I've mentioned it before, but my "real life" job is in law enforcement and after years of working investigations, I was transferred early last year to the Special Operations Division for a new experience. Along with the change came life back in uniform from plain clothes or a suit, a marked patrol vehicle, and new responsibilities which I've greatly enjoyed learning.
About the time that I moved divisions, Grizzly Coolers had sent one of their ice chests to demo and review. We use our coolers quite a bit, but certainly not every day, and I figured the best way to put the Grizzly 40 to the test was to carry with me for work. I drive a Ford F-150 for work and had a cable and lock around to secure the cooler to the bed of the truck.
One of the draws for me with law enforcement has always been that no two days are the same. One day may find me assisting with any one of four different units within our division and I'm just as likely to assist with any number of critical incidents like might occur through the course of the day.
It's not uncommon for our officers to responds to vehicle collisions, structure fires, missing persons, and other incidents that may hold them on an incident scene for hours. Working in the heat and humidity of South Carolina, it's important for each of us to stay hydrated and having a cooler full of cold waters and Gatorades in the back of the truck has been excellent to depend on. The couple minutes it takes each morning to top off the ice and make sure the cooler is full of water and sports drinks is well worth it on a hot afternoon when everyone needs a something cold to drink to keep going. A 95 degree day (with elevated humidity) is no time to go dry.
So, what do I think after carrying the Grizzly 40 around in the back of the truck for the past six months? No doubt, this is a premium cooler in every feature and aspect of it's "Made in U.S.A." construction. Grizzly Coolers are roto-molded with pressure injected insulation and come with a lifetime warranty. The Grizzly 40 features heavy duty rubber latches, 2" drain plug, and rubber feet on all four corners to keep the cooler in place.
One of the complaints that some make with premium coolers is that the capacity doesn't always match the size of the cooler due to thick interior walls. I've found the Grizzly 40 to have enough room to hold over forty 12 ounce Gatorade and water bottles and small bucket or two of ice. If you load up the Grizzly 40 with brews or soda pops then you can expect to get almost 70 cans in the cooler with ten pounds of ice.
Ice retention is extremely high and even in the heat of the summer I am adding just a bit of ice each day to top things off. Over this winter I've had ice last several weeks without adding additional ice at all which makes some sense since it was as cold outside as inside. The trick with any ice chest is to cool down the interior and that will greatly assist with your ice retention. A frozen gallon milk jug is perfect to place in a cooler the night before you're planning on using it. Once the interior of the Grizzly 40 is deep chilled on the inside, then it maintains ice for days just like it's supposed to.
Added features of the Grizzly 40 include heavy duty rope handles, tiedown slots, embossed ruler on the lid, and they are available in a mix of colors, including some special edition offerings from time to time which are announced on through the Grizzly Coolers social media pages.
So, the big question, how does the this cooler stack up against the other premium coolers out there? It certainly holds it's own and the Grizzly 40 has quickly become just one more tool that I carry for work and depend on daily. I expect that it'll perform flawlessly that way for many years to come.
In the market for a premium ice chest? Please visit the Grizzly Coolers website for more information or visit a dealer near you to check them out.
About the time that I moved divisions, Grizzly Coolers had sent one of their ice chests to demo and review. We use our coolers quite a bit, but certainly not every day, and I figured the best way to put the Grizzly 40 to the test was to carry with me for work. I drive a Ford F-150 for work and had a cable and lock around to secure the cooler to the bed of the truck.
One of the draws for me with law enforcement has always been that no two days are the same. One day may find me assisting with any one of four different units within our division and I'm just as likely to assist with any number of critical incidents like might occur through the course of the day.
It's not uncommon for our officers to responds to vehicle collisions, structure fires, missing persons, and other incidents that may hold them on an incident scene for hours. Working in the heat and humidity of South Carolina, it's important for each of us to stay hydrated and having a cooler full of cold waters and Gatorades in the back of the truck has been excellent to depend on. The couple minutes it takes each morning to top off the ice and make sure the cooler is full of water and sports drinks is well worth it on a hot afternoon when everyone needs a something cold to drink to keep going. A 95 degree day (with elevated humidity) is no time to go dry.
So, what do I think after carrying the Grizzly 40 around in the back of the truck for the past six months? No doubt, this is a premium cooler in every feature and aspect of it's "Made in U.S.A." construction. Grizzly Coolers are roto-molded with pressure injected insulation and come with a lifetime warranty. The Grizzly 40 features heavy duty rubber latches, 2" drain plug, and rubber feet on all four corners to keep the cooler in place.
One of the complaints that some make with premium coolers is that the capacity doesn't always match the size of the cooler due to thick interior walls. I've found the Grizzly 40 to have enough room to hold over forty 12 ounce Gatorade and water bottles and small bucket or two of ice. If you load up the Grizzly 40 with brews or soda pops then you can expect to get almost 70 cans in the cooler with ten pounds of ice.
Ice retention is extremely high and even in the heat of the summer I am adding just a bit of ice each day to top things off. Over this winter I've had ice last several weeks without adding additional ice at all which makes some sense since it was as cold outside as inside. The trick with any ice chest is to cool down the interior and that will greatly assist with your ice retention. A frozen gallon milk jug is perfect to place in a cooler the night before you're planning on using it. Once the interior of the Grizzly 40 is deep chilled on the inside, then it maintains ice for days just like it's supposed to.
Added features of the Grizzly 40 include heavy duty rope handles, tiedown slots, embossed ruler on the lid, and they are available in a mix of colors, including some special edition offerings from time to time which are announced on through the Grizzly Coolers social media pages.
So, the big question, how does the this cooler stack up against the other premium coolers out there? It certainly holds it's own and the Grizzly 40 has quickly become just one more tool that I carry for work and depend on daily. I expect that it'll perform flawlessly that way for many years to come.
In the market for a premium ice chest? Please visit the Grizzly Coolers website for more information or visit a dealer near you to check them out.
2 comments:
Great review. I was considering one of these soon!
Also, I am a fellow LE Officer (Trooper with GSP) and fiberglass enthusiast.
Engel Coolers... Interested in a possible T.F.M. review of your products? Please send an email to thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.com to discuss. Thank you.
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