3. Choose to pay in 4 installments

Your first payment will either be due at checkout or 2 weeks after your purchase. The next 3 remaining installments will be automatically charged to your card saved on Shop Pay every 2 weeks. And don't worry, you'll get an email reminder before each payment to keep you in the know. 

What’s more – when you check out with Shop Pay, the delivery emissions from your order are automatically offset for free.

FAQS

Are there any minimum or maximum requirements?

Pay in full or in 4 interest-free installments for orders between $50 and $1000 with Shop Pay.

Does Shop Pay installments impact my credit score?

When using Shop Pay installments, there will be no impact to your credit score since Affirm doesn't conduct a hard credit pull or report to the credit bureaus. However, late payments and non-payments may affect your ability to pay with Shop Pay installments in the future.

What is the option to pay in Shop Pay installments?

When checking out with Shop Pay, you now have the option to pay now or later. Paying in installments on Shop Pay allows you to split your purchase amount into 4 equal, biweekly installment payments—with 0% interest, no hidden or late fees, and no impact on your credit score.* In some instances, your first payment is due when you make your purchase; otherwise, your first payment is due 2 weeks after your purchase.

How to I manage my payments for Shop Pay installments?

You can log in to Shop Pay to view your order history and payment status for orders that are paid in installments with Shop Pay.

Which payment methods are accepted if I use the option to pay in Shop Pay installments?

The installments option on Shop Pay is available on all major debit and credit cards.