After our latest road-tripping stint which involved using Pelican’s Elite cooler as a camping “fridge”, we’ve been huge fans of the company.
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Their new insulated drinkware line takes the lowly, but oh-so-necessary water bottle and jacks it up on steroids with extreme heat/cold retention. They were kind enough to send us a 32-ounce sample and here’s what we found …
The Skinny
In Pelican’s own words, the Bottle is:
… ruggedly engineered with 18/8 pro grade stainless steel, featuring a sweat-proof, powder coated finish that ensures your hands won’t slip from condensation, plus a non-Slip rubber base for increased durability.
We’ve also made sure that our new Pelican™ Bottles are effortless to transport, as each spill-proof lid is also an easy-carry handle. Just loop this through your fingers or attach it to your favorite backpack – the contents will be stowed safely inside until you’re ready for your next sip or pour.
The Traveler’s Take
I’m never without my water bottle. Ever. If it was socially acceptable, I’d clip it to my belt loop like a 90s-era executive with a Blackberry. Campers and other hikers understand this (admittedly strange) obsession.
I also love simple gear that does exactly what it’s supposed to and does it well. Pelican’s insulated drinkware does just that. It packs all the “technology” you’d ever want in an insulated bottle and everything just works.
The textured, matte 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel exterior is sleek and borderline futuristic. It’s like a well-designed prop they could’ve used in Life to store the harvested alien cells (in case you haven’t seen the movie, that’s a good thing). But, the powder coated exterior isn’t just a pretty face. It actually serves a purpose. First, it provides extra grip so the bottle won’t slip your grasp. The rubberized non-slip base also works toward the same goal to ensure the bottle stays right where you want it to be. The large top grab handle (with spill-proof lid) makes it super easy to carry, grab, or lash to your pack/roof rack/whatever. Again: it’s designed to stay right where you put it.
But the real win is what’s on the inside. An insulated interior copper liner makes sure your beverages stay hot or cold — whatever the moment calls for. Like Pelican’s Elite Coolers (and most of their product line), it’s designed with extreme temperature retention in mind. Which is awfully nice when you’re a hundred miles from the nearest refrigeration. Combined with the stainless exterior, the bottle will keep hot drinks hot for 12 hours and cold drinks cold for 24 hours. As with our cooler test, it’s important to note that these figures are under ideal conditions. But, if you’re smart about how often you open the bottle’s lid, you really can see similar results in the field.
Like I said: a Nalgene on steroids.
Pricing and Availability
The Pelican Bottle is available now in white or black in 18oz, 32oz, and 64oz varieties.